Gain Big Muscles - How To Build Really Big Muscles

Having known that taking in sufficient amounts of proteins is essential in muscle-building, it is now time to know the right kinds of proteins to consume. One type of protein stands out in the bodybuilding category- whey protein.

What is Whey Protein?

Whey protein is a wonderful food supplement since it contains some great muscle-building properties. It has one important element that most other protein sources don’t have- its digestibility rate. Whey protein isolate for example (the purest form of whey protein), is one of the fastest acting protein sources today. Once ingested, whey protein isolate can circulate in your system shortly thereafter.

As well as being one of the fastest-acting proteins, whey protein isolate is rich in branched-chain amino acids leucine, isoleucine, and valine. These amino acids are very important since they help prevent muscle protein breakdown during exercise and appear to preserve muscle stores of glycogen. In other words, whey protein isolate contains the muscle building properties that most weight trainers are looking for. This is very important to understand.

Alright, so now you know that whey protein is 1) easily and efficiently digested, and 2) high in muscle building branched chain amino acids, all we need to know now is when to take whey protein for the best results.

When is the Best Time to Take Whey Protein?

For best results, it makes sense to try and consume whey protein supplement. If an aspiring weight trainer is just starting out and aiming to enhance his diet with a protein supplement, he may not necessarily know when to take whey protein for best results.
Let me give you a personal example.

When I first started weight training way back in 1986, my first protein supplement was Beverly International’s protein powder. Of course, this protein supplement was not a whey-based product but a cheap variation of soy protein mixed with milk proteins. I’ll be the first to say that these early protein powders mixed like cement and tasted just slightly better. Anyways, I had no clue when to take this protein supplement. I basically took this protein powder once every two days. This was a complete waste of money with no benefit whatsoever.

First of all, my protein intake was very inconsistent which is not conducive to building muscle at all.

Secondly, every two days was not enough to affect my protein intake at all.

How was I supposed to know when to take a protein supplement? There was absolutely no information - no forums, no blogs, no Yahoo answers, no information sites (such as building muscle101…hehe), no Internet, no nothing. If you were an aspiring weight trainer back in the mid ‘80’s, there was not a whole lot of information to be found, let alone use.
Anyways, now I know.

I’ve done some research and carried out a lot of personal experiments to see what works best. I’ve come to the conclusion that there are three windows of opportunity to put the power of whey protein to its best use. Here is when I think are the best times to take whey protein:

* as soon as you wake up
* 40 minutes prior to working out
* immediately after working out

Let us recap what we’ve learned about consuming proteins so far:

1. Whey protein is the best protein supplement for muscle-building programs.

2. Know when to take your whey protein – upon waking up, before working out, and after working out.

Mr. Muscle