So we discussed the idea of working from the inside out when starting to develop your ideal physique. We briefly mentioned insulin at the end of my first article and how you have to keep it down when you want to lose weight in a healthy way without dealing with cravings. Carbs raise insulin, but what about the other macros? Here we go...
Let's start off with the king of the macros, protein. Protein is obviously essential when it comes to losing weight and having a healthy physique. First off, it builds tissue, primarily muscle, and is the first macro you have to consider when trying to build muscle or maintain muscle while dropping weight. There are different types of protein including Hydrosylates, Isolates, Concentrates, etc. To keep it simple, we'll stick to two main protein supplements that you should use when enhancing your physique, and another supplement we'll discuss later.
Whey Protein
Many of you have probably heard of this, and you can find it on the shelf at most grocery and pharmacy stores nowadays. Whey protein is a fast-digesting protein, derived from milk.
However, it filters out all the 'crap' you can get with milk (lactose primarily) and gives you the essential nutrients for building muscle.
It also gives you the amino acids (what protein is made of) to help you build muscle, especially leucine (the king of the essential amino acids, but more on that later)
Whey comes in many flavors, anywhere from the typical chocolate and vanilla to peanut butter, cookies and cream, and fruit flavors.
Not gonna lie, whey doesn't taste the best, but you do get used to it over time. And it's totally worth it!
You need a fast-digesting protein source when you get done with your workout, as your muscles need to recover immediately. It also helps keep protein synthesis up, which we'll talk about in another article.
You can purchase Whey Protein at Walmart or other grocery stores for cheaper prices unless of course, you want to spend close to $100 per tub at GNC or similar stores
Casein Protein
This protein source typically gets put on the back burner because it's a slow-digesting protein. Why is that bad? Here's the thing....it's not!
Slow-digesting protein keeps a steady flow of amino acids moving through your body, allowing your muscles to be fed over a long period of time.
This keeps you from breaking down muscle
However, there isn't enough leucine in Casein to allow for muscle to be built
Casein takes 8 hours to digest, so if you have a busy job and can't stop to eat or get any protein in, Casein will work great for you because it'll keep you from breaking down your hard-earned muscle
You can also purchase Casein at Walmart for around $20 a tub
BCAA
I mentioned the third supplement earlier, and Branch-Chained Amino Acids are it
Aminos Acids are what protein is made up
You have different types of BCAA
Non-essential (made by your body)
Essential (NOT made by the body)
The essential BCAA are what we will be focusing on because one of them, Leucine, is the king of protein synthesis (the cellular process of building muscle)
Whey protein has a good amount of leucine per serving, which is why it's good to take post-workout.
You want to ignite that protein synthesis IMMEDIATELY after the workout to help your muscles recover after being torn up in a weight-training session
However, even though Whey digests fast, BCAA are INSTANTLY digested because it's the protein in its free form
Either one is fine, but I recommend for people that are just starting to work out that they use Whey since it takes a while before you can eat a good amount of protein, and whey helps get your protein count up
Now some of you are probably wondering, why not just use Leucine supplements to build muscle? Good question. There are other essential amino acids that you need to build muscle and to keep your body healthy. I won't go into that because frankly....it's boring!
Needless to say, use all the essential aminos if taking a BCAA supplement
I recommend Xtend, which you can get at Walmart for $20
Keep in mind even if you take these supplements, NOTHING beats protein from whole food sources as these are the ones will get you a bunch of different amino acids, as well as optimize protein synthesis in the long run.
Now, protein can also cause a spike in insulin, so you have to be careful about which type of protein you're taking, and what food source you're getting your protein from. Leucine is the reason that protein spikes insulin because like a carb, leucine gets taken in by insulin to rush it to the muscles to repair them and to build them up. An insulin spike can also occur from lean protein sources like lean chicken, beef, and turkey, as lean protein can digest almost as fast as a carb.
So now you're probably thinking, how do I get my protein in to maintain my muscle WITHOUT spiking my insulin levels. That brings me to the next macronutrient, Fat, which will be in the next article
コメント