Keep your body in an anabolic state as much as you can for the greatest results!
By now, you know there are plenty of whole food protein sources to choose from. Soy, milk, eggs, chicken, red meat, and dairy (consisting of casein and whey protein) are among the most common sources.
Each has its value depending on the amino acids they're made up of and the length of their amino acid chains.
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and therefore muscle tissue. When protein sources are consumed, the amino acid chains are broken down and then carried into the bloodstream to support
cellular growth and recovery.
Some proteins are better than others for building lean muscle, as evidenced by the amount of essential amino acids that they deliver. Essential amino acids are the ones that help to rebuild and repair muscle tissue. Making sure you have an abundant amount of these essential amino acids will ensure that you recuperate quickly from your workouts.
Whole food proteins and protein supplements are ranked according to Biological Values (BV), a system created to show the relative digestibility and utilization within the body of different proteins, measured by estimating the percentage of absorbed nitrogen (protein) that is retained
by the body.
Put another way: BV = (retained N / absorbed N) x 100. At the time the system was introduced, eggs (an excellent source of essential and sulfur containing amino acids) were given the highest BV of 100 because they are the most bioavailable natural proteins.
Since then, a number of protein supplement sources, including whey, have been introduced that rank as high as egg on the BV scale. So what does all this mean? Well, the higher the BV, the better it is absorbed.
Whey protein isolate, for example, can be readily, absorbed into your system in as fast as 10- 15 minutes!
This protein is IDEAL for post-workout consumption. As a result of intense workouts, your damaged muscle tissue is staving for amino acids.
If you don't consume protein after your workout, then your body will seek out and eat away your own muscle tissue for the necessary amino acids. YOU DEFINITELY DON'T WANT THIS TO HAPPEN!
- If you don't consume protein ... your body will seek out and eat away your own muscle.
To prevent this from happening, consume a
protein shake high in whey protein isolates (WPI) between 30-60 minutes after your workout.
You do need to allow your system to return to normal for proper absorption of protein, so wait about 30 minutes, and then have your protein shake.
The general rule of thumb for strength athletes is to consume 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. As an example, a 200-pound athlete would eat 200 grams of protein in one day.
Break this amount of protein down into 5 or 6 smaller portions so your body can properly absorb it.
Eating 200 grams all at once won't accomplish anything but a stomachache.
Taking in 30-60 grams of protein per meal (depending on your size and nutritional needs), spread over 6 meals a day, is ideal.
One method to more easily consume this amount of protein would be to eat 3 meals of 30 grams of protein and drink 3
protein shakes consisting of 30-60 grams of protein per shake.
Personally, I prefer to alternate each protein meal.
I will eat a protein meal, then 2-3 hours later, drink a protein shake.
This may seem like quite a bit of protein at first, especially if you've never really paid close attention to your daily protein intake before, so increase your consumption gradually and build it up until you reach at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight each day. Your muscles will be thanking you.
Now that you have your protein requirements met during the day, you will be in a "muscle building" state (anabolism). But what about when you sleep?
- Probably the single biggest mistake people make is neglecting their muscle mass during the 7-9 hours they are asleep.
When trying to build muscle tissue, the main goal is to stay out of a catabolic state (muscle wasting/muscle loss) and stay in this anabolic state.
Probably the single biggest mistake people make is neglecting their muscle mass during the 7-9 hours they are asleep.
When your body goes without amino acids for this long, you can easily move into this catabolic state.
At this point, your body is literally breaking down muscle tissue (I think of it as eating it away) for energy.
This is a complete nightmare for strength athletes and especially bodybuilders.
Well, I want you to have pleasant dreams and am here to give you the solution. What you want is a slowly released protein to deliver all the necessary amino acids to "feed" your muscles while you sleep.
What type of protein should you eat before bed? A protein blend with a considerable amount of casein in it. Casein is a milk-derived protein and comes in various forms including calcium casemate, sodium caseinate,
micellar casein.
Casein has a reputation for being the "anti-catabolic" protein. Casein is absorbed very slowly in the stomach and therefore provides a sustained release of amino acids into the blood stream over an extended period of time.
Casein actually "clots," or forms a gel in the stomach and the amino acids are then extracted very slowly throughout the night.
-
Adding
fast and slow acting protein supplements to the conventional breakfast,
lunch, and dinner pattern of eating will provide a steady stream of amino
acids, glutamine, and other nutrients to your muscles throughout the day
and most importantly throughout the night while you sleep.
Because of this slow release of amino acids, your body will stay in a muscle-building state for a much longer period of time. Also, for those of you who are dieting and have severe cravings, as casein "clots," it presses against your stomach walls, triggering your satiety (feeling of fullness) mechanisms, and thus creates a hunger-reducing effect. This will make you more satisfied while you are sleeping and prevent unnecessary "snacking" in the middle of the night.
Casein also has a very high glutamine content and contains beneficial milk fractions. These fractions can help boost immune function and increase growth factors in the body. And while the best time to take a protein blend high in casein is before bedtime to lower muscle breakdown during sleep, you can also consume a casein-rich protein blend for breakfast to help fill you up and provide a steady stream of amino acids throughout the morning.
An excellent blend of proteins, especially casein-based protein, is ON's Pro Complex"
PM. I take a double serving of Pro Complex PM before bed and make it into a thick pudding I can eat with a spoon. I even add a tablespoon of fat free Cool Whip" and, voila, I have a highly anabolic, potent anti-catabolic (not to mention awesome tasting) dessert.
After adding this little dessert to my diet, I found an immediate increase in my strength levels. Over a couple months' time, I was at a heavier bodyweight AND had lowered my body fat percentage.
This is definitely one supplement I can't live without. It tastes awesome and prevents me from losing my hard-earned muscle.
So if you're willing to put all the sweat, effort, and time into your workouts, do yourself a favor: don't forget the importance of protein, especially
nighttime
protein. Don't starve your body, ENLARGE it.
Stay focused, train hard, and eat your protein!