Protein Powder

Posted by Shannon Clark Jan 18, 2007

One of the most popular type of supplement products that are used in today's strength training world is protein powder. More and more people are starting to become aware of the importance consuming enough protein to meet their goals and are supplementing their diet with it.

Some take this a little too far though, thinking that by adding more protein powder they will be able to add more muscle to their frame.

It is true that building muscle is an energy consuming process and does require additional amino acids in the form of protein. It 's also true that it requires however more overall energy, so keeping your carbohydrates or fats higher is a good plan as well. If you are not supplying enough total calories, it does not matter how much protein you consume, you are still not going to grow.

Furthermore, protein powders in and of themselves are nothing special. They are simply a convenient way to get protein into your diet when you otherwise may be lacking. True, some powders are designed to be taken in by the muscle cells slightly quicker than a solid food source and are ideal for right after workouts, however in the grand scheme of things, so long as you are providing enough protein from some source, you should not have to worry (assuming of course the source is not loaded with fat as well as then you will run into other problems such as your total fat calories being too high and a gain of body fat occuring).

Make no mistake, in no way am I saying protein powders are a bad thing and if anything I would recommend them as it will make sticking with your diet much easier. Just do not be confused into thinking that they hold some type of magical properties that will make you grow faster than other types of protein food.