A Short Guide To Protein

Protein is without a doubt one of the most discussed nutrients we get from food on a daily basis.

 There have been many debates and myths surrounding this nutrient, so in this article, our goal will be to tell you more about everything you NEED to know regarding protein.

 

Is Protein The Most Important Nutrient?

The word “Protein” comes from the Greek word “Protos” meaning “first/primary” and that in and of itself should speak about the importance of protein.

 

Even more so, if you look into biology, most of the body was made out of protein, including muscle tissue, enzymes, hormones and others.

 

Now, when it comes to ESSENTIAL nutrients, there are two of them – Protein & Fats.

 

Protein and fats provide essential amino & fatty acids, respectively, which the body needs but cannot produce on its own.

 

This is why deficiency in those nutrients can lead to unwanted side effects, such as low libido, poor recovery, worsened hormonal function, brain fog and others.

How Much Protein Do I Need?

The widely recommended protein intake has circled around 1 gram of protein, per pound of bodyweight, per day.

 

In other words, if you weigh 180 lbs, you’d need roughly 180 grams of protein per day.

 

However, this appears to be more relevant for actively training individuals that hold more lean body mass.

 

In other words, if you don’t really hit the gym very often, you’d need about 0.6-0.8g of protein per lb of bodyweight, to sustain health and optimal functioning.

 

On the other hand, if you are very active and use your muscles, you’d be closer to 1g of protein per lb of bodyweight.

 

What Are The Best Sources Of Protein?

 

If there is one thing to know, that is namely the fact that not all proteins were made the same!

 

Proteins are made up of amino acids – There are a total of 20 amino acids and 9 of them are essential.

 

On top of that, each food provides protein that is digested, absorbed and retained differently.

 

Based on the amino acid profile, as well as other properties like the ones we just mentioned, each food can be rated in terms of bioavailability.

 

The bioavailability is a fraction of a nutrient in certain foods, that is absorbed and used.

 

The things that change the biological value of foods are their chemical form, interactions with other compounds, as well as individual physiological responses to food.

 

Here’s the punchline…

 

Animal products appear to be of the greatest biological value for the human body!

 

These are the foods that provide all essential amino acids, along with healthy fats and a multitude of vitamins.

 

Nevertheless, mass-production of animal products implies unnatural growth, where the animals don’t have enough room to run freely and are fed with processed, low-quality animal foods.

 

For this reason, we have put up a list of the BEST animal sources of protein:

 

  1. Grass-fed beef
  2. Wild-caught salmon
  3. Free-range chicken
  4. Pork 
  5. Cheese & Other dairy
  6. Eggs

 

Most of these foods are saturated with quality protein, meaning that you will need just a couple of portions to meet your daily needs!

 

What If I’m Plant-Based?

As we mentioned, animal foods are the only products that contain the full set of essential amino acids, along with the greatest bioavailability.

 

Plant foods unfortunately lack one or more essential amino acids and take up a lot of space in the stomach, for little caloric value.

 

Nevertheless, if you’ve decided to not eat meat, your best bet would be to combine different plant products, in order to compensate for their lacking nutrients.

 

Here are some of the best plant-based protein sources:

 

  1. Lentils
  2. Beans
  3. Other legumes
  4. Cashews
  5. Almonds
  6. Edamame
  7. Tahini
  8. Peanut butter
  9. Peas
  10. Macadamias

 

In combining those, you will be more inclined towards providing sufficient amounts of protein for your body, on a daily basis!

 

Protein Timing

 

Now here’s for a brief mention – If you want to further optimize your protein intake and how it’s being used, try timing it to your workouts.

 

Have a solid protein feeding 2 hours before your workout, and then within 2 hours AFTER the workout.

 

This will give you a slight boost in terms of the constructive, anabolic processes that happen after the workout.

 

Conclusion

 

Protein is a powerful nutrient that keeps us healthy, alive, well and recovered, which is why, you just can’t ignore it!

Place quality, protein-rich products at the core of your daily nutrition and you will see the difference for yourself!

Focus on quality-fed meats, along with some dairy and eggs, and if you are a plant-based eater, just stick to grains, legumes, nuts and seeds!

The Skinny on Big Booty Re-Post

Hey there! It’s awesome news! You can now fulfill your dream of having a bigger, toned, and well-shaped booty! We completely understand that having a bigger butt is a popular desire, and we genuinely want you to achieve that goal. So, rest assured. I will assist and encourage you every step of the way.

Very important here!

Ladies, if you go on many sites showing exercises that try to convince you that certain workouts can do what’s shown in the pic below, you may be sadly disappointed.

There are only a few things that play a part in the way your booty looks.

 

  1. Genetics
  2. plastic surgery
  3.  If you are trying to obtain more girth on your booty, sometimes you may have to learn to work with what God gave you. Yes, some exercises can help you lift your butt and tone it, but that is working with what God gave you.
  4. Wearing the right clothing can help with how your booty looks on the exterior.

 

Studio shot of a group of attractive young women posing together against a gray background

<<<<<<<Genetics and some hard work play a part for the woman shown here. In my over 15yrs of fitness training, have I ever told a female client that doing “xyz” exercises would take you from a 25″ booty to a 34 ” booty? It’s just not going to happen in MOST CASES!

In your workout routine, we recommend focusing on targeted exercises such as hip thrusts, squats, deadlifts, and lunges. I suggest mixing and matching them to keep it interesting and allow your muscles to strengthen and grow. Moreover, it is crucial to maintain a balanced diet rich in proteins to encourage growth and aid recovery.

Remember – consistency is key. Celebrate every milestone in your journey, whether small or significant. You are capable of amazing things, and with resistance bands and weights, you can optimize and achieve amazing booty gains. Here’s to a successful and exciting journey towards achieving your dream body!

Love yourself, embrace who you are, and God bless all the different size booty’s out there!

Lower Body Workout

Barbell VS Dumbbell – Which One’s Better

Barbells VS Dumbbells – Which One’s Better?

In the modern-day world, training your body usually happens in the gym, where you have a variety of dumbbell, barbell, and machine exercises.

In the context of free weight, however, one question has been floating around – What’s better, barbells or dumbbells?

If you’ve asked yourself this, keep reading because this article underlines the differences and benefits of barbells and dumbbells to help you create your perfect workout plan.

The Specifics

One of the main rules of weight training is to use various equipment, angles, and grip types.

This is important because even a slight change in the grip or angle of a given exercise changes the specifics of that same exercise.

This means that a different type of equipment or angle/grip will shift the tension towards other muscles/zones of the worked muscle group. For instance, the flat bench press will mainly engage your mid and lower chest while also engaging the triceps and shoulders.

However, an incline bench press will put more tension on the upper portion of the chest, along with increased pressure on the shoulders. From this information, we can conclude that barbells and dumbbells have their application, and there isn’t a “better” one.

The point is to use each type of equipment for its designated purposes per your goal.

 

The Benefits Of Barbells

Barbells are, without a doubt, one of the most effective ways to stimulate the musculature, whether talking about muscle growth or training during the fat-loss phase.

Here’s why:

  1. Barbells allow you to lift heavier weights

Because there is generally a fixed point between the working limbs, barbells allow you to lift heavier weights.

This is also perhaps because barbell exercises are more stabilized by nature, thus allowing your body to activate more of your fast-twitch muscle fibers.

You can check this for yourself – If you’re barbell bench pressing 80 kg for reps, the odds are that you won’t be able to dumbbell push 40 kilograms on each hand as easily.

  1. Easier Realization Of Training Principles

Regarding muscular development, there is one fundamental principle to consider. That is, namely, progressive overload, which implies that you should, over time, progressively increase the demand upon the musculature (i.e., increasing weight, reps, sets, etc.)

Because barbells allow you to lift heavier weights with more stability, increasing your workload is an easy task with barbells instead of dumbbells.

Both benefits allow for greater working volume overall, meaning barbells are perfect for gaining muscle mass.

The Benefits Of Dumbbells

Though barbells have many benefits regarding muscular development, that doesn’t mean dumbbells should be excluded.

Here are the main benefits of dumbbells:

  1. Bringing up weaker muscle groups

Because dumbbells inevitably make you use each side of your body separately, they can be one of your best picks when bringing up your weaker side.

The individual load on each side doesn’t allow your stronger side to overtake the movement, thus creating sufficient stimulation on the side that creates asymmetry.

  1. Muscle Unit Activation

One of the most crucial factors when lifting heavy weights is muscle unit (muscle fiber) activation.

With barbells, movements are generally fixed in a shorter range of motion, while dumbbells allow for greater movement of the arms. This grants increased muscle activation, even on fundamental exercises like the bench press.

Take Home Message

In the context of better overall development, there isn’t a winner in the fight between barbells vs. dumbbells…

Both have their benefits, so you should rely on a mix of the two in your workout regimen. Use barbells when you want to target progressive overload and lift the heaviest weight possible heavily. Use dumbbells to strengthen your weaker side and work more on joint stability than maximum strength.

Tell us your favorite barbell/dumbbell exercises in the comment section below!

Why Knowing Your Macro Intake Is Important For Weight Management

In the world of weight management, it’s imperative to be conscious of what you’re eating.

This includes being mindful of macro intake, which refers to the amount of macronutrients such as carbohydrates, protein, and fats that you consume daily.

This may sound complicated, but monitoring your macros has several significant advantages. First, it makes calorie counting much less overwhelming, as each macronutrient has its calorie count per gram.

This means monitoring calorie consumption and maintaining or losing weight as needed becomes simpler.

Furthermore, carefully tracking macros ensures you get the right nutrients needed for effective metabolism. This, in turn, promotes a more healthy lifestyle overall.

Finally, having a comprehensive understanding of your macro intake helps you to make informed choices when it comes to grocery shopping, meal planning, and choosing healthier food options.

However, it’s important to remember that everyone’s macro needs will differ depending on their goals and lifestyle.

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