Protein is, by far, the most important nutrient in a bodybuilder’s diet. Red meat, fish and dairy products are the primary sources of this protein. Most, if not all, bodybuilders also consume a large quantity of protein powder supplements in order to meet their daily requirement of protein.

The popularity of supplemental protein has grown for many reasons. Let’s look at a typical 200 pound bodybuilder. Our bodybuilder must consume 1 to 1.5 g of high quality protein per pound of body weight each day. That works out to 250-300 grams of protein every day. This protein intake should be divided into 5 or 6 meals to be consumed throughout the day. Six meals per day, our bodybuilder needs to consume an average of about 40 g of protein at each meal.

Let’s look at the protein content of some common bodybuilding foods:

8 ounces of various steaks: 45g protein, 10g fat

6 ounces chicken breast: 40g protein, 2g fat

6 ounces Turkey breast: 30g protein, 1g fat

8 ounces pork chop: 30g protein, 6g fat

4 ounces hamburger (90%): 15g protein, 10g fat

1 can chunk light tuna (6.25 oz): 40g protein, 1g fat

1/2 cup cottage cheese: 12g protein, 2g fat

1 large egg: 6g protein, 3g fat

Using a combination of these excellent foods, you can easily meet your requirements for 3 or 4 of your 6 meals each day. Preparing six meals every day utilizing these foods, however, would cost a lot of time and money!

This is why supplemental protein comes into play. Protein “shakes” are an extremely convenient, fast and cheap meal to help you get two or three more servings of protein a day. As an added bonus, the better quality protein powders taste excellent! Protein powder supplements come in many different types, formulations, and flavors.

Protein consists of amino acids, which are the very building blocks of muscle tissue. There are 22 amino acids, some of which the body can make on it’s own, and some that must be provided in the diet. The combination of the different amino acids in a protein source is called the amino acid profile. Each type of protein has a different amino acid profile. This is why it is best to eat a variety of proteins sources as well as use a variety of protein powder supplements. The most popular types of protein powders are whey, casein, egg, and soy.

Whey protein is by far the most popular and most heavily used protein supplement. Whey protein is cheaper per gram of protein than most other types of protein. Whey protein is absorbed very quickly by the digestive system and reaches the muscles quickly. Whey protein is best used as the first meal of the day because your body has not had any protein for many hours during the night and you want to get it in your bloodstream right away. Use whey protein immediately following a workout because this is the most important time to take in a large quantity of protein and you want to get to your muscles as soon as possible.

Casein protein is a bit more expensive than whey protein, but is absorbed at a much slower rate. This fact makes casein protein the supplement of choice right before bedtime. A generous serving of casein protein can provide your muscles with a steady supply of protein for 5 to 6 hours as opposed to 1 or 2 hours for whey protein. Casein protein is also an excellent choice if you think it may be a long time before your next protein serving.

Egg protein is not nearly as popular as whey or casein mostly because of its cost. It is, however an excellent supplement with a high BV (Biological Value is used to indicate how much of the protein is actually used by the body) and excellent amino acid profile. I like to add egg protein to my whey and casein shakes for variety or occasionally as a substitute.

Soy Protein, which comes from the soy bean, while popular with vegetarians, is slightly inferior to whey, egg and casein protein. While this may be true based upon its incomplete amino acid profile, it is still an excellent way to add variety to your protein intake, and is recommended as an addition to your overall supplement diet.

Protein supplements are by far the most popular supplement in the bodybuilding world. I suggest purchasing from a name brand to be sure you are getting a quality product. If you are new to bodybuilding and supplements, some of the top selling quality brands are BSN, MuscleTech, Optimum Nutrition, Twinlab, Cytosport, EAS, and the list goes on. I recommend trying several different brands and flavors until you find one you really like. I will occasionally switch brands just for variety and possibly if I come across a good sale!

 

David Monyer has been an avid bodybuilder for 20 years and writes articles on all aspects of the sport. For supplement and training information, visit: www.rocksolidbodybuilding.com

What Are The Best Times To Take Whey Protein To Really Pack On The Muscle?

When it comes to taking whey protein, it makes sense to try and consume the whey protein supplement for the best results. If an aspiring weight trainer is just starting out and looking to supplement their diet with a protein supplement, it can be very confusing as to when to take whey protein for best the results.

Let me give you a personal example. When I first started weight training, way back in ‘86, my first protein supplement was Beverly International’s protein powder. Of course, this protein supplement was not a whey based product but a cheap variation of soy protein mixed with milk proteins.

I’ll be the first to say that these early protein powders mixed like cement and tasted slightly better. Anyways, I had no clue when to take this protein supplement. I basically took this protein powder once every two days. This was a complete waste of money with no benefit whatsoever.

First of all, my protein intake was very inconsistent which is not conducive to building muscle at all.

Secondly, every two days was not enough to affect my protein intake at all.

How was I supposed to know when to take a protein supplement? There was absolutely no information - No forums, no blogs, no Yahoo answers, no information sites (such as building muscle101..hehe), no internet, no nothing. If you were an aspiring weight trainer back in the mid ‘80’s, there was not a whole lot of information to be found, let alone use.

Anyways, now I know.

Whey protein is a wonderful supplement since it contains some great muscle building properties that has one important element that most other protein sources don’t have.

That is it’s digestibility rate. Whey protein isolate for example (the purest form of whey protein), is one of the fastest acting protein sources today.

Once ingested, whey protein isolate can be in your system shortly thereafter.

As well as being one of the fastest acting proteins, whey protein isolate is rich in Branched Chain Amino Acids (leucine, isoleucine, and valine).

These amino acids are very important since they help prevent muscle protein breakdown during exercise and appear to preserve muscle stores of glycogen. In other words, whey protein isolate contains the muscle building properties that most weight trainers are looking for. This is very important to understand.

So, let’s get back to the question: when to take whey protein?

Alright, so now you know that whey protein is 1) easily and efficiently digested, and 2) high in muscle building branched chain amino acids. All we need to know now, is when to take whey protein for the best results.

I’ve done some research and done a lot of personal experiments to see what works best. I’ve come to the conclusion that there are 3 windows of opportunity to put the power of whey protein to it’s best use. Here is what I think are the best times to take whey protein:

• As soon as you wake up;

• 40 minutes prior to working out;

• Immediately after working out.

Let’s take a closer look at each point for the best times to take whey protein.

1) As Soon As You Wake Up

“Get Your Body Ready For Growth!”

Upon wakening, your body is pretty much in a starvation mode. Whether you realize it or not, your body is craving for nutrients and needs these nutrients in order to kick start it’s internal mechanisms to start building and working. Your body is weak and wants protein. The sooner you can get some protein into your body, the better.

Personally, I’ve found that a whey protein isolate drink mixed with some yogurt and orange juice works best. This is one of the more important times of when to take whey protein.

Now this is very important and one that can really boost your weight training results, OVERNIGHT! Approximately 45 minutes after you’ve consumed your whey protein shake, you must have a full, muscle building breakfast. By doing this, you are jump starting your bodies ability to use the protein effectively and efficiently. Believe me, if you can follow this one little tip, you will soon see your results skyrocket.

2) 40 Minutes Prior To Working Out

“Supercharge Your Workouts!”

If you have some pretty intense workouts, your going to stock up on some fast acting, high quality proteins. Whey protein contains high levels of branched amino acids which help preserve muscle stores of glycogen. This is very, very important. Since glucose is the bodies number one energy source, high muscle stores of glucose ensure high, intense workouts.

I would recommend you ingest a whey protein isolate drink mixed with some carbohydrates to supercharge your workouts.

3) Immediately After Working Out

“The REAL Secret To Building Huge Muscles!

In terms of when to take whey protein, this is the most important time to take in a fast acting protein drink. If you were to only have one protein drink per day, this is the time of day to take it. I’m going to very honest here, by simply taking a protein/carb drink right after after your workouts, you will improve your results immediately.

I strongly suggest that after your workouts, you ingest a fast acting protein source such as whey protein isolate and some fast acting carbohydrates.

Why carbohydrates and protein? When carbohydrates is taken with protein, there’s a blast of insulin. Insulin kicks the body’s glycogen making machine into high gear. Glycogen is considered the principal storage form of glucose and is found mainly in liver and muscle. Glucose supplies the bodies active tissues with energy.

Therefore, insulin will speed up the movement of glucose and amino acids into cells which is what you definitely want and secondly, it activates a special enzyme which is essential for glycogen synthesis.

Additional research has shown that ingesting a protein/carbohydrate supplement after exercise triggers the release of growth hormone. Great news for building muscle.

If you want to build muscle, always consume a power drink that is rich in whey protein and carbohydrates after your workout and include it in your weight training diet.

Try using the following drink for your post workout meal.

½ cup low fat yogurt
1 scoop(2oz) vanilla whey protein powder- 30 grams protein
1 tbsp honey
1 ½ cup low fat or 1% milk
1 cup orange juice
5 grams creatine monohydrate

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Includes: 590 calories, 45 grams of protein, 93 grams of carbohydrates, and 6 grams of fat.

Remember to adjust the ingredients to match that of your own nutritional needs. Now, like your breakfast, you will need to follow this up with a full muscle building meal approximately 1 hour later. I am very serious here, because if there is one element that will put you on the track to fast muscle growth, this is it. Have the above noted drink immediately after your workout, no later than 30 minutes and you MUST follow this up with a full muscle building meal 1 hour later.

There you have it. If you can manage to follow the above noted schedule, I’m 100% positive that your gains will improve almost immediately.

Blake Bissaillion is the owner of http://www.building-muscle101.com, a website offering free weight training routines for building muscle and strength. The website also offers free menus, nutritional advice, and tips on building muscle and weight lifting. Get your free 12 week weight training program filled with complete menus, supplement schedules, and weight training routine. Designed to add strength and muscle!