How Do Protein Supplements Help Build Muscle?

It’s well known that athletes and bodybuilders often use dietary supplements to help them get the most out of their workouts. And the majority of the supplements they use are to get more protein into the body. The supplements are specifically designed to increase muscle mass when combined with regular exercise. They are usually taken in pill form, or as a powder blended with milk or juice. But exactly how do they work?

Your body needs amino acids to build muscle tissue. The protein supplements work alongside the body’s natural process to produce the amino acids more quickly and efficiently. This effectively means that your muscles recover more quickly after a workout – allowing you to have shorter breaks between exercise sessions.

The reason that bodybuilders and athletes have a need for protein supplements is the amount of time they spend exercising or putting in intensive sessions at the gym. Without the supplements the muscles would take longer to recover, and also as the body has less protein to work with, the muscles simply would not grow as fast.

Protein supplements are sometimes thought of as a fat-loss supplement. However, this really isn’t the case. The protein will not allow you to work harder or longer during your exercise – it will simply repair the muscle fibres more quickly. In fact, if you take a lot of protein and don’t work it off with regular exercise, this will actually result in you gaining weight. Instead, fat-loss supplements work either by increasing your metabolic rate or suppressing your need to eat; protein will do neither of these things.

Experts have suggested that whey-based protein supplements are the best for muscle growth, and they can therefore be recommended if you are looking to add muscle to your body. However, if you are lactose intolerant or suffer from bloating you may wish to choose an alternative.

It’s worth remembering that protein supplements shouldn’t be used to replace the protein you get from your diet. They should be taken alongside a healthy diet to encourage muscle growth.