This post presents the next chapter in the macronutrients series. It covers protein, which is an essential macronutrient for bodybuilding, since it is indispensable for building muscle.
Protein is made up of structural units or chains called amino acids (I’ll go deeper on different amino acids on a future post). The main role of protein is to contribute to the repair and growth of muscle tissues. In fact, proteins are needed for the body to manufacture and repair most body structures and to synthesize neurotransmitters, hormones, enzymes or antibodies. In addition, protein can also be used as an energy source for the body (via gluconeogenesis) when the supply of carbohydrates is not adequate. Protein yields 4 calories per gram.
It's extremely important to maintain always a positive nitrogen balance, because this is required for new tissue to be synthesized and in a negative nitrogen balance state, the protein needed by your body is supplied via muscle breakdown. In order to accomplish this, you have to spread your protein intake over the entire day, feeding yourself every three hours with some protein source (e.g. chicken, meat, fish, eggs, milk, etc.) combined with carbohydrates, since they facilitate the absorption of protein.
Weight training increases your daily protein requirement. As a general rule, you should have 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. However, be careful of having too much protein, because it can be converted to fat and stored in adipose tissue. In addition, diversity on your sources of protein is important in order get a complete essential amino acid profile.
Proteins can be classified according to their Biological Value (BV), which measures how easily a protein source is assimilated and utilized by the body. The higher the number ranking, the quicker the protein is absorbed but also the faster it's rendered useless within the body. That means that taking in large doses of a high BV protein makes little or no sense. Proteins can also be classified depending on their Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acids Score (PDCAAS). The PDCAAS examines the essential amino acid content of the protein and compares it against the human requirement for essential amino acids. Proteins with great diversity of amino acids will have higher PDCAAS. Typically, animal products score better than vegetal on both the BV and PCDAAS scales.
Your breakfast should include a high BV protein source, since you have being without food for over 8 hours, so you are in a muscle wasting state. The same applies to the post-workout meal, because after training your body needs nutrients for rapid recovering. On the other side, before you go to bed you should consume protein that is digested slowly (low BV), to delay entering in a catabolic state.
You can find further details on protein in the article “The Protein Bible” by John Berardi and in the “Macronutrients” section of Muscle 101 site. The article “All About Protein” by Big Cat describes the properties of most popular protein sources.
Protein is made up of structural units or chains called amino acids (I’ll go deeper on different amino acids on a future post). The main role of protein is to contribute to the repair and growth of muscle tissues. In fact, proteins are needed for the body to manufacture and repair most body structures and to synthesize neurotransmitters, hormones, enzymes or antibodies. In addition, protein can also be used as an energy source for the body (via gluconeogenesis) when the supply of carbohydrates is not adequate. Protein yields 4 calories per gram.
It's extremely important to maintain always a positive nitrogen balance, because this is required for new tissue to be synthesized and in a negative nitrogen balance state, the protein needed by your body is supplied via muscle breakdown. In order to accomplish this, you have to spread your protein intake over the entire day, feeding yourself every three hours with some protein source (e.g. chicken, meat, fish, eggs, milk, etc.) combined with carbohydrates, since they facilitate the absorption of protein.
Weight training increases your daily protein requirement. As a general rule, you should have 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. However, be careful of having too much protein, because it can be converted to fat and stored in adipose tissue. In addition, diversity on your sources of protein is important in order get a complete essential amino acid profile.
Proteins can be classified according to their Biological Value (BV), which measures how easily a protein source is assimilated and utilized by the body. The higher the number ranking, the quicker the protein is absorbed but also the faster it's rendered useless within the body. That means that taking in large doses of a high BV protein makes little or no sense. Proteins can also be classified depending on their Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acids Score (PDCAAS). The PDCAAS examines the essential amino acid content of the protein and compares it against the human requirement for essential amino acids. Proteins with great diversity of amino acids will have higher PDCAAS. Typically, animal products score better than vegetal on both the BV and PCDAAS scales.
Your breakfast should include a high BV protein source, since you have being without food for over 8 hours, so you are in a muscle wasting state. The same applies to the post-workout meal, because after training your body needs nutrients for rapid recovering. On the other side, before you go to bed you should consume protein that is digested slowly (low BV), to delay entering in a catabolic state.
You can find further details on protein in the article “The Protein Bible” by John Berardi and in the “Macronutrients” section of Muscle 101 site. The article “All About Protein” by Big Cat describes the properties of most popular protein sources.
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