Sport Drinks And Energy Drinks

There are a vast number of supplements available for bodybuilders, and it's no wonder that they become confused by what they should use and what they shouldn't. Some manufacturer's make wild claims about their products ability to increase muscle and bulk, but you should be aware that there are no regulations in place to guarantee the safety or purity of a product sold as a supplement. Supplements are not required to meet the same safety standards of a prescription drug for instance and no requirement is needed to prove the effectiveness of any health claims the product makes.

We've all heard it before, "you should always drink plenty of water". It can't be stressed enough. However, I believe that too much of anything is detrimental. So, yes, you can drink too much water! Experiment with different quantities and find out what works best for you.

One of the most misunderstood concepts in the world of muscle building is the protein drink. I remember when I first started supplementing my diet with protein shakes. Some of my friends asked if I had noticed any differences in my training like I was on steroids or something. If that was the only time I had been asked similar questions, I wouldn't worry as much, but since it is so common, I've decided to address the point and even show you a couple of my favorite muscle building drinks.

First of all, realise that a muscle building drink is just a substitute for food. It doesn't have any magical properties, its the nutritional equivalent of grabbing a chicken breast and putting it in the blender. While your protein drink should taste a helluva lot better than a blended chicken, it's essentially delivering the same thing.

Now, lets look into making the best muscle building drinks out there. What you want to put in these will depend on what you personally like and what you are drinking it for. I know that last statement will be a surprise to many of you. But the nutritional makeup of your protein drink should depend on what you're drinking it for. Let me explain. If you are about to workout, you want your shake to be full of protein and slow releasing carbs, so you have the energy to work out at your maximum potential.

However, if you want to have a shake after your training session, you will still want plenty of protein, but you will want faster energy releasing carbs, so you can repair your muscles as quickly as possible. Make sense Don't worry if it doesn't, just accept it for the time being.

If you want to personalize your power drink or if you want to make sure what ingredients are in the power drinks you take in, you can make your own blend to meet what your body needs for a specific bodybuilding training set. There are many protein power drinks that you can blend and mix. Protein power drinks add muscle to the drink and it also contains carbohydrates, calcium, riboflavin and of course, protein.

Energy drinks are soft drinks advertised as being specifically designed to provide energy. Generally they include a combination of methylxanthines (including caffeine), B vitamins, and herbal ingredients. Other ingredients commonly include guarana (extracts from the guarana plant) or taurine plus various forms of ginseng, maltodextrin, inositol, carnitine, creatine, glucuronolactone and ginkgo biloba. Some contain high levels of sugar, while most brands also offer an artificially sweetened version. The central ingredient in most energy drinks is caffeine the same stimulant found in coffee or tea, often in the form of guarana (as in Josta, for example) or yerba mate.

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Protein - Why?, What?, When? And How Much?

When you think of protein, do you picture bodybuilders? It's true that protein is an essential nutrient to build lean muscle mass, but its primary role is as an all-purpose nutritional building block to maintain your health and vitality. Your entire body consists of protein; nerves, bones and muscle are all created and maintained with the help of protein. It is the principle component of your skin, hair, nails, blood, and internal organs.

Protein has about 4 calories per gram. While your body's primary fuel sources come from carbohydrates and fats, protein can step in and take that role when there are insufficient amounts of those macronutrients. When carbs and fats are adequately provided for in the diet, protein is used for tissue building and maintenance.

Some of the primary hormones are largely comprised protein components called amino acids. Insulin and other critical hormones are also of amino acids. They are responsible for metabolic rate, growth rate, and sexual development. Enzymes are the catalysts for a myriad of chemical processes that take place in your body. They are also amino acids, protein. Enzymes are required to perform digestion, produce viral and bacterial antibodies, and a host of other necessary processes.

Your digestive system's enzymes break down large protein molecules, which are basically chains of amino acids, into each individual amino acid. These amino acids are reserved" by the body and used when we need the building blocks to create complex tissue.

Proteins are classified into two categories:

• Essential Amino Acids
• Non-Essential Amino Acids
  

"Non-essential amino acids" are not really "non-essential." The body needs them just as it does "essential" ones. However, they are called "nonessential" because the body can synthesize them itself. On the other hand, "essential" amino acids cannot be synthesized and must be gotten from the diet. While it's true that the bodybuilding and fitness communities tout a fairly high consumption of protein per pound of bodyweight to be optimal, in fact, most nutritionists now teach that our dietary level of protein should be much lower. We should focus on "enough" protein, and you can, indeed, get "too much protein."

Your protein sources should come from lean meats, such as lean beef or skinless chicken, or fish. If you're a vegetarian, you can get ample protein just from high protein plant sources, such as beans and legumes. Even if you're not vegetarian, it's a good idea to include beans and legumes in your diet because of the soluble fiber they provide. They're also high in essential nutrients besides protein, like folic acid. It should also be noted that it is not at all true that plant or vegetarian sources of protein are inferior or "incomplete". Now we know that the body does not need a full compliment of amino acids in each meal to build tissue, and simply ingesting enough calories and enough of these types of foods is enough. That's where the concept of "amino acid pool" was developed.

In short, it's only of benefit to get a lot (or even all) of your protein from plant-based foods, and not hard at all. And give greens a try, too. They're chock full of nutrition and fiber (and after all, that's how a bull grows big and strong, with lots of greens, or grass).

Use Of Protein To Improve The Health

Every bodybuilder requires protein. Protein can be obtained by taking protein supplements and by eating specific foods that are rich in protein. Many bodybuilders prefer to use a combination of both supplements and regular meals in obtaining the right amount of protein.

Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. There are nine different amino acids that must be supplied to the body by either a supplement or meal. These amino acids are processed by a bodybuilder’s liver and also directed to the tissues that require them. They are crucial in both the maintenance and repair of a bodybuilder’s muscle tissue. When a bodybuilder works out extremely hard, amino acids must be replenished. This is reason why most bodybuilders will consume protein directly after a workout.

Proteins can be found in many different foods that we eat on a daily basis. Meats such as beef, fish, and poultry are high in protein. Dairy products contain protein. Some of these include cottage cheese, soy and vegetable protein, and eggs. Bodybuilders stick to a certain diet that contains many proteins. However, bodybuilders workout harder than most and their regular meals cannot always supply them with enough proteins. This requires bodybuilders to take supplements to make up for the lack of protein.

There are many different protein supplements available to bodybuilders. Protein supplements are most commonly sold as a powder that requires mixing. The result is what most call a protein shake. Bodybuilders typically drink several protein shakes each day. The most common times are directly after workouts and in the morning. Fortunately, protein supplements come in many different flavors to meet bodybuilder’s preferences.

The two most common forms of protein are soy protein and whey protein. Whey protein isolate is used by many bodybuilders. This protein supplement contains protein that lacks carbohydrates, fats, and lactose. Generally, whey protein is preferred by more bodybuilders when compared to soy protein. Soy protein is considered inferior to whey protein by some bodybuilders. For this reason, many bodybuilders only use whey protein supplements.

When choosing the protein supplement that is right for you it is important to talk with someone that is familiar with them. Advice from other bodybuilders may be able to help you choose a good protein supplement. This is crucial because there are both good and bad supplements available to bodybuilders. Purchasing a protein supplement that is low in quality will be a waste of your money. Also, a bodybuilder’s results will be much better when using a reputable protein supplement.

Protein supplements are sold at nutritional stores worldwide. With the increasing popularity of the internet, many bodybuilders choose to purchase all of their supplements, including protein, online. Most web sites will provide detailed descriptions on all of their supplements allowing the customer to compare them.

Both professional and novice bodybuilders use supplements. Protein supplements are among the most common supplements taken by all types of bodybuilders. Whether you are a beginner or you have been bodybuilding for years, the more you learn about supplements the better off you will be.

Lose Weight, Burn Fat With Whey Protein

There are many ways to lose weight and burn fat: increase exercise and decrease food consumption is the most obvious and safest answer.

However, with the popularity of the Atkins diet (a high protein, high fat, low carbohydrate diet), many people claim they can lose weight by increasing their protein
consumption.

Protein supplements, in particular whey protein and whey protein isolate are popular because the latter contains less than 1 percent lactose and is often recommended for vegetarians and for those who are lactose or gluten intolerant.

Plus, they are portable: just add water or fat-free milk. If you want super convenience, look for Ready To Drink or RTD drinks.

Here are 4 ways how whey protein can help with weight loss.

1) The “thermic diet”

The “thermic diet” is a diet that increases your metabolic rate. Whey protein falls in this category as it requires more energy to digest than other foods

2) The Pre-workout or mid-day protein shake.

A pre-workout protein shake can curb hunger, especially if you work out at lunch time.

Protein has a greater ability to curb your appetite than fat and carbohydrates. Whey protein contains glycomacropeptide, or GMP, which helps promote the release of the appetite-suppressing hormone CCK. This may help you feel full before the 20 minute window when your brain registers it’s full. Another factor is protein aids in slowing down the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream thus reducing insulin spikes. In both cases, you will stop eating sooner and curb that appetite.

3) The Post-workout protein shake

A post-workout protein shake helps replenish and refuel the body with necessary amino acids and proteins.

Also, high quality proteins such as whey protein or whey protein isolate help to preserve lean muscle tissue while you lose fat. If your body doesn’t get enough essential amino acids and proteins on a daily basis it will rely on your reserve of existing muscle tissue.

4) Whey protein is better than Soy or Casein protein

Whey contains all of the essential amino acids and is particularly high in the branched-chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) and glutamine (an
immune-boosting amino acid). Whey is considered a “fast-acting” protein.

Casein is the main protein in milk. Its absorption is a bit slower than whey, and often designated a “slow-acting” protein.

Soy is the best non-animal source of protein and often has a bad reputation of being inferior from animal-source protein because of the lack of the amino acid methionine. However, Soy has its place on the grocery shelf as a meal-replacement powder or alternative food products such as soy milk or tofu.

The Protein Power Diet

The Protein Power diet is one of a new breed of weight loss plans that does miracles on giving your metabolism a much-wanted boost. The Atkins diet initiated back in the 1970’s became ever so popular and took those who wanted to loose weight by storm and while its reputation diminished during the 1990’s, the diet came back with a settling of scores in this new millennium.

The South Beach and the Zone weight loss strategies go after the universal principal shared with Atkins and the Protein Power diet. You would like to augment the quantity of lean protein and limit your eating of carbohydrates. This is not as simple as it might seem but if you are able to hold on to the plan, a routine like the ones mentioned above can do miracles for a successful weight loss.

Why the protein craze? Well, a great deal of this is owed to America's weight issue. The typical American is overweight, and the brainy ones are looking for ways to cure this condition. Perhaps a healthy fitness management and a protein power diet are necessary. This mostly depends on what you're attempting to do.

What makes the Power Protein diet unlike the others? The Protein Power weight loss plan has a distinctive technique in that you have to chart out your strategy from the start. Firstly, you work out how much protein you will truly need to eat to obtain the maximum benefits of the weight loss plan. You are also told to measure the intake of carbohydrates as well. The Protein Power diet makes you very conscious of what you are consuming and how it is having an effect on your body.

There are three books included in the Protein Power diet package. The first enables you establish how much protein and how little carbohydrates you really need. This helps you mentally get ready for the program and it helps you stay concentrated on the kinds of food you need as well as the kinds of food you need to stay away from.

The second book gives priceless information about the range of foods you will be eating. Knowing how the food influences your body is vital to any weight loss program. The Protein Power diet makes good use of instruction to assist you being successful in losing the additional pounds.

The third book in the program concentrates on portion. Different to Atkins that recommends that you can eat infinite proteins the Protein Power diet helps you calculate appropriate portions. This is useful when you are not doing the diet anymore as well. a lot of individuals can be successful just by applying the principals of appropriate portion control to their every day eating habits.

There is only one criticism about the Protein Power diet. It is limiting; actually more limiting than the other low carbohydrate plans. Nevertheless, this might be why the results are so immediate. When it comes to protein power diets, they're mainly supposed to be for folks trying to gain mass, or athletes who need more muscle repair. Make sure you are acquainted with and recognize your fitness targets before beginning a new diet regimen.

Sport Drinks And Energy Drinks For Bodybuilding

There are a vast number of supplements available for bodybuilders, and it's no wonder that they become confused by what they should use and what they shouldn't. Some manufacturer's make wild claims about their products ability to increase muscle and bulk, but you should be aware that there are no regulations in place to guarantee the safety or purity of a product sold as a supplement. Supplements are not required to meet the same safety standards of a prescription drug for instance and no requirement is needed to prove the effectiveness of any health claims the product makes.

We've all heard it before, "you should always drink plenty of water". It can't be stressed enough. However, I believe that too much of anything is detrimental. So, yes, you can drink too much water! Experiment with different quantities and find out what works best for you.

One of the most misunderstood concepts in the world of muscle building is the protein drink. I remember when I first started supplementing my diet with protein shakes. Some of my friends asked if I had noticed any differences in my training like I was on steroids or something. If that was the only time I had been asked similar questions, I wouldn't worry as much, but since it is so common, I've decided to address the point and even show you a couple of my favourite muscle building drinks.

First of all, realize that a muscle building drink is just a substitute for food. It doesn't have any magical properties, its the nutritional equivalent of grabbing a chicken breast and putting it in the blender. While your protein drink should taste a helluva lot better than a blended chicken, it's essentially delivering the same thing.

Now, lets look into making the best muscle building drinks out there. What you want to put in these will depend on what you personally like and what you are drinking it for. I know that last statement will be a surprise to many of you. But the nutritional makeup of your protein drink should depend on what you're drinking it for. Let me explain. If you are about to workout, you want your shake to be full of protein and slow releasing carbs, so you have the energy to work out at your maximum potential.

However, if you want to have a shake after your training session, you will still want plenty of protein, but you will want faster energy releasing carbs, so you can repair your muscles as quickly as possible. Make sense Don't worry if it doesn't, just accept it for the time being.

If you want to personalize your power drink or if you want to make sure what ingredients are in the power drinks you take in, you can make your own blend to meet what your body needs for a specific bodybuilding training set. There are many protein power drinks that you can blend and mix. Protein power drinks add muscle to the drink and it also contains carbohydrates, calcium, riboflavin and of course, protein.

Energy drinks are soft drinks advertised as being specifically designed to provide energy. Generally they include a combination of methylxanthines (including caffeine), B vitamins, and herbal ingredients. Other ingredients commonly include guarana (extracts from the guarana plant) or taurine plus various forms of ginseng, maltodextrin, inositol, carnitine, creatine, glucuronolactone and ginkgo biloba. Some contain high levels of sugar, while most brands also offer an artificially sweetened version. The central ingredient in most energy drinks is caffeine the same stimulant found in coffee or tea, often in the form of guarana (as in Josta, for example) or yerba mate.

Energy drinks are also used as mixers with alcohol. This combination carries a number of dangers:

Since energy drinks are stimulants and alcohol is a depressant, the combination of effects may be dangerous. The stimulant effects can mask how intoxicated you are and prevent you from realizing how much alcohol you have consumed. Fatigue is one of the ways the body normally tells someone that they've had enough to drink.

The Fallacy Of High-protein Diets

You see them gripping on their respective exercise machines...all gritty with determination to lose those extra pounds and build muscles. Instead of taking weight-loss pills they have decided to improve their physique by getting that expensive gym membership where they can workout their way to optimum health. Aside from lifting weights, these “gym rats” also religiously follow a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet prepared by their personal trainers and sports nutritionists. Each fitness gym promotes various fitness fads and routines from yoga, pilates, core fitness ball method, tae-bo, pole and belly dancing, and a host of other exercises. Still, the gym members are carefully taught that these exercises can only fully benefit them if they also follow a well-prepared diet. Workouts, they are told, will not work if the “weight watcher” refuses to limit food intake.


According to physiologists and diet specialists, muscles literally break down when one works out or exerts physical action. Protein, as a muscle-building substance, is needed to build and re-build the muscles that are in constant daily use. People, especially athletes, who regularly expend large amounts of energy and utilize different muscle groups need regular supply of protein to build or retain muscle mass. Without enough protein in the body, the goal to increase muscle mass cannot be achieved. Additional protein is also needed to develop hard and ripped muscles. Weightlifters, all of whom aim to gain muscle mass, are the foremost followers of these high-protein diets. They are often found gulping protein shakes and consuming lean meat and tuna.

High protein diets are popular because they initially cause one's weight to drop. Protein promotes the metabolism of body fat without reducing one's calorie intake. But doctors also warn that this drop is a reflection of fluid loss and not fat. Recent researches indicate these restrictions on carbohydrate intake coupled with fluid loss may cause an unusual metabolic state called ketosis. In ketosis, the body burns fat for fuel. During ketosis, a person may even feel less hungry and eat less. Still, ketosis has been associated with health problems such as kidney failure, colon and prostate cancer, and osteoporosis. Ketosis may also cause less serious health problems such as weakness of breath, headaches. diarrhea, sleep difficulties, bone loss, and fatigue. Additionally, some studies claim that high-protein diets may lead to increased lactic acid in the body. Muscle pains according to studies may be experienced due to the increased lactic acid levels in the body.

However, it is important to point out the importance of protein as part of a healthy diet. Amino acids found in protein are actually the body's building blocks. These type of acids are responsible for the repair of muscles, red blood cells, and several kinds of tissues. Protein's primary function is to provide amino acids to maintain an anabolic state. Some health experts believe that the consumption of 20 to 30 percent of calories containing protein per day us the ideal amount. The general rule is for inactive people to consume 0.4 grams grams of protein per one pound of body weight. Active people or those who engage in regular exercise need 0.5 to 0.75 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Athletes, on the other hand, need as much as 0.90 grams.

A lot of popular low-carb diet books give people the impression that carbohydrates are bad for health. Many researchers claim that high-carbohydrate foods trigger the body to stock excess fat. In reality, carbohydrates must be consumed as fuel for the body. Carbohydrates are the main source of fuel for the human brain, heart, and several organs. Nutritionists believe that carbohydrates should compose 50 to 70 percent of one's calorie intake. Complex carbohydrates, natural sugars and a fair amount of protein are all necessary to have a health diet. It is also important to avoid the use of over processed sugars. Most complex carbs are low in calories and low in fat and are usually found in beans, whole-wheat pasta, and vegetables.

Understanding proper nutritional intake can make a difference in people's health and in the overall quality of their lives. Indeed, good food is the key to a good life!.