Protein
Protein
Supplements - the right food for muscle
building!
Ask most bodybuilders to list the most
important variables for muscle building and
they’ll respond with such answers as training,
drugs, supplements, great genetics, etc. But
one of the most important variables is also one
of the simplest – food! You can train all you
want and possess Schwarzenegger-sized genetics,
but you won’t gain an ounce of new muscle
tissue if you don’t eat properly.
There’s nothing earth-shattering about eating
for muscle-building. You must take in more
calories than your body burns off each day.
Now, when we say “take in”, we do not mean just
eating everything in sight as all calories are
not created equal. For example, if your body
requires 2500 calories per day to put on
weight, and you eat four bags of potato chips
or five chocolate bars, yes, you’ll gain
weight, and plenty of it. But how much of this
will be new muscle tissue? Not much we assure
you. The majority will be fat. Why? Because
junk food is primarily composed of what
nutritionists call empty calories. These foods
do not provide the correct nutrients that are
vital for muscle building.
The center of your eating should be high
quality protein. This is the only nutrient that
the body can breaks down and reassemble into
new muscle tissue. Like most forms of intense
exercise, bodybuilding greatly increases demand
for amino acids, which are then used to support
muscle repair and new growth. Although long
debated, most bodybuilding experts now agree
that you should eat a minimum of 1 gram of
protein per pound of body weight. If for
example you weight 200 pounds, you should be
taking in at least 200 grams per day. Another
suggestion is to consume it with every meal.
Six are better that three
The biggest animals on the planet spend
virtually their entire waking existence eating.
Their bodies are continuously being infused
with mass-building nutrients. As a bodybuilder
you should be doing something similar. To allow
your body to actually absorb and use all the
calories you ingest, you must reduce your meal
size and increase your meal frequency. By
dividing your calories into smaller, more
frequent portions, it allows the food to be
absorbed and utilized more efficiently. If you
are one of those “skip breakfast, small lunch,
huge supper types” stop right now! Instead eat
six small meals spread evenly through out the
day. Every two to three hours eat something
small but nutritious. This insures that your
body always has nutrients on hand for repair
and growth.
Although you don’t need to consume carbs or fat
at every meal, you should have protein. By this
we mean high quality animal sources. Soy and
plant sources have their place, but trust us,
you won’t see many tofu-only eaters on stage at
bodybuilding contests; at least the larger
bodybuilders any way. To maximize you muscle
building potential you should be getting most
of your protein from such sources as whey,
casein (cottage cheese), eggs, beef, poultry,
and fish.
Food vs supplements
Despite what supplement advertisers may claim
supplements won’t build you more muscle than
chicken or egg whites. The body treats all
sources the same. Their one big advantage is
convenience. It’s much easier to drink a
protein shake than it is to buy, cook, and eat
a chicken breast or egg whites. Aside from
convenience protein supplements offer few
advantages over the protein found in food.
There is no scientific evidence to suggest that
food can’t supply all the protein needed for
all your muscle building needs. The key is to
eat every two three hours and consume a
complete protein such as eggs, red meat, or
low-fat dairy products with every meal.
Provided you are doing the previous you don’t
need to consume any protein supplements to get
great results. Yes, the much-hyped whey protein
does have some interesting and valuable
properties and taking a few scoops each day is
probably not a bad idea, especially if you are
on a low calorie diet for fat loss. But under
no circumstances should you skip meals in favor
of protein supplements. For superior muscle
building put most of your emphasis on real food
and leave the hype to the supplement
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