Protein Supplements Guide For
Bodybuilders & Athletes
Protein supplements made up of amino acids are the fundamental building blocks of muscle. Even though your body needs fat and carbohydrates to function, you simply cannot build muscle without protein. That is why a high quality source should be included in your bodybuilding strategy.
Bodybuilders need more protein than the average person does because their workouts are more demanding metabolically. During your training, your body increases its use of amino acids that are vital for oxidative energy production.
If large amounts of protein are broken down and not replaced, you will go into a negative amino balance and be incapable to make up for the nitrogen your body loses during hard workouts. This may have a negative effect. Therefore, to compensate for the negative effects you will need to intake about 1 - 2 grams per pound of bodyweight in the form of protein supplements and foods.
Protein supplements you ask. I can sum it up in one word...convenience. Read this guide on the benefits of protein supplements for more information on this subject.
HOT! Check out the Protein Finder You can search by price, grams carbs, and much more. This is a great bodybuilding nutrition tool.
Protein Supplements Types for Bodybuilders
Protein supplements like whey, soy, egg, and casein are the most popular among bodybuilders and athletes. So which one of these products are the best? That depends on how you want to use them.
Whey Protein – Whey is tremendous for post-workouts because that's when your body needs protein the most, and whey digests quickly (30 minutes or so).
Egg Proteins – Egg (albumen) digests at a medium pace (1.5 - 3 hours) so you can use egg products anytime to supply a sustained release of aminos to your body.
Soy Protein – Soy is the vegetarian's best friend because it is derived from plants. Soy is not as effective in terms of absorption as whey or egg protein. However, soy has many recognized health benefits for women as well.
Casein Products – Casein is digested very slowly (2 - 7 hours) so it would be a good idea to use casein before bed because that is usually the longest time your body goes without getting protein. VPX Micellean is an awesome product to consider. I mix one every night before I hit the sack.
Blended Proteins – Blends are a combination of any or all of these kinds (whey, soy, egg, casein, etc.). So what can a blended product provide that the other cannot? You get a different digestion rate, which means you can take a blended product anytime to get fast, medium, and prolonged absorption time. One of the best in the blended category to check out is ISS Research ProM3.
Weight Gainers are high calorie products that are great for bodybuilders who want to bulk up or have trouble gaining weight. By taking in high quality calories from a weight gainer, you should not have any problem. I recommend Twinlab Gainers Fuel 2500 because of its high quality calorie count.
Now for you low carbers here's a good Low Carb Shake that has zero grams of carbohydrates. This is an excellent choice if you are dieting or trying to get ripped before a big contest.
Also, keep in mind that meal replacements and bars are another convenient way to provide your body with another high quality source.
Recommended Products
Protein supplements are a great tool for bodybuilding to build muscle mass. However, I strongly recommend that you use a branched chain amino acid or BCAA product, which includes leucine, isoleucine, and valine as well.
This will be of great help particularly if your intention is to build up your lean body mass. It is common for athletes to gain 10 lbs. of muscle in three to five weeks of abundant branched chain amino acid supplementation.
