What researchers do know about protein is that it is critical for recovery after intense exercise. Protein consists of 20 different amino acids, nine are essential, which means we must get them from our food, and 11 the body can produce on its own. Athletes who eat a protein containing meal within a few hours after intense exercise actually produce more protein than they actually breakdown. The end result, repairing damaged muscle fibers and actually gaining more muscle.
We do not know which amino acids are better for muscle repair and growth or which protein based product is better for recovery. The message athletes need to get is to eat a protein based meal post work-out. It could be milk, tuna or a protein bar. The best advice that we can give at this time is to eat real food.
How much protein do we need? Benefits come with as little as 6 grams of protein. The recommended protein intake is 0.4 per pound of body weight and about 1 gram of protein if you lift like Arnold Schwarzenegger. A word of caution, some recovery shakes have as much as 50 grams of protein, which the body will not profit from. All that extra protein will be processed as all excess calories, stored as fat.
My advice: Do not over do the protein; add some fruit, vegetables, and whole grains to your post – workout meals. Complex carbs also offer many essential vitamins and minerals necessary for growth and repair and free up protein so that more is available for optimal muscle recovery..
What researchers do know about protein is that it is critical for recovery after intense exercise. Protein consists of 20 different amino acids, nine are essential, which means we must get them from our food, and 11 the body can produce on its own. Athletes who eat a protein containing meal within a few hours after intense exercise actually produce more protein than they actually breakdown. The end result, repairing damaged muscle fibers and actually gaining more muscle.
We do not know which amino acids are better for muscle repair and growth or which protein based product is better for recovery. The message athletes need to get is to eat a protein based meal post work-out. It could be milk, tuna or a protein bar. The best advice that we can give at this time is to eat real food.
How much protein do we need? Benefits come with as little as 6 grams of protein. The recommended protein intake is 0.4 per pound of body weight and about 1 gram of protein if you lift like Arnold Schwarzenegger. A word of caution, some recovery shakes have as much as 50 grams of protein, which the body will not profit from. All that extra protein will be processed as all excess calories, stored as fat.
My advice: Do not over do the protein; add some fruit, vegetables, and whole grains to your post – workout meals. Complex carbs also offer many essential vitamins and minerals necessary for growth and repair and free up protein so that more is available for optimal muscle recovery..