As every bodybuilder should know, getting enough protein in
your daily diet is an absolute must. While it is certainly
possible to get enough protein by eating whole foods, most
bodybuilders use a combination of red meat, chicken, fish
and protein powder supplements.
Protein powder supplements are extremely popular for
several 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.
This means he should average 250 g of protein each 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. However, you can imagine how much time it would
take to prepare and eat six meals every day using these
foods, not to mention extremely expensive!
This is where protein powder supplements enter the picture.
They provide you with a quick, convenient, and relatively
inexpensive way to add those extra 2 or 3 proteins servings
each day. As an added bonus, the better quality protein
powders taste excellent! Protein powder supplements come in
many different types, formulations, and flavors.
Protein is made up of building blocks called amino acids.
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 would recommend
using egg protein to mix with your whey protein or
occasionally substitute for your whey protein.
Soy Protein is a plant based protein and is considered by
some to be inferior to all other types of 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!
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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 on recommended protein supplements,
visit http://www.RockSolidBodybuilding.com
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