A while back, I posted an article; Sex, Lies, and Protein Intake – this article identified how the healthcare community has misled and totally confused people about their dietary protein requirements.
Protein metabolism experts now grudgingly admit that the research used to base current protein recommendations on is seriously flawed.[1]
Progressive physiologists and nutritionists now acknowledge that the textbook recommendations for dietary protein could be a far cry from what is needed to build muscle and achieve optimal health.[2]
An optimal protein intake is essential to obtaining results from all those sweat-soaked, teeth-grinding hours spent in the gym. However, the amount of protein you need to enhance muscle growth and optimize athletic performance is much higher than previously thought.[1-3]
Now, I’m going to explain the science behind why increasing your protein intake will result in far greater muscle gains.
The Science . . .
More recent work from some of the world’s leading researchers in protein metabolism has revealed an important aspect that you can use to ignite rapid muscle growth.[4] This breakthrough will allow bodybuilders and other athletes to push the limits of their genetic abilities considerably.
This information is very straight-forward, but it’s been completely overlooked by all the “experts” in the bodybuilding industry. But rest assured, what I’m about to share with you has been substantiated by numerous, well-designed scientific studies, using state-of-the-art methodologies. Best of all, you can incorporate this information simply and easily into your daily program. Are you interested? You should be. Read on…
The background information: bringing you up to speed
I want you to be very clear on this information as it is probably the most significant breakthrough in muscle-building research since Delorme established back in 1945 that progressive overload is essential to muscle gains.
Athletes everywhere owe scientists Scot Kimball and Leonard Jefferson from the Pennsylvania State University, Michael Rennie from the University of Dundee and Dr. Robert Wolfe’s research team at the University of Texas Medical Branch, a great deal of gratitude. In recent years these scientists have published work that has provided bodybuilders and athletes with many of the missing pieces in the puzzle to gaining lean muscle mass.
First, you must understand that protein synthesis is the overriding cellular mechanism that is responsible for muscle growth.[5] On a molecular level, stimulation of protein synthesis means the synthesis of new contractile proteins (muscle). However, this mechanism also provides effective recovery from any and every type of intense exercise. More effective recovery means better results from training and effective recovery depends on optimal protein synthesis.
Secondly, we now know that intense (heavy) resistance training is effective at triggering a massive increase in muscle protein synthesis rates – much more than any other type of exercise.[6] Lifting heavy weight is the only way to trigger muscle growth. However, intense training also stimulates an incredible amount of muscle breakdown.
The key to making any noticeable improvement to your physique is to maximize the stimulation of muscle protein synthesis while minimizing muscle protein breakdown[6]. The more intense you train, the more critical optimal protein intake is for maximum results.
Around ten years ago, scientists revealed the first significant clue on how to maximize muscle protein synthesis rates and optimize results from resistance training. What they discovered was that the consumption of amino acids (the building blocks of protein) directly after heavy resistance training was shown to enter the bloodstream rapidly. This timed protein consumption doubled muscle protein synthesis rates!
Simply by making sure you slam down VP2 Whey Isolate shake immediately after training will double the anabolic response from your workout! This will dramatically speed recovery and accelerate muscle growth.
Further research completed by these scientists revealed that the addition of carbohydrates (in the form of glucose) to a protein drink stimulated muscle protein synthesis rates by up to 400%![7] That’s an anabolic response that is four times greater than using protein alone! Additionally, this phenomenon was shown to occur if the protein/carb’ shake was consumed before or after weight training.[8]
Now this research backs up, quite nicely, the extensive research I’ve conducted on VP2 Whey Isolate, Micronized Creatine, and DGC as well as the nutrition timing studies.
One of the groundbreaking research study I did using experienced bodybuilders taking VP2 Whey Isolate, Micronized Creatine, and DGC produced staggering results:
A 100% better gain in lean mass
Significantly better strength gains (in 2 of 3 lifts)
Higher muscle glycogen levels
Higher muscle creatine levels
These staggering gains from the powerful supplement stack of VP2 Whey Isolate, Micronized Creatine, and DGC taken before and immediately after training.[9]
To make more gains from your hours spent in the gym – read carefully . . .
A series of recent studies now confirm that the amount (concentration) of amino acids in the blood controls muscle protein synthesis, and directly affects gains in lean muscle mass.[4]
The concentration of amino acids in the blood (at all times) determines the degree of protein synthesis stimulated within the muscle. This simply means the amount of amino acids circulating in your blood stream, 24 hours a day – 7 days a week, determine the amount of muscle growth you obtain from bodybuilding exercise. A steady supply of protein is critical for gaining muscle.
Most importantly, this growth response is shown to occur in a dose-dependent manner. For example, the higher the concentration of circulating amino acids in the blood, the greater and more prolonged the stimulation of muscle protein synthesis. On the other hand, when blood amino acid levels decline, muscle-building mechanisms grind to a halt. Low blood amino acid levels kill your ability to gain muscle. Again, a steady supply of protein is critical for gaining muscle.
This new research suggests that the amount (concentration) of amino acids circulating in the blood is the single most important aspect of obtaining results from resistance training. The higher the concentration of amino acids circulating in the blood, the more powerful the muscle growth response from training.
The essential amino acids (EAAs) are the ones responsible for igniting muscle protein synthesis. These amino acids are; tryptophan, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, valine, leucine and isoleucine. The concentration of these particular amino acids in the blood determines the degree of anabolic activation within the muscle. Additionally, some of these amino acids are more potent than others. For example, the branch chain amino acids (BCAA) valine, leucine, and isoleucine are recognized as powerful transcriptors of the muscle growth process; they initiate protein synthesis at the DNA level. Leucine particularly is shown to ignite protein synthesis and muscle growth at the muscle-gene level. High concentrations of these amino acids within your system will ensure maximum stimulation of muscle protein synthesis.
There is also another very important finding we can glean from this research. Based on the fractional synthesis calculations and amino acid kinetics data, it appears that as long as blood amino acid concentrations remained high, muscle protein synthesis remained accelerated.[4] Theoretically, if a bodybuilder can maintain high blood levels of these amino acids 24-hours a day, every day, then muscle protein synthesis rates will remain constantly “turbo-charged”! The natural capacity for increasing muscle size becomes unlimited.
The bottom line is, the amount of the essential amino acids within your blood stream will determine your muscle gains from training. The practical application of this research is simple. At all times, you must do everything they can to ensure their blood amino acid concentrations are always high and never low. The good news is that with strategic supplementation we can create and maintain ultra-high blood concentrations of the right amino acids that ignite muscle gains with the correct nutritional approach.
Here’s a proven strategy for maintaining high amino acid levels . . .
Meal 1 – Whole food protein source rich in the EAAs (Eggs, lean red meat) + 1 serving of BCAA 4500
Meal 2 – Liquid – with serving of VP2 Whey Isolate
Meal 3 – Whole food protein source rich in the EAAs (Chicken, hard boiled eggs) + 1 serving of BCAA 4500
Meal 4 – Liquid – with serving of VP2 Whey Isolate
Meal 5 – Whole food protein source rich in the EAAs (Fish, chicken, steak) + 1 serving of BCAA 4500
Meal 6 – Liquid – with serving of VP2 Whey Isolate
Spread meals out about 3 hours apart. Add fibrous carbohydrates to each whole food meal such as green beans, broccoli, salad. Pre-workout supplement stack – VP2 Whey Isolate, DGC, and Beta-X. Post-workout supplement stack – VP2 Whey Isolate, Micronized Creatine, DGC and BCAA 4500.
References
1. J. Nutr. 130:1868S-1873S, 2000.
2. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 5:43-45 2002
3. Curr Opin Clin Nutri & Metab Care 5:63–67, 2002.
4. J. Physiol 552.1:315-324, 2003.
5. Am. J. Physio. Endocrinol. Metab 276:E628–E634, 1999.
6. Int. J. Sport Nutri. 11(1):109–132, 2001
7. J Appl Physiol 88: 386-392, 2000.
8. Am. J. Physiol Endocrino Metab 281: E197-206, 2001.
9. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2006 Nov;38(11):1918-25.
