If you like this PLEASE RESHARE!!!! How to Choose the Right Protein Shake to Maximize Muscle Gain and Minimize Body-fat With so many poor quality, ready-to-drink meal replacements and high sugar and low quality protein drinks being peddled out to gym members at their respective “health clubs” I thought this would be a good topic to discuss and educate those of you looking to purchase or construct your own muscle building protein shake. If you’re serious about getting big and staying lean, you need to make your own “super shakes.” There are four key rules to follow when trying to construct a proper muscle-building shake. Rule #1 | Use a High-Quality Protein Source The first rule is probably the most familiar. It doesn’t matter what your goals are, you need to have some protein to help maintain blood sugar levels to increase energy, and amino acids to aid in recovery, fat loss, and muscle growth. Protein powders also have more branched chain amino acids (BCAAs)and better overall amino acid profiles. My favorite is grass-fed whey protein but there are many other whey protein powders that I like as well. Always look for protein powders that have minimal additives such as sugar and other fillers. Look for protein powders that are high in BCAAs and glutamine. Here are some other choices in order for carnivores and vegans alike. • Whey • Egg white • Brown Rice, Raw Organic Pea, Hemp Seed Proteins (for vegans) Rule #2 | Choose the Right Protein While most people prefer to choose protein powders that are actually blended with several protein sources (whey, casein, egg. brown rice, etc.) so it can perform multi-functions, I tend to lean towards choosing specific protein for a specific need. For instance, if I am going to drink the shake upon waking or immediately before or after my work out I prefer a high quality whey protein, like Hydro Whey from Profightsports. Rapid whey protein use is desirable upoin waking when the body is in a catabolic state and immediately before/after exercise to help recovering muscles. If I am looking for a slow-absorbing protein that I want to consume before bed, so I stay anabolic while I sleep, I reach for a slow digesting protein sourced from high quality 100% Micellar Casein with minimal or zero carbs. My prefer product of choice is Pro Fight’s Supreme Casein Protein (also available from Profightsports or Amazon). This product is free of sugar, lactose and aspartame. For more on protein timing, and knowing what protein to choose when, check out my article at musclemagfitness/bodybuilding/bodybuilding-nutrition/-protein-timing-for-optimizing-lean-muscle-mass.html Rule #3 | Choose a Shake with the Right Amount of Carbs, Calories and Micronutrients I like to choose protein shakes with minimal amounts of other macronutriens (fats and carbs) because I add my own as I choose and this way I can control my calories - especially pre contest. With that being said, pre contest time I choose the leanest shakes available with the highest quality proteins and the least amount of calories, like Pro Fight’s PURE 100% WHEY COMPLEX, a new and advanced protein blend formulated with Whey Protein Isolate, Whey Protein Concentrate, BCAA’s, Glutamine and Glutamine Peptides. Delivering a whooping 48G of powerful micro-filtered pure Protein Complex per serving. It contains on 1 gram of naturally occurring sugar! The product is designed to help increase and maintain lean muscle mass, speed up muscle repair and recovery, support protein synthesis and help you feel stronger and healthier. If I am looking for a protein product with carbohydrates to replenish glycogen (stored carbs) I burned during training, I prefer to use Pro Fight’s Pro Lean Mass. This product is a hard core weight gainer, muscle and strength developer synergistically formulated with high quality nutrients to pack and build massive and explosive muscles. Pro Lean Mass is packed with 50g of high quality protein blend to prevent muscle breakdown, 90g of high quality Carbs and 12g of the good (omega-3 fatty acids) fats (critical for brain function, reducing inflammation and improving other cellular functions in the body. Pro Fight’s Pro Lean Mass also includes a powerful creatine matrix to get you more pumped by delivering more blood and nutrients to your muscles; MSM to support your hard working joints; Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) to help shuttle the carbs, Glutamine Complex to prevent breaking down your muscle tissue during intense exercise and provide fast recovery, Taurine to give you the extra push in the gym, multi Vitamins/Minerals to keep your muscles full of important nutrients, plus digestive enzymes to help you digest the protein and make it readily available to your muscles. Rule #4 | Get the Right Amount of Protein for your Body and for your Activities Although protein is an essential nutrient your body needs daily to function properly, getting too much protein can lead to unpleasant -- and dangerous -- side effects. Nutrient deficiencies may occur if you’re eating protein in place of other essential nutrients. Too much protein is not necessarily a good thing. Besides packing on calories that can lead to weight gain, too much protein can cause health issues. When you consume more protein than your body needs, the excess protein is used to provide your body with energy or turned into fat. A study published in 2010 in “Annals of Internal Medicine” notes that participants who followed a high-protein, low-carb weight-loss diet reported bad breath, hair loss, dry mouth and constipation. A 2006 review published in the “International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism” reports that excess protein intake can cause nausea and diarrhea. If you couple a high protein intake with a low-carb diet, you may also experience fatigue, headaches and weakness. Getting too much protein over a long term can lead to dangerous side effects and may cause health problems. A study published in 2012 in the “American Journal of Kidney Disease” found that following a high-protein diet over the long term may lead to kidney disease. The 2006 review in the “International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism” reports that excess protein can exceed your liver’s ability to properly break down and excrete the protein, which can lead to toxin buildup in your blood or even death. Calculating How Much Protein you Need The Institute of Medicine recommends that individuals keep their protein consumption to approximately 35 percent of their daily calorie needs, recommends. Protein provides 4 calories per gram. Therefore, individuals consuming 2,500 calories daily should aim for about 219 grams of protein, those who consume 2,000 calories a day should avoid eating more than 175 grams of protein and individuals following 1,600-calorie diets should consume about 140 grams of protein daily. Bodybuilders typically are recommended to eat no more than 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. Protein Needs Calculator: bodybuilding/fun/protein8.htm#1 Strawberries Conclusion If you are working hard in the gym, do not limit your gains by lack of knowledge when it comes to nutrition. Understanding the difference between a good protein product and a bad protein, as well as understanding which protein to consume when, and understanding your protein needs will result help you add the muscle you desire, without adding unnecessary fat to your physique. There arent many foods out there that can help keep you fit AND healthy, but these foods and beverages are a great start. If you want to start looking your best consider adding these foods and beverages into your meal plans today. About Jeff Behar Jeff Behar, MS, MBA is a recognized health, fitness and nutrition expert, regularly writing about hot topics in the areas of health, fitness, disease prevention, weight loss, nutrition, anti aging and alternative medicine. Jeff Behars work also often appears in several of the major health and fitness newsletters, health and fitness magazines, and on major health, fitness and weight loss websites. Jeff Behar is also the CEO of MuscleMagFitness, and MyBestHealthPortal; two very popular health, fitness, nutrition and anti aging information sites, and is currently a Nationally Competitive Bodybuilder, having won numerous bodybuilding contests on both coasts. He will be competing next in the 2015 NPC Masters Championship in Pittsburgh PA. References: musclemagfitness/bodybuilding/bodybuilding-nutrition/-protein-timing-for-optimizing-lean-muscle-mass.html bodybuilding/fun/protein.htm bodybuilding/fun/protein1.htm bodybuilding/fun/protein2.htm bodybuilding/fun/protein3.htm bodybuilding/fun/protein4.htm#1 bodybuilding/fun/protein5.htm#1 bodybuilding/fun/protein6.htm#1 bodybuilding/fun/protein7.htm#1
Posted on: Fri, 08 Aug 2014 00:15:04 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015