What does whey protein have to do with muscle gain?
You can’t read a magazine or newspaper these days without an article or feature on the subject of looking and feeling good. In recent years, there has been a shift from merely being slim to being fit, strong and healthy throughout life. In particular, building strength and muscle have become part of many people’s fitness routines – and this is something whey protein can help you with.
The impact of being strong can be felt on many different aspects of our life. There is the obvious benefit that it makes daily tasks easier – no more huffing and puffing while carrying the grocery bags up the stairs or mowing the lawn.
Strengthening our bodies also creates and maintains muscle tone. As we get older, this becomes more of an issue because when we reach middle age, muscle is often replaced by fat – the dreaded middle–age spread. A focus on muscle strength can help avoid this.
Women benefit from strength training
Women in particular benefit from strength and muscle training because this increases bone density. Following menopause, bone density declines in women and weight training is a way to stress the bones making them stronger. It can also help to prevent weak and brittle bones, a condition known as osteoporosis.
However, women are often put off from working on muscle strength because of concerns that they will end up looking bulky and unfeminine. This is rarely an issue as regular strength training is more likely to simply increase muscle mass and tone rather than transform body shape.
Protein for muscle growth
It would be great if there was a magic pill to improve muscle tone, but there’s no getting round the fact that to stay strong and maintain muscle mass, we need to do exercise. However, there are foodstuffs that play a role and promote strength – such as protein.
Protein is the building block of muscle and is needed to help maintain it and promote muscle gain. That is why eating a protein-rich diet or taking a protein supplement can support your efforts to gain muscle. So, what is the best protein powder for building muscle?
Whey protein is high in nutritional value
There are many protein supplements available and whey protein is one of the most popular. This is because it is high in nutritional value containing all the essential amino acids in a form that is easy to absorb. One amino acid in particular is vital for building muscle: leucine. Leucine stimulates protein synthesis – a key process for muscle development. As the body cannot store protein, it is important to ensure you get enough protein during the day.
Whey protein is also incredibly convenient in daily cooking. It comes in powder form so it can be easily added to many types of dishes. Get inspired by these recipes that use whey protein. Some people also take whey protein in a shake or smoothie before bed so that it can work on muscle rejuvenation while they sleep.
Finally, if you are asking yourself you need to build muscle, try this simple test and find out!