The interest and knowledge gained in the area of protein in sport has grown dramatically over recent years.
It has been known for a long time that in order to optimise the process of building bigger and stronger muscles, you have to increase the amount of protein in your diet. Newer research has revealed that it’s also important for recovery, adaptation to your training as well as achieving a healthy body fat percentage!
For many years there has been debate about the total protein requirements of athletes, with many experts believing that daily needs depend on the type, frequency and intensity of the exercise. Nonetheless, for all athletes the daily requirement for protein goes above that of a sedentary, non-active person. However, if you do not consider yourself an athlete but are quite active, your muscles will still rely on the delivery of enough protein to change for the better!
For most active people, protein requirements are about 1.2 to 1.8 grams for every kg that they weigh per day. However, just like water, for optimum absorption and use, this needs to be spread out evenly across the day.
So why do you need more protein? Well, your muscles are built from protein. The more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism goes. Therefore, a good protein intake is necessary to support your metabolism. This is important in sport as most athletes are trying to optimise their body fat percentage.
Muscles are located both internally (your heart, around your organs and gut) as well as externally (muscles and legs). They are constantly breaking down and rebuilding. To avoid losing muscle which can lead to detrimental effects on health, protein needs to be ingested at all meals. This also allows for muscle repair and if the correct strength exercises are done, muscle gain. Muscle gain is far greater in men than women due to the higher amount of testosterone in male bodies.
Finally, protein plays an important role in your muscles response to exercise. The amino acids that make up the proteins are used for the manufacturing of new muscle fibres, designed for your particular exercise! Eating a source of protein soon after exercise stimulates the muscles to adapt and also helps them repair and recover.
So considering this, it’s no wonder that protein is considered so vital to achieving the goals of active people!
that protein products are an excellent high protein source.