Protein
Proteins count among our most essential nutrients and they fulfil numerous important functions in the human organism that are significant for the body’s performance capability and health. They form the basis for the structure of muscles, connective tissue, skin, hair and hormones. Under physical stress, they can also be used as a source of energy. Since the body cannot store proteins, a constant supply of protein is necessary.
Animal products such as meat, fish and dairy products as well as vegetable products such as leguminous plants and soy products can be used as sources of protein. Proteins can be isolated out of animal and vegetable foodstuffs such as milk and soy. These proteins are available in powdered form and as a shake represent a high-quality source of protein that is additionally very low in fat and calories.
Protein for Muscle Building
The ingestion of protein alone does not cause muscle building. The cornerstone for muscle growth is set with intensive strength training. But this training stimulation can only be converted into muscle building if the body is supplied with sufficient protein. Protein is the building material for muscles!
The daily supply of protein should therefore make up approximately 2 g per kg of body weight. In particular, the phase directly following workout should be effectively used to quickly reinforce growth stimulation of the muscles, as this is when muscles can absorb high levels of protein. The muscle tissue destroyed during training is rebuilt by proteins, and this causes muscle growth.
Protein ingestion is also important on non-training days, since muscle substance is particularly built up during non-training periods!
Body-Shaping with Protein
Anyone seeking to shape their body needs taut muscles and strong connective tissue. Here workout and predisposition have the decisive influence on the body’s silhouette. Without adequate proteins however, tautening of the muscles and the connective tissue is very difficult.
An increased supply of protein during weight reduction also supports the maintenance of the musculature. Fat reserves are then metabolised first – and the more muscles we have, the more fat we can burn!
But females need not be afraid that protein will result in building up huge ‘muscle mountains’, since the female organism produces less of the male hormone testosterone, which is responsible for ‘muscle mountains’.
Different Proteins – Different Effects
Protein from milk, or “milk protein“, contains a large variety of very different protein fractions which support a number of effects in the body. The two main fractions of milk protein form the casein and the whey protein.
> The first important characteristic of casein is its long stay in the gastrointestinal tract. It forms a solid gel there which delays digestion. In this way, casein contributes to saturation and it constantly supplies the body with high-grade amino acids for up to seven hours.
Whey protein is a quickly digestible protein with amino acids that already achieve their highest value in the blood within one hour. This allows the body to be quickly and efficiently supplied with regenerative components after training.
The absorption period of vegetable-based soy protein lies between casein and whey protein. Egg white protein contains the amino acids L-methionine and L-cysteine in higher quantities, which play a special role in the metabolism of protein. Supplementing a protein powder with egg white protein results in an improved ratio of the amino acids, since other proteins such as soy contain relatively low quantities of these two amino acids, for example.
