Protein For the Masses

Today I want to talk about the number one selling supplement in the world…the all mighty “Protein”.

Protein is an absolutely essential part of every person’s diet . Regardless of your physical/ health goals, your diet must consist of protein. If you want to loose weight you should frequently eat small amounts of protein throughout the day to speed up metabolism and avoid the loss of muscle mass (The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn, but this is a whole other post).  If you want to gain muscle mass you should eat a lot of protein (usually two times your body weight) For the newbie in the bodybuilding/healthy living, what exactly is protein? How do I get it? AAHHH Good questions let’s explore this in depth below.

Protein best explained is an amino acid. Our bodies need amino acids to grow and to support an active lifestyle. Whey protein is a bi-product of cheese. When the cheese is processed the left over raw material is whey. Prior to the discovery of whey protein, currently the main ingredient in protein shakes, bodybuilders had to eat ungodly amounts of food to get their daily protein intake requirements.   Thanks to the discovery, now it is easy to get in 6 meals a day with at least 30 grams of protein per meal. Ideally it is about 1.5 grams per body weight. This will vary depending on your fitness goals.  Don’t misunderstand, you should still chew most of your food -eat eggs, chicken breasts, and other lean meats such as steaks, turkey, pork and ground beef to get your required protein needs. Protein shakes are simply a convenience, and are there to supplement your diet when you are on the go. .

The market  during the last several years has shifted to RTD’s or “ready to drink”, and today you will see them everywhere. Basically they are pre-mixed protein shakes. I am not a big fan of these because they require more ingredients to keep them fresh and prevent them from getting spoiled, thus altering the health benefits as well as the taste. All major manufactures carry some sort of RTD’s.

There are three types of proteins currently in the market:


1. Whey Protein blend is usually a blend of at least 60 percent whey and 30 percent isolate. This is the most common type in the market today.


2. Isolate Protein, which is the purest form. Basically this is  at least 90% isolate protein. This type of protein is more expensive and does not taste as good as the blend.

3. Casein Protein, which is a cheaper form of protein, because it is not as pure as the others, however it does provide great benefits. This kind is a slow digestive protein, meaning it  is broken  down slower in the body creating a gel. This gel takes hours to digest and for that reason, casein is a favorite among bodybuilders for a bedtime or midnight snack as it prevents the breakdown of muscles by keeping protein in your system for a prolonged period of time.

There you have it – an elementary education on the all mighty protein. I plan to write similar articles like these but about lesser known supplements and ingredients.

Anyone heard of “Oligonol”?

10 Rules To Live By

 

I am about to give you ten rules in the iron game. These are rules I have lived by for many years now…some are from experience and others I learned from wiser trainers and nutritionists. Either way  I think it is time to get down into the meat and potatoes of what this blog is about.

1. Always Stay Consistent:

Constantly starting and then quitting training for weeks at a time will get you nowhere fast. You take one step forward, and two steps back over and over again.
Create an ideal training schedule for yourself one that you can, and will adhere to, then do just that . Stick to it no matter what!! I see a lot of people start a too drastic workout routines. If you have never ever worked out something drastic won’t help you. If you only have times in the mornings to workout…wake up early and get the job done.

Also, training for two weeks straight, and then laying around for a month, after your enthusiasm wanes, is like being stuck in a revolving door you just go in circles.

Commit to a schedule, and follow it religiously consistency is key in bodybuilding!!

2. Nutrition:

Learn all you can about nutrition and how you can set up a dietary regimen that fits you for your specific goals. Forget crazy crash diets, or “magic potions” or “wonder pills” and rely on good food  6 meals a day, high protein, moderate carbs ,and low fats. Base each of your meals around a protein source such as chicken breasts, tuna, egg whites, fish, or lean beef,

Also, throw in some salads and fibrous vegetables, complex carbs like oatmeal, baked potatoes, yams, brown rice, and sweet potatoes, top it off with copious amounts of water, and eat consistently, every 3 hours or so, and you`ll be well on the way to success in your training!

3. Supplementation:

 Too many people come to rely on them  thinking that they will propel themselves over sticking points, and to greater levels of strength and development, simply by taking a pill or some type of powder.

In reality their diets are lousy!!Get your diet in order first, before you worry about the next magic potion, powder, or pill. Spot-on nutrition is imperative if you want to progress consistently. Some people make the mistake of supplementing their supplementation with food, instead of the other way around. A few good time tested supplements are whey protein, multi-vitamins, minerals, creatine, and the oldest supplement there is………good old healthy food!!

4. Prioritize Your Weak Points :

Too many trainees do chest and bicep work at the expense of all other body parts. Don`t fall into this trap!! Work all the body parts with equal intensity, and you will create a balanced physique. We all have body parts that are slow to grow, or lag behind other areas.  

Prioritize these weak points by working them first in your training routine, when your energy levels are at their peak. Nothing looks worse than a bodybuilder who is all chest and arms, and whose upper body is supported by a pair of spindly spider legs. Train all body parts equally hard, and in the long run you`ll be glad you did as your proportions will eventually begin to even out!!

5. Maintain A Positive Attitude:

Always believe in yourself, and what you are doing, self-doubt is the first step towards failure. The mind is the most powerful muscle that you have!!! If there is the least bit of self doubt, and negativaty, then your workouts will suffer, and your gains will be slow to come. Attack each and every training session with an intensity level that insures you will succeed.

Visualize how you want to look in your mind`s eye, and don`t let anything sway your commitment to achieving a great physique.

Believe, and achieve!!!!!!!!!!!

6. Don`t Neglect Cardio:

We need to perform cardio at least three times a week or more to keep body fat levels low, and to keep our hearts and lungs in good shape. If you`re struggling to make it through workouts because your endurance just plain old sucks. How can you expect the workouts to be effective ?

 Pick an activity that you like, and one you know that you can stick with for your cardio regimen, do it 3-6 days a week, depending on your goals, and your fitness level!

7. Keep A Journal:

A lot of people couldn`t be bothered to record their training and diet on a daily basis, as it often seems like too much of a bother to them. Keeping a written record of what you are doing will help you immensely. You will be able to chart reps and poundage used, and try to surpass them in your training, and you get to look back on all the workouts where the weights that you used were once heavy, but are now your warm-up sets!!

Chart your bodyweight, reps, sets, exercises used, mood,bodyfat%, daily food intake, and make notes on your progress or lack thereof in your logbook, so that you can pinpoint problems, and adjust things accordingly.

8. Keep An Open Mind:

Always stay open to new ideas on training and nutrition. Even a novice trainer can at times, offer you good advice, or give you ideas. We all seem to get set in our ways when it comes to training, but you should never be afraid to implement new ideas or protocols, into your workouts, or diet.

An open mind is a terrible thing to lose!!

9. Set Goals:

We all must set goals to use as incentive in our training, otherwise our workouts will be hit or miss. Whether it`s achieving 5% body fat, adding a rep or two here or there, building a bigger squat or bench, or losing 10 pounds in a certain time period, whatever it is that you are after, should always be uppermost on your mind.

Set attainable smaller goals, but always have the “big picture” in mind .Once you have achieved a goal, immediately set another one, and pursue it with all you`ve got. Without a goal, your ideas are just dreams……make those dreams a reality by setting goals, and making new progress!!

10. Listen To Your Body:

Another important thing to continued training success is the ability to be able to “listen to your body” and adjust things accordingly. At times, you will feel like training beyond the pain barrier, and going all out and then some, but once you get to the gym, you just don`t have that oomph, on that particular day. Your mind says go go go, but your body says no no no!!Rather than to call it quits, just take a minute and realize that we all can`t be Hercules every day of the week. Lighten the load and train faster, to increase intensity.

Not paying attention to signs like this, and forcing the body into going against it`s will, can, and will result in overtraining or injury over time. Now I`m not saying that if you are just plain old lazy to take it easy and become a gym slacker, but be honest with yourself and realize, that we can`t set new personal records everyday, and training with a little less intensity at times, can do more good than harm if the body is tired or over trained! Coax the body along at times, and at other times go all out.

There you have it dear readers. Try to implement some age old rules to live by!