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Serious Nutrition Advice
Supplement Tips
During training muscle fibres are slightly torn and it's their subsequent repair and thickening that becomes muscle growth. During the repair phase you need a quality pool of protein to provide your body with the mechanism to allow your muscles to grow.
Our bodies can't produce proteins, they have to be found in our daily diet, so to gain muscle you need to take the right amount and the right kind of protein every day. Eating sufficient protein means a daily intake of between 1.5g - 2g per kilo of body weight is advised.
While protein may be gained from the normal diet it's often combined with unwanted fat and calories. The other thing to consider is the varying strengths and weaknesses of the many different kinds of protein available.
Protein is made up of 20 different amino acids, 8 of which are essential to the body. These include Leucine, Isoleucine, Lysine, Tryophan, Methionine, Threonine and Phenylaline.
Unless you're an expert it's often difficult to know which amino acids are present in which foods, so this is where protein supplements come in.
Often more convenient than preparing a full meal, protein supplements are most usefully consumed first thing in the morning, immediately after exercising, or in place of a meal. They also have the added benefit that they are lower in calories, fat and cholesterol than many foods.
At least 90% of protein supplements are made from whey powder, which provides the body with the necessary building blocks to help repair and grow muscles. Not only is whey protein easy to digest, it's also rapidly absorbed by the body.
There are two types of whey protein - concentrate and isolate. While most supplements contain a mixture of both, isolate contains a higher percentage of protein, is more bio available and therefore easier to absorb.
Whey Protein, as we've already said, is the most commonly used type of protein. It contains high levels of all the essential amino acids not produced by the human body, and is absorbed by the body very quickly.
Other types of protein include, Casein, Soy and Egg-white. Casein Protein is the richest in Glutamine, an amino acid that aids in recovery, and has Casomorphin which helps the body to absorb the amino acids over a long time.
Soy Protein contains all essential amino acids, and is an alternative protein for vegetarians. However, soybeans contain a type of Phytoestrogen called isoflavones which have a weak estrogenic activity. Egg White protein is a lactose and dairy-free protein.
We know then that protein provides the essential building blocks for muscle and having a sufficient intake allows for efficient growth and repair of muscle tissue.
So what should you look for in any good protein supplement? The answer is that it always depends on your specific needs but we would generally advise
- a high biological value - which means that the protein has the same characteristics as muscle protein
- high amino acid content
Why is that? Because maximum muscle gain is only possible if our amino acid levels remain constant. Amino acids are actually pre-digested proteins and as such are absorbed far quicker by the body.
As with blood sugar, it's also possible for our amino acid levels to drop. Most notably in the mornings our levels are particularly low because we haven't consumed any protein during the night. Intensive weight training can also lead to their reduction.
In order to avoid a catabolic state, or muscle breakdown, it's necessary to provide the body with quickly absorbable amino acids - so for best results they should be taken in the morning and straight after training. We stock Sci-Tec Whey Protein and Sci-Tec Volumass and Performance Pure Whey.
Meal Replacement Products (MRPs) are either pre-packaged powdered drink mixes or edible bars. Both are consumed in the place of a whole-food meal.
Generally MRPs are high in protein, low in fat, have a low to moderate amount of carbohydrates, and contain a wide array of vitamins and minerals. The majority of MRPs use Whey Protein, Calcium Caseinate or Micellar Casein, Soy Protein and egg albumin as the protein source.
Carbohydrates are typically derived from Maltodexrin, oat fibre, brown rice or wheat flour. Some also contain flax ol powder as a source of essential fatty acids
MRPs can also contain other ingredients that are deemed beneficial to bodybuilders. These can include, but are not limited to Creatine Monohydrate, Glutamine Peptides, I-glutamine,Calcium m Alpha- ketoglutarate, additional amino acids, Lactoferrin, Conjugated Linoleic Acid and medium chain glycerides.
Together with a proper diet and resistance training pure Creatine is also useful for those who want to achieve a lean body mass, as well as develop their power and strength.
Found naturally in red meat, Creatine allows you to train harder because it provides you with the short, sharp bursts of power you need to lift weights. It also aids recovery between sets and replenishes your ATP reserves much quicker.
A number of scientific studies have proven that Creatine can increase strength, energy and muscle mass in addition to reducing recovery time. Also, recent research has shown that Creatine improves brain function, improves recognition memory, and reduces mental fatigue. It increases what is known as cell volumization by drawing water into muscle cells, making them larger.
Some personal trainers recommend that you take a loading dose of 4.5 grams for the first 5 days of taking it as a supplement to your strength training.
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