For centuries, athletes and scientists have been trying to test and broaden the limits of human strength and endurance. The quest for another pound of muscle, or to lift the next couple of kilos has been relentlessly pursued in the health club and the laboratory alike. As the questions and conquests became more challenging, the solutions have become more elusive and complicated. Few concepts and conclusions have withstood the test of time in exercise physiology. Even as we tackle the metabolic and genetic foundation of skeletal muscle response to strength training, there are only some things that we know for sure.
Strength is the cumulative expression of the innumerable myofibrils orderly arranged to form the muscle. Strength training attempts to boost these protein motors and the biological machinery that supports them. Resistance workouts create a biochemical environment in the body whereby the turnover of proteins is optimized and the protein synthetic machinery is primed for growth. A meal that is high in proteins may be all that’s necessary to provoke a spurt of growth. All age groups experience this response, although it tends to be less efficient as one gets older. Particularly for youthful people, it was discovered that the muscle is receptive to protein and amino acids for up to 48 hours after a workout, based on research performed by Philips SM, Tipton KD and others. Skeletal muscle hypertrophy has just one limiting factor throughout this era and that would be the availability of high quality proteins.
A few methods can amplify the growth response to strength training. The synthetic machinery has a ceiling. Only a certain amount of amino acids at any given time (about six grams of protein) can be handled by the body. However, as the response lasts for 2 days, Bohe J., in a dose-response study printed in Journal of Physiology, 2003, recommended that repeated supplementation with three to six grams of high quality protein during the 48 hours after a workout can optimize the protein synthetic response without topping out the protein synthetic enzyme systems. Combining protein supplements with sufficient carbohydrate (35g of sucrose with each 6g of protein) can be helpful. Serving as fuel for the muscle fibers, the carbohydrates will spare the proteins intended for growth.
Research into the response of untrained strength athletes has come up with surprising results. In both the skilled and the untrained states, there was an increase in demand for proteins. However, the relative protein requirement of an untrained athlete per kg per day often exceeds the trained counterpart. The initial section of resistance training is exemplified by fast growth and hypertrophy of skeletal muscles, before it hits the plateau. The comparatively inefficient work of the protein synthetic machinery in the untrained state is another essential factor. This means that highly-developed protein supplements are required to sustain even the preliminary stages of strength training.
We are not espousing that the protein requirements of the trained strength athletes are remotely similar to the needs of people that lead sedentary lifestyles. By the time the maintenance phase of resistance training is reached, the lean body mass would have expanded exponentially. The total amount of proteins broken down and transformed through the turnover of proteins in a trained strength athlete is still much higher when compared to normal levels. This requirement may be as much as 1.5 times that of baseline levels according to Philips SM, in his review on Protein Requirements in Strength Athletes.
The hunt then is for a high quality protein diet that will supply all of the important amino acids required. In view of the different biochemical principles already talked about, this protein supplementation should be easily absorbed by the body so that the delivery of amino acids can be precisely timed to the post-workout period. Immediate absorption also permits the protein supplements to be taken in multiple doses during this particular period. The protein supplement additionally needs to be in small quantities (3 to 6g) to prevent saturating protein synthesis pathways and to attenuate protein waste by excretion.
Profect, a protein drink from Protica Research is a supplement that meets all of these necessities which is why so many people across the weightlifting community are now using it. Because of the unique make-up of Profect, it is able to provide all of the essential amino acids along with particular amino acids that are used in muscle fiber synthesis. Profect additionally facilitates for the synthesis of Glutathione, which is an antioxidant that counteracts the presence of free radicals. Produced during anaerobic workouts like weight training, these free radicals harm the cell membranes. Short term insults like muscle sprains to long term effects like aging and cancer have been attributed to free radicals. To improve the normal levels of the free radical scavenger, Glutathione and to help avert free radical damage, supplement your diet with Profect.
Undeniably, protein reigns as the supreme building block for strength training. The measurement and the type of protein formula that you use in your diet could be the only thing that separates you and that next pound of muscle that you so desire.
Protica Research (Protica, Inc.) specializes in the development of Capsulized Foods. Protica manufactures Profect, IsoMetric, Pediagro, Fruitasia and over 100 other brands, including Medicare-approved, whey liquid protein for cancer patients. You can learn more at Protica Research – Copyright