Is Protein Powder Your Workout Saviour?

Good question. WH cuts through the fitness froth to get the low-down

- Roisindervish-O'kane, Clare Baxter

You regularly smash one after a workout, your best friend has a scoop’s worth sitting in her shaker, every second person at your local gym seems to be chugging one and new varieties are constantly hitting shelves. As a tub and scoop are now everyday essentials for fitness fans, questions are being asked about the body claims producers make. So we called in the experts for a little advice.

THE FULL SCOOP

So why all the buzz around protein? “It’s a macronutrient that provides amino acids, which join together to create and maintain muscle, bone, hormones and skin,” says Dr Graeme Close, a sports nutrition expert. “Think of them like Lego blocks. When the muscles are damaged through exercise, the Lego builders are ready to rebuild, but they can only work if you give them blocks,” he adds. Train muscles without adequate amino acids and you leave them with no option but to break down. “They’re so determined to build those muscular walls, they’ll break down existing muscle to access the amino acids required.” So, focusing on increasing your protein intake as you up your training is a no-brainer.

In an ideal world, you’d get this protein from whole foods – meat, eggs, seafood, dairy, beans and pulses – but unless you’re down with dropping half your salary in the local butcher’s, the ease and speed of protein powder is its greatest selling point. “Protein powder isn’t some weird artificial substance – it’s just an isolated part of the food,” says sports nutritionist Drew Price. “And when it comes to muscle growth and repair, 30g of protein from a shake is as good as the equivalent amount from a chicken breast.”

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