Protein is a nutrient that is essential for growth and development. Our muscles are made of protein and some of our most important anabolic hormones are made of protein including insulin and growth hormone. In terms of sport, protein is the primary essential nutrient capable of building new muscle and repairing damaged muscle. Protein is found in both animal and plant sources, with animal sources being the best source of complete protein due to high availability of all amino acids. Consuming our protein through supplements is an easy way to maintain increased protein needs as a result of exercise without consuming bulky and often calorie high foods and meals. There is a huge variety of protein powders and formulas in the market.
The protein supplements can be broken down to either mass-gainers, lean-gainers, or weight loss protein to suit ones particular goal
Mass-Gainers
Gaining weight requires that you increase the amount of calories you eat. Specifically you must consume more calories in diet, than you expend in energy. Doing this with regular foods quickly becomes monotonous, expensive, and difficult after a couple of days if not sooner. So a great healthy way to gain weight is to supplement your regular diet with a Mass Gainer. The top 3 weight gainers are:
Weight Loss Protein
The prime goal for any strength trainer is to gain muscle weight without gaining dreaded body fat. Integrating Protein into your regular diet ensures that you can build muscle, increase strength, & gain lean muscle weight, whilst preventing excess body fat from creeping in. The only problem is that protein alone cannot sustain a healthy body. So, most protein formulas contain Carbohydrates, which can easily convert to fat if not managed correctly. The top 3 Fat loss proteins are:
Andrew De Silva
Over the next few weeks I will be doing weekly posts containing information about fitness workouts. These posts will include exercises, tips and photos. Enjoy!
This blog post will contain basic tips for getting started when exercising.
1. Limit your workouts to 30-40 minutes
Though the tendency of some people who really want to get a lot out of their workouts is to spend a lot of time at the gym, the truth is that after 30 or 40 minutes, the benefit isn’t as great. To go that long, you’d have to lower the intensity of the workout, and that means that you’re spending too much time working out. It’s better to work out at a higher intensity for a shorter amount of time.
2. High-intensity workouts
If you’re just starting out with exercise, it’s best to take it slow. If you’re running or cycling, for example, build up your endurance for at least a month before you get into anything more intense. That means going at a rate where you can easily talk without being out of breath. However, once you have that base of endurance, step up the intensity to step up the effectiveness of the workout.
3. Protein
Many people don’t pay enough attention to getting the protein their muscles need to rebuild. If you don’t, you are going to get very little out of your workout, as both cardio and strength workouts require protein for building muscles. I recommend either whey or soy protein shakes.
4. Water
Be sure to hydrate throughout the day. It takes a couple of hours for your body to absorb the water, so you can’t just drink right before exercise. Make it a habit to drink water regularly throughout the day.
5. Carbs
Although the low-carb craze might say otherwise, carbs are our body’s main source of fuel. If you do intense workouts, you will need carbs, or you won’t have enough energy. If you do a shake, be sure to include carbs — or a banana is a great source of low fiber/high glycemic carbohydrates that you need for exercise.
6. Slow lifting
Many people contract their muscles slowly and then release more quickly. But if you lift slowly in both directions, you are maximizing each move. Lift and lower to a 5-second count in each direction.
7. Heavier weight
When you’re starting out, it’s best to start with lower weights so you can focus on good form. But once you’ve gotten your form down, it’s best to lift the heaviest weights you can lift while still keeping good form. Don’t sacrifice form for heavy weights — that is ineffective. But heavy weights, with good form, can give you better results in a shorter amount of time. Heavy weights are not just for those who want to bulk up — that’s a common misconception.
8. One set, to failure
Instead of doing 2-3 sets, as many people do, maximize your effectiveness by doing just one, with heavy weights, until you can no longer keep the proper form. Lifting to “failure” doesn’t mean that you should lift the last few times with a wobbly or inefficient form.
9. Mix it up
Don’t stick to the same workout routine for too long, or your body will adjust to the stress level and you won’t be getting an effective workout. For strength training, change your routine every few weeks. For cardio, it’s best to cross train rather than, say, to run every time.
10. Good form
For strength training especially, and swimming, form is very important, but it’s also important for other types of exercise. If you’re strength training, start with lighter weights so you can work on your form. It’s good to have an experienced spotter or trainer who knows good form to help you for the first month or so. Never sacrifice form for heavier weight. For swimming, you’ll need to get a coach to teach you form.
11. Hills
If you run or bike or walk for cardio, you’ll want to incorporate hills (after the first month or two of doing it at an easy pace on flat ground). These will make you stronger and make your limited workout time even more effective. Take them easy at first, but once you’re used to hills, you can get a good pace going. Either use a hilly route or do repeats on one hill.
12. Circuits
One mistake that people make is to do multiple sets of the same exercise without rest between the sets. This doesn’t allow your muscles to recover and it’s a waste of your workout. But instead of doing a set, resting, and then doing your second set, it’s more effective to move on to multiple exercises in a circuit, so that you don’t rest between exercises but do rest each muscle group. This will give you a good cardio workout while you do your strength training.
Annalise Dracopoulos.
