Three Important Types of Protein to Know

Whey (fast-absorbing)

Whey protein is found as a by-product of milk and cheese productions. This type of protein can be quickly ingested into the body quickly. Because of that whey protein shakes are the best protein shakes for post-workout recovery.

Casein (slow-absorbing)

Casein protein accounts for about 80% of proteins in cow milk and cheese. This type of protein has the ability to coagulate (gel or clot) in your stomach, which causes it to digest very slowly. I opt to use for Casein powder instead of milk is because milk contains fats and carbohydrates, which I do not need for my purposes.

Egg (medium-absorbing)

Egg protein is found in [you guessed it] eggs. These proteins take about one and a half to three hours to absorb into your body (medium absorption rate). As a side note, careful nutritional inspection will reveal that egg yolks are quite good for you too. Here is a comparison between egg white and egg yolk.

How to Take These Proteins

Whey Protein

Because whey protein can be absorbed quickly, it is best consumed immediately after a workout. After an intense workout, your body is in a state that craves nutrients. Failure to provide proper nutrition will force the body into a catabolic state (you do not want this). After a workout, you need simple carbohydrates to quickly push the body out of its catabolic state and whey protein to help your muscles rebuild. After my workouts, I drink a shake consisting of sugar and whey protein mixed at ~2:1 ratio. For example my post-workout protein shake consists of

• Water
• 50g of whey protein (usually 2 scoops)
• 100g of pure cane sugar OR 125g of honey

(About ~80% of honey is sugar, giving 100g of sugar total.)

I prefer using 125g of honey because it is more soluble it contains potassium which also aids in muscle recovery and helps prevent cramps.

Casein Protein

Because casein protein is absorbed very slowly, it is best to consume this protein before you sleep. The reason for this is because your body goes into starvation every night and runs on catabolism. Sleep is really the best time for your body to rebuild and recover, but it cannot do it if it is in a catabolic state. The slow release property of casein protein provides your body with a constant small source of protein to keep your body from catabolism. My pre-sleep shake is quite simple: water and casein protein (no other non-sense).

Egg Protein

Egg proteins fall in between the two extremes and it is also a truly natural gold-standard source of protein. Some people suggest drinking whey protein in the morning to combat catabolism from sleep, but I prefer to incorporate eggs into my breakfast. Why?

• One egg contains more than 6 grams of high quality protein containing all the essential amino acids our body needs to build and maintain muscle mass.
• I need my breakfast to keep me full longer than 2 hours. Egg protein take longer to absorb than whey protein. Eggs also contain several B vitamins required for energy production (good way to start your day full of energy).
• I don’t want to drink protein powders all day.
• Eggs is one of the best fat burning foods.

You shouldn’t eat more than 1 egg per day because of its cholesterol content. The good news is that cholesterol is only found in the egg yolk. So my optimal breakfast would contain, 1 whole egg (with yolk) + 1 egg without yolk, giving me ~10g of egg protein to start my day. I opt for 1 whole egg because the B vitamins and other useful nutrients are only found in the yolk.

Conclusion

Smart protein consumption is crucial to fitness success. I guarantee that if you follow this protein consumption plan, you will notice results quicker from your exercises. You will not be as sore during workouts, allowing you to workout longer. You will be sore less often, allowing you to exercise more often. You can even tweak your protein consumption (add more nutrients) to make them act like protein diet shakes and replace meals. Also, retaining more muscle mass will help you will lose fat quicker. As a bonus, check out my post on the best protein powder and optimize your protein consumption today!

There are two types of muscles you can develop from physical activity: fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscles.

Fast-Twitch Muscles

Fast-twitch muscles activate during short and intense physical activities.  For example, when you are maxing out in benching, your pectoral fast-twitch muscles are being used.

The benefit of fast-twitch muscles is that it gives you explosiveness and short-lived enormous strength.  Because fast-twitch muscles need energy quickly to perform intense activities, fast-twitch muscles rely primarily on a consumption-ready reserve of carbohydrates (glucose in your blood stream) for fast conversion into energy.

The drawback of fast-twitch muscles is that once your consumption-ready carbohydrate reserves are depleted, your fast-twitch muscles ceases to function.  This is why most people who weight train with heavier weights have longer rest periods in between sets (the body uses this rest period to rebuild a consumption-ready reserve of carbohydrates for the next lifting set).

Slow-Twitch Muscles

Slow-twitch muscles are activated during long workout routines with low-intensity or endurance training.  For example, when you are repping out in benching, your pectorial slow-twitch muscles are being used.

The drawback of slow-twitch muscles, is that it cannot react as quickly as fast-twitch and you cannot use it for any intense physical activities.

The benefit of slow-twitch muscles is that it is resistant to fatigue. Also, because slow-twitch muscles do not need energy as quickly as fast-twitch muscles, its primary source of energy comes from fat cells.  Slow-twitch muscles are also more resistant to catabolism.

Focus on Developing Slow-Twitch Muscles to Lose Fat

Most weight lifters today focus on developing their fast-twitch muscles and neglect their slow-twitch muscles.  While I do see the benefit of fast-twitch muscles, if your goal is to become lean and cut, you should tailor your exercise workout routine to developing your slow-twitch muscles.  These muscles are the ones that will help you burn an extra 50 Calories of fat per day.  Thinking on a big scale, if you’ve gained 10 pounds of slow-twitch muscles, you will be burning an extra 500 Calories of fat per day from doing nothing out of the ordinary.

Examples of Slow-Twitch Muscle Exercises

It is easy to come up with slow-twitch muscle exercises.  Just do whatever exercises you do except modify it to be less intense and longer.  For example, if you used to bench 145 lbs. 8 times per set, you can decrease your weight to 125 lbs. and lift 15 repetitions per set instead.  If you run for exercise, try running slower over a longer distance.

I am also a big fan of using your own body weight for weight training.  Mainly because there is a good chance that you are targeting slow-twitch muscles with these exercises.  At home, I rarely use my $700 Golds Gym weight bench, but instead I use the following exercise equipments (which are relatively cheap and useful for targeting slow-twitch muscles):

• GoFit Ultimate Burst Resistant Core Stability Ball with Workout DVD
• Perfect Pushup
• Resistance Bands Exercise Training Set

If I were to recommend a “must have” equipment out of all of these, it would be the balance ball as it lets you perform many different exercises using your own body weight. I have another post on this site on why I love using the stability ball so much. Check it out!

Lastly, if you want to lose weight fast, I also suggest that you try to incorporate these fat burning foods into your diet.