Protein Powder – the post workout must for everyone
Protein is a requirement for everyone on a daily and meal-to-meal basis. Protein is required for repair and development of skeletal muscle, damaged cells and tissue and a variety of metabolic and hormonal activities. Protein is the only macronutrient that contains nitrogen and it is incredibly important to maintain a positive nitrogen balance, especially for those who exercise.
The recommended dietary allowance for protein is 0.8g/kg body weight per day – this works out to 58g for a 150# female individual and 72g for a 200# male athlete. This amount of protein is abysmal and is never recommended for a person taking part in high levels of exercise (I would not recommend this amount to a couch potato).
General recommendations for individuals who engage in strength training (all those reading this) range from 1-1.5g/pound lean body mass for women and 1.5-2g/pound lean body mass for men. Protein intake at these levels will help ensure that the net protein balance remains positive, a pre-requisite for skeletal muscle growth and repair.
In a post-workout situation the body is in a catabolic (muscle wasting) state as key muscle nutrients are being broken down. The opportunity exists to modify this catabolic state into an anabolic state (muscle building) and thus initiate a much faster recovery rate. The best way to do this is to ingest proteins and amino acids immediately after the workout in the form of a highly digestible whey protein shake.
Whey protein is digested at a higher rate than other proteins, which increases blood amino acid levels quickly. This allows the drive towards an anabolic state to occur quickly.
Everyone should be making use of a post workout protein supplement as it is a cost effective method to get the amount of protein required after a workout and is quick and easy to make and digest. Typically a dosage of 0.25-0.3g per pound of lean body mass can be taken in after a workout. For a typical female athlete this can be 30-40g and for the typical male athlete this equals 40-60g.
You workout hard – ensure you are taking the necessary steps to recover properly – step 1 is the intake of protein post workout.
