How best to use whey protein according to your goals

We know that whey protein is a very popular supplement in the sports nutrition industry; however, today we want to break down how exactly it can be used in your daily routine to help you with your specific health and fitness related goals. 

Muscle Growth 

First up, how to incorporate whey protein into the diet if your goal is to gain muscle mass. Muscle growth essentially occurs when muscle fibres adapt and therefore repair to the stresses of exercise, in particular resistance training. Protein is an essential component for this process to occur as protein provides the essential amino acids that are necessary for the repair and growth of muscle. If adequate protein isn’t available, the muscle fibres will struggle to rebuild and repair, leading to reduced muscle protein synthesis, prolonged recovery time and will hinder muscle growth. With a consistent insufficient protein intake, it will be much harder to achieve your goal to gain muscle mass and that is where our whey protein products come in! Whey protein is a high quality protein derived from milk, rich in amino acids, in particular leucine, which plays an important role in stimulating muscle protein synthesis. Consuming whey protein after your training sessions is a convenient way to get adequate protein in to kickstart that recovery process.

Whey protein is a popular choice over other protein sources, not only for its convenience and amino acid profile but due to its rapid absorption. I.e. allowing the recovery process to start as soon as possible. This will not only support your muscle growth gains but will enhance your recovery between training sessions. My biggest tip here is to keep a shaker in your gym bag with a scoop of our Whey in, so you know after your session you can top it up with water and you are good to go! Alternatively, if you were heading straight home or into the office you could make a quick smoothie combining our Diet Whey with milk and banana for some additional carbohydrates to help enhance the recovery process. 

Performance

Whatever the sport, your training performance will be significantly enhanced if you focus on your nutrition. You can put all of your hard work and effort into your training sessions but if you’re not focussing on fuelling and refuelling effectively for those sessions you won’t be maximising your performance potential.

As we just learnt, whey protein is rapidly absorbed, meaning it is a fast-digesting protein source, allowing quick delivery of amino acids to the muscles, promoting effective recovery post training. This is vital for minimising muscle soreness between sessions and allowing you to get back to your next session effectively. If you had to follow a strict food plan or had to go through ‘cutting’ phases (necessary in some sports) where you would be in a calorie deficit, the use of whey protein in your diet can help to maintain muscle mass, ensuring that you as an athlete retain your strength throughout these periods in your training.

For optimal post workout recovery between sessions, pair your whey protein with a carbohydrate source, as soon after finishing your session as possible to kickstart that recovery process. Mix our Diet Whey with water, with a banana alongside, blend with whole milk, berries and honey or mix into your oats with banana and peanut butter to create the optimal post workout breakfast. By adding our Whey products into your post workout routine you will see a decrease in recovery time, how frequently you can get back into the gym and your overall performance in sessions. 

Fat Loss

We all know that fat loss is a complex and challenging process. There are many factors that need to be considered; however ultimately you will need to create a calorie deficit. When in a calorie deficit, we want to ensure we are preserving as much lean muscle mass as possible, which is where whey protein comes in. Whey protein as a supplement allows an adequate quantity of high quality protein without adding unnecessary calories that other protein sources might include. Additionally, the positive of protein when it comes to fat loss is how satiating it is. Protein is our most satiating macronutrient out of the three (carbohydrates, proteins, fats), meaning it is easier to manage hunger when in a calorie deficit. This makes it much easier to meet overall calorie targets for the day and prevents the temptation to indulge between meal times. As we learnt above, we know the importance of protein in the recovery process after exercise, this allows for more energy when heading back to the gym for your next session, meaning more effective and efficient training sessions will take place and therefore will continue to support the goal to drop body fat.

To help break up the large gaps between your meals, managing hunger and energy levels, try blending our Diet Whey protein with ice, water and a banana for a simple and satiating snack. For your evening, pre-bed snack, mix our Diet Whey into natural greek yoghurt and top with berries and chopped dark chocolate for the perfect sweet snack to help support recovery through the night. 

Body Re-composition

Changing your body composition is hard, it involves losing body fat, whilst retaining as much muscle mass as possible / gaining muscle mass. This requires specific attention to your training schedule and your nutrition, with whey protein playing a crucial role in this process.

It can be challenging to meet specific protein requirements, particularly in these situations when they are pretty high. If you don’t start early on in the day you will find yourself trying to play catch up for the rest of the day. No one wants to get to the evening and find you have 50% of your protein requirements to meet in your final meal of the day! Incorporating our Diet Whey protein into your breakfast such as in overnight oats, hot porridge or on the side of avocado and pumpkin seeds on toast, will help to start your day with a good amount of protein. Using whey protein in your snacks between meals or after your training session will help to not only promote recovery and muscle protein synthesis but will also help manage hunger and energy levels throughout the day. You can even make a very easy evening low calorie snack by mixing our Diet Whey with a little milk to form a pudding – a sweet tooth’s dream and extremely helpful if you are trying to meet specific calorie and macronutrient targets.