Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Whey Protein - The Bodybuilders Most Important Supplement

Whey Protein - The Bodybuilders Most Important Supplement
What is whey protein?

Whey protein is one of the two types of protein found in
cow's milk. Milk is approximately 87% water and 13% milk
solids. The milk solids are comprised of fat, lactose,
protein and a small amount of other minerals. The protein
portion of the milk solids is approximately 80% casein
protein and 20% whey protein.

Whey protein is much more quickly digested by the human
body than casein protein and it has a higher biological
value, which makes it the most nutritious protein available.

Where does whey protein come from?

As mentioned above, whey protein comes from cow's milk. To
make whey protein supplements, the whey protein is
separated from the fat and lactose, using one of several
methods in order to create a powder of concentrated whey
protein.

What is whey protein isolate?

Whey protein isolate is a more expensive form of whey
protein. Whey protein isolate contains 90% or more protein
and very little fat compared to whey protein concentrate,
which could contain between 29% and 89% protein. The
difference between the two types of whey protein is that
whey protein isolate comes from a longer and more
complicated filtering process.

How is whey protein made?

Ion exchange is one method used to make whey protein. When
the casein or curd and milk fat are separated from milk in
order to make cheese, the remaining liquid whey goes
through a series of filters to separate the whey protein
from lactose and other ingredients. This concentrated
liquid whey then enters an ion exchange vessel, which then
uses electrical charges to purify the whey protein. The
purified whey protein is then dried to remove moisture.

Why is whey protein so popular?

Whey protein is extremely popular among bodybuilders for
several reasons. The biggest reason is because whey
protein is the most complete, and most quickly digested
protein available. It has the highest biological value and
contains branched chain amino acids, which are critical in
building muscle mass. The second reason why whey protein
is so popular is because compared with other proteins, it
is much less expensive.

Who can benefit from supplementing with whey protein?

Anyone involved in sports activities, especially
bodybuilding, will benefit greatly from supplementing
properly with whey protein. In addition to supplying the
body with all the essential and nonessential amino acids,
whey protein is especially rich in naturally occurring
branched chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, and
valine). These particular amino acids are used directly by
skeletal muscles, and therefore are in great demand during
exercise or strenuous sports activities.

How much whey protein should I take?

The total amount of protein from all sources you should
take each day is between 1 and 1.5 g of protein per pound
of body weight. This means a 200 pound bodybuilder, should
be consuming 200 to 300 g of protein each day. This amount
should be divided up into at least 5 or 6 feedings. At
least two or three of these feedings should consist of
protein from animal sources such as beef, seafood, poultry
and dairy products. The remaining feedings can consist of
protein shakes made with whey protein. If your goal is in
the middle of the range, and each feeding should consist of
40 to 50 g of protein.

Most whey protein supplements in powder form provide 20 to
24 g of protein per serving. Most whey protein supplements
also come with a scoop that is equal to one serving,
therefore, each shake should consist of two scoops of whey
protein.


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David Monyer has been involved in bodybuilding for the last
20 years, making most of his muscle gains in his basement
gym, as well as different clubs and gyms over the years.
For more information and well researched sites to purchase
equipment and supplements, visit
http://www.RockSolidBodybuilding.com

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