What’s In Your Protein Powder?

Protein powder is a great way to supplement your daily protein intake.  Most protein powders promise about 20-25 grams of protein, per serving, give or take.

Unfortunately, the supplement industry is not appropriately regulated (the FDA doesn’t stipulate how manufacturers report a product’s protein content) and, as a result, you may or may not always get what the label promises.

Independent testing confirms that some protein supplement brands use added ingredients to “spike” their protein test results, making it appear that the product contains more protein than they actually do.

Here’s an informative article, originally published in Nutraceuticals World, that provides the “how to” as it relates to calculating a product’s protein content.

Look for independent, third-party quality control and purity testing when choosing your protein supplement.

As a general rule, if it takes more than one scoop of protein powder to get the 20-25 grams promised on the label, find another protein powder — it’s got too much unnecessary “stuff” (filler) in it.

Your thoughts?

WE WILL HELP YOU BECOME A BETTER ATHLETE!

We provide motivated athletes with a simple, customized training plan to help them improve performance and reduce injury risk.

Get Your (Whey) Protein

If you’re not already using a whey protein supplement, what are you waiting for?

In addition to its post-workout, muscle-building potential, whey also helps direct glycogen into fatigued cells, reducing muscle soreness and improving muscle function the day after you train.

Most experts agree that active men and women should consume 0.6-0.8 grams of protein per pound of their target body weight, daily.

Athletes and more experienced weightlifters may require more protein, as much as a gram (or more) per pound of their target body weight, daily.

Here’s a previous blog post with a simple strategy to increase protein consumption, throughout the day.

Our country is notoriously “over-carbed” and “under-proteined.”  Reduce the carbs and increase the protein intake to look better, feel better, and perform better.

Your thoughts?

WE WILL HELP YOU BECOME A BETTER ATHLETE!

We provide motivated athletes with a simple, customized training plan to help them improve performance and reduce injury risk.

What’s In Your Protein Powder?

Protein powder is a great way to supplement your daily protein intake.  Most protein powders promise about 20-25 grams of protein, per serving, give or take.

Unfortunately, the supplement industry is not appropriately regulated (the FDA doesn’t stipulate how manufacturers report a product’s protein content) and, as a result, you may or may not always get what the label promises.

Independent testing confirms that some protein supplement brands use added ingredients to “spike” their protein test results, making it appear that the product contains more protein than they actually do.

Here’s an informative article, originally published in Nutraceuticals World, that provides the “how to” as it relates to calculating a product’s protein content.

Look for independent, third-party quality control and purity testing when choosing your protein supplement.

As a general rule, if it takes more than one scoop of protein powder to get the 20-25 grams promised on the label, find another protein powder — it’s got too much unnecessary “stuff”  in it.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

Get More Protein In Your Diet

Our society is “over-carbohydrated” and “under-proteined.”

Not only do most people not get enough protein in their diets, but their distribution of protein consumption throughout the day is not balanced – relatively little protein with breakfast and lunch, and lots of protein with dinner.

In a University of Texas study, researchers found that muscle protein synthesis—the driving force behind your muscle growth—was 25 percent greater when people ate protein throughout the day (30 grams of protein per meal) compared to those who ate a bulk of their protein at dinner (10 grams for breakfast, 15 grams for lunch, and 65 grams for dinner).

Research indicates that active individuals and athletes should consume at least 0.6-0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight, every day (that’s 90-120 grams of protein a day for a 150-pound person).

For some people, the thought of consuming that much protein in a day can seem overwhelming, but balancing your protein intake throughout the day – along with a little strategic planning and preparation – can simplify the process.

Here’s an article from Men’s Health titled, 13 Easy Ways to Get More Protein In Your Diet.  The article lists several fast and convenient ways to boost your protein intake.

Here’s another resource – a previous blog post – with a simple but effective strategy for increasing your daily protein consumption: Increase Protein Consumption With This Simple Strategy.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

5 Tips to Boost Your Metabolism

Here’s a nice article from our friends and colleagues at ASD Performance.

1. ALWAYS EAT BREAKFAST

Eat a good breakfast. Every. Single. Day. If you don’t, your body goes into starvation mode which in turn causes your metabolism to slow in order to conserve energy. And the heartier your first meal is, the better. A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that volunteers who reported regularly skipping breakfast had 4.5 times the risk of obesity as those who took the time to eat.

      2. DRINK COFFEE:

A study published in the journal Physiology & Behavior found that the average metabolic rate of people who drank caffeinated coffee increased 16 percent over that of those who drank decaf.

3. RELAX:

Research is now showing that high levels of stress in in fact contributing to to weight gain. When you are stressed, your body will increase your stress hormone cortisol, which stimulates fat cells to increase in size and encourage fat storage. Stress hormones can also spike your appetite, making you likely to overeat or stress eat.

     4. PICK UP THE PROTEIN:

Cramming protein into every meal helps to build and maintain lean muscle mass. Muscle burns more calories than fat does, even at rest. Aim for about 30 grams of protein — the equivalent of about one cup of low-fat cottage cheese or a four-ounce boneless chicken breast — at each meal.

5. CHOOSE ORGANIC PRODUCE:

Researchers in Canada found that dieters with the most organochlorides (chemicals found in pesticides) stored in their fat cells were the most susceptible to disruptions in mitochondrial activity and thyroid function. Translation: Their metabolism stalled.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

Muscles Grow BETWEEN Workouts

Every athlete knows (or should know) that strength training is an integral part of the performance improvement process.  Stronger, faster, more powerful athletes are better athletes, and strength training catalyzes that process.

And, as important as strength training is, muscles don’t grow during workouts, they grow between them.

Muscles get bigger and stronger during their recovery period, which makes rest and recovery  — following your workout — equally as important.

You can facilitate the recovery process — and gain strength and muscle more quickly — by adhering to a few simple post-workout strategies:

• Increase blood flow and break up knots and adhesions with a foam roller.  After your workout, spend about 15-20 seconds kneading each muscle group.
• Allow 48 hours between workouts, but keep moving.  Active recovery  — via light activity (for example, walking, jogging, lateral shuffles, etc.) — is important to the muscle repair process because it facilitates delivery of nutrients to your muscles.
• Protein intake should remain consistent, even on your “off” days.  Keep feeding your muscles between workouts.
• Get a good night’s sleep — at least seven hours a night.  Growth hormone is at its highest levels while you’re sleeping.

Be smart about your post-workout recovery, and you’ll maximize the benefit of each and every workout.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

Get Your (Whey) Protein

If you’re not already using a whey protein supplement, what are you waiting for?

In addition to its post-workout, muscle-building potential, whey also helps direct glycogen into fatigued cells, reducing muscle soreness and improving muscle function the day after you train.

Most experts agree that active men and women should ingest 0.6-0.8 grams of protein per pound of their target body weight, daily.

Athletes and more experienced weightlifters may require more protein, as much as a gram (or more) per pound of their target body weight, daily.

Here’s a previous blog post with a simple strategy to increase protein consumption, throughout the day.

Our country is notoriously “over-carbed” and “under-proteined.”  Reduce the carbs and increase the protein intake to look better, feel better, and perform better.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

What’s In Your Protein Powder?

Protein powder is a great way to supplement your daily protein intake.  Most protein powders promise about 20-25 grams of protein, per serving, give or take.

Unfortunately, the supplement industry is not appropriately regulated (the FDA doesn’t stipulate how manufacturers report a product’s protein content) and, as a result, you may or may not always get what the label promises.

Independent testing confirms that some protein supplement brands use added ingredients to “spike” their protein test results, making it appear that the product contains more protein than they actually do.

Here’s an informative article, originally published in Nutraceuticals World, that provides the “how to” as it relates to calculating a product’s protein content.

Look for independent, third-party quality control and purity testing when choosing your protein supplement.

As a general rule, if it takes more than one scoop of protein powder to get the 20-25 grams promised on the label, find another protein powder — it’s got too much unnecessary “stuff”  in it.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?