Protein

Men and women can go through years of intense physical training trying to develop large muscles and still be disappointed with the results because they just are not getting as big as the models they see in so many bodybuilding magazines. Although genetics may play a part, the biggest reason could be due to improper nutrition. In fact, many experts feel that nutrition is by far the most important factor in achieving your desired bodybuilding results and can be responsible for both success and failure. This article is the first of a series of articles directed at the importance of bodybuilding nutrition. In this issue, I would like to focus on this importance of protein in the diet.

Protein is essential for the repair and growth of muscle tissue. Those of us who work out need to supply our bodies with enough protein to carry out the bodies’ regular day to day functions. Furthermore, we need protein in order to recover form our daily workouts. In general, your protein intake should be approximately 35-40% of your total caloric intake. A general rule is to eat 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight. In bodybuilding protein intake in invaluable. More and more researchers have concluded that the best way to ingest protein is by taking amino acids.

Amino acids are the molecular building blocks of proteins. There are 23 amino acids, 9 of which are considered to be essential amino acids – they must be supplied to the body from some food source or supplement. The remaining amino acids are referred to as non-essential or dispensable amino acids.

The most common way to get amino acids in the diet is by eating foods that contain protein. For example, lean meats and nonfat dairy product. Legumes and some vegetables also contain protein. If you are a serious athlete however, protein powders and pure free form amino acids are the best and most convenient and effective way to supplement your protein dietary needs.

Protein powders and free form amino acids are best because they are efficient in the way the amino acids are delivered to the muscle tissue. For instance, two meals could contain the same amount of particular amino acids but be significantly different in their absorption. This can be due to a number of factors - cooking methods and the physical nature of the food being just two of these factors. Thus, the most reliable way to deliver specific amino acids is by using powdered free form amino acids. Nutrition science has advanced to the point where bodybuilders who use supplements with free form amino acids absorb the essential and branched-chained amino acids to the muscles much more effectively.

The best time to ingest the protein is immediately after your workout on an empty stomach, when the muscle is especially receptive to nutrients and the blood flow to the muscle is high. However, even if you had a nutritious high protein meal available to you right after your workout, chances are you wouldn’t feel like eating it. Furthermore, a high protein meal would not put a significant level of amino acids into your bloodstream until a couple of hours after you ate it. In fact, the nutrients will arrive at the muscle too late to take full advantage of the opportunity.

Best Amino Acids for Bodybuilders

Arginine - Increases the secretion of insulin and growth hormones, also aids in injury rehabilitation and stimulates the immune system.

Glutamine - This most abundant amino acid plays a key role in immune system function and is an important source of energy.

Aspartic Acid - Helps convert carbohydrates into muscle energy

Taurine – Aids in the absorption and elimination of fats

Amino Acid Forms

Free-form – small amounts are absorbed quickly for availability to muscle and helps prevent muscle catabolism.

Hydrolyzed – absorption is speeded due to pre-digestion, however it contains longer amino acid chains that must be broken up before absorbed into the bloodstream.

Branched Chain – Aids in the formation of alanine from glucose during exercise and is converted to energy to prevent muscle catabolism.

Di and Tri peptides – Two or three molecule amino acids that are quickly digested. May increase nitrogen retention which aids in weight loss.

Types of Protein Powder

Whey Protein

Whey is one of the two major types of protein found in milk (the other is casein). It was originally isolated as a by-product in the production of cheese by separating the curds from the whey. Whey is loaded with a variety of proteins of very high quality. Furthermore, whey dissolves well in water, is highly digestible, and contains a great amino acid profile.

Whey protein is great for immune system support and contains the highest concentration of branched-chained amino acids (BCAA’s). Whey protein also contributes to the synthesis of glutathione, which is the body’s most powerful naturally occurring antioxidant. Furthermore, whey protein also stimulates IGF-1, which is an insulin-like growth hormone.

The downside of whey protein is that it is often expensive and contains rather low amounts of arginine and glutamine.

Casein Protein

Casein is the curd part of the “curds and whey” combo produced by the cheese production process. Actually, cottage cheese is basically unadulterated casein with some lactose and calcium. In fact, nonfat cottage cheese is one of the best sources of quality casein; however, cottage-cheese casein contain too much sodium and does not travel well to the gym for immediate ingestion after your workout.

Casein has a very high amount of glutamine, arginine and threonine. These amino acids are often referred to as “glucogenic aminos” which lend themselves to glucose production for energy during exercise and have been showed to possibly help defer muscle breakdown. Glucogenic aminos also have been shown to aid in increased feed efficiency. Thus causing you to eat less and grow more!

However, casein products can be inconsistent in quality, do not contain many BCAA’s and may contain high levels of sodium and lactose.

Soy Protein

Soy protein is just recently becoming popular with the bodybuilding community. This is due to the fact that soy is derived from a plant source and has been looked at as not as a substantial source of protein as whey. However, now there are a number of high-quality soy-protein products available due to soy-protein extraction and concentration methods. Called soy-protein isolates, they can contain over 90% protein.

Soy-protein isolates contain high levels of BCAA’s as well as glutamine and arginine. In addition, soy protein may stimulate the production of thyroxine, thyroid stimulating hormone, triiodothyronine, and insulin, which play important parts in metabolism. Soy-protein may also play a part in decreasing blood viscosity, which may help to support circulation and nutrient delivery to muscles. Furthermore, soy protein may increase testosterone levels in men and decrease testosterone levels in women. Finally, soy-protein is usually less expensive than other types of protein.

Downsides of soy-protein include the absence of some essential amino acids such as methionine. Also, soy-protein might contain estrogen, which is not one of the most desirable hormones for bodybuilders; however, these amounts are very small and inconsequential.

Egg Protein

For quite some time, egg protein was known as THE protein source. In fact, a few decades ago scientists thought of it as the “gold standard’ for protein for humans. This was due to the fact that egg protein has a very strong amino acid profile which at that time was the only criteria by which proteins were graded. Today, other more specialized proteins have been developed and egg protein is not used as much as it used to be. However, because of the very strong amino acid profile, many people still use egg protein. It is an excellent source of high-quality whole-food protein. Also, there are new egg protein powders that are more convenient for transportation.

Downfalls of egg protein are that besides the great amino acid profile, there are no other benefits from egg protein. Also, eggs are not as inexpensive as they once where.

Wheat-Protein

The newest form of protein is called Wheat-Protein Hydrolysate. It is so new that it has not been scrutinized enough to go into detail. However, I do know that it is a great source of glutamine, is fat free, and is very soluble in water. The downside however is that it tastes awful!

Please e-mail me with your question and/or comments to rick@guslerbodysculpting.com