Protein is the main building blocks of all muscle. Proteins are made up of amino acids. It can be consumed in small or large amounts in almost any food, but meaty foods, such as chicken or fish, have higher amounts of it. Whey Protein shakes are a good way to get your daily protein, but is not completely nessesary. Most people take it more for the convenience, but most shakes also pack other goodies to help build muscle and Whey Protein is the fastest absorbing protein available. Some protein shakes have a creatine recovery blend included.

Daily Requirements

For optimal results for athletes, it is advised to consume 1-2g of protein daily per pound of body weight. As you can calculate from reading the labels behind many food products, the USDA (department of agriculture) has suggested that the average person consume less than 70 grams of protein per day. For me, that’s just a little more than one of my Whey protein shakes. Realize that this is however what the recommendation for the average person is. Studies have shown that too much protein is useless, and that you do not need an overwhelming amount of protein to build muscle mass. In a bodybuilder’s mind, too much is better than not enough. An off season diet packed with protein will ensure you get enough to build a lot of muscle mass.

Protein in exessive amounts

What will happen if you consume too much protein you ask? Just like any other food with calories, if you consume more than you burn, then you will gain weight. It doesn’t mean it will be muscle! Consuming protein while not working out can or can not make you fat. Protein is a more filling food-serving only 4 calories per gram, whereas 1g of fat has 9 calories. Even if you don’t work out, protein can be a very good choice for losing weight because it is more filling with less calories. Due to high protein intake over time, high levels of nitrogen and amino acids may be toxic, and for those with chronic kidney disease may prove to be a problem.

Timing and Absorption

What time should you consume protein? A good basis is to make sure protein is going into your body every 3 hours, and especially right after a workout as this has been proven to target protein synthesis best. However, aside from your specific timing of meals(which will include your protein source), listening to your body is a great way to determine this.

There are many different kinds of protein’s available. Many proteins such as whey or casein, are taken specificly for their absorption rates. Here are some examples on the absorption rates of different proteins.

Whey Isolate – 8-10 grams/hour
Casein Isolate – 6.1 grams/hour
Egg Protein – 1.3 grams/hour

As you can see, this makes it obveous why some people prefer egg protein and whey protein to target their specific needs.

Examples of great protein sources

Chicken Breast

Chicken in general is a great protein source, but if you’re looking for a higher protein content with less fat, skinless, boneless chicken breast is an excellent choice. A 4oz serving of grilled chicken breast comes with only 120 calories, consisting of only 1.5g of fat and 24g of protein.

Steak and other beef products

Although the fat ratio is much higher with steak, the protein content is still very high. Depending on what kind of steak you find also determines the fat/protein content. You may find very lean steak that holds about 22-24 grams of protein per serving with only a few grams of fat.

Eggs

Eggs have the highest protein quality of any other natural food. One egg contains roughly 7 grams of protein, with some of that protein content in the yolk and some in the egg white. Because the yolk contains a lot of cholesterol and some fat, some people prefer to prepare egg whites without any yolk.

Whey Protein Products and Supplements with Protein:

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