Food is life. One of the most important parts of living is what you eat. Nutrition is the fuel that keeps your body moving, so it is an essential component that you cannot overlook. What you eat is so important that children are taught about balanced diets and the best foods to eat from a young age – you may remember the food pyramid hanging in a classroom at some point during school. While the pyramid’s contents have changed with time and the benefit of research, the premise remains the same. To ensure that you are getting the proper nutrition, you must have a mix of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.
One of the most important nutrients is protein. It is known as a macronutrient, a food type that your body needs in large amounts for normal function. Protein is a powerhouse component of food, and its many benefits are extolled. In fitness circles, protein is king. Few, if any, fitness nutrition plans leave this vital nutrient out. In fact, its importance doesn’t only extend to athletes and fitness enthusiasts. Regular protein intake is recommended for everyone, although it must be consumed in moderation.
Because protein is so popular, there is no shortage of various protein products available in today’s market. The fact that there are different types of protein to choose from doesn’t make selecting what you need any easier. At times, you may also need to boost the amounts of protein you’re already getting from food. Hence, to serve that purpose, there is a seemingly staggering range of protein supplements for sale.
Depending on your fitness goals, here is a general guide on the different types of protein you may encounter and how to select the one that best fits your needs.
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Protein for Lean Muscle
Protein is indisputably ideal for helping you build muscle. It does so by releasing essential amino acids into your body’s muscle centers, which become the building blocks used to create new muscle. However, there are two types of muscle: lean muscle and bulk. As the name implies, lean muscle is not as large, so you don’t need as much protein to attain this type.
Consider the recommended Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) to get a guideline measure of your ideal protein intake for lean muscle. DRI is a number calculated by health experts that provides a guideline for the consumption of different nutrients. In this case, the target DRI is 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. However, please note that accuracy relies upon you using your lean mass rather than your total body weight as a baseline.
Often with lean muscle comes the added benefit of long-term satisfaction. In order to gain the former, your meal plans must adequately supply you with the latter. In addition, constant satiety aids your ability to attain and maintain the required caloric deficits to help you lose weight. On the other hand, developing a deficit may imply less than, but it does not mean you have to starve yourself to claim success. Instead, you must simply aim to consume about 500 fewer calories than your specific upper daily limit. To do so, refer to the formula, which states that keeping to a 25 to 30 percent protein to total calorie ratio will keep you satisfied for longer, boost your metabolism and help you shed those kilograms.
A word of caution: not all protein supplements are made the same. Some product formulations have more sugar than is ideal for your weight loss journey. Therefore, you must keep a sharp eye on the nutrition label when making a selection. It is the only way to avoid making the wrong choice.
Protein For Growing Muscle
The most readily acknowledged reason for consuming more protein during fitness training is the desire to grow muscle. The best way to increase your bulk is to maintain a steady cycle of protein synthesis where your body grows more muscle than what it breaks down when you are training. If you want to meet such a goal, your DRI crosshairs must land at 2.2 grams per kg of body weight.
In fitness circles, protein supplements reign supreme. Protein powders, in particular, are especially popular with those who are working on bulking up. They enable the consumer to get the exact right amount of nutrients needed to help meet fitness goals. Consequently, the ideal protein supplements for muscle growth will contain enough proteins, carbohydrates, and calories in every serving to ensure that your body is not lacking. In this case, a product like Max’s Absolute Mass fits the bill. Its formula contains an impressive 60 grams of protein in every serving of powder. In addition, it has sustained release carbs for a steady, more gradual supply to prevent unwanted energy spikes and crashes. This product is undoubtedly made with your gains and undeniably dramatic results in mind.
Protein For Muscle Recovery
Proper and consistent training takes its toll on the muscles. To stimulate muscle growth, your body has to tear down what already exists. Such a process necessitates incorporating a recovery period to ensure that what you have torn down has time to build up again. As a result, you need to furnish your body and muscles with everything they need to encourage recovery and repair after your workout.
With that in mind, protein supplements for muscle recovery have a preferable formula that combines the need for high amounts of protein, few calories and equally conservative measures of carbohydrates. The desire for fewer calories ensures that you get more of the protein you need without risking a net calorie excess. For example, Cor-Performance Whey from Cellucor has the ideal formula to meet those needs. There are 25 grams of protein in every serving, 130 calories and 3 grams of carbs in every scoop. Moreover, this product is offered in various flavors, so your taste buds will get the same level of satisfaction as your muscles.
You now have all the information you need about the various protein types; use this to guide your choice and how to go about it. Adjust your protein consumption to adhere to the combination that will help you attain your desired results.
Read Also: 5 Benefits of Personalized and Customized Fitness Programs
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