"Got Protein?"
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| Chris Spealler Doing What He Does Best So yesterday I did a blog on "The Paleo Diet" in my own words due to the several questions that I came across on Facebook from people at the gym and today I wanted to do my own take on "Protein Shakes" as I've seen some questions about them also so I wanted to give a shot and try and shed some light. First I just want to say everything I'm going to write in this blog is stuff that I found researching for countless hours and from personal experiences. I'll try to not make it sound over your head. My main goal on my blog is to keep you interested, motivated, and to help you reach your goal. Why? I'm just the type of guy that wants to pay it forward. I don't want you to be like I was, depressed, fat, out of shape, and feeling worthless. It's no way to live, trust me. I'm better for it though, because it's taught me that I can be successful and I can change. First off all protein powders are not created equal. Yes, there is a difference. You'll find whey protein that is high in fat, low in fat, high in carbs, low in carbs, high in sugar, low in sugar and the list goes on and on. Also you're going to find that whey protein is going to contain different stuff. From what I've found through research their are three different types of protein. Here's how they break down: Concentrate Isolate Hydrolysate Here is how they are classified: Concentrate: Whey concentrate is the most common and cheapest form of whey protein. Whey protein concentrate is a common athletic supplement used to increase dietary protein intake, often with the goal of maximizing muscle hypertrophy. Concentrate is usually a low level of fat and cholesterol but, in general, have higher levels of bioactive compounds as well as carbohydrates in the form of lactose, they are only 29%-89% of protein by weight. Isolate: Whey isolates have had their base component, which is water, removed and are generally considered almost lactose and cholesterol free — they are at least 90% protein by weight. Two filtration methods are widely used. One method, utilizes ion exchangers which denature the proteins with heat, and may or may not damage the proteins. The second method, microfiltration, uses other filtration methods. Both methods yield a very high protein to non-protein product ratio. Whey and other protein powders can be reconstituted at the time of usage by the addition of a solvent such as water, juice, milk, or other liquid. Whey proteins are highly bioavailable, are very quickly absorbed into the body, and have a high concentration of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) which are highly concentrated in muscle tissue, and are used to fuel working muscles and stimulate protein synthesis. The difference between the whey protein forms is the process used to filter the proteins. Whey isolates yield a higher percentage of pure protein and can be filtered enough to be virtually lactose free, carbohydrate free, fat free, and cholesterol free. Hydrolysate: Whey protein hydrolysate is considered the gold standard of protein powders. Unlike concentrate of isolate forms of whey protein, hydrolysates are enzymatically predigested for maximal speed of absorption. This additional processing often comes at an increased cost, but is considered superior for post workout muscle hypertrophy. Additionally, some individuals who experience intestinal problems with WPC or WPI will not experience problems when consuming hydrolysate. Whey protein hydrolysate is distinct from hydrolyzed collagen. Hydrolyzed collagen is produced from collagen found in the bones, skin, and connective tissue of animals. The amino acid content of hydrolyzed collagen is the same as collagen, which is deficient in one of the nine essential amino acids. This distinguishes hydrolyzed collagen from whey protein hydrolysate, which is derived from the whey protein fractions of cow's milk. Whereas hydrolyzed collagen is often used to improve skin, bone, and joint health, it is not typically used for weight training because it does not contain all of the essential amino acids. So what does all that mean? Well to put it to you in a way that you can easily understand, Whey Protein Hydrolysate because of it's quality, absorption speed, and the amount of amino acids it has is the best of the best. However, the drug dealer rule applies that, "Da betta dat powda, da higha da price." Personally, I use Progenex, because it's Whey Protein Hydrolysate and with the types of WOD's I do I want that quick absorption time to recover. Another reason I use it is because of the amount of amino acids it contains. I also have this thing about taking glutamine and from what I understand Progenex doesn't contain it. I don't like taking things with glutamine in it because glutamine fuels cancer cells. Not saying I have cancer cells, but who is to say it wouldn't cause them? So I try to reduce my risk. Cancer is a nasty sum bitch. I watched my mom suffer through it and it's not something I want or want my kids to see me go through so I take every precaution I can. Progenex is also easy on my stomach. I don't do good with milk based products. Thank God I do Paleo and yes I know that Progenex contains milk, but I'm not a "Paleo Psycho" and the stuff is low in fat and carbs. It along with organic butter is the only type of milk based products I use. So that's the basics on the types of protein powders and what I use. There is so much information out there on the internet it would take me the rest of my life to read up on it and I'm trying to keep this simple. So what type of protein powder is for you? Well it all depends on what you're looking for. I found a great article by Robb Wolf aka "The Paleo Guru" and you should really take the time to read this. It's great info! Low Carb PWO-Why When we talk health and longevity we are talking insulin management and carbohydrate flux. For many people insulin resistance is more important to deal with than performance, at least initially. If one is sick, or just less than optimally well, it’s tough to imagine optimum performance. Also, from a purely aesthetics (gasp!) perspective we might want to lean out for summer and not be a fatty. That was certainly my situation and I feel a good bit better at sub 10% body fat, especially when Chico is a balmy 106*F. I have tinkered with higher carbs PWO for several months and my signs of insulin resistance were simply not budging. I still have some cortisol issues that are likely driving some of this…multi time zone travel really kicks my ass! So I finally wised up and went back to what has worked so well for me in the past. I re-read the article by Mauro Dipasquale, and thought back a bit to what Poliquin had recommended to me at the Biosignature seminar last year: No carbs PWO, not till one is LEAN. For men that is below 10%, for women below 15% and in both cases, no sign of insulin resistance (high insulin readings at the love handles). The Purpose of the PWO meal can vary based upon desired effects. Fasting produces a different effect from both low carb and high carb PWO meals. People get pretty spun out about which way is “right” but it’s really just a spectrum of options. In this situation the PWO meal of whey protein + coconut milk is providing quickly digested protein which will reverse catabolic actions of training, with just a bit of fat to suppress the normal glucose release of a large protein meal via glucagon. This would not be the end of the world but part of what we want with this PWO meal is the MAINTENANCE of insulin sensitivity. If we totally top off our glycogen stores PWO we impair insulin sensitivity and make it damn tough to lean out. So, one way to look at this is the a LC-PWO meal is focusing on muscular recovery and growth, while minimizing or limiting the effects of insulin or carbohydrate. This is in stark contrast with what we will see in the case of the high carb PWO meal. From my perspective this is THE PWO meal of choice from a health promotion standpoint. Insulin management, cellular stress mechanisms, hormesis…all the crap I’ll cover in the book are adressed when we choose a LC-PWO meal MOST OF THE TIME.* Low Carb PWO-How I used ~ 50g of Whey protein from a brand called Isoflex. It’s a mix of whey protein isolate, hydrosolates, glutamine peptides, some insulin sensitizers and other goodies. I ran with a vanilla flavor that is sweetened with sucralose. To this I added about ¼ can of coconut milk (legit Thai coconut milk…hardly any English on the can, not Whitey watered-down crap!) and 2 heaping tablespoons of coco powder. I shot this concoction down as soon as I wrapped up my CrossFit Football or ME-Black Box session. Recovery was good as in I was not particularly sore and miraculously, I started to lean out again, especially when I upped my fish oil to about 15g/day (Kirkland brand). Overall I was getting in less than 50g of carbs per day and feeling pretty damn good. Strength was solid, short met-cons were “ok” and I started to look like someone who “strength trained”. Low-CARB Reality Check If you are a strength oriented athlete you might thrive on this regime. Low carb in general, one or two higher carb meals per week (or maybe not). You will NOT however win the CrossFit Games or optimize performance in longer Met-con oriented activities. Several of the folks in the comments section were a little startled by the protein+fat PWO meal which seems completely at odds with what I talk about in 42 Ways to Skin the Zone. It is simply a different tool for a different situation. If one is overweight or showing signs of insulin resistance, a low carb PWO meal is the way to go. Solid food is just fine and likely even better. Can’t everything be Fat Fueled? This is a sub-category of low-carb reality check. In general, I think there are activities/work outputs that just run better with SOME glycogen. I have noticed in myself and in some other people a surprising level of work output while in ketosis…but I still think there is a bit more to be had from a properly glycogen fueled athlete. This article from theJournal of Nutrition and Metabolism sheds some light on the opportunities and possible limits of a fat-fueled existence. Keep in mind, even if you do not EAT carbs, your body makes some. This might be a natural way to structure training…what hepatic (liver) glycogen production can support…but we will look at that in the book! High Carb PWO-Why In the LCPWO scenario we are concerned just with the anabolic/muscle growth aspects of recovery. This MAY play towards performance if our game is strength oriented but it will likely NOT do us many favors if we desire to be the CrossFit Kid or some other glycogen dependant athlete. The HC-PWO meal becomes appealing when we need to replenish not only damaged muscle tissue but also the glycogen stores that fire intense activity. We can do this a dumb way (perfectly balanced protein/carb/fat meals the same proportion, every day, all the time) or we can be smart and take advantage of heightened insulin sensitivity PWO to fly protein and carbs into our muscles with less of a hit from insulin. In this scenario we should see not only solid muscular recovery due to our protein intake, but also rapid glycogen repletion due to the smart carbs we throw into the PWO meal. How much carb/protein is a great question and I honestly do not have a perfect answer. If you have followed OPT’s Blog you will have noticed that he scales the amount of carbs and protein based on volume/intensity of an effort and percent body fat. That friends, is damn smart. I know of some fairly technical formulas that involve weight, duration of activity and some other factors, but it all relates to fairly static state endurance activities. I find it tough to extrapolate much to the CrossFit world from this information. A nice rule of thumb I have found effective is find your Zone block allotment. From this use about ¼ of your daily protein for PWO meals, and ½ your days carbs PWO for “big” WOD’s, ¼ of your day’s carbs for “small” WOD’s. This does not mean you need to weigh and measure every meal, just use this as a tool to find a nice PWO carb/protein level. By the numbers this would look like: My block allotment would be 17 blocks. PWO protein would be 4-5 blocks, PWO carbs would be 4-8 blocks. Huge variability? You bet, you need to pay attention to how much carbs you need to recover from a given beating. This IS where writing down what you eat pays big returns.What about Multi-event days? Glad you asked, I hear there is this thing, the CrossFit Games looming in the near future. How should one fuel/refuel for events? You should have figured a bunch of this out already…now is NOT the time to alter your game plan dramatically but the formula above is a good place to start. I’d say most WOD’s would necessitate 50% of the days carbs PWO. If you have three WOD’s you are obviously not following Zone parameters today! You should have easy to digest foods (yams+ applesauce is a goody) as is a shake you know you tolerate well. A little protein is good for balancing things out, nuts are good for between event snacks. Whey protein in the yam+applesauce=damn yummy and very useful. Nothing new on game-day…gas while running “The Hill” seems like a horrid day. High Carb Reality Check I hope you see that a spectrum exists here…if I throw 10g of carbs into a PWO meal, it’s still pretty “low”. This is where people need to understand a little of the theory and then just get in and tinker. I also had an asterisk* up above. It denotes the fact that although a low carb PWO meal is preferable for health, for longevity I think an OCCASIONAL HC-PWO meal is of benefit for a variety of reasons. Some of what I will cover in the book relates to two facts which seem at odds: What is the metabolic profile most associated with EFFECTIVE aging? Answer: the ability to metabolize fat for energy. What Helps to ensure this profile? OCCASIONAL bouts of glycolysis (large amounts of carbs). To this end, once one is healthy, but following a low-carb approach drop in one HC-PWO meal every 5-7 days. Post burner is a perfect time. I know that's a bunch to take in and yes I could have linked it, but I really wanted you to read it. Don't look to much into it though. There's some stuff in there that probably won't even apply to you so don't get confused. I just mainly wanted you to ask yourself, "What am I trying to do and which is right for me? Low-Carb or High-Carb?" I started taking the Progenex Recovery roughly 1 1/2 months ago and it's helped. It's main purpose is to help you recover and that's it. It isn't formulated to make you gain muscle. I remember before I was taking it I was constantly sore all day long after a WOD, but now I'm not. Just my own little testimonial there. Here is what Progenex Recovery is designed to do in the company's own words: How It WorksWhen you exercise, your muscle cells work by detecting a flow of electrical impulses from your brain. Through a chain of events linking the nerve impulse to the contraction mechanism, calcium is released from a storage compartment inside the muscle cell, which signals the cell to "go" or contract. As you work out, the amount of calcium released from the storage compartment progressively diminishes. Less calcium translates into weaker contractions, which in turn diminishes your strength. For the average athlete, it can take up to three days to reset that calcium-depleted environment. PROGENEX Recovery accelerates that reset process from days to minutes, leaving you feeling strong enough to do it again.Science |
Last Wednesday I added the More Muscle and the results in the gym have been great for me. Today I PR'd:
Thruster @ 135
Clean @145
The finisher for today was the WOD from Back At The Ranch:
10 Min AMRAP
5 Thrusters 135/95 (I did 95 because I wanted to make sure I could rep them out and keep the heart rate going and not rest.)
10 Over Head KB Swings 53/35 (RX)
15 Pullups (I did 3 rounds with the blue band and finished with the green. I was wasted)
I missed 5 rounds today by 5 pullups. I was happy with that. I also did every single thruster unbroken. No rest in the rack position. The only time the weight hit the floor was when I was done with a set. To some 5 rounds might not be that hard or that big of a deal, but to me it was. It was just two months ago I was doing 65 on my clean and 45 on my thrusters.
So do I think I the More Muscle is working? I feel like it is. I have plenty of energy during WOD's and I'm not completely so busted up that when I come home all I do is lay on the couch. I also feel stronger and leaner. I'm not contributing all that to Progenex, but I think it's part of it.
In closing if you're looking for a protein powder get something that's going to work and work well. There is several of us at the gym that are using Progenex. Also if you're interested in trying some let me know. I have my affiliate with Progenex and I can get you some samples. Now you're probably thinking, "Well you just put all that crap about Progenex on here so I would buy it and you would get a kick back." You're right and wrong. First I didn't have my affiliate until Monday afternoon. Why did I get? There's so many of us at the gym using it now I wanted to help us out and get a nice discount. Cha Ching! This stuff isn't cheap dude! The plan is to do a bulk order once a month or as needed. If we have a $1K order we get 25% off and free shipping. If we have close to that we get 20% off and I was told personally by Progenex that they would "Help Us Out" if you know what I mean. Also if you want to order anything when we don't do an order let me know. You'll save 10% on your order and it gives me a 10% kick back, but I'm not keeping the money. I talked to Dale the other night and told him that I had my affiliate and my plan with the kick back is to set up a fund to help out members at PSKC when they need it most. Just my way of paying it forward. If you don't think I'm going to keep my word then why would I write these blogs to help you out? I care about you guys and want to do whatever I can for you, especially when you need it most!
I nearly forgot to mention how I take my protein shakes. For the most part I workout Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings. I don't take anything before a workout, part of that whole fasting experiment I'm doing that I'll talk about later in another blog. When I get home I take More Muscle and Recovery, put in a blender with 8oz coconut milk, 2 tablespoons of Almond Butter, 1 Tablespoon of Pure Honey, and a couple handfuls of ice and I blend it, of course after I remove my hand. Nobody likes a bloody protein shake.
On the days I don't workout or the days I workout in the evenings I do the More Muscle as I described above in the mornings around 10 or 11, again fasting. I don't do the Recovery if I don't workout. Why? It doesn't serve a purpose if it's not post WOD. If I workout in the evenings I just do a Recovery Shake with 8oz of water.
I hope this blog shed some light on what protein is, what types there are, the differences, how it's used, and the results. Remember, if you want to learn about all this crazy shit we're doing, Crossfit, Protein, Paleo, use "Google" it's the greatest tool out there.
See you guys in the gym!
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