Choosing a good and trusted brand of whey protein should be your top priority when choosing supplements. Optimum Nutrition’s Gold Standard 100% Whey protein powder has kept its reputation as one of the best protein powders for beginners for almost a decade.
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Why is Optimum Nutrition’s Gold Standard 100% Whey good for beginners?
Aside from offering a great taste, Optimum Nutrition’s whey protein is a whey isolate. This means the protein content is more filtered than you will find in protein concentrates in the market. Moreover, it contains 24 grams of protein per serving, is easy to mix and has been considered the standard all other whey protein isolates are measured for almost the entire past decade.
In addition to that, it contains a bit over 4 grams of glutamine and glutamic acid in each serving, which is essential for our bodies to recover from intense exercise. As the bodies of beginner gym-goers might experience stress more severely, they need a larger portion of glutamine to recover.
Glutamine is an amino acid, contained in whey protein that mainly serves the purpose to help muscles recover from stress. Most protein powders do not contain such a high amount, so you would need to supplement your daily intake of glutamine.
Gold Standard’s amino acid profile is also high in leucine, isoleucine and BCAAs. With more than 5 grams of the three main amino acids, which take part in muscle recovery and growth.
More about how to choose protein powder.
Is Whey protein powder good for weight loss or weight gain?
This has been a controversial topic over the years. Whey protein gives you a feeling of fullness when consumed and impairs appetite, meaning it can be of great help when trying to lose weight. On the other hand, if you already have established your daily calorie intake, that would not be an issue if you are trying to gain weight.
There is no better source of protein than a whey shake, and if you are trying to gain weight, you are going to need to reach your daily protein target.
Do you know: Is it a good idea to drink a shake before cardio?
FAQs about protein and building muscle
How much protein per day do you need to build muscle if you are a beginner?
In recent years, the most commonly used formula is to consume 1.2 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. This means if you are a 70 kg person, you would need to consume at the very minimum 84 grams of protein to maintain muscle mass, and around 140 grams of protein to build muscle consistently.
How much do you need to eat to gain muscle mass as a beginner?
Regardless of your experience in bodybuilding, you need to consume more calories per day than your current diet. To do that, make sure to estimate your average daily intake and aim to boost it by around 20%. Meaning if you are consuming 2000 calories per day, try going for 2200. Aside from that, you should aim to get between 20 % and 30 % of your calories from protein.
Which is the best protein supplement for beginners?
- Whey Protein.
- Casein Protein.
- Egg Protein.
- Pea Protein.
- Hemp Protein.
- Brown Rice Protein.
- Mixed Plant Proteins.
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How to Get Protein For Beginners
It is true that most people who are trying to build muscle usually go for protein shakes when they get bored with workouts or when they feel like they don’t know what else to do. Protein in the regular diet, though, is not enough. If you are a beginner, you must make sure that your diet includes the necessary protein in the right quantity. In the gym, what if it’s hard to give the correct amount of protein to your muscles?
What you need to repair your muscles
Whey, soy and casein are the proteins that you can eat without having any side effects in the long term. You will get all the essential amino acids for the repair of your muscles without having to worry about them getting destroyed in your workout. Whey is a good choice for beginners because it will not cause any side effects after consuming it. Soy protein is great as a substitute for whey.
Whey is rich in essential amino acids, which make it an excellent source of protein for beginners. Casein is another good option, because it has higher quality protein than soy. Soy protein has the same qualities as casein but with less amounts of amino acids. The downside is that soy is not as digestible and as easy as casein. For people who want to start on a proper diet plan, protein shakes may not be the best idea for them.
