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.

Just Try WonderSlim® Pro-To-Go Protein Drinks

Flavors: Chocolate Drink, Banana-Berry Shake

Just pop the cap, add water, recap, shake it up... and ENJOY! This delicious, high protein diet drink is perfect for the active lifestyle of people on the go. Great for the car, office, on vacation, or anywhere you happen to be going. Each pro-to-go drink is 100 calories, enriched with 21 vitamins and minerals, 15 grams of quality protein, only 8 grams of carbohydrates and zero fat!

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).