what EXACTLY do protein powders do?

roberteboot

i was wondering what exectly protein powders do?i know protein helps to build muscle and im pretty sure protein which isnt used is just got rid of as waste by the body but when should someone be taking them and what kind of results could you expect?i know this is touched on elsewhere but there seems to be alot of talk about percentage protein intake and the like which i dont really understand.thanks.

rs

Protein powders simply provide you with a source of good quality protein. Different types of protein can be used more readily by you body than others. eggs used to top out the scale, followed by meats and fish, then grains and vegetables. Whey protein can be used more readily than any of the above.

Protein is used to repair and manufacture muscle tissue.

Protein requirements vary depending on your lifestyle. Strength atheles have more muscle, and require more protein to maintain that muscle and build more muscle. non-athletes need much less protein because they have less muscle and don't need to repair it, because they are not putting any real stress on it.

Percentages of protein mean basically what percentage of the carlories you consume come from protein.

protein has 4 calories per gram
carbs have 4 carories per gram
fats have 9 calories per gram

So, if you eat 2,500 calories in a day and want your diet to consist of 40% protein, then you need to eat 1000 calories of protein a day.

250 grams of protein at 4 calories a gram = 1000 calories

so you would want to be eating 250 grams of protein.

100 grams of chicken breast has about 25 grams of protein.

So you would need to eat 1kg of chicken to make up your protein requirements for the day.

The percentage of protein you need is constantly debated. Non-athletes might need about 10 - 12%. Bodybuilders often think they need as high a 50- 60%.

Personally, I think about 30 - 40% is pretty good for a your average fairly serious athlete.

Make sense?

roberteboot

explains alot thanks,one more question,what happens to protein that your muscles dont use?and when should you take the supplements,after training,before training or consistantly once a day or something?

Genghis

Protein is pimarily digested and used for muscle repair. Carbohydrates are primarily used for short or near term brain / body energy consumption. Fat is stored and used for longer term energy consumption.

However, your digestive system can also convert all food types to do any of the three functions if your diet is imbalanced, or if you are getting more / less than you need.

So, someone can survive on a protein only diet, your body will simply have to convert the protein into glucose and fat to make up for the lack of carbs and fat. However, converting this protein is much more difficult and slow than using straight carbs, and hence it is considered a poor energy food (imagine eating a 32oz steak and then trying to run for 90 minutes). (In fact, one of the factors behind the Atkins diet success is that the same amount of calories from protein will take a considerable amount more calories to use / digest than carbs).

Furthermore, if your total calorie intake exceeds what you need the body will immediately store all fat, and then move to convert and store remaining protein and carbs to fat reserves.

roberteboot

okay so this is making sense thanks.but when should i have say a protein shake?i read somewhere that within half an hour after training would be the best time.true or not?

rs

I think usually people have one in the morning and one about 30 - 60 minutes post workout.

roberteboot

is that days they are training or every day.i train on average four times a week.

rs

depends on what you goals are.

Probably more on training days than non-training days. Watch your weight and waistline. If you starting getting chubby, take less. If you are not seeing an increase in muscle and weight, take more.

Because everyone is different, you have to experiment a little and find out what works for you.