Everything You Need To Know About Protein!

 

In this article I will break down the science of proteins into easy to understand analogies to help you get a grasp on what it is, where it should come from, and how it can fit into your personal diet. Learn more right here.

Protein intake is a topic I get questions on daily. With the popularity of high protein diets in today's society, I feel it is important to have a solid understanding of what protein is, and what it does in your body.
In this article I will break down the science of proteins into easy to understand analogies to help you get a grasp on what it is, where it should come from, and how it can fit into your personal diet.

The Protein Basics

Protein is arguably the most important nutrient for your body. Proteins are found literally everywhere in your system. From your muscle tissues, to the enzymes that digest your food, to your skin cells, and even within your blood.
When we take protein in our body through the foods we eat, it gets broken down into smaller compounds called amino acids Of the 20 amino acids found in the foods we eat, 9 of these are essential.

The Essential Amino Acids Include:


• Histidine*
• leucine
• Isoleucine  
• Valine   
• lysine        
• methionine
• Phenylalanine
• Threonine
• Tryptophan

The Non-Essential Amino Acids Include:

• alanine
• arginine  
• Asparagine
•  aspartic acid      
• gysteine
• Glutamic                     
• Acid glutamine          
• Glycine
• Proline
• Serine
•  tyrosine

An essential amino acid is one that must be provided from your diet. The other 11 amino acids can be created by your body and are not considered essential. Failing to obtain enough of even 1 of the 11 essential amino acids, those that we cannot make, results in a breaking down of the body's proteins (i.e. muscles!) to obtain the one amino acid that is needed.

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Unfortunately, humans also have no system of storing excess amino acids. What this means is we must take in amino acids on a daily basis to provide the amino acids needed for the body's various functions.

	Note: Arginine is considered essential only in young children and not in adults.

There are basically two types of proteins that are of concern to us while grasping the protein basics:

1. Complete proteins
2. Incomplete proteins

Think of it as the keyboard that is in front of you representing protein. It is only a complete keyboard if all the keys are present; much like a protein is only considered a complete protein when all the "keys" are present.
Think of the keys on this keyboard as amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. Each one is slightly different but they all come together to form a keyboard. Like proteins, some keyboards are better than others. They have more keys, maybe they have one that plays music, or one that automatically connects you to the internet.
However, all you need to make a complete keyboard (complete protein) is all the letters, a spacebar, some numbers, and a few function keys. As I said above, we need protein in order to build tissues.

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Animal Sources:

So what better place to get the protein needed to build tissues than to eat animal tissue.
Let's just call it meat as there's something gross about thinking of eating animal tissues. Think of all the protein that comes from animal sources as being a complete keyboard. It has all the amino acids needed to make a complete protein.

Plant Sources:

Plant sources are different however and do not always contain the amino acids needed to make a complete protein. In fact only one plant source of protein, soy proteinis a complete protein.
Because most all plant sources of protein are incomplete, those of us who follow a vegetarian diet have to use food combinations to get a complete protein. Or, you can sleep in a bed of steaks in hopes of absorbing the essential amino acids.



 
Bed Of Steaks.

For most of us though the steak bed is too cold, lets just look at food combinations. For example, let's say A, B, C, and D represent individual essential amino acids. In a complete protein it would look like ABCD. In an incomplete protein it would look like ABC, or DBA, etc.
So, if rice for example provides AB, and beans provide CD, when eaten together they provide the same essential amino acids as a complete protein would; ABCD. Therefore vegetarians must use food combining to ensure they are receiving all the essential amino acids their body needs.

 

Top 10 Bodybuilding Foods

Bodybuilding Foods

Are you a bodybuilder, fitness competitor, power-lifter, athlete, or MMA fighter?
All of these activities, recreational or competitive, have different physical demands and different nutritional requirements, which is why there is no such thing as a one size fits all nutrition plan.
For bodybuilders it is all about building lean muscle mass and maintaining or reducing body-fat depending on the training season.
Every successful bodybuilder would agree that whole foods form the foundation for a solid nutrition plan. As bodybuilders, we eat foods for what it does, the results it produces, and then how it tastes.
Once in a while we may go for taste first, but during competition season we don’t have that luxury.
In this post, let’s review the top ten bodybuilding foods that are protein-packed and carbohydrate-rich. These foods help pack on the muscle while staying lean in the process.



1.Almonds – Almonds are a great filling snack food for bodybuilders containing many vital nutrients, including protein and healthy unsaturated fats. About 1 oz of almonds contains 6 grams of protein, 6 grams of carbohydrates, 14 grams of fat and 163 calories.

1. 2.Asparagus – While it’s not my favorite vegetable for taste, you can’t ignore the natural diuretic properties of asparagus. Asparagus helps your body maintain a balance of electrolytes, namely sodium and potassium. Bodybuilders turn to asparagus during a pre contest diet to help them get extra tight for the stage.

1. 3.Egg Whites – A single egg white contains about six grams of high quality protein which is optimal for muscle recovery. For a bodybuilder it’s not uncommon to eat 8-10 egg whites during a single meal. Six egg whites and two yolks will provide your body with 26.5 grams of protein, o carbs, and 5.23 grams of fat and only 153 calories. Personally, I prefer to nuke my eggs in the microwave because it’s fast and convenient.

1. 4.Chicken –A single 6 ounce chicken breast has close to 35 grams of protein and only 4 grams of fat. It’s a great bodybuilding food not only for its nutritional value but because it can be prepared in so many different ways.  Personally, I like to cook my chicken with crushed red peppers and dip it in barbecue sauce for a better taste.

1. 5.Cottage Cheese – Definitely not my favorite for taste but it is a great source of casein protein. As a bodybuilder you need slowly released protein (casein) throughout the day especially when you might be without food for a long period of time.

1. 6.Fish – Fish is the staple of most bodybuilding diets, especially during pre contest prep. Fish is high in protein and contains no carbs, low fat and low calories. Some favorites are mahi-mahi, tuna, orange roughy, and tilapia.

1. 7.Lean Beef – Nothing tastes better to me than a nice juicy steak. Steak is an awesome type of protein and you got to love the pure creatine you get from it too!

1. 8.Oatmeal – Oatmeal is a favorite bodybuilding food because of its slow burning sustainable source of carbs. Personally, I like to cut up some bananas and mix it in my oatmeal so it tastes better.

1. 9.Sweet Potato – Slow-burning carbs such as sweet potatoes are an excellent source to fuel and sustain your muscles. Personally, I like to add cinnamon to mine.

10.Turkey – Turkey is another must have food because of its high quality protein and low fat amount.

The Amazing Teacher Who Lost 100 Pounds In 1 Year!

This teacher learned an important lesson: Sometimes you have to sacrifice PRs and big numbers to give your heart, mind, and body what they need!

Spencer Range had always spent plenty of time in the gym knocking out big lifts and PRs. At 31, however, he realized that, despite being able to move a lot of weight, he'd also gained a lot of weight, and just didn't feel well physically. But Spencer had heart and pushed through the tough times to transform his body.

                                                                                           Vital Stats

                                                                                                           Name: Spencer Range
                                                                                                          Email: spencerrange@gmail.com
                                                                                                           Location: Waverly, IL

• Tell us what motivated you to get started.

In 2009, I switched my career track to become a teacher. Two years after, I began teaching full- time, and by 2012, I was married to my incredible wife. Things were going smoothly. My family life, my career, my fitness, and everything in life just seem to fall harmoniously into place. I thought I'd figured out life's hierarchy of importance: Heart, mind, and then the physical body. For me, putting the first two at the forefront enables the third to reach its potential.
I have always taken a tremendous amount of pride in being the "gym guy" in my social circles. Despite my love of the gym, I fell into the typical pitfalls of life: stress and complacency.
Slowly and surely, my diet degraded to the point where it became just a shadow of the formerly nutritious diet to which I'd subscribed. By December of 2013, I looked in the mirror and saw someone who definitely did not look like a "gym guy" staring back at me.
I was still doing all of my lifts and had actually reached some personal bests— I squatted over 600 pounds, deadlifted over 650 pounds, and bench pressed over 550 pounds—but I didn't feel physically well at all in my day-to-day life. It dawned on me that 2014 would be relatively light compared to recent years, so I made a plan and committed to get back into my prime.

                        Before 296 lbs                                                     After 192 lbs

                         Age: 30                                                                        Age: 31
                 Weight: 296 lbs.                                                           Weight: 192 lbs.
                   Body Fat: 27%                                                             Body Fat: 7%


Once I had my plan in place, I felt a spark to just go, one that I've felt only a few other times my life. I was ready. And so my "rebirth" began on December 29th, 2013.

What did you do differently to ensure success?

I've had many successes and failures throughout the years as I learned and experimented with lifting programs, diets, and supplementation. This time around, I wasn't going to tolerate a plan that might work. I wanted to guarantee it. I wanted to have rules that would cover my ass should I fall short of expectations at times.
That being said, some aspects of my plan were extreme. I even took a chance on intermittent fasting, which flew directly in the face of what I had previously believed to be the "best" way. However, I knew it would be better for my lifestyle.
I also got myself the most accurate wearable activity tracker I could find. The goal was to have a 1000-calorie deficit per day through diet and activity. This was a struggle at first, as expected, but eventually became very easy. In fact, my average deficit by the end of my transformation ended up being about 2200 calories per day. This was accomplished through two hours of cardio every day, with 20 minutes being HIIT cardio and 100 minutes being low to medium intensity. Two hours a day sounds extreme, but this worked with my body and my habits.
When combined with intermittent fasting and a no-alcohol rule, my efforts paid off big time. I was able to control my hunger, and I got the results I wanted.

You wanted a guarantee, but were there any bumps along the way?

You can't predict everything, but the first five days were the hardest by far. My body had to get used to intermittent fasting. It was the greatest mental test I experienced all year long.

When combined with intermittent fasting and a no-alcohol rule, my efforts paid off big time. I was able to control my hunger, and I got the results I wanted.

For about five days, I was tense and on edge, and felt like I was constantly walking a tightrope. Somewhere around the fifth or sixth day, though, I remember waking up and feeling an overwhelming sense of calm. My body had adjusted, and I no longer felt hungry during the day, except whenever I needed to eat. That was perhaps the most important moment of all for me, because from that moment forward I knew I had this thing.
The other mental challenge came from dealing with my strength loss on the big lifts, which wasn't too big of a deal—I'm much happier now that I'm slimmer, and I can still put up some big numbers.

What are your plans from here?

I want to help make fitness equipment accessible to rural communities. Having spent the vast majority of my life in rural communities, I know that most people in rural areas do not have access to the fitness equipment they need to work toward their goals. Most people have to go to neighboring communities to be able to work out, or have to pay thousands of dollars to buy their own equipment.
As any gym veteran knows, a gym with a truly positive atmosphere is something that is both rare and almost magical. It takes a deft hand to run such a gym and make it a positive place for everyone to work toward fitness goals. When the pieces come together just right, there is simply nothing else like it. I want to be a part of bringing such a place to my community.

Any advice for people who want to get started on their own journey?

Get your head and your heart right first. Having either of those out of whack can derail even the best of fitness programs. Physical fitness is a great and important thing, but it is still a distant second to your mental health and overall happiness.
You will fall again and again and again, but you will rise higher and higher each time you get back up. Achieving a significant physical fitness goal can be full of mind games. It feels selfish, which can feel wrong. It feels very, very lonely at times, even with a strong support system. This is less about vanity and more about becoming something better for yourself and for those you care about. It's not wrong to want this for yourself.
When it comes to getting motivated to work out, there's great workout music everywhere and in every genre. You're cheating yourself if you don't open yourself to it all. Music can be one of your most powerful tools.

You will fall again and again and again, but you will rise higher and higher each time you get back up. 

Finally, you are not alone. There are support networks everywhere, including Bodybuilding.com. There were a handful of times throughout the year when I felt really, really low about achieving my goals. Often it was just a matter of me feeling like I hadn't made the progress I should have recently.
At those times, I hopped on the site and read about other people's transformations. By the end of the year, I'd read almost all of them, and each one helped me in some small way to keep moving forward with mine.
If anything is proof of the fact that there is no single secret to fitness, it's the Bodybuilding.com transformations section.

                                                                                                       

6 Quick Bodybuilding Tips That Will Get You Faster Results!!..

Here are 6 quick bodybuilding tips that you should live by. Pay heed to these and you are going to be on the way to success... Use these for faster results!

Coming up with your perfect bodybuilding workout program and diet to match can seem like quite the process. You have to plan how many days a week you're going to workout, what exercises you will include in your program, how long your rest periods will be, how many reps you should perform for each exercise, and on and on it goes.
Many individuals do tend to feel slightly overwhelmed with the amount of information available out there as to what works 'best', and therefore take more time than they should to even get going.
You always must remember that half the battle is just getting started, so avoid going into too many details that are just going to hold you up from playing the game.
The sooner you can get into the gym and start actually pushing the weights, the sooner you will start building muscle and seeing your body transform into your ideal physique.
That said, you obviously do need to make sure you are following some sound strategies so that the workouts you are doing will help you build muscle. If you pay heed to these rules, chances are you are going to be on the way to success as long as you also are sure that the nutrition part of the equation is included as well.

Tip 1: Focus On Lifting More Weight Over Time

The first bodybuilding tip that will make the single biggest difference on your rate of muscle gain is whether you are able to consecutively add more weight to the bar.
It's not going to matter how many fancy principles you use, if you aren't increasing the sheer amount you are lifting over a few months of time, you aren't building muscle as quickly as you should be.
The number one priority of any muscle gaining bodybuilding workout program should be lifting heavier and heavier weights.
When you get 'stuck' and aren't able to bump the weight up higher, that's when you start tinkering with other strategies such as drop sets, supersets, etc., as a means to help increase the body's potential, so that in a few more weeks, you can bump it up to the next weight level.
All those fancy protocols will definitely have an advantage down the road once you've attained a level of musculature you're satisfied with, but until that point, you should use them intermittently when you're unable to lift heavier.

Tip 2: Go One Rep Short Of Failure

The second bodybuilding tip to pay attention to is the rule on failure. Some people believe that lifting to failure each and every single set is the best way to build muscle. They think that in order to get a muscle to grow, you have to fully exhaust it.
While it is true that you have to push the muscles past their comfort level in order to see progress, you can run into a number of problems when you're lifting to failure each and every set.
The first major issue is central nervous system fatigue. Workout programs designed to go to failure each and every time will be very draining on the CNS.
After a few weeks of such a program, it's highly likely that you'll find the CNS is so exhausted that you can't even lift the weight you used to for the required number of reps little own increase it upwards.
The second problem with going to failure is that if you do this on the first exercise out in the workout, you're not going to have much for a second, third, and fourth exercise after that.
Since you should be doing at least a couple of different exercises in each workout you do, this becomes very difficult to accomplish.

Tip 3: Only Perform Exercises That Work At Least Two Muscle Groups At Once

Bodybuilding tip number three is to focus on compound exercises. You only have a limited amount of time you can spend in the gym each day due to both time and  recovery restraints so if you waste this time on exercises that only work one or two smaller muscle groups, you aren't exactly maximizing your potential.
Instead follow the rule that for 80% of your workout you'll only perform exercises that work at least two muscle groups.
The shoulder press, for example, will work the shoulders and the triceps. The squat will work the quads and the hamstrings. The bench press will work the shoulders, chest, and the triceps (even the biceps to a very small degree).
On the other hand, the barbell curl will only work the biceps, triceps pushdowns will only work the triceps, and leg curls will only work the hamstrings.
All of those exercises aren't really giving you the best results-to-energy invested trade-off, so it's best you keep them limited.
What's more is that compound lifts you'll typically be able to lift more weight with, and since you read the first tip in this article, you know that's paramount to success.

Tip 4: Fuel Your Body Right Before And After The Workout

The fourth tip to follow with your bodybuilding workout program is to make sure you're fueling your body properly both before and after the workout. Failing to get in the  amino acids your body will use to synthesize new muscle mass with or the carbohydrates that provide the energy to formulate the new muscle tissue is a critical error that will garner a lack of results.
If there is one time you can't be uncertain about your nutrition, it's at these two points in the day.
Throughout the rest of the day you can be a bit more flexible in terms of meal times and composition provided you're still meeting your calorie and macronutrient needs, but before and after the workout things need to be 100% 'on'.

Tip 5: Never Go More Than Two Weeks Without A Change

Fifth is the plateau busting bodybuilding tip. If you've ever reached a point with your workouts where it feels as though you are just not gaining any more muscle, this is a sure sign you're in a plateau.
Plateaus do tend to impact just about everyone at some point or another unless you are being very careful to avoid it.
What exactly is a plateau? A plateau can be defined as any point in time where you go more than two weeks without any type of progress. To you, the dedicated lifter, it spells wasted gym effort and time.
In order to prevent this plateau from occurring, your job is to make sure something in your program is always changing. This could be the order of which you perform the exercises, the amount of rest you take in between sets, or even the type of exercises you are performing.
If you can't bump up the weight in a successive session, it's time to change something else. If you do that, you will be sure you get the results you're looking for.

 Tip 6: Remember Rest Is Required

Finally, to end off our bodybuilding tips, always remember to rest. Far too many people make the mistake of training too hard, too often, without allowing time for recovery
f you don't allow the body to rest before you go back in the gym, instead of getting stronger, you're just breaking it down further and getting weaker.
Ideally you should take one day off between each weight lifting workout, but if you prefer to do an upper/lower split that has you working out at a greater frequency, then just be sure you have at least two full days off a week.
Also, for the caedio minded, this does not mean go and do forty-five minutes of intense cardio activity. This means rest - active rest if you must (as in a light walk, jog, or  swim).
If you try to push your body hard in other activities on your designated days off, it's going to impact progress.

 thank's for  attention