Tag protein

When you’re trying to build muscle, you need to understand that the process involves two stages. First there is the catabolic stage. You want to encourage muscle protein breakdown with your workout, during which your exercises are used to break down muscle protein.

When you do a workout you basically tear your muscle fibers; the workout increases the rate of the muscle protein breakdown. The catabolic stage is when the rate of the protein breakdown is greater than the protein synthesis, which is when amino acids are used to make proteins to maintain or build muscle.

This is followed by the anabolic stage, which occurs when you rest and the muscle building begins. Your body uses the protein and amino acids to rebuild the muscle fibers that were torn.

It’s not enough that you have a nice balanced diet throughout the day and that you take the best pre workout supplement before you work out. For the best results, you’ll also need to use the best post workout supplement that you can find during the anabolic stage, in order to assist in maintaining or building bigger muscles.

What to Look For in the Best Post Workout Supplement

Identifying the best post workout supplement may be quite challenging, but here are some pointers you’ll want to keep in mind:

• Most post workout supplements contain protein, because you need it to build muscle. This just begs the question of how much protein is ideal. According to the latest research, the answer depends on your age. If you are relatively young, you need 20 grams of protein. Your needs increase as you grow older, and by age 70 you will need 40 grams.
• Amino acids will also be helpful in building muscles. It’s best that you consume amino acids all at once rather than spread out over an extended period of time. Research shows that more muscle protein synthesis results from drinking 20-40 grams in one go, compared to the result of taking small sips in a span of several hours.
• Many workout supplements also contain carbohydrates. This may or may not be a good thing, though. Carbs are also used as a fuel for protein synthesis. Supplements with carbs can also prevent proteolysis, which is the deterioration of protein. At the same time, you may want to hold off consuming carbs immediately right after a workout, especially if your workout goal is to burn fat and lose weight. Your body is still burning off fat, and you should encourage this process by tapering off your carbohydrate consumption. Once you take carbs, the free fatty acids being burned for energy are returned to your fat cells.
• Take note of the calories a supplement contains, as well as the flavor. Obviously, the ability to mix easily with liquid is important as well as the quality and the absence of chemicals and artificial sweeteners. Stevia is a good choice for a sugar-free sweetener.

Timing is important when taking post workout supplements. Obviously it should be taken after a workout and not before. But most research shows that protein and amino acids should be taken right after, instead of hours later or the next day – which is technically still “after” the workout.

According to some studies, the nutrient uptake is much greater when you take the supplements within a half of an hour after you work out, rather than after even a few hours have passed. So, when you finish your workout, reach for your favorite post workout supplement and reload the important nutrients that your muscles need right away. By taking it at this “window of opportunity”, you ensure that you obtain the maximum benefits from your post workout supplement.

When people think belly fat, they usually think of possible natural components like fat and carbohydrates. But did you know that proteins can actually affect how much belly fat you carry?

Actually, it is not necessarily the protein itself, but the lack of protein in your diet which can cause you to gain and retain high levels of fat in and around your stomach. Let’s take a look at exactly how proteins affect belly fat, and what you can do with this information to ensure that you do not sport a spare tire around your midsection.

Reduce Belly Fat with Protein in the Morning

Many people in today’s busy world take little or no time to eat breakfast. The problem here is this means no protein is there to start your day. When your body does not get enough protein in the a.m., you suffer those mid-morning snack attacks.

And what do people eat for a snack a couple of hours before lunch when they are feeling run down and tired? Unfortunately, high-calorie, high-sugar and high-fat treats with little nutritional value are often chosen. These are the types of foods that literally go straight your waistline, creating unwanted and unhealthy belly fat.

This is why you are more likely to pack on the pounds if you skip breakfast. You have not had anything to eat since the night before, and your body begins storing calories instead of burning them, since it doesn’t know when the next meal is going to be coming.

Eating Enough Protein Helps Reduce Belly Fat

Fortunately, you can use protein’s relationship with body fat to your advantage. Sufficient protein levels in your body keep insulin levels low. Insulin stores sugar as fat, so plenty of protein in your diet actually helps reduce belly fat.

To keep the proper hormonal balance working to your advantage, bump up your protein levels. Multiple studies show that approximately 20 to 25 g of protein per meal, and 10 to 15 g per snack, are reasonable levels of protein to include in your diet. This will keep your blood sugar balanced and insulin low, which is a perfect metabolic formula for appetite control and belly fat loss.

Protein also boosts many of your fat-burning and appetite-quenching hormones when consumed in the right amounts.

A Simple Formula: Protein Up – Belly Fat Down

Diabetes Care conducted an important study about the protein relationship with belly fat. 54 obese women and men with type II Diabetes were given either a high-protein or low-protein diet. Belly fat and total body fat were both reduced in much greater quantities in the test subjects eating a high-protein diet.

The Best “Belly Fat Down” Choices

What types of proteins should you focus on for the best belly fat busting performance? Stick to lean chicken and turkey, and low-fat cheeses such as ricotta and cottage cheese. Get Omega-3 and protein-rich eggs and fish in your diet, and your body’s protein levels will be affecting your belly fat in the most positive manner.

You can find more “Belly Fat Success Tips” in our weight loss category found at http://myfitnessnut.com and while you’re they, be sure to subscribe to our monthly fitness newsletter and be kept up to date on the latest developments in the world of health and fitness.

Most of us understand how important it is to have fuel in our body before a workout. Carbohydrates and glycogen (this is the energy source which is most frequently used for exercise) are needed so we will have the energy required for strength training.

But did you know that the meal you eat after exercising is of vital importance to your body’s recovery?

This post-exercise meal also helps improve your training capabilities, so let’s take a look at exactly what types of food you should be putting into your body after your strength training workout.

What You Need to Put in Your Body after Strength Training

The first thing you should do immediately after working out is to replace fluids. To determine how much water your body needs for proper functioning, you will need to weigh yourself both before and after your strength training regimen. Then simply drink 20 to 24 ounces of water (or a healthy sports drink) for every 1 pound of weight you lost.

Most athletes understand water is lost during exercise, but not everyone understands just how much is needed to hydrate the body after serious physical exertion.

We mentioned glycogen and carbs earlier, and they also need to be replaced post-workout. Glycogen is a form of glucose that serves as energy in humans, and it is stored in your muscles and liver. You already know that carbohydrates are little blocks of energy, and these two critical components to muscle growth and recovery are provided by eating 0.3 to 0.6 grams of carbohydrates for every pound of your body weight.

You need to eat this meal within two hours of endurance exercises and strength training to get the biggest benefit.

Try starchy vegetables such as squash or pumpkin, sweet potatoes or yams for your carbs. These vegetables are high in healthy antioxidants, and pack more carbohydrates per serving than other foods. Eating within two hours after your workout also helps decrease inflammation that can occur after intense strength training, and allows you to recover much faster.

Include Protein after Your Strength Training Sessions

Protein is also an important food to eat after strength training, and you want to combine protein with some carbohydrate within 30 minutes of ending your exercise. There are many protein supplements on the market that “fit the bill” perfectly well here.

This nearly doubles your insulin response, resulting in more stored glycogen, and quicker muscle development and recovery. You should shoot for a carbohydrate to protein ratio of approximately 4 to 1. Several studies have shown that this carbohydrate/protein intake soon after strength training often results in a 100% better glycogen storage in your muscles than eating carbs alone.

After strength training, you should eat whole wheat breads and rice, as well as the starchy vegetables mentioned above, for your carbohydrate and glycogen needs. Healthy proteins such as turkey and fish will deliver much-needed amino acids into your system, which held rebuild your muscle tissue quickly.

So just make sure to get plenty of fluids, proteins and carbohydrates in the right ratio after your strength training workout to guarantee faster and better results, and a healthier body. You’ll find more helpful tips on the right foods to eat before and after your bodybuilding exercise routines at http://myfitnessnut.com/nutrition in our nutrition section.

When you workout, you’ll want to incorporate a good diet for building muscles. But what exactly constitutes a “good diet for building muscle” anyway?

For some people the only adjustments they’ll need to make is to add in additional calories. Those calories need to come from food sources that are proven to build muscles. Common names are high protein diets and weight gain diets. So, it’s not as simple as just adding in additional calories; you need the right kind of calories that also provide much needed nutrients that aid in cell rejuvenation and muscle development.

The Purpose of a Diet for Building Muscles

The entire reason to adopt a diet for building muscles is to make sure that your are providing your muscles with the proper nutrients they need when they are being worked, torn down and in recovery. The nutrients that you feed your muscles will have a direct impact on how quickly and how effectively repair and build up.

Your purpose is to gain weight in the muscle department but at the same time you want to be careful that the calories you are adding are not going to pack the fat on. Nothing can hide muscle definition, and your hard workouts, more than excess body fat.

How Do You Know What a Good Diet for Building Muscle is?

A rigorous weight training workout schedule is taxing on your entire body. By making sure that you fuel your body with the right nutrients you will be helping ensure that you have the energy to start and finish your workout as well as the ability to repair your muscle afterwards.

Since your body uses the protein that you consume to build muscles, you need to eat enough lean protein such as salmon, trout, halibut, cod, eggs, chicken and lean servings of beef, pork or buffalo. These lower fat foods will help you get the protein calories you need while helping you to avoid packing on body fat.

Most people that want to put on weight should eat 500 calories more each day, some a little more, some a little less by 500 calories extra a day equates to about a pound a week in body weight gain. We’re talking about muscle weight gain here so you need those extra calories to be primarily protein.

If you find it hard to eat more protein foods, you can always reach for protein supplements or meal replacement shakes. A couple of shakes a day mixed with milk can easily get you to those 500 calories in extra protein a day mark.

What is The Single Best Diet for Building Muscle Mass?

Due to the fact that people’s body’s and food choices are so entirely different, it’s hard to recommend any one single diet for building muscles. You must have the additional protein but you must also have the many nutrients your body needs everyday. For example, you can’t use protein powders for meal replacement because mostly all that they provide is the protein. You would need a meal replacement shake in this case that provides the many different nutrients your body needs.

A good way to find what works best for you is to experiment a little and try different ones every two weeks or so and see how your body is responding. You can learn more about your choices and what to look for in the article “Why Protein Intake for Building Muscles” and look at http://MyFitnessNut.com for more information on protein, supplements, muscle building and fitness in general.