Whey proteins or Whey protein are one of the most complete foods for bodybuilders and for everyone who practices weightlifting.
There are many reasons why they are. First of all, it is a food that contains nothing more and nothing less than 80% protein in the best of cases. This is a lot, since to give you an idea, a beef fillet only has 20% protein in its composition (the rest is water).
This will allow us to get a large amount of protein in a very short time, just by taking a comfortable shake after training. It also has the advantage that they are proteins of very rapid absorption, since they reach the muscles immediately, something that does not happen with the standard proteins of normal food.
It is for this reason that Whey proteins are the star food in bodybuilding. Most self-respecting competitors take whey protein to get a little help when it comes to lifting weights. As it is such a popular product, we can find whey proteins of many brands and many flavors, which is frankly great.
However, these proteins should not be taken freely, since if you want to take advantage of their full potential and minimize risk; you must have a good knowledge base on the subject to consume them. These proteins, if consumed correctly, will provide you with many benefits, but if they are not consumed correctly, absolutely nothing will happen.
For this reason, at doncomos.com I will show you step by step how to take whey proteins, the risks involved in taking them and how to minimize these risks as much as possible.
Instructions for Risks, Uses and taking Whey Protein
- What exactly is whey protein?
If you notice, I’ve been talking about how good whey proteins are, but I haven’t told you what exactly they are. Whey proteins by their English name are proteins that come from milk whey. Whey is obtained when dairies make cheese, since they have to extract the whey for the milk to solidify. In the past, whey was thrown away, however, now it is synthesized and mixed with flavorings so that it can be taken freely and with a good taste. As a result, we have a high quality protein, with 80% purity in the best of cases and with a good taste. It is also absorbed quickly because whey is always rapidly absorbed. - Types of whey proteins:
First of all, and before talking about how to take whey proteins, we have to talk about the types of whey proteins that exist, since we not only have one type of whey proteins, but there are really three types.- Whey concentrate: The first and cheapest type of protein is whey concentrate. Whey concentrate contains milk that has not just been isolated, with lactose and other carbohydrates. The result is a good quality protein, but not as good as the other two.
- Whey Isolate: This type of protein is the same as whey concentrate, but let’s say it’s been through a filter, which removes everything we don’t want from whey, like lactose and fat, leaving only pure protein, with more amount of amino acids and glutamine. Being better and more difficult to obtain, it is more expensive than it is concentrate and can be found by the name of ISO.
- Hydrolyzed: This type of whey is a kind of isolated whey, but it has already been broken into pieces (proteins) so that it is absorbed more quickly. This type of protein is the best, as it reaches the muscle in a matter of minutes and is therefore better for bodybuilding. For these reasons, they are the most expensive and the most sought after by professionals.
- Choosing a good brand of whey protein:
Once we are clear about what type of protein we are going to buy according to our goals, we are going to look for a good brand of whey protein to buy. In this case, we must always pay attention to three things when buying in the nutritional information of the product, always looking for the best possible composition for our body, without letting ourselves be guided by the brand. As for the flavor, choose the one you like the most, since there are several types depending on the brand. Now we go with the three characteristics that we must know.- Protein percentage per 100 grams of product: Normally this percentage is usually between 60 and 85% purity. Obviously, the purer the protein, the better it is going to be for us. Even if it puts 80% purity, it is always somewhat less than what it says, for example, 80% purity is usually 75%, but it is still a good amount. We also have to see that they do not have sugar or fat, so that muscle gain is as clean as possible.
- Amino gram: The best thing about proteins is amino acids, which are directly responsible for building muscle. We must pay attention to the fact that proteins have a large amount of leonine, isoleucine and valise (branched amino acids). These amino acids are the kings when it comes to gaining muscle mass, especially leonine. Take the proteins that have more of these amino acids.
- Glutamine: Glutamine is a compound that helps gain muscle mass. Although they sell the product separately, the ideal is that your proteins contain glutamine, to help muscle recovery and gain it. The ideal is more than 8 grams of glutamine per 100 grams of product, the more the better for us.
- How to take them:
Now we are going to explain how whey proteins are taken. The first thing is that we have to get a shaker container for our proteins and a scoop measure to add them (they usually come in the boats). The way to take the proteins is to add a scoop of 30 grams (or two if you want to double the dose) in a shaker of 700 ml of water. Next, we are going to shake the shaker well, until they have completely dissolved. On some occasions, shakers come with a metal ball, which helps in the process of dissolving proteins. Finally we drink the shake, which must be perfectly dissolved to be able to drink it all, without leaving anything. - When to take them, the anabolic window:
The most important thing we need to know to take whey proteins is the existence of the anabolic window, which tells us when we should take whey proteins. When we have finished training, the muscles are destroyed; therefore, the body will go into an anabolic state, trying to absorb as many nutrients from the outside to send them to the muscles. For this reason, the so-called anabolic window is created, which starts right after training and lasts about 45 minutes, time we have to take proteins. If we take proteins in this anabolic window, we will achieve better results, since 100% of what we have taken will go to the muscles. If we take the protein outside the anabolic window, our body will not need as much protein and will transform it into glucose through gluconeogenesis. If that glucose is not spent, it turns into fat and in the end the remedy will be worse than the disease. - Advantages for your muscles:
Whey proteins have many advantages for the muscles, since that is why bodybuilders take them. If you know biology, you will know that muscles are made of proteins and amino acids. Therefore, if we want to build new muscles, we need protein. Whey are the best proteins as they are absorbed very quickly, thus being able to take advantage of the so-called anabolic window much faster than with a standard protein. Also, if we have a large amount of protein, amino acids and glutamine in our body, we will achieve a much faster recovery of our muscles than if we do not take anything, because these compounds will help the muscle to regenerate faster. Thanks to this, we will obtain greater strength gain, we will be able to train some more days in the gym and finally we will be able to avoid muscle injuries. - Risks of taking whey proteins:
Obviously everything good in this world has its share of risk. With whey proteins it was not going to be less, therefore, they also have their small risks when taking them, which we must know if we do not want to suffer any side effects.- Risks for lactose intolerant: As I said before, whey proteins are obtained from whey. Therefore, it is easy to understand that milk has lactose and whey contains it. This occurs in whey concentrate proteins, which have not been filtered and contain lactose. If you are lactose intolerant, take whey isolate which has almost no lactose and it won’t hurt you. You can also opt for other types of protein, such as protein from egg whites or soy protein.
- Risks for the kidney: If we spend our lives consuming proteins, that is, if we take a very high dose, the body will have to suffer a lot to digest them, since it is the macronutrient that is most difficult to digest of all. The proteins are filtered in the kidney, which is very burdened if we take a lot of protein. Therefore, I advise you to take at most 2 grams of protein for each kilo of body weight. For example, if you weigh 100 kilos, take 200 grams of protein a day, no more.
- It is still food: By this I mean that if you spend too much time eating them you will gain weight, apart from burdening your kidneys. Although it is undoubtedly better to drink a protein shake than to eat a billycan, they are still calories that are transformed into glucose and fat if they are not consumed. Therefore, always in moderation, especially if you are trying to lose weight.
- Other useful supplements for bodybuilding:
Not only does the bodybuilder live on whey protein, since there are other useful supplements that can help us when it comes to getting a great physique, we are going to see the most useful ones, so that you do not spend your money on silly and focus only on what is really important.- Creative: Some consider it the best supplement. Creative is a supplement that helps in the generation of muscle glycogen, which is essential when it comes to having the appearance of inflated muscle and gaining strength. Take 5 grams of creating a day to load the muscles with glycogen and you will notice a good gain in strength.
- Vitamins: Many times our diet is poor in vitamins, which are necessary for the proper functioning of the body, which the better it works, the more vitality and strength it will have, the better recovery capacity it will have and the more testosterone it will generate. Take vitamins if your diet is somewhat poor and you will notice results.
- Fat burners: If you are losing weight, it is good that you take fat burners, which help you lose a little more weight. The most important are caffeine, L-carnation, yohimbine and green tea. Get a fat burner that contains all of this and for every 5 pounds of weight you lose, you will lose another pound.
- Testosterone precursors: Testosterone is ideal for gaining muscle mass, since it is the male sex hormone and is responsible for making you grow muscle. Some substances stimulate the generation of testosterone, such as Zinc, the vitamin B complex, especially B6 and B12. Also the consumption of nuts, currants and following a low-fat diet will help you gain more testosterone.
Tips for Risks, Uses and Taking Whey Protein
- It’s just a supplement: The #1 mistake people in gyms make is thinking that supplements are miraculous. As the name suggests, the supplement is simply a little boost, which will help you achieve goals. The reality is that without the correct training, the correct diet, perseverance, patience and effort, you will not achieve anything, no matter how many supplements you take. If you drink whey without training correctly, the only thing you are going to achieve is to gain weight, since it is as if you ate four steaks while on the sofa, something that is not good if you do not burn it. What is more, many people do not take supplements of any kind and still get good results, so you can see that the really important thing is to carry out a correct training and a correct diet according to your goals.
- Quality / price: Do not only look at the amino gram, protein concentration and glutamine, but also look at the value for money of proteins. There are proteins that are too expensive for what they offer in others that you pay for the brand and in others that have a lot of one thing and little of the others (high concentration but poor amino gram or vice versa). Try to find the best quality/price protein, since there are very good proteins for 15 euros per kilo and others that are not much for 30 euros per kilo, so always keep an eye on this.
