Which Protein Powder should I take?

Recently I friend of mine came
to me with following question: “which protein powder should I take?”

The first answer that came to my head was “ just buy any whey protein that you like the taste of”…. But then I realized I wasn’t doing the question justice and part of me was simply resisting
the urge to give away “free information” that I would usually charge a consultation fee for…. well if you are reading this, then consider that you have save yourself my consultation fee J

There’s a astounding variety of protein powders on the market today, from vanilla brown rice protein, to Goatien (protein from goats milk), to pea protein to everyone’s favorite – Whey (protein isolate or protein concentrate).

Here’s a basic approach to figure out if you need a protein supplement, how much, how often and how you will incorporate it into your routine. I will then go over some recommendations based on personal experience.

1. Figure out how much protein you are already eating per day and how much you
need

Your protein requirements will be based on your activity level and the kind of activity you are doing. In general for the average recreational athlete, I have found that lean body weight in pounds divided by 2 in grams is just about adequate. Ie if you are a male, around 170 lbs,
15% Body fat, then your Lean Body Mass (LBM) is about 154 lbs, so approximately
75 grams of protein spread across 4 to 5 meals is enough. If you are lifting weights
a couple of times a week and hoping to see some physique changes, then about twice
that amount is a good baseline – ie. 1 gram per pound body weight, divided across
5-6 meals.

2. Supplementing with a powder

It’s often hard to get a good quality source of protein at every “feeding” and this is where the protein supplement comes in. It’s super convenient, usually has highly bioavailable protein and you get it without the added carbs and fat. Most protein powders have a “serving size” that’s around 20-25g of protein per serving or scoop. You can alter this based on the number of meals you are supplementing and/or your total desired intake.

3. Which type?
An in depth analysis of the different
types of protein is out of scope for this blog entry, so I’ll briefly cover the
major categories:

You can categorize protein powders
in a number of ways and I recommend going to

www.bodybuilding.com to take a look at the range of offerings.

So if you determine that you need
some supplementation, then whey is definitely a versatile option, as are a number
of powders out there that fall into the “meal replacement” category. The latter
are great because you can simply add water and have a completely balanced meal ready
to go within seconds.

4. When do I take it and how much?

A meal replacement type powder is ideal for when you are pressed for time and need to squeeze in a meal or for breakfast. If you have time and a blender, you can add some berries, coconut milk, peanut butter and stuff to whey powder to make some amazing, balanced smoothies.
Email me for some recipes!

Within 45 mins of finishing your
workout (the sooner the better) is the optimal time to take your whey supplement.
Depending on whether your goal is to bulk up or lean out, you can add some Carbs
to your post workout shake. There are couple of great ready to go post workout mixes
available, ones I recommend are Advocare’s “Post Workout Recovery” and Biotest’s
“Surge”.

Or you can Add some form of carbohydrate powder ( I recommend Waxy Maize Starch, such as “Carb Slam”) to your whey.

In both the meal replacement and post workout scenarios, calculate the shake as a “meal” and decide on the protein content accordingly.

5. Listen to your body

If you are working out hard and you are constantly sore, it might be time to re-evaluate your protein needs and do some tweaking. Another scenario is that you’ve been working out consistently, but you’re not seeing any progress, one reason could your protein intake relative
to your activity levels. There are a couple of other reasons that we hit plateaus, including lifestyle changes, training intensity, periodization and more…. Call me to set up a time for a consultation if you’re “on the plateau” and let’s break through it!

6. Brand recommendations:

7. Where do I get it from?

For bulk orders I generally buy from BodyBuilding.com, or TSN nutrition (search for the website)

For one of things, I prefer Seattle Super Supplements or Whole Foods. Seattle Super supplements has a great variety and usually a knowledgable person on staff to help with general product related questions.

8. Caution: You get what you pay for

This is good rule for the majority of supplements out there unless you have experimented sufficiently to find out what works for your body and what doesn’t. Also, it’s easier to save money if you buy the “raw materials” for concocting your own shakes, but this can prove to be supremely inconvenient at times. I caution you to not buy the cheapest product available, there’s probably a reason it’s so cheap. Lastly, please don’t buy garbage supplements from your neighborhood drug store, supermarket or Costco. Again, this discussion is out of scope for this article.

9. Further reading:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/topicoftheweek15.htm

Train Hard!
Eat Well! Supplement Smart!

The case for sound nutritional supplementation

It's a busy and hectic world out there, we wake up early in the morning for work, then are up late at night socializing or working and somewhere in the middle of that we need to fit in time to execrcise, vacation and eat. In a perfect world we would all be shopping at an organic market buying wholesome organic produce and meat on a regular basis and using it as a mainstay of our diet on a regular basis.
Unfortunately very few of us live in this "perfect world".
Is it doable - yes. Does it take a bunch of planning and preparation? yes.

Sadly, the majority of people out there knowingly or unknowingly subject themselves to sub par nutrition, either from making poor food choices in general or from shopping at stores that don't ensure a high quality in the produce and meat.
To make matters worse, people will hit up the closest Bartells/CVS and buy some random "one-a-day" multi-vitamin to remain healthy.
The result is that they generally have low energy throughout the day, have the tendency to put on weight, often have mood swings, get sick more frequently and recover from illness more slowly.

I only eat organic grass fed beef, free range chicken and pastured eggs. I buy my produce only from whole foods or from independent farmers. I don't drink milk and I don't eat bread, rice and pasta. Despite all this I still feel like I fall short on a micro-nutrient level.

I haven't found a convenient way to get 5000IU of vitamin A, 30mg of Co-enzyme Q10, 300mg of Alpha lipoic acid etc etc only through "sound nutrition".

Enter supplements......

Think of Diet as "building material" for a house.
Exercise as the actual action of putting the material together.
Supplements as the screws, nuts and bolts that hold everything together.

There are times when my diet goes to hell, but my supplement regime is always consistent. The net result is that my performance and body composition does not take that big of a hit.
if I miss a couple of meals or eat a couple of really bad meals, my energy levels don't suffer too much.

The problem is that all supplements are not created equal. Let me reiterate that. ALL SUPPLEMENTS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL.

The supplement industry is not regulated, there is no way to actually be sure what is in a bottle is in a bottle!

Do not buy supplements over the counter at a pharmacy. one step better is to go to a supplement store such as vitamin life, seattle super supplements or whole foods and ask about this brands are the best.

One step even better is to choose a line that is endorsed (preferably voluntarily) by world class athletes and doctors and has peer-reviewed literature to back it up. I can forward you on to a couple of great companies.... eg. Juice Plus, advocare, melaleuca. (btw, I thinkAdvocare is by far the best).

it's surprising though that even "reputed" companies put sub par ingredients into their product line.

Here's an example some of you will be able to relate to. The Pro Club in Bellevue, WA has a program called the 20/20 lifestyles program. It's very expensive, but does produce good results.

The supplementation program of 20/20 consists of a multi-vitamin, Fish oil and calcium.
I tried to research the supplements, but could not find out who the manufacturer was.
The calcium supplement has calcium in the form of carbonate/citrate which probably has bioavailability of around 30% (please correct me if I am wrong). Furthermore it doesn't have any magnesium in it! how the hell are you going to absorb the darn calcium?
Adequate calcium intake is integral to fat loss.
in the Multi-vit, none of the minerals are chelated and so again the bioavailibility and absorption will be less than optimal. Lastly there is no Co-enzyme Q10, no Inositol or a bunch of other important co factors.

Here's another shocker, there are no probiotics or digestive enzymes as part of the supplementation program. So even if the vits were high potency and bioavailable, they will porbably not absorb very well since the persons digestive system will likely be a mess.

Ok so here's the deal.
1. start with a good pro-biotic supplement
2. ensure your multi-vit is super high quality
3. ensure your Omega 3 supplement is super high quality (put the softgels in the freezer, if they cloud up, they contain impurities - swtich brand to something better)
4. BCAAs and L-glutamine
5. all other performance supplements:
- protein powders
- pre and post workout mixes
- Night time recovery formulas (ZMA, Gaba, L-Theanine etc)
- Energy drinks and Thermogenics.

6. Specific, therapeutic stuff
- Milk Thistle, Turmeric extract, Extra Alpha lipoic acid, resveratrols, adaptogens, fruit/vegetable extracts
- Co-enzyme A, CLA, cleanses, etc etc.

That's how you build your supplement foundation that will serve you.