Protein is a protein that consists of amino acids. Along with fats and carbohydrates, this is the most important nutrient from food products of animal and plant origin, thanks to which various metabolic processes occur and new cells are synthesized. But in sports nutrition, protein is prepared in the form of a dry powder; one serving (about 30 g) contains 80-95% protein. Such supplements are intended for athletes. And if it’s still the same protein, what happens if you drink protein without training? Let's delve deeper into the topic.
Is it possible to drink protein without training?
First, let's look at protein standards for athletes and those who do not receive any physical activity.
- Protein norm for athletes: 2-3 grams per 1 kg of body weight. This amount is necessary to replenish protein reserves and grow new cells. Of course, for those athletes who are cutting, their protein intake doubles, as the amount of fat and carbohydrates decreases.
- The daily protein requirement of a healthy person is 1-2 grams per kilogram of weight. This amount is enough to support all vital processes in the body. Thus, it is enough for a man weighing 70 kg to consume 70-140 grams of protein per day from food.
When it comes to sports nutrition supplements, just two scoops can meet your daily protein needs. To get this amount of protein from chicken meat, you need to eat from 400 to 800 grams per day or 10-20 eggs with yolk (just as an example). It is from food products (eggs, milk, meat, soy) that protein for athletes is obtained, only in dry form and with a higher protein concentration.
If athletes need such an amount at once, and even want their rapid absorption, which is what some types of protein provide, then the rest do not need it.
But is it possible to gain weight from protein without training - yes, but only excess fat tissue.
Protein without training does not affect muscle growth, its volume is affected by training and nutrition!
Protein is just protein. And protein is a building material for the body
First of all, let's understand what protein is in a broad sense. These are proteins, that is, organic substances. Proteins are the basis of muscle tissue. Thanks to them, metabolism and many other processes take place in the body. Protein can be found in almost any food: fish, chicken, meat, nuts, eggs.
In sports, protein is a supplement made from protein mixtures. And it is used for a number of tasks:
• Gain muscle mass;
• Lose weight;
• Maintain physical fitness;
• Nourish the body during exercise.
Why is there always so much talk about protein?
“Everyone always wants to achieve the highest quality results in the shortest possible time, so an integrated approach (training, proper nutrition, sports nutrition) to this issue is understandable.
Protein is truly the most popular item among all sports nutrition, since, in principle, regardless of the goals pursued, it is relevant in any case and as an additional source of protein, and when gaining muscle mass, and when losing weight, and when maintaining shape, in order to optimize the supply of nutrients ", says Sarychev.
What happens if you drink protein and don't exercise?
Taking protein without training is not contraindicated. You can only replace one of your meals with it, drink it instead of a milkshake, and simply diversify and enrich your diet, if you calculate the daily consumption of KBJU. But you should also consider some of the disadvantages of taking protein without training:
- You need to eat a balanced diet and get a full range of amino acids from food, which you cannot get from protein alone.
- Some types of sports powders are absorbed very quickly. Athletes need this for a speedy recovery after training or sleep, preventing catabolism.
It is important to understand that athletes have a much faster metabolism than untrained people, and muscle volumes or deficits in energy reserves imply faster absorption of substances and in larger quantities.
For people who do not receive stress, everything happens differently. There is a surge in insulin in the blood due to the content of simple carbohydrates in the supplement, this leads to the accumulation of excess fat. In this case, the effect can be compared with eating sweets (to some extent). Although both glucose and lactose are needed by a healthy body, regardless of training.
Therefore, in order not to gain weight due to adipose tissue, it is better to eat protein foods separately , because they do not contain carbohydrates.
Why is protein so important and how to choose it?
The main quality of protein is that it helps the body. And it doesn’t matter: gain weight, lose weight, or just feel better while playing sports. This is the main component for muscles and their development.
And then there are the side benefits of protein: it’s simple, fast and convenient. It is not always possible to prepare high-protein food in advance, which will be not only healthy, but also tasty. Chicken breasts are most often dry, you can’t eat a lot of nuts, other foods contain a lot of extra carbohydrates, and don’t forget about allergies - a person may not tolerate a product that the body requires.
“Protein is the main structural component for the formation of tissues, enzymes, organs, and so on. Amino acids, which make up protein, are the main forming element for muscle fibers, therefore without protein it is impossible to achieve muscle growth. Moreover, a lack of protein in the diet leads to muscle atrophy.
Protein includes not only leucine, isoleucine and valine, but also other amino acids that are also important for the body. In addition, if you choose high-quality, highly purified protein, the amount of leucine, isoleucine and valine can be even higher than in a separate portion of BCAA (complex of essential amino acids). When assessing the effectiveness, the price aspect and functionality of the product are almost always taken into account, and here, among all sports nutrition items, protein undoubtedly leads,” explains Sarychev.
But if protein helps with absolutely opposite things - gaining weight and losing weight - how to choose the right one?
There are two main types: whey (fast) protein and casein (slow). It is believed that the former is better for gaining weight, while the latter suppresses appetite and has a less pronounced anabolic effect.
Here are Sarychev’s tips on how to choose protein:
• First, decide on the type based on your goals, time of intake and allocated budget (whey protein concentrate, casein, protein hydrolysate, whey protein isolate, soy protein, egg protein, milk protein isolate).
• When purchasing, pay attention to the percentage of protein in the product. Less than 60% are pseudo-proteins; 60-70% – low protein content; 70-80% – protein with medium protein content; More than 80% is high protein content. The maximum protein content in this sports nutrition product can be 93%.
• Protein quality. Very often, manufacturers dilute the product with cheap protein. These can be: soy, wheat and rice protein. Casein can be replaced with whey protein.
• Taste qualities, based on your own wishes, but taking into account the fact that the same taste becomes boring quite quickly, and some can be cloying.
Does price affect protein quality?
“The wider the amino acid profile, the more vitamins and minerals in the composition and the fewer carbohydrates, the higher the cost. We must also not forget about the prestige of the brand - products from famous manufacturing companies are always more expensive,” says Sarychev.
What sports nutrition to use when training at home
It is important to understand that sports nutrition for home workouts is a supplement, not a replacement for the main diet. This is not a magic remedy, but a good help for your body. Sports nutrition can also really help out in some situations when there is no time or opportunity to eat a full meal.
Sports supplements are also used by athletes in adulthood - after 40-50 years, when it becomes more difficult to gain and maintain muscle mass and strength. In addition, sports nutrition helps people who have a naturally thin physique gain muscle.
What sports nutrition is needed for home workouts:
- protein,
- gainer,
- BCAAs
- creatine
The following sports supplements will also be useful:
- L-carnitine. Accelerates fat burning processes and is effective for drying.
- Glutamine. Helps reduce catabolic processes that destroy muscles. Relevant when reducing the intensity of training.
- Fish oil and omega-3. Beneficial for ligaments and joints, increases endurance, protects against overtraining, and has a positive effect on skin, hair and nails.
- Vitamin and mineral complexes. Help replenish the supply of vitamins and minerals in the body. Useful for both professional athletes and amateurs.
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Protein
The very first type of sports nutrition necessary for muscle growth. Protein provides the body with all the necessary amino acids. There are different types of protein: whey, egg, casein, complex, vegetable.
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Mandatory or not: definitely yes. Protein is a mandatory requirement for all athletes. It is also often used to make protein shakes and smoothies.
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The most commonly used protein is whey protein. It is well digestible and has a complete amino acid profile (by this criterion it is second only to egg). By type, protein is divided into isolate, hydrolysate and concentrate. Isolate and hydrolyzate are recommended for drying, and concentrate for gaining muscle mass. For regular strength training, it is recommended to consume 1.6-2 g per 1 kg of total weight per day.
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Gainer
Gainer helps restore lost energy after workouts. Consists mainly of carbohydrates. Their ratio to proteins is 4:1 or 5:1. Such supplements are useful for ectomorphs who have a fast metabolism.
There are also high-protein gainers with the proportions of carbohydrates and proteins 1:2 or 1:3. They are suitable for mesomorphs and endomorphs - people with average and slow metabolism. A gainer will be useful even when losing weight, if after training you feel that you are getting more and more tired each time.
Mandatory or not: if you have difficulties gaining weight, definitely yes. If you want, on the contrary, to lose weight, and losing weight is difficult, then it is better to give up a gainer or use a high-protein one.
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Creatine
Creatine is a substance that is present in the body of every person. In sports nutrition it is used to gain muscle and increase strength, especially in relation to “explosive” strength. Due to its presence in the body, creatine is considered a safe supplement. The average dosage per day is 5 g. It can be taken in two ways: with or without loading.
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Mandatory or not: desirable. Creatine allows you to make progress and gain moral satisfaction from training. But it is better not to use it while cutting, since creatine “floods” the muscles, i.e., causes the accumulation of a certain amount of fluid.
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Types of Protein Shakes
- All proteins are divided into three types according to the speed of absorption by the body: fast or whey, which are digested within 30 minutes;
- complex proteins can be digested in 2-6 hours depending on the composition. There is also a division into fast and slow groups;
- slow or casein protein requires more than 6 hours to be absorbed by the body.
- protein intake;
There are three main types of proteins
How to drink?
Here's the most interesting part.
Few people know, but for the most effective muscle growth from proteins, you need to rub it into the abs and inject it into the biceps . Then it will get into the blood faster and make your muscles grow.
Jokes aside, now let's be honest. As I wrote above, protein is not all you need to build an athletic physique. To do this you need to eat a lot and correctly . You can read about this in more detail in this article. If for some reason you lack protein, then you can add protein shakes to your diet.
You can drink protein:
- Before training to get essential amino acids.
- After training , to prevent your precious biceps from burning in the fire of catabolism.
- You can also use a protein shake as a snack .
Taking protein at night deserves special attention. But everything is not so simple here, any protein will not work for this, casein is needed. I'll talk about this below.
If suddenly you have enough protein, but not enough carbohydrates, then read the article about weight gainer for skinny guys.
