Tuesday, February 21, 2012

How Protein Builds Muscle

ByJay Chesterman

High protein diets have been in fashion for quite a few years now, especially amongst those that are trying to lose weight quickly, amongst athletes, both amateur and professional, and amongst those that incorporate daily exercise and body building routines into their lifestyles. With a high protein diet, people tend to feel better, have more energy, and be able to work out longer... and sometimes faster. In fact, it has been said that if you consume a gram of protein for every pound of body weight you have, you'll be leaner, meaner, and able to effectively build massive muscle. Are all of these statements really true?

Protein Doesn't Actually Build Muscle

The idea that simply consuming high levels of protein is enough to build muscle is false. The only thing that will build muscle for you and make you leaner and meaner is an effective exercise regiment that includes both cardiovascular exercises and strength building exercises. There really is no other way to get bigger.

That doesn't mean that proteins don't have an important role to play in this. The idea that body builders find that they can work out longer and more effectively with added proteins in their diet is actually true. Proteins may not build up your muscles, but they do repair the damage that you cause them when you do strength training exercises. In fact, proteins are an important building block when it comes to your skin, cartilage, bones, muscles, and even blood.

However, eating extra protein doesn't necessarily mean that you are going to get bigger, faster. Your body can only consume a certain amount of protein daily. It has to do something else with the leftovers, and that generally is just turned into waste products that your body doesn't even use. For even the most active of men, a total of three servings of protein coming from natural sources for a total of 7 total ounces is enough to be able to repair whatever micro damage may have been caused by a workout.

But I'm Getting Leaner and Meaner With My High Protein Diet. It's Working!

Well, yes and no. A high protein diet means that you are generally not getting enough carbohydrates in your diet. When your body doesn't have enough carbs to consume for energy, it then starts consuming the stored fat that is in your body through a process that is called ketosis. You can know that you are experiencing ketosis because for many people it causes them to have a strange taste in their mouth, like they are sucking on a penny or licking a lid from a paint can.

Ketosis is touted by many as a great way to be losing weight, and if you are overweight, your body needs to consume the extra storage somehow, right? The are problems with maintaining an extended ketosis like you get from consuming high levels of protein, however. When your body experiences ketosis, it emits a carbon molecule into your blood stream that your body utilizes for fuel. This, in turn, tends to eliminate your appetite, which will cause you to naturally eat less. It also increases your body's elimination of fluids, meaning you lose weight because your body is retaining less water.

Your Body Creates Ammonia When It Breaks Down Proteins

You read that right. Your body actually produces ammonia as a side effect of breaking down proteins. That means when you eat a high protein diet, your body contains higher levels of ammonia, which is a compound that when you have enough of it in your system, can poison you. Now that's not to say that if you eat more protein than normal that you are going to die, but because it is a compound that is ultimately poisonous is higher concentrations to the human body, if you constantly eat a high protein diet, you may be trading a short term benefit for a long term health issue.

The Types of Proteins That You Eat Are Also Vitally Important

Whether you get your protein from a daily shake or just from your diet, the source of that protein can be vitally important to your health. That's because the consumption of a lot of red meats can actually increase your risk factors for some cancers, especially colorectal cancer. Consumption of red meat proteins as a primary source can also lead to nasty things like cardiovascular disease and even Type II Diabetes. So you may see some short term benefits from eating these proteins, but you could very well be shortening your life if you get your protein sourced from red meat products.

On the flip side of that coin are proteins that come from fish, beans, nuts, and even whole grains. These proteins contain heart healthy ingredients for that all important muscle of yours and also tend to also contain high amounts of fiber, which is important for your body to process the foods, vitamins, and minerals that you put into it.

That's Not to Say That You Shouldn't Eat a High Protein Diet

If you are looking to build muscle and lose weight, a high protein diet can be a huge benefit to you. The advocation here is that you keep to a high protein diet on a short term basis, like around six months. That way you can eliminate a majority of the concerns that are listed above, be able to work out more because you have more protein available to repair those muscles, and work on burning the fat that your body has stored up on you.

After the six months is over, you should give your body a break from the high protein diet to insure that you are getting hydrated the way you need to and to give your body a break from the high levels of ammonia. You can choose the length of this break, but many in the medical field seem to recommend a period of at least three months, with some recommending up to six months before going back on another high protein diet.

The benefits of a high protein diet is that you feel fuller longer, you consume less because you feel fuller longer, your body gets an assist in the fat burning area, and you are able to effectively build muscle through your workout regimen. So if you are wondering , it does so because it helps to repair the work that you put into your body.

Check us out at Six Star Whey Protein for more quality muscle building information!

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Health and Fitness: Build-Muscle
Jay Chesterman

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MLA Style Citation:
Chesterman, Jay".".2 Feb. 2012EzineArticles.com.7 Feb. 2012 .APA Style Citation:
Chesterman, J. (2012, February 2). . Retrieved February 7, 2012, from http://ezinearticles.com/?How-­Protein-­Builds-­Muscle&id=6857616Chicago Style Citation:
Chesterman, Jay "." EzineArticles.com. http://ezinearticles.com/?How-­Protein-­Builds-­Muscle&id=6857616EzineArticles.com© 2012 EzineArticles.com
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