Thursday, February 12, 2009

Are you sick of drinking protein shakes?

By Jon Cardozo

If you're like me, you probably started your muscle building program with a lot of enthusiasm. After a while, it can be difficult to continue your routine, especially when it comes to nutrition. Protein is essential for muscle growth, but I have gotten pretty tired of drinking the same boring protein shakes day after day.

If you're having the same problem and want to spice up your protein shakes, you can start by adding some simple flavors. Natural peanut butter or almond butter would be a good start since you need extra calories. But sometimes it's still not enough. What if you're still tired of taking the same drinks every day. Well, you could simply stop drinking them all together.

You should understand that protein shakes should not to be the basis of your muscle building diet. You need plenty of nutrients which are not always available in these powders, so you should focus on eating plenty of whole foods. These protein supplements should be treated as their name suggests - as supplements and not the core of your diet. Think about the original purpose of these supplements.

OK, they were made to make money, but besides that they help to fill in gaps when we can't get enough protein from other sources. Most of our protein sources are less convenient for our busy lifestyles. We can't always drive around with chicken, milk, tuna, or almond butter (trust me when I say that all you'll get is a dirty shirt and a bunch of laughing coworkers).

Even so, eating quality meats, grains, and vegetables is essential. You shouldn't rely on your protein shakes to make up the bulk of your food. By following this strategy, you also give your taste buds a rest by not eating the same foods all the time.

Of course, remember to balance your added calories with the proper weight training exercises. Otherwise, all those extra calories will simply expand your love handles and not your biceps.

That's right, simply adding protein and overall calories to your diet, even if it's a lot of protein and calories, will not build muscle if you don't combine this with weight training. Your body doesn't particularly like to grow muscle because it's difficult to maintain so you have to give your body a reason to build muscle.

These are the basic principles of bodybuilding and muscle building which you must master. Weightlifting supplements, including protein shakes, are no substitute for a solid weight training program and muscle building diet plan. - 15438

About the Author: