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Protein Shakes and Bodybuilding

  Without increasing the amount of protein you take in each day, building muscle mass you crave for will be impossible. But knowing when and how to fill your body with muscle building protein is vital.

Some knowledge of bio-chemical process in the body is useful. Catabolism is the loss of muscle mass. It can occur after a workout if you do not replace the carbohyrdrates your body has lost. One key carb that exits the body after a workout is glycogen. Right after a workout, put the protein shake on hold, and eat a banana accompanied by grape juice. Give your body about a half hour to recoup its glycogen and return to a muscle building state.  Thirty minutes later, you can down a protein shake.

If feeding the body with protein right after a workout is an ideal time, there’s no truly bad time to take them. But there’s no reason to take them immediately before you exercise because the body will not be able to assimilate them in time for the protein to aid your workout.  In addition, the body can only process about 20 to 30 grams of protein every couple of hours, so there is no point in downing a protein drink both before and after a workout. Generally speaking, you’re better off drinking a protein shake after working out.

Some body builders drink a protein shake before going to bed. Remember that the body does much of its repair and rejuvenation work during sleep.  Don’t, however, ply yourself with some insane number of grams of protein before retiring for the night.

As for what protein drinks are worth buying, it pays to know what you don’t want to see on the label of a protein drink(luckily, the law says companies must print a list of everything in their drinks!).  Avoid any drink that loaded with sugar. In fact, if sugar is one of the first few ingredients listed, don’t buy it.

Getting a sizable amount of protein into your system is, of course, the point of buying and downing a protein shake. You want protein that the body will assimilate, actually make use of. Just as with food, some sources of protein are more easily used by the body than others. There’s nothing wrong with taking in proteins that are more slowly assimilated if your body doesn’t have immediate and heavy protein needs. If you’re looking for a good protein drink right after a workout, however, you want to get protein quickly into your body. Whey protein provides easily digested and useable protein.  Shop for protein drinks made from whey protein.

 If you have the time, you might want to consider blending your own drinks rather than buying manufactured protein drinks.  All kinds of protein powders are on the market, including whey protein mentioned above. In the long run, you’ll save money.  Just as importantly, you’ll be able to control the carb content of your drinks and mix in other valuable nutrients.