It has often been said that protein is the building block of muscle, and while there are a number of other factors involved, this is largely true. No matter how well structured your workouts are, without proper nutrition your muscles just won’t grow and may even get smaller each week. Fortunately, much more nutritional information is available today and much more is known about which proteins are best at different times of the day.
A fitness fairy tale update…
Decades ago, Little Miss Muffet was sitting on her tuffet eating her curds and whey, when a spider appeared and sat next to her and scared Little Miss Muffet. These days, her granddaughter, Mrs. Fit Muffet, works out regularly and gets her protein from eggs at breakfast, tuna or salmon at lunch, whey protein isolate in her pre- and post-meal shakes. workout, chicken or lean beef at dinner, and cottage cheese by the hour. about before bed… Spiders everywhere are very, very scared.
The biological value (BV) of protein…
There are 7 different protein sources listed above and all of them are derived from animals. Animal proteins have a higher biological value (BV) than plant-based protein sources, such as soy or beans. Simply put, this means that a higher percentage of the protein you eat is assimilated and used by your body. As such, you need to eat less food to provide your body with enough protein.
Years ago, bodybuilders did most of their ‘bulking’ during the off-season and followed what many considered a ‘see food’ diet: if they saw food, they ate it. So while they got more than enough nutritional intake, they also put on 30 to 50 pounds of unnecessary body fat and lost some of their new muscle as they shed weight to get back in shape for the upcoming competitive season.
Today’s athletes are much better informed about healthy nutrition and instead aim to add only lean muscle mass when on a mass building cycle. As such, they want optimal nutrition with minimal excess calories to stay in better shape year-round and avoid the crash dieting cycles of yesteryear.
The rate of absorption of various proteins…
However, effective nutrition goes beyond the BV of protein, and the timing of its intake is also important. In our example above, protein sources eaten at meals (eggs, fish, and meats) are absorbed and digested at a fairly normal rate, similar to other foods.
Whey proteins are digested and assimilated in the body much faster, which is perfect for those little windows just before and after workouts. Your pre-workout shake provides energy to power through your lifting session, while your post-workout shake is designed to get protein and glucose into your muscles quickly to start rebuilding the muscle cells you destroyed during your workout and replace the energy you need. You will need for your next session. Most experts agree that the post-workout window for maximum nutrient absorption is about 45 minutes, so you want to fuel your body as much as you can during that short window.
On the other hand, you want your body to still have protein available for as long as possible during sleep, as this is when the body does most of its rebuilding and repair work. Cottage cheese comes to the rescue there, as it contains casein. Casein is a phosphoprotein found in milk and is the basis of most cheeses. Casein is broken down and absorbed at a much slower rate than whey and as such keeps your body supplied with protein for a longer period of time while you sleep and fast until morning.
Once digested, protein only stays in your system for up to 4 hours. Beyond that time period, you need to replenish your intake to keep it available for your body’s use. By timing your intake and eating the right proteins at the right times throughout the day, you can maximize the results of all your bodybuilding, weightlifting, and/or powerlifting workouts.