Monday, 3 October 2011

Protein Shakes

Protein is one of the body's main building blocks for muscle. Many athletes use protein shakes for nourishment straight after their workout as a meal replacement. Protein shakes are available in a variety of different flavours including vanilla, strawberry and chocolate and are in powder form ready to mix with either milk or water. Protein powders are the perfect choice for athletes of all standards who want to develop and sustain a lean, strong and well defined physique.

Nowadays more and more people are concerned about their weight, either trying to lose weight or build up their muscle – usually by male athletes. Generally, the main benefit of a protein shake is to help rebuild muscle and speed up recovery after a workout but it also plays an important role during any fat loss programme. Protein especially whey protein helps to control your appetite, making it easier to stick to your diet. As well as the general benefits of using protein shakes, research has also indicated that they help with women's issues such as the menopause.

How much to use and how often?

This all depends on a number of things including the frequency of exercise, if your wanting to lose weight then how much weight you want to lose and if you want to build your muscle then by how much. A rough guide is to ideally use 2 to 3 times a day, morning, mid day and then almost immediately after your workout.

What is the best to use?

Whey protein is the highest source and highest quality of protein available today and is the most popular protein supplement in the market today. Whey protein provides the body with the perfect amino acids for muscle building, strength and recovery. OPTI Whey Protein is a rich source of branched chain amino acids (BCAA’s) and essential amino acids. It’s very easy to digest and supports muscle growth and tissue repair. OPTI Whey protein is a great source of Cysteine which produces glutathione, one of the strongest antioxidants in the body. There are a number of benefits of using whey protein for protein shakes and they are:

  • Increased lean muscle mass
  • Low Fat and lactose
  • Decreased recovery times and faster muscle repair
  • Reduced post-workout muscle breakdown
  • Rich source of BCAA’s and essential amino acids
Another popular protein supplement is creatine monohydrate. Creatine monohydrate is known best for increasing the growth of lean muscle whilst also enhancing aerobic and anaerobic performance levels. Just like the whey protein, creatine monohydrate can be mixed with either milk or water to become a protein shake for after a workout and has proven success within just two weeks.

Visit Optimus Protein today for the perfect protein supplement!


What Are The Best Supplements For Muscle Growth?

There are a number of different of supplements for muscle growth in today's market including Whey Protein, Whey Isolate, OPTI Oat Flour and OPTI Oat Mix. Whey protein is actually considered as one of the best supplements for muscle growth. If you want to significantly increase your muscle growth then you should use Whey Protein regularly in your diet plan. This is a great way of getting extra protein in your diet and is the perfect choice for athletes of all standards who want to develop and sustain a strong and defined physique. Whey protein has 23 grams of protein per 30 gram serving and research has previously shown that you need approximately 2 grams of protein per kg of body mass in order to increase muscle size and strength. Studies have shown that taking whey protein before training will help you gain lean muscle and train to your optimum potential.

OPTI Whey Isolate

Opti Whey Isolate is a form of whey protein that contains little fat and lactose with high levels of essential and non-essential Amino Acids. The benefits of whey isolate are:


  • Provides over 90% protein and extremely low fat and carbohydrate
  • Provides a rapid increase in protein synthesis
  • Increases rate of muscle gains
  • Has positive effects on preventative health maintenance and recovery levels


OPTI Whey Protein

Whey protein is one of the richest sources of branched chain amino acids and essential amino acids. Being one of the most popular dietary supplements for bodybuilding and regular fitness training, whey protein is very easy to digest and helps muscle growth. Recent research indicates that the timing of protein supplement ingestion has no difference for strength, power, or body-composition

Promix

Not many of you might have heard of Promix but it is a rich combination of whey protein concentrate and whey protein isolate. If you're looking add lean muscle mass through your diet and exercise then promix is the supplement for you. The usage for this should be ideally two or three times a day and because it has all the right ingredients including whey protein and whey isolate, using promix will guarantee you results!

Power

OPTI Power combines whey protein concentrate, whey protein isolate, creatine and L glutamine pushing your body to it's maximum in every work out. Due to it containing both whey protein concentrate and whey protein isolate, it supports the muscle growth in the body.


If you're looking for the complete package then whey protein has to be the answer. Due to it's huge amount of grams per serving and is renowned for having the most essential ingredient for developing and maintaing a high sports performance for all athletes.

Check out the full range of whey protein at Optimus Protein today!

The Perfect Exercise Regime With Whey Protein

Exercise Regime

What makes a good exercise regime? Finding the right exercise regime for yourself can prove to be a difficult task as we all have individual needs. One way of the perfect exercise regime is through the use of whey protein in protein shakes along with exercise. Whey protein is one of the two major proteins found in milk. It is used mainly by athletes that have a set exercise plan and that are wanting to burn fat and build muscle. Using whey protein mixed with either water or milk as a protein shake is excellent for developing and sustaining a strong and well defined physique. It is a rich source of branched chain and essential amino acids. Whey protein is available in a range of flavours including strawberry, chocolate and vanilla and even unflavoured making it the perfect choice for athletes of all standards.


The Exercise Plan

Athletes that have just started their training and just started to use protein powders are not sure when is best to have the protein shake for it's maximum effect. The recommended way to get the best out of the whey protein shakes is to consume two or three times a day – morning, mid day and after your workout on an evening.

A typical exercise regime consists of the following:

Breakfast – protein Shake made up of whey protein and either milk or water

Mid-Morning – a snack of fruits or nuts

Lunch – carbohydrates is good such as a jacket potato or a salad with white meat or tuna.

Mid-Afternoon – snack of fruit or nuts again

Exercise – whenever you exercise, have a whey protein protein shake beforehand and after training as this helps with energy levels and muscle repair.

Evening – an evening meal should consist of meat or fish accompanies with vegetables or salad.

Why Whey Protein?

You might be asking the question to yourself, why use whey protein? Well whey protein has many benefits including:

Helps the body burn fat when combined with exercise
It may support increased energy
Has a rich source of branched chain and essential amino acids
Low in lactose levels
No artificial flavours

Overall, a general exercise plan consisting of a minimum of three 30 minute exercise sessions a week, healthy eating which includes whey protein protein shakes will give you the body want. When you combine the proper amount of whey protein and a well executed exercise program you will build lean muscle mass. This muscle will burn more calories and start melting away your excess body fat. Whey protein and weight loss have also been linked because of whey protein's ability to prevent stress eating.

To view the full range of whey protein, visit Optimus Protein today!
Shower Doors

How To Choose The Perfect Shower Doors

Before choosing the perfect shower door for you, there are a number of factors that you must take into consideration. One thing that must be taken into consideration is where you will be placing the shower door in your bathroom. Because purchasing a shower door is something you don't buy on a frequent basis as most people keep their shower door for at least 10 years, it needs to be perfect. You must make sure there is enough space and it will not look out of place. For example, you don't want a huge shower door if you only have a small bathroom as this will take up most of the space. Also, an important thing to take into account is your water pressure and how you will connect it to your shower door.

The Different Types Of Shower Enclosures

There are many different kinds of shower doors ranging from pivot shower doors to sliding shower doors to wet rooms all of which are carefully designed and manufactured from the highest quality materials and strong attention to detail.

Bifold Shower Doors

These are one of the most popular shower doors due to it's flexibility. A bifold shower door will create a stunning centre piece in your bathroom and can be fitted into a recess or alcove or into the corner of your bathroom. A side panel is needed for these types of shower doors. If space is tight in your bathroom then the bifold door's folding door action is ideal.

Pivot Shower Doors

Pivot Shower Doors are more common in bathrooms that have a larger area and can be used as a corner stall. They are designed to make your bathroom look more spacious and luxurious creating a stylish and elegant look to the entire bathroom. Pivot shower doors are the same as hinged shower doors and are available in a few more specific designs including offset pivots, centre hung pivots and intermediate pivots.

Sliding Shower Doors

Are you stuck with the old shower curtain? If so, then why not upgrade to a sliding shower door? Sliding shower doors save the floor from water damage therefore lasting longer and also gives a more modern feel in your bathroom.

Walk-In Shower Doors

The walk-in shower is the new luxury item to have in your home. Not only is it easy to maintain, install and use but it can also add value to your home due to being better equipped and appear more spacious. Walk-in showers feature a polished silver effect finish with 20mm wall post adjustments to aid alignment for out of true walls. There is also a universal front panel and tray for left or right hand entry. Most walk-in shower doors include the front panel, side panel and shower tray giving you the complete package.

Quadrant Shower Doors

Quadrant showers vary in sizes and shapes, for example, there are quadrant shower doors available in 800mm, 900mm and 1200mm. The different shapes are offset quadrant, bow fronted quadrant, U shaped quadrant and P-shape quadrant doors.