Whey Powder - would it benefit me?

luckylucky

I was thinking of trying out some whey powder or similar type stuff to give my protein intake a little boost.

So just trying to figure out a few things.
1. I've started doing Karate two nights a week and still being very unfit I'm pretty shattered and sore after it - I've eaten some carbs and protein after I finish but not in huge quantities. Would whey powder be good to take before and/or after Karate?
2. I'm also doing calisthenics using Convict Conditioning, again same thing would whey powder be appropiate before and/or after Calisthenics?
3. If it is appropiate to use - how much do you reckon I should use?

Hanley

More protein is almost always a good idea.

1g per lb of lean body mass is a good starting point, if you're active and not too fat (ie <25% bodyfat), 1g per lb of total bodyweight is probably even better.

Crash Override

luckylucky wrote: »

I was thinking of trying out some whey powder or similar type stuff to give my protein intake a little boost.

So just trying to figure out a few things.
1. I've started doing Karate two nights a week and still being very unfit I'm pretty shattered and sore after it - I've eaten some carbs and protein after I finish but not in huge quantities. Would whey powder be good to take before and/or after Karate?
2. I'm also doing calisthenics using Convict Conditioning, again same thing would whey powder be appropiate before and/or after Calisthenics?
3. If it is appropiate to use - how much do you reckon I should use?

As Hanley said, 1LB perbodyweight will probably be enough and getting that from real food would nto be difficult. With that said though, if you have quite a hectic lifestyle and can't find time to have proper meals then Whey would be handy to have to make sure you are getting your Protein for the day. Personally I don't believe that taking before or after training makes a significant difference. As long as you get your required amount during the day it shouldn't matter.

luckylucky

Hanley wrote: »

More protein is almost always a good idea.

1g per lb of lean body mass is a good starting point, if you're active and not too fat (ie <25% bodyfat), 1g per lb of total bodyweight is probably even better.

I'm at 27.7% BF at last measurement - hopefully that might have dropped a tad in the last couple of weeks - but still going to be > 25% at the mo.

Sounds like I can give it a go then. The cost of it was a bit off-putting but working it out - doesn't seem quite as bad a 1.5 KG tub costs me €49 here (central Portugal). but if I'm only looking to take an extra 20-30 grams a day that should last me a month easily enough I'm figuring.

I'd also be interested to know when is the optimum time to take it?
What's the typical way of taking it btw?

luckylucky

Crash Override wrote: »

As Hanley said, 1LB perbodyweight will probably be enough and getting that from real food would nto be difficult. With that said though, if you have quite a hectic lifestyle and can't find time to have proper meals then Whey would be handy to have to make sure you are getting your Protein for the day. Personally I don't believe that taking before or after training makes a significant difference. As long as you get your required amount during the day it shouldn't matter.

I've upped my protein intake quite a bit already but don't seem to manage anything like 1 lb per body weight - at times not too far off 1 lb per lean body weight though so the supplement I think would come in handy for a direct hit of protein.

SteelyDanJalapeno

Hanley wrote: »

More protein is almost always a good idea.

1g per lb of lean body mass is a good starting point, if you're active and not too fat (ie <25% bodyfat), 1g per lb of total bodyweight is probably even better.

1g per lb of body weight would be a bit excess? I always followed it by kg's,

1.2g per bodyweight in kg for maintenance, 1.5g - 1.7g for building?

Crash Override

TiltedBrain wrote: »

1g per lb of body weight would be a bit excess? I always followed it by kg's,

1.2g per bodyweight in kg for maintenance, 1.5g - 1.7g for building?

I guess it depends on what luckylucky's goals are.

If it's just to boost the intake a little bit then the bodyweight in Kilos method would probably be enough. But if there is any gaining on the cards then 1lb per bodyweight in pounds would be minimum.

Hanley

TiltedBrain wrote: »

1g per lb of body weight would be a bit excess? I always followed it by kg's,

1.2g per bodyweight in kg for maintenance, 1.5g - 1.7g for building?

Your problem is you’re stuck in the “protein is for muscle building only” mindset. It’s got calories, therefore it can be used for energy.

Assume a constant calorie level, with the macro split being the only thing that changes for now. You’re almost always better increasing protein intake in this scenario. Sure, if you’ve some highly glycolytically demanding activities which you do daily, carbs are going to be important, but for the average Joe/Jane, increased protein is almost always a good shout.

Protein has a higher TEF level, 20-25% of the kcals you eat of it are burned up just processing it into a useable form. It has a higher peptide YY secretion response, it’s the signaling hormone responsible for telling you when you feel full. And there’s all the cool muscle building benefits associated with it.

That’s without going into the improvements seen in metabolic syndrome, body composition and hormonal signaling etc etc when you reduce carbs (remember, you’ve got to get your kcals from somewhere, if you’ve been getting them from sugar and creating some sort of metabolic derangement as a result, switching to a lower GI/insulin increasing option is good and beneficial).

So, no, it's not just as simple as X per Y.

luckylucky

Crash Override wrote: »

I guess it depends on what luckylucky's goals are.

If it's just to boost the intake a little bit then the bodyweight in Kilos method would probably be enough. But if there is any gaining on the cards then 1lb per bodyweight in pounds would be minimum.

My goals put simply are to lose bodyfat, gain or at the very least not lose muscle mass while losing bodyfat, just to be all-round fitter really.

Since I've taken up Karate and enjoy it, despite finding it tough, hopefully I'll continue to do it for many years. If so let's say I'm training to get into the best shape possible for a middle-aged martial artist, so I'm looking for strength, stamina and flexibility and if taking protein supplement would fit in to helping me achieve that as it looks like it might then I'll give it a go.

I'm 13.5 stone now - 189 lbs. to give you an idea of my protein consumption. I was keeping a food diary up to this Tuesday and my estimated consumption of protein from last Thursday to this Tuesday was as follows in grams 82,134,111,105, 109, 91. So averaging 105 grams a day.