Building muscle size and strength generally comes down to two things: hard training and strict dieting. Miss one of these two ingredients and all your work will come to nought. But, if you really want to jack up your physique, one of the most important ingredients is quality protein, and you mind want to consider finding the right supplement.
After all, protein provides the building material for our muscles, and they can’t grow without its steady supply. For a long time whey has been the first choice of protein source. However, there is another protein that offers just as many benefits for your muscle development. That’s casein. If you’ve been thinking about adding it to your diet, don’t hesitate. Casein offers a number of benefits not only for your muscles, but for the body in general.
PROLONGED SUPPLY OF AMINO ACIDS
Not every type of protein offers the same benefits. Each of them, no matter whether they come from soy, eggs, meat, whey or casein, has its inherent advantages. Casein’s advantage is in its ability to provide your body with a steady flow of nutrients. This is due to one unique property of casein, and that’s its ability to clot, i.e. form a gel-like substance, in your intestines feeding your system with quality amino acids for hours.
Although the hard training that we perform during the day is crucial for building our muscle size and strength, the fact is that they grow overnight. Literally! So, consuming a dose of casein before you go to sleep is always a good option. Drink a glass of milk before going to bed and leave the casein to do its magic.
INCREASED GAINS
Casein also speeds up your muscle building process. One of the proves of casein’s property to speed up your muscle growth comes from a Texas study which followed the effects of whey and casein combination vs. the combination of whey, BCAAs and glutamine on 36 men performing heavy resistance training over a 10 week period. The first group that took whey and casein combo had drastically better performance that the group consuming whey, BCAAs and glutamine.
FAT LOSS
Casein is not only efficient ingredient of muscle growth. It seems that it also have effect on fat loss. In a study conducted in Netherlands, the participants who took casein multiplied their intake by two and a half times. This resulted in increasing their metabolic rate during sleep and improved balance of fats in their system. The researchers also noted a 33 percents increase of satiety among the participants. In other words, casein doesn’t only eliminate the fats from your system, but it also reduces your hunger.
IMPROVED STRENGTH
One of the first and foremost aims of bodybuilding, besides honing your physique, is increasing your muscle strength. For a long time whey has been one of the most popular sources of protein among the bodybuilders. However, according to a Massachusetts study, casein may have even better effect than whey when it comes to increasing your muscle strength. The researchers report that the participants taking casein almost doubled the muscle strength in their legs, chest and shoulders. The significant difference is probably due to the anti-catabolic properties of casein.
PROTECTS YOUR TEETH
In addition to providing your with the fuel that helps your muscle and strength building process, casein is also good for your teeth. The results of an United Kingdom study suggest that casein may be very effective in preventing enamel erosion. Therefore, if you consume a lot of fruit juices or soft drinks, adding casein to your diet may prevent your dental problems.
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