Whey Protein - Beneficial??

xDesertxRatx

OK. Here's the situation and this might be the same for others here.

I don't need to lose any weight. Am 6'2" and 88kg at the moment so not to bad. Need to get my stomach to stick out less than my chest..that's my exercise aim. could do with putting a bit of muscle on my arms. Not wanting to be a beefcake, just good all round tone.

Now my eating and drinking habits are typically not that great. I have started having a fibrous breakfast. Eat fruit daily now. Staying away from bisquits and chocolate and generally try to eat a bit healthier. Only drink alcohol at weekends unless on holiday. I till eat my favourites like curry, chilli con carne, pizza, spag bol to name a few.

Exercise wise i do between 2-3 2.5km sessions in the pool each week and 2-3 gym sessions. I basicaaly do exercise Mon-Fri. Sessions are quite intense. Age, old git 51.

Will Why protein shake really be that beneficial? I have read it needs to be part of a controlled diet and i am not controlled diet wise.

I use a shake at the moment: Sci MX Whey Plus Rippedcore. One before and one after the workouts. Seems to help me not ache so much i noticed that.

Am guessing it won't do me any harm but if i want to throw a bit of muscle on my arms should i be using a certain type or are they all much in a muchness with regards to any benefits.

Would like to know peoples experiences.

Dano74

It'll be beneficial if you need a lot of protein and are striving to meet that goal. Beyond that, it's just a supplement without magical properties.

In short, it won't throw muscle on your arms. Working your muscles will. Whey protein can help in retention and repair as part of a protein protocol but yeah- it's just protein as part of your goal.

As for whey- do your homework. Not all wheys are created equal- IE- some brands offer less protein per serving than others.

Spliner1969

Only use the whey shakes if you need the protein to meet your daily goals. Even if you don't log your food, log it for a week or two and see where you are with protein. If you're not getting enough (somewhere around .8g/lb of lean body mass) then consider the whey to help, or simply eat more lean meat. Your choice.

Michael190lbs

I use a protein shake for insurance but typically easily hit my protein needs I just got into the habit and for $20 a month the chocolate taste in my morning milk is just a plus.

I agree with the above regardless

canadianlbs

i use whey isolate because it's just one of the different ways of getting protein inside me. it 'builds muscle' the way bricks 'build houses' - you still have to do the work yourself.

personally, i don't do much but roll my eyes at all the extravant specialization text in the labelling anymore. i do stick to isolate because lactose isn't a good thing for me, and i do stick to whey because if it ain't broke . . . but aside from that i just go for as plain as it gets. mine comes from canadianprotein.com.

if you're new to the supplement options, labdoor.com might be useful to you. they do independent purity analysis on various brands and rank the results. also some helpful info about what some of that fancy-pants wording actually means.

Christine_72

The only reason i have protein shakes is because i struggle to get enough protein without them, and a big reason is because I love the taste of the chocolate/peanut butter whey I'm using at the moment, it's great for when i feel like something sweet without adding tons of sugar/useless calories.

sijomial

Hitting an appropriate protein goal (taking into account you are exercising) is important.
If you need or want protein shakes to help you do that then fine but nothing special about them - it's just a protein rich liquid food.

Beneficial if you aren't hitting your protein goal from your everyday foods, otherwise no.

Protein timing makes bugger all difference too.

(Even older old git here, my uncle was a desert rat in WW2, wear your poppy with pride.)

xDesertxRatx

sijomial wrote: »

(Even older old git here, my uncle was a desert rat in WW2, wear your poppy with pride.)

Fair play and respect to your Uncle. I was a Desert Rat in Gulf War. Part of 7 Armoured Brigade who inherited the name from the original Division in WW2.

capaul42

@xDesertxRatx Thank you for your service

trigden1991

If your stomach sticks out past your chest, you probably need to lose weight.

Whey is useful if you struggle to meet your protein goal for the day.