Protein Blends

In the early days of body building athletes would eat eggs and meat as their primary protein sources. Today this is recognized as an inexact and not entirely healthy way of supplying nutrient hungry muscles with much needed protein. The fact is that protein can not be stored in the body so new sources are required each day. Research has also now established two things about protein, namely that some assimilates into the body more quickly than other protein sources and different proteins play different roles in relation to muscle growth, recovery and strength. Also many people don't realize that muscles are constantly 'reorganising'. New muscle tissue is being formed all the time and old muscles cells are reassimilated back into the body. Even while you sleep this continues and in fact up to 40% of muscle growth can occur during this time.

The challenge for serious body builders is to ensure that their muscles are constantly getting more than enough protein. If they do not get enough, hard fought for gains can literally disappear. So in today's extremely competitive body building environment it is not surprising that a lot of research has gone into creating supplements that provide a combination of protein sources, that will be digested at differing rates, so that the body has a constant source.

A good example is whey and casein. Both derived from milk, whey is a key protein source that digests very quickly giving a rapid dose of protein. Casein on the other hand takes considerably longer to digest and is hence a slow release protein. It is therefore ideal in supplements that are designed to be taken before sleep, or have a prolonged release of protein. Differing protein sources also have different effects on muscle growth, recovery and strength, so supplements are now often 'blends' which give the serious body builder a mix of protein types and sources.

What are some protein blend supplements?

The research shows that protein blends allow a sustained release of protein and also cover all the different areas of muscle growth that body builders need to pay attention to, so it is not surprising that there is a big range out there, including:

The logic is combining different protein sources has taken the body building world by storm and there is now a huge range of protein blends, many aimed at different aspects of the training cycle, and some at providing sustained protein release at all times, day and night.

Why use protein blend supplements?

Muscles never stop 'reorganising'. Whether new muscle tissue is being added or old muscle tissue is being reassimilated back into the body, it is a constant process. In order to maximize muscle gains a constant flow of protein is required and because the body can not store protein, this needs to happen all the time. No wonder then that supplement companies are increasingly blending proteins so that body builders can benefit from short, medium and long term protein release, even fuelling muscle growth while they sleep! If you haven't thought about using protein blends it is time you did if you want optimal results.