Thread: Protein

Not bad advice for hard-gainers: See http://davedraper.com/8-henriks-big-gainer.html

First, lets compare contents

Myoplex Deluxe: http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/eas/myodeluxenew.html

ON Optimum Whey: http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/opt/whey.html

First thing you notice, is that one formula is designed for sustained energy delivery (the Myoplex). Its loaded with glucogenic amino acids (like glutamine and arginine) that are quickly converted to glucose energy in the body. It also has a blurb about delivery of latent release carbs (brown rice syrup) and proteins (caseinate milk proteins). These are also insulin releasing. They signal for your body to take up and store the glucose as glycogen in liver and muscle cells. In order to do that, your insulin signal system must function normally and you must have plenty of gene signalling, by a steady pace of exertion, for several months.

The other formula (ON) is designed for slower and steady release by providing small, and two fractions of larger fraction sizes of proteins. The latter two require modest digestion for release, and therefore the amino acids you digest in your gut and small intestines are released more gradually into your blood stream. It also has many of the well known milk protein growth factor fractions, but less glutamine and also less BCAAs.

Those BCAAs are necessary for recovery. When released slowly, they also sustain protein building and delay protein breakdown (called proteolysis) - its how your body meets energy needs when glucose/glycogen stores are depleted in liver and muscle during and after exercise.

What I would do is stick with the Myoplex for the time being. See how you progress with lean mass gains while using it.

If it seems to causes fat gains, then you may have to switch to a product like ON that is less likely to spike your insulin levels.

At present, your body mass and height suggest you don't have a problem with body fat, you have a problem with providing sufficient nutrients to fuel your metabolism. You may have to work on fine tuning your gut absorption.

The only way you can tell if you have a fast metaboism, versus inefficient gut absorption is to do the numbers. You need to keep track of your calorie intake and your calorie expenditures. If, at say, 500-1000 cal over the calorie intake needed for maintenance, you begin to see fat accumulation, back off the calories a little, and if you still see fat gain and maybe water retention, then you may need to switch to the ON whey until your body becomes more proficient at storing and burning glycogen.

To gain mass, you *must* take in more calories than you burn. You also must be patient. You don't magically grow over night, despite what you may hear and read. You need to vary your protein intake aiming for 1.5-1.8 grams per lb of bodymass, eat plenty of green vegetables and for you, a fair amount of starchy vegetables as well, and you need to aim for a couple larger meals with smaller snacks as well.

You should be using BCAAs by themselves, in dilute dose, in your drink water, as they will help signal your body NOT to consume proteins, but to use stored glucose. And to fuel that glucose storage - you need *aerobic exercise* in moderate doses at least 3 days per week, and you need to use a diet that supplies starchy/fiberous carb sources and a higher reliance on protein drinks to help you meet your calorie and protein needs, than I would otherwise recommend for the other two bodytypes (meso- and endomoprhs).

The trick to avoid becoming skinny fat - thats the use of the alternativng aerobic and anaerobic exercise and the inclusion of adequate vegetable fiber in your diet along with those starchy carbs.

Hope this helps.