Going to the gym to lift some weights can be your gateway drug to an entire health routine. Before you know it, you’ll be doing pre-workout mobility drills. I do foam rolling and use a fancy massage gun that looks like it’s going to burn a hole in my thigh. What happens to those $15 protein shakes sold in the front lobby? If you don’t drink after your workout, will all the energy you spent picking up and putting things down be a waste of time?
Barista trying to sell extra scoops of protein powder There may not be hard science to back him up., But it’s true that people who exercise regularly have higher protein needs than the average couch potato. Our bodies need amino acids, which come from proteins, the building blocks of muscle, to repair tissues destroyed during training.
sports nutritionist Sara Gilbert, MS, RDN, LDN, CSSDResearchers at Boston University Sargent’s Choice Nutrition Center note that most Americans already consume more protein than they need. The U.S. recommended dietary allowance for the average person is just 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, or about 70 grams (about 2 large chicken breasts) for a 195-pound man. )is.
on the other hand, exact guidelines varyfor example, someone who is serious about weightlifting or marathon training. requires a considerable amount than that. for example, Ricky Ng According to the Las Vegas Raiders’ director of performance nutrition, the team keeps players’ goals between 1.6 and 2.4 grams per kilogram, or two to three times the normally recommended amount.
Timing is also important
In addition to eating enough, one common problem is timing your protein intake at the wrong time. Many of us primarily consume carbohydrates for breakfast and snacks, and a large amount of meat for dinner. But to build muscle, Ng says you need to eat protein three to five times a day, or basically at every meal and snack. (Previously it was recommended to consume protein within 15-60 minutes after training; Error exposed. )
Our bodies can’t retain extra macronutrients like carbohydrates, so it’s important to have a steady infusion of protein. Any excess that isn’t immediately available can be turned into sugar or stored as fat if there’s a carbohydrate shortage, Gilbert says. But when your muscles need protein and you don’t have enough stored protein, your body may take protein from other muscle tissues, which isn’t very good for growth. Ng says that if you don’t get enough protein consistently, you may not make the progress you want in your workouts, you may take a lot longer to recover from the gym, and you may become more susceptible to illness. It states that there is.
Not all proteins are created equal
If you want to know more about protein, Ng says sources rich in leucine are best for muscle growth because certain amino acids signal and promote protein synthesis. Also helpful are proteins containing omega-3s (which maximize anabolic potential, or the body’s ability to build and repair muscle tissue) and vitamin D (which signals muscle protein synthesis), he adds. “Key proteins for athletes include salmon, pasture-raised eggs, kefir or Greek yogurt, chicken, and beef,” he says.
Fortunately, unless you’re prone to kidney problems, there’s no great risk from consuming too much protein. However, if you eat meat, you may end up consuming more saturated fat than is good for your cholesterol. A high-protein diet may also be deficient in other food groups, such as dietary fats, fruits and vegetables, which contain important vitamins and minerals.
Protein is only important when tackling work
In fact, it is undesirable to consume more protein than necessary, since there are no additional benefits. So if you’re going straight from the gym to the office and don’t have time to eat anything else for hours on end, a protein shake can certainly come in handy. “But I don’t think people need to feel like, ‘I have to buy something specialized to achieve my workout goals,'” Gilbert says. The real key to keep in mind is that you don’t gain muscle. just Even if you cut down on protein, you still need to actually train.
