Do I need protein powder ?

So many times, before this and many more after writing this we will be asked or told “I am not a bodybuilder, why do I need a protein supplement and wont it give me big muscles?”. This question alone is the problem with the fundamental product of the sport supplement industry. The question tells us that the industry we work in hasn’t evolved with the times.

It has come down to years and years of marketing based on evidence that protein supplementation will help lead to the growth of your muscles. So true this is, but what this marketing fails to elaborate on is why does this lead to increased muscle growth. The short answer is recovery. Protein powder is a recovery drink that helps repair the muscle tissue that you tore/put stress on in the gym. What this means is people that are training to gain size are recovering faster by using protein supplementation. This leads to quicker repair of the muscles and a quicker turn around until they can workout again. Over a long period of time, this compounds into a faster increase in muscle size than normally would been seen in someone not supplementing there workout regime.

Although that description is not as appealing as “Get Big Quick with protein supplements” it is the true meaning behind the marketing. But . . . .  This will only apply for people looking at building muscle mass. What about the rest of us, the 99% who don’t want to build muscle but just want to lose weight, get more calories, increase protein count and get fitter. Well the good news is, protein is a very functional supplement. By functional we mean there is more than one reason you should be using a protein supplement in your diet.

When it comes to weight loss/body composition a whey protein supplement that has a low sugar content (less than 5g) is a perfect fit for men and women of any age. As well as using it as your post exercise shake to help you recover faster, protein makes a delicious healthy snack on the go to keep your hormone for hunger, ghrelin, from rising. By having that extra snack instead of going hungry will keep your metabolism firing on all cylinders. It must be said that as this a good way to lose weight/increase good body composition it still has to be done in conjunction with training whether it be cardiovascular or resistance training.

If you’re looking for a change in body composition or a healthy lifestyle protein supplementation is no doubt the foundation for achieving these goals.