Best Post Workout Supplements

Review & Comparison, Last Update February 11, 2024
Recover faster, workout more often, and build the body of your dream while actively burning that stubborn fat accumulated around your belly. Does it sound like something difficult to achieve? Possibly, but not if you start to consume post-workout supplements that will allow you to achieve fantastic results in a short amount of time. We've selected the five best products so you can choose the one that works best for you. ...Read more ...Read less
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BEST 2024
PROS
CONS
OUR VERDICT
Servings per container
BCAAs ratio
Features
Ingredients
Flavor
 
PROS

The maximal amount of amino acids in the ratio of 2:1:1 in one scoop makes this supplement very effective for recovering and lean muscle growth. 

CONS

It has a slightly chemical taste.

OUR VERDICT

If your goal is to burn fat and gain lean muscle mass, this supplement is the best pick. And three types of electrolytes improve the rehydration process greatly. 

detailed parameters
Servings per container

20, 30 or 90 servings

BCAAs ratio

7g BCAA (Leucine, Iso Leucine, Valine)
2:1:1

Features

2.5g of L-Glutamine, 1g of Citrulline Malate; Sugar-Free, Carbohydrate Free & Zero Calories

Ingredients

BCAA (Leucine, Iso Leucine, Valine), L-Glutamine, L-Citrulline Malic Acid 1:1, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate Dihydrate USP/FCC, Masking Flavor Nat #429029XA, Potassium Chloride, Blue Raspberry Flavor N&A #553820, Blue Raspberry Flavor N&A #439388XA, Sodium Chloride, Sucralose, Acesulfame Potassium, FD&C Blue Lake #1, Pyridoxine HCL, MCT Oil

Flavor

Blood Orange, Blue Raspberry

PROS

Thanks to a highly soluble formula, you can mix this post-workout meal with your protein cocktail to get the maximal outcome from your activity.

CONS

Its smell might seem distasteful.

OUR VERDICT

This post-workout can be used before and after a gym. Therefore, it lets you kill two birds with one stone: increase endurance before a workout and boost MPS afterwards.

detailed parameters
Servings per container

60 servings

BCAAs ratio

5g BCAA (L-Leucine, L-Isoleucine, L-Valine)
2:1:1

Features

Highly Concentrated, Mixing with whey protein and other sports nutrition products

Ingredients

BCAA (L-Leucine, L-Isoleucine, L-Valine), Inulin, Lecithin, flavoring. Contains Soy (Lecithin) ingredients

Flavor

Fruit Punche, Orange, unflavored

PROS

With an increased amount of leucine (4:1:1 ratio) in addition to betaine and taurine added to the formula, you will notice quick and stable muscle growth.

CONS

BCAA ratio in one portion could be higher. 

OUR VERDICT

Faster recovering and muscle protein synthesis, maximal productivity and endurance, this, and much more, is what you get with the MuscleTech MyoBuild.

detailed parameters
Servings per container

 ~20-30 servings

BCAAs ratio

3g BCAA (L-leucine, L-Isoleucine, L-Valine)
4:1:1

Features

1.25g of Betaine, 1g of Taurine, 20 Calories, 1g Total Carbohydrate (1 Scoop)

Ingredients

BCAA (L-leucine, L-Isoleucine, L-Valine), Betaine Anhydrous, Taurine, Tart Cherry Concentrate, Coconut Water, Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Malic Acid, Salt, Xantham Gum, Acesulfame-Potassium, Sucralose, Calcium Silicate, Silicon Dioxide, FD&C Red 40

Flavor

Fruit Punch

PROS

Thanks to a few special ingredients: caffeine and Rhodiola Rosea, this post-workout vegan meal helps you stay energized and focused even after an intensive workout.

CONS

It has a slightly bitter taste. 

OUR VERDICT

This post workout vegan meal is an inspired choice for every athlete that is looking for a sports nutrition to take his/her progress to a new level.

detailed parameters
Servings per container

~30 servings

BCAAs ratio

5g BCAA (L-leucine Vegan, L-Isoleucine Vegan, L-Valine Vegan)
2:1:1

Features

3g of L-Glutamine, 1g of Taurine, 1g L-Citrulline Malate, 250mg Citicholine, 1g of L-Tyrosine, 200mg of Rhodiola rosea, 100mg of Natural Caffeine

Ingredients

BCAA (L-leucine Vegan, L-Isoleucine Vegan, L-Valine Vegan), L-Glutamine, Taurine, L-Citrulline Malate, Citicholine, L-Tyrosine, Rhodiola rosea, Natural Caffeine (from Coffea arabica), Natural Flavors, Organic Stevia Leaf Extract, Malic Acid, Beet Root, Monk Fruit

Flavor

Natural Flavor

PROS

The patented formula with 3:1:2 ratio of BCAAs means you will benefit from the increased MPS and minimal muscle soreness.

CONS

It could dissolve in water better. 

OUR VERDICT

Despite its pretty simple ingredients list, the MusclePharm BCAA supplement ensures very notable results in muscle building and fat burning over a very short period of time.

detailed parameters
Servings per container

30, 60, 90, 120, 180, 200 or 300 servings

BCAAs ratio

6g BCAA (Leucine, Isoleucine, Valine)
3:1:2

Features

Through formulation MP® BCAA, amino acids are released both before and after a workout

Ingredients

BCAA (Leucine, Isoleucine, Valine), Citric Acid, Natural Flavor, Malic Acid, Sucralose, Silicon Dioxide, Fruite and Vegetable Juice (Color), Beta Carotene (Color)

Flavor

Fruite Punche, Blue Raspberry, Lemin Lime, Watermelon, unflavored

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Scivation Blue Raspberry, 30 Servings

Ingredient Rich Supplement

Are you tired of drinking different cocktails, gainers, and pills to build muscle and recover after a workout faster? Well, the Scivation Xtend can replace a few of your healthy post workout meals. It has a wide list of ingredients that are needed after a productive work in a gym.

What exactly do you get with Scivation? Well, first off, you get a well BCAA charged product: 7 grams per serving in the ratio of 2:1:1 with 3500 mg of leucine. Without a doubt, the severity of your diet and workload in a gym don’t meter anymore since with this amount of essential amino acids you will always have enough energy to push your workout to the limits.

This product is rich in many other essential components but BCAAs. By consuming this post workout meal you'll have a chance not only to boost your energy but also replenish your body supplies with sodium, trisodium, and potassium that are necessary for proper hydration. The amount of electrolytes in one meal is pretty hefty (1170mg per serving). 2500 mg of L-Glutamine in one scoop will improve your MPS and help reduce catabolism significantly. By the way, your body needs about 6 days to return the levels of this amino acid to normal. With this supplement, you can reduce this number to only a few hours. Sounds great, isn’t it?

What we also like about this meal is that it doesn’t have limits to feeding time. You can take them before, during, and after your workout and enjoy your progress from every visit to the gym.

Review of Scivation Blue Raspberry, 30 Servings BCAA Powder

The Main Benefits of BCAAs

As popular as they are BCAAs are included and successfully applied in a diet of many athletes. Still, only a few of them can say that they are aware of all the benefits this supplement can offer. Here are some of them:

  • BCAAs boost MPS (muscle protein synthesis) thus allowing for muscle growth and lean muscle mass support: recovery after a workout.
  • BCAAs help save lean muscle mass during training for fat loss.
  • BCAAs reduce cortisol and boost testosterone production thus improving hormone balance and giving you more strength and energy.
  • BCAAs enhance neuromuscular coordination that allows for better strength development.
  • BCAAs can be used as energy to replenish the prime energy molecule – ATP (Adenosine Tri-Phosphate), so you get tired less with no change in your workload. 
  • With BCAAs, your muscles not just recover faster after a workout, they also sore less thus allowing you to train more often.
  • BCAAs are a vital part of intensive workout since they help decrease muscle catabolism.
  • BCAAs can improve metabolism and insulin health, which may decrease the risk of diabetes.
  • BCAAs boost the formation of mitochondria and slow down age-related muscle loss.
  • BCAAs increase the synthesis of glutamate and neurotransmitters which improves cognition.
Scivation Blue Raspberry, 30 Servings BCAA Powder in the use
Last updated price $19.92
Stock In stock
ASIN B00LALNIOI

 

Optimum Nutrition 5000mg, Unflavored, 60 Servings

Reliable Muscle Support

Are you on your way to making a healthier, stronger, and more curved body? If so, then we can wholeheartedly recommend Optimum Nutrition to you, a post-workout supplement that can help build the body of your dream wisely without making any harm.

This post-workout supplement contains 5 grams of BCAAs, the ratio is 2:1:1 with 2.5 g of leucine. Though we wish it had more vitamins and micronutrients, this amount is still enough for a post-workout recovery. Consuming Optimum Nutrition regularly will help save your muscles from catabolism during weightlifting and provide you with a good energy charge, all while alleviating soreness in muscles so as not to slow down your activity. If you drink this BCAA before going to a gym and sip it while training, it will stimulate you to work harder.

Your everyday life will also benefit from such a BCAA supplement as you will not only recover faster but will have more energy the next day as well. So if you have overtrained today, with the ON post workout meal you will have enough energy to go to the gym tomorrow.

Optimum Nutrition is unflavored, so you can mix it with your protein shake or orange juice. The result won’t take too long, and you will start noticing quite a good lean muscle growth in a few weeks. Granted the fact that you don’t lounge in a gym and eat clean, of course. Trying to meet tastes of different consumers, the producer sells this supplement in two flavors (fruit punch and orange) so you do not need to commit to the one you don't like.

So if you get enough proteins from food and need to add BCAAs alone to your diet, your surefire way is to go for Optimum Nutrition that can taste just as you like.

Review of Optimum Nutrition 5000mg, Unflavored, 60 Servings Post-Workout powder

Is It Really as Good as They Say?

Without a doubt, everyone who's heard of BCAAs and all the benefits they can provide can start having reasonable doubts about the efficiency of such a nutrition. Are there any side effects that manufacturers conceal? Well, let's shed some light on this issue and see how good (or not) BCAAs are.

For starters, there were no reliable studies which actually proved that three amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, valine) are harmful to our health. We can get BCAAs either from food or supplements with no damage to our health. However, nature abhors opposite extremes. So the overflow of some nutrients, as well as their deficit, may cause some health issues. BCAAs are not an exception. Regardless of all the benefits, they have a few cons that may occur in case of long-term overdosing.

  • B-vitamin depletion. B vitamins are needed for proper metabolism of amino acids, so consuming more BCAAs, your body starts applying more micronutrients for their utilization. This, eventually, will cause the depletion of the former. At the same time, there are many other biological processes that rely on B vitamins, so its deficit will not only affect the BCAA utilization but our body as a whole. In order to prevent such a possibility, it is better to consume more B-foods: broccoli, spinach, orange, leafy greens, etc.
  • Reduced serotonin levels are another possibility of BCAAs mega-dosing. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps us relax. It also improves our mood. So, when its level reduces, the risk of depression increases. The level of serotonin may reduce greatly on high-protein low carb diets. So, it is advised to include a little more complex carbs in your meal (beans, fruit, starchy vegs) to prevent the drop in serotonin levels.
  • Finally, some novice athletes, who like the effects of sports nutrition, sometimes start neglecting real food, making such supplements the foundation of their diet. Unfortunately, such a behavior is harmful to our health, since sports meals can only help us make up for the deficiency of micro-/macronutrients and amino acids but not replace the real food.
Optimum Nutrition 5000mg, Unflavored, 60 Servings Post-Workout powder in the use

Additional Info

    Manufacturer

Last updated price $25.60
Stock In stock
ASIN B002DYIZIU

 

MuscleTech MUS1101/100/101

Two-In-One Supplement

The post-workout amino BCAA supplement by MuscleTech is developed to help an athlete recover faster after workouts, save muscle during weight loss, and boost muscle growth significantly. Many athletes - elite bodybuilders and regular gym goers who wish to stay fit - take advantage of numerous benefits of this product, due to its special formula.

One scoop of this supplement contains 3 grams of BCAA; the manufacturer has doubled the amount of leucine making the ratio 4:1:1 so that you recover faster, have maximum strength, and better maintenance. One gram of taurine, along with tart cherry and coconut water added to the formula in a proportion of 240 mg and 100 mg, notably boosts endurance and contribute to faster post-workout recovery.

These components are pretty common and a lot of post-workouts contain them. What makes this product unique, though, is 1.25g of Betaine Anhydrous in a scoop. The research that the manufacturer has conducted showed that athletes who were taking 2.5g (2 scoops of MyoBuild 4X) regularly gained 3 times more lean muscle mass in 6 weeks than the placebo group. Moreover, these sportsmen demonstrated better performance and higher endurance during their workout. Impressive, right?

Finally, according to multiple customers’ reviews, the fruit punch flavor is extremely tasty. The scoop is added to the package, so measuring portions off is very convenient. By the way, you get about 36 servings per a container. It could be more. But taking its price into account, this is a good quantity.

Review of MuscleTech MUS1101/100/101 Post Workout Amino BCAA Supplement

BCAA or Whey Protein

Every novice athlete who is looking for their first sports supplements wants to get the best and most effective one. So many sports enthusiasts start guessing what they should invest their money in: BCAAs or Whey. We would say: this depends on your sports goals. But before we clarify, let’s make the difference between these meals clear.

Whey protein is the by-product of milk that is lactose-free in 90% of cases. This supplement contains 9 essential amino acids that we get from food and use to build and maintain muscles. They are low in calories (less than 30 per 100 g) and give an athlete amazing results when it comes to muscle building.

As for BCAAs, they also help sports enthusiasts gain lean muscle mass but their main goal is slightly different. BCAAs include 3 essential amino acids: leucine, valine, isoleucine. They help reduce catabolism in muscles even after a very intensive workout and speed up a recovery process afterwards. It also decreases fatigue during and after a workout. Plus, they contain 0 calories, which contributes to weight loss greatly. BCAAs digest almost immediately, while whey protein takes more time.

It's quite difficult to say which supplement is better because each of them has its own goals. So before you make a decision which one to buy - Whey or BCAA - you should determine first what goals you'd like to achieve. If your goal is to build up muscles, whey protein will work best for you. And if you wish to lose weight, you should give BCAA a try. That said, both of these supplements are good on their own and can be easily used together if you wish to give your performance a significant boost. Just remember that it's better to take them at intervals of at least 30 minutes.

MuscleTech MUS1101/100/101 Post Workout Amino BCAA Supplement in the use

Additional Info

    Manufacturer

Last updated price $0.00
Stock May be out of stock
ASIN B0184MMDM8

 

The Genius Brand Post Workout Drink

Smart Supplement

It doesn’t matter whether you are looking for your best post workout meal for weight loss and recovery or you wish to find a supplement that will give you enough energy for an intensive workout, this Genius BCAA offers you both.

In terms of post-workout recovery, you get 5g of BCAA that is not somewhat unusual but seeing that they are vegan fermented makes this supplement a finding for athletes who follow a plant-based diet. 3g of glutamine per serving will also improve recuperation after your workout and between sets if you drink the Genius BCAA in a gym or before it.

Natural caffeine is a pretty rare ingredient of post workout nutrition. However, with its help you will stay energized whether you train in the morning and need to retain energy for your further activities or when you need to recharge before a training session after an intensive working day. By the way, there is only 100mg of caffeine. This is enough to boost your energy levels but is not enough to keep you awake all night long if you take it before your evening exercises.

2g of L-Tyrosine and Taurine in total is another pleasant bonus of this product. They are strong building blocks for protein, so you will gain muscle way faster even when on a strict diet.

The manufacturer has added a few more useful ingredients to their genius post workout formula: 250mg of Citicholine and 200mg of Rhodiola Rosea. They help reduce stress and fatigue and increase brain activity making you more focused on your task. Positively, with such an ingredient-rich supplement you will be in “The Zone” during your every workout.

Review of The Genius Brand Post Workout Drink Multiuse Natural Vegan Post Workout Drink

Reliable Assistance in Fat Loss

Unfortunately, BCAAs alone won’t reduce your body fat percentage, but they will help you achieve fantastic results in combination with a proper diet and regular workouts. So what can an athlete expect to get from these amino acids in terms of fat loss?

For starters, BCAAs can help you control your carvings. The thing is that the level of serotonin affects your desire for junk food. Namely, the lower the level of serotonin is, the stronger the desire to eat a burger will be. You might rightly ask: how is it connected to BCAAs? It’s pretty simple! When your diet is balanced and includes a reasonable amount of complex carbs and amino acids, serotonin levels up thus holding you back from raids on the fridge.

This supplement can also boost your energy levels. Since you can take them before your workout, you will be definitely more productive in a gym. And as a result, you will burn more calories during a single workout.

BCAAs help reduce muscle soreness greatly. We all know that feeling when extra soreness and low mood make us stay home instead of going to a gym. Sometimes we manage to overcome such temptation, sometimes we don’t. Such idle Mondays can reprieve the progress greatly. Taking BCAA though, you will have enough energy to attend all your training sessions.

Finally, these amino acids take part in protein synthesis thus contributing to muscle growth. Since muscle consumes much energy than fatty tissue, the more muscle you gain the more energy your body will burn even when resting. So you can lose fat 24/7.

The Genius Brand Post Workout Drink Multiuse Natural Vegan Post Workout Drink in the use
Last updated price $34.99
Stock In stock
ASIN B06XCHZ88C

 

MusclePharm PH163x

Fast Recovery, Maximal Stamina

The MusclePharm BCAA nutrition is an affordable and quite a unique product on the market. It contains 6g of BCAA in one serving with the ratio of 3:1:2. And, well, that's it. The list of active components ends here. Rather than trying to include each and every element possible, the manufacturer has decided to focus on these two essential amino acids instead. And, if we're totally honest, doing that was worth it. With only two components, this nutrition works great for most athletes.

One scoop of MusclePharm BCAA contains 3g of leucine, 2g of valine, and 1g of isoleucine. Thanks to such an increased amount of leucine, the protein synthesis improves greatly, and so does the anti-catabolism effect. And a little extra bit of valine in the formula allows you to stay productive and improves your performance. 

The supplement also contains flavor additives: malic acid, artificial sweetener sucralose, and fruit & veg juice for color. It comes in several different flavors and each of them tastes great. And if you'd like to purchase unflavored meals to mix them with other supplements, the range of MusclePharm supplements contains these as well.

Overall, thanks to such an increased amount of leucine and valine in the formula, you will recover faster, retain your muscle better, and build more lean mass in a shorter time. And this is a pretty nice result for such a lovely price.

Review of MusclePharm PH163x Post Workout Recovery Drink

The Right Fuel for Your Body

Sports nutrition is not the only thing that can help you push your workouts to the limits. In order to get the maximum out of training, you should also eat the type of food that can provide you with ample energy, strength, and a maximum of nutrients. There are no hard-fast rules or rigid schedule, but there are a few very helpful recommendations from professionals.

  • Fuel up before a workout

Your body needs energy for any activity, especially so intense as weightlifting and endurance training. So you should eat complex carbs (low-fat cereals, yogurt, fruit, vegs) a few hours before going to the gym. If you didn’t have time for that, you can eat easily digested carbs about 20-30 minutes before training. An apple or banana will work just fine, and they won’t make you feel sluggish.

  • Keep the balance during exercising

There is no need to take breaks and eat between sets, especially if your training doesn’t last more than an hour or so. The only thing you should do 100% is to sip water every 5-10 minutes to avoid dehydration. But when it comes to a 2/3-hour workout or even longer, every athlete should replenish energy so that they won’t drop in their tracks in the middle of the workout. As a rule, a shaker with BCAA, carbs, and some vitamins will be enough to stay productive for that long.

  • Refuel afterwards

It is very important to recharge energies after any type of training session. So you should always drink enough water to rehydrate and consume carbs and protein some time after you left the gym. A chicken with a salad would be a great choice. It won’t make you feel stuffed. Drinking a shaker with your post-workout supplements is also a great idea. They do marvels for muscle recovering and build-up when combined with proper eating.

MusclePharm PH163x Post Workout Recovery Drink in the use

Additional Info

    Manufacturer

Last updated price $0.00
Stock May be out of stock
ASIN B01NH07RV1

 

What Is a Post Workout Supplement?

When it comes to building the body shape of your dream - time is everything, right? We all wish to see those six pack abs in the mirror as soon as possible. But despite how hard we work in a gym and how clean we eat, we have to take breaks to let our body recover. For some of us, this time may last longer than we’d like to.

Obviously, acting contrary to nature and increasing workload when muscles are still sore is not always a good idea because it may increase the risk of injury. Thus, every gym-goer knows how important it is to follow a balanced diet, count carbs/fats/protein, and workout regularly, progressively increasing the workload. But what if he or she would like to train 3-5 times a week but muscle soreness slows him/her down? 

A high-quality post workout meal should be right up the alley. Such sports nutrition has three main purposes which are 1) to replenish glycogen, 2) to reduce catabolism, and 3) to boost the recovering process. Some supplements can also help make up for the deficit of the vitamins and micro/macro nutrients that were depleted during an intense workout. In other words, a good post-workout helps an athlete recover much faster, improves his/her ability to build muscles, and at the same time allows him or her to burn extra body fat. It can also reduce muscle soreness after even a very hard workout so that you could return to a gym quicker.

Positively, such sports nutrition can rightly become an irreplaceable supplement to a good diet plan of any athlete.

What Features to Compare

BCAAs

As a rule, BCAAs are the #1 component in post-workout meals. They are irreplaceable, especially for those athletes who are fasting and can’t make up for a deficiency of these amino acids eating food.

BCAAs include three essential amino acids: leucine, isoleucine, and valine. They are biologically important for human metabolism. We can get them either from chicken, eggs, fish or from dietary supplements such as post-workout nutrition. The latter comes in very handy when we are on a diet.

When selecting the best post workout supplement, we should pay the most attention to the BCAA ratio. The most common one is 2:1:1 of leucine, isoleucine, and valine respectively. However, there are meals with 4:1:1, 3:1:2, 8:1:1, or even 10:1:1 ratio. In order to decide which ratio is the best, let’s learn what these amino acids are best for.

L-Leucine is the most important amino acid of the three. It plays the key role in muscle metabolism helping generate and maintain muscle mass. Leucine also helps speed up healing processes in muscle after exercises or an injury.

L-Isoleucine supplies our muscles with energy which is especially needed when an athlete is fasting and consumes food that is poor in carbs. When the quantity of isoleucine reduces greatly, our body starts taking it from storage reserves (muscles). As a result, an athlete burns not only body fat but their muscles as well.

L-Valine is involved in muscle synthesis. Also, it helps relieve stress and boost the immune system. L-valine is crucial for metabolism and repair of muscle tissue. In other words, this amino acid helps reduce fatigue and soreness.

Now, as for the ratio, the amount of isoleucine and valine are often practically equal. The amount of leucine is the figure that changes. The 2:1:1 ratio is universal and works well for any gym-goer. We can get approximately the same amount of leucine, isoleucine, and valine from food. But when we are fasting or following a very strict diet and workout hard in a gym, BCAAs can help us out. Those of us who workout to their limits while preparing for a competition might find post-workout recovery supplements that are leucine-rich (4:1:1) pretty helpful.

Additional components

Though BCAAs are one of the most important ingredients in post-workout nutrition, there are many other essential nutrients that we need to replenish after any workout. They include:

Electrolytes. Calcium, sodium, and potassium regulate the amount of water thus reducing the risk of muscle contraction, ensure proper neuron transmission, regulate heartbeat, and help reduce fatigue.

Being a very important source of energy, carbs are essential for both post and pre-workout nutrition. They help us reduce muscle soreness and fatigue. So even if you are on a very strict diet, it is better to consume at least the minimal amount of complex carbs a day.

Glutamine boosts the immune system and helps immune cells recover faster.

Tart cherry and ginger concentrate help reduce muscle inflammation. They are natural non-steroidal anti-inflammatories and have very similar to ibuprofen effect. But harmless to our health.

Pills or powder

When it comes to post-workout supplements, powders are more convenient to take and they are metabolized by our bodies faster. Pills are also quite effective and give good results. That is to say, the form of a post-workout supplement is mostly the matter of your taste.

The 5 Common Nutrition Myths

Regardless of their goals and fitness level, every athlete knows how important the proper nutrition is when it comes to achieving the desired effect from their activity. We all get advice from our friends that have been training for a bit longer than us or from nutrition “experts” in a gym or elsewhere. The Internet is also full of misleading information that often contradicts one another.

We often hear: if we eat much fat - we get fat or that we need to control the number of proteins we consume since it is unhealthy. However, the most of such information is not always correct. So here are a few most common myths that have been scientifically debunked.

Myth #1

The human body can digest only 30 grams of protein at a time

Many people believe that our bodies can utilize max 30 grams of protein per one meal. If you consume more than that, it will be stored as fat. Actually, this is not so correct.

The thing is that daily protein needs depend on the weight and type of activity of an athlete. Obviously, a 70 kg sportsman may need a bit less for recovery and muscle growth than a 100 kg bodybuilder. So, this percentage can’t be applicable to everyone. It may become a real challenge to consume 30g of protein 5 times a day when your daily need is 150g. And what if this number is higher?

Plus, according to some studies, an increase in protein consumption may improve MPS and reduce muscle protein breakdown. This proves the fact that our body can utilize more than 30g of protein at a time and - what is more important - increase muscle growth.

Myth #2

Protein loses its biological value while being cooked

Luckily this statement can’t be further from the truth. Otherwise, we would have to eat only raw meat and live in a constant risk of food poisoning. The truth is that our bodies absorb the same amount from cooked protein and protein powder. Besides, protein powders can be added to some recipes (muffins, oatmeal, etc.) and backed without losing their nutritional value.

Myth #3

A high-protein diet means more stress on kidneys and the higher risk of osteoporosis

Actually, if you add some extra protein to your diet, it may increase kidney workload only slightly. Just think, 1/5 of the blood that your heart pumps every minute is filtered by your kidneys. So, the stress from a couple of more grams of protein is very low in comparison to their regular workload. What puts a lot of unnecessary stress on your kidneys though is alcohol. So if you are serious about giving your organs a break, it is better to start from here.

As for the increased risk of osteoporosis, some believe that when you get much protein, your body produces more acid for its utilization. The acid can be neutralized by calcium, which causes its deficit. But some studies prove the completely opposite idea. Not only are proteins safe to bones health, they can help improve their mineral density and even reduce the risk of fractures.

Myth #4

It is crucial to consume protein a few minutes after your workout

This statement is addressed to the so-called “anabolic window”. It is believed that during 30-60 minutes after a workout your body can accept protein and carbs with the maximal efficiency and use them for recovery. Some experts still assume that this period lasts for the first 60 minutes after a workout. However, it has been proved that it continues for several hours after a training session. Undoubtedly, MPS increases most during the first hours, so if you gain muscles it is better to take this fact into account. But the effect will be stronger if you pay greater attention to the amount and quality of proteins you consume throughout the day.

Myth #5

If you eat fat – you get fat

A few decades ago, this statement was somewhat like a conventional wisdom for most of the diet followers. However, multiple studies show that it is not fat that makes us gain weight but its compensation with sugar. Moreover, if you consume fatty foods, it doesn’t always mean you will increase the percentage of body fat. What does contribute to this statement is the kind of fats you eat.

Obviously, you shouldn’t expect positive results from consuming trans or saturated fats from French fries, burgers, and other processed and fried eats. On the contrary, consuming more mono- and polyunsaturated fats (avocado, nuts, fish) that are essential for our overall health can reduce the chance of getting a heart attack and even can help you lose weight.

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Publish Date: 2018-06-18 14:15:49