There is nothing more exciting than learning how to pursue your best health and fitness. This is a unique journey for each person because every individual person has a unique body. No two journeys will be identical, and you shouldn’t feel abnormal that it is a journey to understand what you need and how to get it. In fact, one of the most beneficial things you can do in your health journey is accepting the patience that it takes to simply learn about your body and how it works.
From the avid enthusiast and the professional athlete to the person who is purchasing a gym membership for the very first time, it takes effort and works to understand your unique needs to fulfill your goals. One of the biggest parts of the journey when it comes to health and fitness is going to be your education. This is a crucial and important part of your personal responsibility, because there are a lot of options out there. It seems that everywhere you look there’s an overwhelming amount of information about how to get healthy and pursue fitness.
Education is one of the most valuable tools you can hone when it comes to pursuing your best health and fitness. It will help you to understand the right paths to reach your goals, and give you a deeper understanding of what is actually important. This is one of the reasons why Gainful gives every client access to real-life dietitians and exercise experts who are equipped with the education and passion to help answer your questions.
What is Protein Powder?
When it comes to common tools that are used by millions of people every year as they pursue their health and fitness, protein powder is possibly at the top of that list. This is one of the most common supplements on the market to the point of it being an assumed part of your arsenal of health and fitness tools. Protein powder is used by everyone from professional athletes all the way to beginners who are learning how to work out for the first time.
So here’s the real question, if you aren’t familiar with protein powder, what exactly is it and how does it work? This powerful supplement is popular for a reason and has been accredited with some pretty incredible health benefits, but how does it work, and does it actually show improvement for those who use it?
When it comes to understanding if you need protein powder, there are all great questions to ask. Knowing how it works and what it’s meant for can help to ensure that you are making the right decision in investing in this supplement and not just wasting your time and resources.
It’s All About Cell Growth!
The human body is made up of trillions of cells. There are so many different kinds of cells, and muscle cells are among some of the most unique. When it comes to cell growth in the body, there are two general kinds of growth one is known as hyperplasia and the other is hypertrophy. Hyperplasia is when cells actually multiply. So you can have growth through hyperplasia when one cell turns into two, three, four, and so on, and then hypertrophy is when the cell itself grows and gets larger.
When it comes to muscle cells, grow through hypertrophy. This means that building muscle isn’t at all about adding on extra muscle cells, instead, it’s about taking the muscles that you have and making them stronger, and larger than they currently are. This happens the best through resistance training. Muscle cells are unique, long-bodied cells that are made up of what are called muscle fibers. These fibers are long and the cells themselves are multinucleated. This allows for one cell to have a lot of dynamic growth and nutrients.
When a person experiences resistance training, it causes small amounts of damage to occur in the muscle cell fibers. These fibers are made up of proteins, however, so when they are damaged, they use proteins to repair. When this happens, the cell fiber actually becomes stronger and larger because of the addition of protein.
You Need More Protein Then You Use
Because muscle cells use proteins to function, when you are actively using the proteins you take in through your diet, it’s possible to not take in more than you use. This can muscle atrophy, where the fibers actually get smaller and muscles shrink. The point of waiting for a diet with adequate protein helps keep your muscles at a status quo, however, if you want to grow your muscles, you need more protein than they actually use. This allows them to pack on more weight and grow thicker, stronger, fibers.
Conclusion
Even though most people get adequate protein from their diet to naturally maintain if you want to grow muscle growth you need to exceed your recommended minimum. This is where a protein powder supplement comes in. It works alongside your regular diet to give your body the protein it needs to build strong, healthy muscle.