The Importance of More Muscle

Maybe you go to the gym, maybe you pound the pavement, or maybe you hit the hills on a bike – but let’s get real – the trick to optimal performance is more muscle.

PROGENEX More Muscle helps increase lean muscle so that you lift more, build more, and burn more throughout your day.

 

The Importance of Muscle

You may not be looking to compete in the next Mr. Universe contest, but man or woman, you can’t deny the facts about building muscle:

  1. Muscle simply looks good. While physically appealing, a nicely built, toned body also speaks to a person’s inner strengths like discipline, commitment, and health-consciousness.
  2. You need muscle to do what you want to do. Whether it’s crushing an overhead squat PR or conquering a mountain, more muscle makes it happen.
  3. Most importantly, muscle is a critical factor in metabolic health, body weight control, bone strength, and resilience to stress and disease.

But no need to belabor the point. You’re here because you want to achieve your best body composition ever. So let’s dive into how to make that happen.

Pre-Workout Protein

Everyone knows the formula to building more muscle: Workout + Eat Right = Muscle Gains. But within that formula are a multitude of complex variances that ultimately make or break your muscle-building efforts.

“Eating right” for someone looking to shed some pounds is going to look different than “eating right” for someone wanting to own the next strongman competition. But one thing everyone has in common is a need for high-quality, rapidly absorbed protein.

Protein for Weight Loss

In a 2008 study published in “Nutrition & Metabolism,” 158 overweight subjects were divided into two different groups. Both groups restricted caloric intake by 500 calories per day, but one group took a whey protein supplement 20 minutes before breakfast and 20 minutes before dinner. During the course of 12 weeks, the whey protein group lost more body fat and kept more muscle than the control group who simply cut calories. The whey protein subjects lost 6.1 percent of their body fat while significantly lowering their risk of diseases (such as Type II diabetes, sleep apnea, etc.).

Protein for Resting Metabolism Boost

Another study analyzed the effects of taking a whey protein supplement on an empty stomach prior to heavy resistance training. The study, published in May 2010 in “Medicine & Science in Sports Exercise,” measured the differences in resting energy expenditure (REE) when eight subjects (five men and three women) consumed a whey protein supplement 20 minutes before training versus when they took a carbohydrate supplement pre-workout. At 24 hours after heavy resistance training, the researchers found that taking the whey protein supplement resulted in significantly higher rates of resting energy expenditure for 24 hours after the training ended. What is resting energy expenditure and why does that matter? REE refers to the body’s calorie-burning rate when you’re no longer active. In their words, the researchers concluded, “Timing [protein supplementation] before [heavy resistance training] may be a simple and effective strategy to increase energy expenditure by elevating [resting energy expenditure] the day after [heavy resistance training]. Increasing [resting energy expenditure] could facilitate reductions in body fat mass and improve body composition if nutritional intake is stable.”

Protein for Recovery

According to the American Council on Exercise, recent research demonstrates that consuming high-quality whey protein isolate pre-workout appears to create the largest increase in recovery rates (~150 – 200% increase in protein synthesis rates versus ~150% increase when taking protein only post-workout). Because muscle growth takes place in recovery, these findings are significant for anyone who hopes to build more muscle and use protein supplementation efficiently.

Why Hydrolyzed?

PROGENEX More Muscle is not only a high-quality whey protein isolate – it goes one step further through a process known as hydrolyzation.

Hydrolyzed protein is whey protein isolate that is exposed to enzymes that ‘unbind’ the amino acids, breaking them down so your body can process them quicker and more efficiently. It is, in essence, pre-digested protein that goes directly to work repairing and rebuilding your muscles since it doesn’t require that your body break it down first. Beyond that, when your body has to break down the amino acids in digestion, about 20-30% of the whole-body protein turnover and energy expenditure occurs in the stomach, intestines, pancreas, and spleen rather than in muscular protein synthesis (Manninen, et al., 2009).

BONUS: See how PROGENEX More Muscle is made!

A study published in the “Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry” by a group of Japanese researchers supports the theory of hydrolysates. Ten subjects were enrolled in the study, with five subjects participating in trials on either soy or whey protein and their hydrolysates. This study compared the effects of different sources and degrees of hydrolysis of dietary protein, independent of carbohydrate, on plasma amino acid and dipeptide levels and insulin responses in humans. Their findings? The hydrolysates, both soy and whey, were absorbed more rapidly as plasma amino acids compared to their non-hydrolyzed protein counterparts. Whey protein caused more rapid increases in indispensable amino acid and branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) concentrations than soy protein. They continue, “In addition, protein hydrolysates caused significant increases in Val-Leu and Ile-Leu concentrations compared to non-hydrolyzed protein. Whey protein hydrolysates also induced significantly greater stimulation of insulin release than the other proteins. Taken together, these results demonstrate whey protein hydrolysates cause significantly greater increases in the plasma concentrations of amino acids, dipeptides, and insulin.”

 

In short, hydrolyzed whey protein isolate wins when you’re looking to pack on more muscle.

The Truth About Protein

As more and more athletes have become aware of the benefits of protein supplementation, more and more myths have arisen. Let’s set the record straight:

 

All protein is not created equal.

 

First, just like anything, you get what you pay for. Protein comes in varying degrees of quality. Inferior quality will get you inferior results. Remember, while other brands may offer what seems like a great value when it comes to protein supplementation, you may end up paying for protein that your body simply can’t utilize. So you have to ask yourself, “What’s the real cost?”

Second, as discussed above, your body uses hydrolyzed protein more efficiently than intact whey protein isolates. You don’t have to waste money on protein whose energy expenditure happens in the digestive tract rather than in synthesizing muscle tissue.
Third, many protein brands include hard-to-digest fillers and “junk” ingredients that can leave you feeling bloated. PROGENEX More Muscle uses the highest quality hydrolyzed whey protein isolate available in a pure and digestible form.

More of Everything You Need to Build Muscle

Not only is PROGENEX More Muscle the most effective protein on the market in terms of quick absorption, efficiency, and rapid recovery, it is also one of the best-tasting protein supplements available. Choose from one of five amazing flavors and start looking forward to tomorrow just so you can wake up and slam another shake.

BONUS: Learn how PROGENEX athlete Cole Sager prepares for competition and the role recovery plays here.

Significantly more enhanced than most protein molecules, the protein in PROGENEX More Muscle gets to your bloodstream–and hungry muscle fibers–fast! This speed is especially important when your muscles are experiencing a protein deficit, such as first thing in the morning, immediately after training and any other arduous stretches throughout your day. Begin taking PROGENEX More Muscle during these critical times and start realizing superior strength, size, and body composition gains. When it comes to increasing energy, speeding recovery, stimulating muscle building and achieving your best body composition ever, PROGENEX More Muscle delivers MORE of everything you need!

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