Protein powder make a big difference to building muscles?

[StrawberryJam]

I am trying to build some muscles, but I don't take any protein powder anymore because they all make me bloated. Beans, lentils and tofu make me bloated too. I eat spinach and nuts (which is not good as I am also trying to lose weight) for protein . I have been doing weight training for about 12 weeks now and can only see a tiny teeny weeny puney little difference in my muscle growth. My trainer tells me to be patient and that its hard for girls to build muscles. Perhaps I am being too impatient, but if protein powder makes a big difference to muscle building I think I'll put up with the bloating. So my questions is: for those of you that take protein powder, do you find it really makes a big difference to muscle growth? And is it sufficient to just have it once a day straight after a workout?

 

Tim Van Orden doesn't believe we really need protein for muscle growth and he looks really athletic... but perhaps he would be much bigger if he took protein supplements?

[Gaia]

My advice would be to find a protein powder that works for you. And I would not take the whole two scoops they say, at least not in one serving anyways. I have found that if I use the brown rice protein powder (no added stuff to it and only one scoop) and put it in my oatmeal in the morning that I don't bloat (I also add spirulina to help with digestion). Hemp protein also doesn't make me bloat, but it is very gritty in my smoothie after a workout. Pea protein, or gemma protein, makes me bloat, so does Vega (probably because it has pea protein in it!). I have not tried the brazil nut protein powder (Thor's Raw) yet. You need to just try the many different vegan protein powders out there.

 

You may also want to see if you are digesting things properly. I noticed that I was not digesting my food very well as I saw it once again after it passed through my body , and found out that I was not making enough hydrochloric acid in my stomach to properly digest my food. After a couple of months on some hydrochloric acid tablets, I am digesting my food pretty well now and gas/bloating is at an all time low .

 

Your trainer is also right in that you might be a hard gainer (and not just because you are a girl, but because of your overall genetics). You will have to work extra hard to make your lifting weights go up steadily when you work out to build your muscles bigger.

[Im Your Man]

I am trying to build some muscles, but I don't take any protein powder anymore because they all make me bloated. Beans, lentils and tofu make me bloated too. I eat spinach and nuts (which is not good as I am also trying to lose weight) for protein . I have been doing weight training for about 12 weeks now and can only see a tiny teeny weeny puney little difference in my muscle growth. My trainer tells me to be patient and that its hard for girls to build muscles. Perhaps I am being too impatient, but if protein powder makes a big difference to muscle building I think I'll put up with the bloating. So my questions is: for those of you that take protein powder, do you find it really makes a big difference to muscle growth? And is it sufficient to just have it once a day straight after a workout?

 

It's not about taking protein powder or not, it's about getting more proteins or not, you can get that from foods, or sometimes from protein powder makes it easier, more practical.

If you say that protein powder, beans, lentills and tofu all make you bloated, I don't think it's because of those foods, it's because of the way you eat them, the way you combine them with other foods. The stomach doesn't digest all kinds of different foods the same way.

 

Tim Van Orden doesn't believe we really need protein for muscle growth and he looks really athletic... but perhaps he would be much bigger if he took protein supplements?

 

Tim is not a bodybuilder at all, he's a runner. He wants the less muscle mass possible, yet he's not able to have less because the amino acids in his raw foods are pure quality, very efficient. Maybe if he would take protein powders instead of all the raw foods he eat, perhaps he would have less muscles.

[Zack]

Maybe if he would take protein powders instead of all the raw foods he eat, perhaps he would have less muscles.

 

Nah, he should starve himself then he'll lose all that "extra muscle" that he has.

[beforewisdom]

SJ;

 

Protein powder helps, but what actually builds muscle is

 

1. Stimulation ( exercise )

2. Adequate calories and adequate protein

3. Adequate rest ( sufficient and regular sleep ).

 

Focusing on losing body fat while building some muscle means you need a high protein lower calorie diet that still gives you the energy your body needs for recovery.

 

I don't think it is so easy to do that getting your protein needs met eating nuts.

 

You might want to try soaking and then cooking your legumes. Possibly starting off with a few spoonfuls a day and gradually increasing "the dose" as you get used to eating those foods.

[Marcina]

I have a hard time gaining muscle too, because I'm an ectomorph. I burn fat very quickly and gain muscle slowly. On days I weight train I eat as much as I can. I eat beans, legumes, nuts, nut milk, and have 1-2 protein shakes a day.

I also only use half a serving. I do it to conserve protein powder, mostly. I'm cheap hahaha.

If you are also an ectomorph, losing weight should be easy for you. I can eat a pound of nuts a day and not gain an ounce.

Being women, and lacking testosterone, we can train and lift heavy and not worry about bulking up too much. The ripped women you see on the covers of some magazine are most likely taking steroids, or have been training for many many years.

I've been training for about a year and a half and I've seen gains.. Small ones though haha.

My upper body, of course, I've been favoring since I have a hard time bulking that area.

Also, If you're doing lots of cardio, it will be harder to gain muscle.

 

i hope this makes sense, I'm listening to distracting music while typing haha

[makke]

How long did you try beans, legumes and tofu?

When I changed my diet from western to vegan, I got very bloated at first too, and I farted excessively ... but after some weeks my body got used to them.

[Im Your Man]

Maybe if he would take protein powders instead of all the raw foods he eat, perhaps he would have less muscles.

 

Nah, he should starve himself then he'll lose all that "extra muscle" that he has.

 

yeah of course, if he stops eating he's gonna lose the extra muscles but he needs to eat if he wants to have enough energy to win races. Or if he starve and lose muscles, then when he start eating again it's gonna come back like before.

[StrawberryJam]

After reading everyone's comments I've gathered its sall about experimenting and finding out what works for my body. I've been going so hard at consuming kale and spinach to get enough protein that I did a green poopy the other day (sorry, too much info I know), so must try other things like different protein powders and proper food combining.

 

Also, If you're doing lots of cardio, it will be harder to gain muscle.

 

Marcina, I'm just curious as to why doing cardio would make it harder to gain muscle. If I do both cardio and weights wouldn't I just gain muscles and lose fat at the same time?

[Marcina]

The muscles need a lot of energy to grow. Doing cardiovascular activity burns off the carbohydrates and fats that are needed for muscles to grow.

 

When we weight train, we burn off carbs and after the workout, the muscles need protein to repair themselves. We continue burning calories even after a weight training session because of this.

 

Doing cardiovascular training starts burning carb and fat stores after about 20 minutes. The longer you go, the more fat/carbs you burn. That leaves less energy for the muscles to grow. For ectomorphic body types like myself, our metabolisms are scorching and we burn fat very quickly. In order for me to build muscle, it works best if I just cut the cardio out completely. Just weight training is enough for me to burn off fat and build lean muscle mass.

When I first started training, I just did weights and shed about 10 pounds. Eventually, over the course of many many months, I gained the weight back as muscle.

 

I recently incorporated cardio into my routine to strengthen my heart and lungs and improve my endurance. I started to lose body fat really quickly. I haven't weighed myself in awhile to see if it's still the same, but I noticed I look leaner already. My cheekbones are more obvious, and I have ab definition. I carry fat in my lower body though, so I still have a bum, but my boobs shrank

[StrawberryJam]

Thank you Marcina for the explanation... makes great sense and makes me less guilty for not doing much cardio (I usually only do 20 minutes cardio after weight training). I am so envious of the ectomorphic body types, I'm not sure what body type I am, but its the one with really slow metabolism and I can put on weight really quickly and easily, and its really slow and painful to lose weight. Anyhow I'll persevere, hopefully by this time next year I can post some decent before and after pics.

[Marcina]

Endomorphic. However, endomorphic people tend to put on muscle really quickly as well.

 

Being an ectomorph and trying to get bigger is a very slow and frustrating process. I've been skinny my entire life and all I've ever wanted was to look like those girls in fitness magazine with the nice tones arms and abs and then I look at myself in the mirror and see very little muscle definition.. I weight train almost every day and lift as hard as I can and I'm still puny!!

 

My ideal bodytype would be mesomorph.

[Im Your Man]

i'm mesomorph, it's fast and easy to lose or gain fat and muscles. Most bodybuilders are this bodytype.

But I love to eat, sometimes I wish I were ectomorph or a taller mesomorph, so I could eat as much as I can without gaining fat.

[Marcina]

I only gain fat in one place

[Lean and Green]

Protein powders are key for me, they are super convenient and besides i can't get algae from my local lake and even if i had one, i wouldn't be harvesting it. I consume as much as 1/2lb a day and I feel it does the job for me.

 

Tim Van Orden is an amazing athlete, he does not want to be big StrawberryJam, he is a runner and an elite runner wants to have as little muscle as possible and a small frame and body in general. He's also a truly awesome person but in no way a bber....

 

As for girls having a hard time building muscle, tell that trainer to shove it, what kind of support and motivation is that. Granted it is easier for men and we pack it on alot quicker and much more due to testosterone but have you seen the vbbf women as well as many others? It can be done, anyone who works hard at it and does things the right way will build...

[Fallen_Horse]

Personally I get about 30-45 grams of protein per day from pea isolate. I can't imagine meeting my protein reqs without a powder...

[StrawberryJam]

I went and bought some protein powders, started taking them yesterday... all about experimenting and seeing for myself if it makes a difference (well for my body at least, since we are all different). Its certainly convenient... took me 30 seconds to make my filling and delicious dinner... a protein shake with bananas and blueberries.

 

Lean and green, I have seen the vbbf women, they give me great motivation! Marcina has been weight training for 1 year and a half and here I am getting impatient after just 3 months... I need to get it into my head that Rome wasn't built in one day!

[Marcina]

Yeah I'll weight train about 3-4 days a week too.

I was so impatient at first. I'm still impatient. I want nice abs for the summer the most. Nice abs and legs.

The women I see and go "Hey I wanna look like you!" have usually been training for many years. i'm sure even they have stuff they want to work on too

[DaN]

Strawberry Jam, you have hit the nail on the head, its all about experimenting.We all have different needs/metabolisms etc.

 

My guess for you would be to do alot of cardio like swimming which will burn fat fast but also stimulate all over body muscle.To help the muscle find a low carb protein powder & you should be in business

 

[seitan_man]

Forgive my ignorance but I thought protein powders by definition would be low carb, hence them being *protein* powders?

 

[DaN]

Yeah they are generally, but in my local health shop I have found quite a few that are quite high in carbs, I think for body builders wanting to bulk up too

 

Its just worth checking

[DaN]

Marcina wrote:

 

Yeah I'll weight train about 3-4 days a week too.

 

Marcina, you mentioned about being ectomorph, im not sure what I am but that sounds likely.

 

I was working out 3-4 times a week & I wasnt gaining anything.

 

Maybe you guys know better as you certainly have more experience in general than I do (im only a newbie really!) but I cut my workouts down to 2 major ones & sometimes a little one imbetween them.I find that doing such a smaller amount actually gains me muscle alot quicker, the reasoning I give to explain this is I feel my body needs longer to rebuild than general people, perhaps because of metabolism etc.

 

Just thought id mention it because it might help you

 

[StrawberryJam]

Regarding the protein powder... the one I bought is low carb and high protein, but by adding a banana and 1/2 cup of blueberries to it does it then make it a high carb (since bananas have high carb content) protein drink? Would that hinder my fat loss?

 

And DaN, I gotta tell you... I love love love your picture... that puppet is so cute!!

[DaN]

StrawberryJam said:

 

And DaN, I gotta tell you... I love love love your picture... that puppet is so cute!!

 

 

Awww thanks, its a character called Zippy from a show we had here in the UK when I was a kid, it was called 'Rainbow', Hello everybody was his catchphrase, he talked alot & when the other puppets wanted him to shut up they just zipped his mouth shut hence the name Zippy

 

Im sure its on youtube etc

 

In regards to the banana/blueberry thing..

 

Each item of fruit is around 50-100 calories (apples, bananas etc)

 

Fruit in general is just full of sugar.When you eat sugar & you are not using the energy your body will store the energy as fat.

 

One banana & some berries will not turn it into high carbs though as they will only total 200 calories at the most - so you should be fine, even though fruit is quite high in sugar it is a healthy sugar so dont worry about it.

 

I'm no expert but the above is what I have come to understand.To really avoid putting on weight I guess you should avoid wheat products (pasta,bread,etc) maybe avoid nuts (high in fat) & anything sugary that isnt fruit (chocolate,candy,etc) but dont avoid fruit!!!!

 

Hope that helps a little !