Should I be consuming protein shakes?
This is a fairly common question and is one that I have been asked by parents who have children participating in various sports. The simple answer is that protein shakes do provide an edge over regular eating for those wanting to develop muscle size/strength. From a physiological standpoint there is no reason why a junior athlete should not be consuming protein supplements as they do not contain any foreign substances that you would not find in regular meals anyway. The major issue when it comes to protein, I believe, is an ethical one, and as such I feel my position is to simply highlight the facts and let you as parents make up your own mind.
Protein is advantageous over regular meal consumption as it provides the correct proteins/amino acids and carbohydrates that the body requires at the right time, quickly. Exercised muscles develop very small ‘micro-tears’ in their structure, and the liquid content of a protein supplement results in a very fast absorption into the blood which allows these muscles to be healed/developed at a faster rate. The overall effect of consuming a supplement is going to depend (aside from factors such as training variation and volume) a lot on the user’s body type and metabolism, and it is important to closely monitor your intake (which includes regular meals too) to match your training goals. Those wanting an increase in muscle size, which will typically be most teenagers, should regularly consume protein shakes after training sessions and should ensure they have a high intake of protein throughout the day. This will ensure that the body has ample reserves for muscle development once the protein needed for more-essential means has been used up.
Are there any alternatives to protein shakes?
While protein shakes are typically the best option for muscle development, there are many other (often cheaper!) alternatives out there. The main point to get across is that if you overload on any type of protein (ideally small amounts regularly throughout the day) you are going to have similar benefits and will reap the rewards. Because of this, regular consumption of protein-rich foods can still be very beneficial, with my personal favourites being eggs, chicken and canned tuna (Morrisons’ own brand is roughly 60p and provides 25g of protein... the optimal amount for consumption directly after a training session). Another great option I have come across is the use of powdered milk. This is full of whey protein, and if you dump 2-3 table spoons into a glass and fill it with milk/water, when you drink it you are going to be creating 80-90% the effect of consuming a £45 protein supplement.
What are your thoughts on creatine?
Like protein, creatine is a product that many keen sportspeople I work with have asked me about. Also like protein, I feel it is important to point out that when you consume creatine you are not taking on anything that your body does not develop anyway.
When humans (like any living organism) require a source of energy, be it for cell development, the digestion of food or to contract a muscle, they call upon a molecule called adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP). ATP is broken down so one of the three phosphate molecules separates, resulting in adenosine di-phosphate, a separate phosphate molecule, and energy. ATP is stored throughout the body, and there is understandably a large amount of it stored in our muscles. Typically, when somebody is performing a hard exercise, they can use this reaction of breaking down ATP for 8-10 seconds before their ATP stores are all used up. Once this happens the body then calls upon a molecule, creatine (aka creatine kinase/ phospho-creatine kinase), to re-attach the loose phosphate back on to re-form the ATP and give us more available energy. As we all have creatine in our body anyway, this process all works very well... up until the point where our creatine resources run out (typically after 25-30 seconds). It is at this point where our body now has to call upon a second energy system (the lactic acid energy system) which, in very simple terms, still provides our ATP but does so using a process with also produces lactic acid that goes on to result in muscle fatigue. The simple benefit of consuming creatine is that we are able to re-form our ATP and get energy for longer without having to produce performance-reducing lactic acid.
People typically have varied amounts of natural creatine in their body anyway, so consuming a creatine supplement is going to have a larger effect for some rather than others. It comes in both a power and tablet form, and there is often talk about a ‘loading phase’ to ensure that your muscles are totally full of creatine. This is an option, but my own personal view is that it is just as helpful to take creatine about 1 hour before exercise (for performance increase) and/or 1 hour afterwards (for recovery). Again there is an ethical issue when providing junior athletes with this substance, especially as ‘creatine’ sounds less natural than the consumption of a protein supplement. The reality is that physiologically there is no evidence to suggest that taking creatine is detrimental to health, and in a high-intensity stop-start sport such as rugby league, it is definitely going to provide the athlete with an advantage.
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