Sleep and Muscle Growth Tip

You don't build muscles while you're exercising but when you're resting, that's a fact, and has been proven by many researchers in the past. Rest, rest, and rest again that is the key, at least 8 hours a night is essential. While all the muscles rest protein synthesis takes place, and it is able to concentrate and work more effectively on the muscles that were used to perform the highest load in that days workout, therefore allowing more growth and better recovery.

But the question is can muscle growth during the night be improved further? Yes it can, and I'm going to tell you how, why? Because I owe it to you.

If your muscles are not supplied with enought protein during the night they will start to consume themselves and much of your hard days work at the gym will have gone to waste. To stop this happening you need a protein called casein protein. Casein will slowly release amino acids into the blood stream as it is being digested, possibly over a full 7 hours. This slow release of amino acids can cause a very favourable anti-catabolic state (preventing muscle tissue from breaking down). Theoretically whey would be a better protein for muscle anabolism, however, arguably studies have shown that the fast influx of amino's from whey cause a high anabolic response very fast (muscle building) with no anti-catabolic properties and a high increase in oxidation rate creating a steady state metabolism and no overall increase in protein balance.

As a good basis for hypothesis combining both whey and casein in a sensible ratio would provide the positive benefits from both of these proteins. In all honesty many people are already doing this without actually realising. They mix 25 - 30g of good quality whey protein with about a glass to a pint of milk and have created a drink with an extra 8 - 16 g of slower acting casein. Where whey lacks the amino acid phenylalanine, casein is rich, and where casein lacks BCAA's, whey is rich, making a very good combination.