One of the most common questions, when someone wants to get in shape is knowing how to take protein to increase muscle mass. Before you get down to it, it’s best to understand how the body works and how muscles grow.
The body’s musculature is made up of filaments of organic composition in which microscopic tears occur through the overexertion derived from the repetition of exercises. When this happens, the muscles release cytokines, a group of proteins that repair damaged tissue and, at the same time, increase the size of the fibers and, therefore, the thickness of the muscle.
For this reason, it is said that muscles grow after training, in the so-called recovery period, when the body repairs the injured fibers.
This information will allow you to understand the importance of rest during training periods, the value of having structured and progressive training, and the need to follow a diet and nutrition plan focused on your goals.
WHEN TO TAKE PROTEIN?
The recommendations for taking protein -the essential component when building muscle-directly related to diet and muscle growth. Understanding how to perform strength training and how to take protein also plays a key role in increasing muscle mass.
When you seek to achieve these objectives and are already in the muscle development phase, the recommended thing -whether you are a man or a woman- is to ingest 1.3 to 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram daily. This can be spread over the five daily meals so that the muscles receive sufficient input throughout the day.
Within that intake, ideally, the protein should come from food. Meats such as chicken, eggs, tuna, oats, brown rice, nuts, spinach, fruits, and dairy products are some of the perfect foods to provide the body with essential amino acids to increase muscle mass. However, if the person trains a lot and cannot fully cover protein needs through the diet, there are supplements to address this deficiency.
What proteins should I take to increase muscle mass?
Protein shakes and products arose from the need to ingest more protein in people looking to increase muscle mass. These optimum nutrition creatine supplements, protein-enriched drinks, muesli, bars, or flakes, are a quick energy source, providing the necessary amount of essential amino acids to repair muscle tissue and improve muscle performance, satiating and reducing anxiety for food.
Depending on the objectives, there are different protein shakes, starting with the fact that you can choose proteins of vegetable or animal origin, which have different amino acid profiles -however, the ideal is a varied intake of both-.
The answer to the question of when to take a protein shake is clear: in the post-workout period, or the anabolic window.– a term that refers to the limited period of time after a training session. Usually, this time frame refers to the period from when you finish training until two hours later, considering this period as one of the periods with the best effect for ingesting protein and, therefore, gaining muscle mass.
What happens is that, after doing large amounts of physical exercise, the muscles need nutrients to be repaired so they can absorb more protein compared to any other time of the day. For this reason, the muscle recovery process will be much more effective if the proteins are eaten right after training.