fitness.uk.net resources

Information

 About fitness.uk.net

Protein Powders

The marketplace today is packed with different brands and types of protein powders. fitness.uk.net attempt to simplify this area and present you with the facts you need to know about protein supplements without bombarding you with useless information.

Protein is essential to the fitness trainers diet, no matter what goals you are training for. Protein is responsible for the growth and repair of muscle cells. Protein is also an essential component in your nutrition plan. Eating protein with carbohydrate slows the conversion of carbohydrate to sugar and the speed it enters your blood, which stops large insulin spikes in your body and minimises fat storage. (See the Diet Science section for more information)  Eating higher amounts of protein when you are on a low carbohydrate diet can also help preserve lean muscle.

The amount of protein required will vary to the individual goals, however protein powder supplements are an easy and convenient way to get extra protein into your diet with minimal effort. The most common form of protein supplement is in drink form where the protein is supplied in powdered form and you mix it most commonly with milk or water. The actual amount of protein per serving will vary from brand to brand but is usually between 25-70 grams. There are also other types of protein supplements available such as cereal bars and protein puddings.

Whey & Casein

You will often see protein powders advertised as whey protein or casein. These components are derived from milk. When milk is filtered to separate the protein from the lactose and fat there are 2 major protein components left: whey and casein. The main difference in the way they act on your body is that casein takes a lot longer to digest. This means casein provide a slow and steady release of amino acids into the body. Having a steady supply of amino acids to your body will help prevent muscles from being broken down for their amino acids. This makes casein a good choice for the last meal before bed when your body will fast for 8 hours or so. Whey protein is digested and absorbed by the body very rapidly making it a good source of protein for pre and post workout meals when your body needs protein fast.

How much should protein should I eat daily?

This will be specific to you and there is no general answer. Bodybuilders will require far more protein then Weight Loss Trainers and so we recommend you take advice from your personal trainer or fitness instructor. As a rough guide, fitness.uk.net recommend athletes training for power, strength or muscular size eat at least 1 - 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. Weight loss, fitness & toning and endurance trainers should eat at least 0.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. Try to get most of your protein from whole food sources but where this is not possible protein supplements are invaluable in getting your daily requirement.

Which Brand?

Protein supplements can be expensive and often trainers have a limited budget for nutrition and supplements so our advice is to shop around. The quality of protein powder will vary from brand to brand and as with any product today there are budget brands which are a lot cheaper but will not work as well. Look for a well known brand and check online for deals with online supplement companies as quite often they slash their prices for a few months to drum up business in a very competitive market. Also remember to try before you buy if possible - find a protein supplement that you enjoy the taste of! Finally, choose a supplement relevant to your goals - some protein drinks also supply a high proportion of carbohydrates, useful if you are bulking up.

fitness.uk.net recommend the use of the CNP range of products by Dorian Yates. This is NOT because we are affiliated to them in any way, however almost all our trainers use these products due to their high specification of ingredients and pleasant taste!

Fitness.uk.net have teamed up with PHD Fitness Superstore to bring you huge discounts on supplement range. (Up to 40% off retail prices for CNP products for example) Please visit our Online Store and click the PHD fitness link to browse the shop.

We are happy to advise our members on specific brands or with general questions they may have with protein supplements. Please Email A trainer if you have a request of this nature.

Please click here to return to the Supplement Section:

Advertising

Copyright © 2006 fitness.uk.net. All rights reserved