My exposure to protein supplementation is much less extensive than my use of creatine supplementation. This may seem a little odd to people considering that the use of protein as a supplement has been around for decades whereas creatine has only been arounf dor about 10 years. In my case, I think it has to do with the fact that I was so focused on my use of creatine that it took me almost until the end of my athletic career to realize that despite the tremendous strength gains I had from creatine, I really wasn't gaining much mass, so I added protein to my regimen.
Simply put, proteins are the body's most basic building blocks, especially when it comes to building skeletal muscle. By introducing extra amounts of protein into one's body, it is theorized that muscle will be built further. Further detail of what actually happens at with proteins at a cellular level can be found by browsing the links below or on other Internet sites. It is my opinion that protein, like creatine, is not going to produce significant gains unless one trains using the principal of association. For more detail on this topic refer to my page on creatine.
Like my creatine supplementation, I also experienced significant gains through the use of protein and hard work. Once again, I was taking protein only during my summer training sessions for the same reasons that I only took creatine during the summer. (Again, please see my page on creatine for more details.) I would take my protein in the morning, often as a meal replacement for breakfast. Many studies have suggested that the morning is the best time for protein supplementation because it is the time of day when muscles are most lacking necessary proteins that were used over night. On the other hand, there is research that suggests people should take their protein supplement before going to bed so that the body will have that extra protein to use and regenerate itself overnight. Another widely accepted school of thought is to take the protein immediately after a work out so that it is available to the muscle that have just been stressed and are rebuildng. Since I already took my creatine immediately following my workouts, and since I do not like to eat or drink anything to close to bed time, I opted to take my protein in the mornings. I can't say that I have a brand of choice or even a type of protein of choice (there are many different types of protein, i.e. whey protein, whey isolate, etc.) since my experience with it is somewhat limited. But, during the two times I have gone on a protein supplementation cycle, I have experienced significant gains.
Also like my creatine supplementation, I took into consideration the extra work my liver and kidneys were possibly doing. Again, to facilitate these functions, I aided my organs by eating healthy meals and cutting out junk food, drinking 2-4 times the daily recommended amount of water, and abstaining from carbonated beverages and alcohol. I also experienced no adverse side effects from protein supplementation.
*The statements above are in no way 100% scientifically factual. It is mostly based on one man's personal experience. Many of the statements are opinions and other claims are based on conjecture. In my defense, I am NSCA CSCS certified, so I do know a good bit of what I am talking about when it comes this subject. I also have a strong scientific knowledge about this subject due to personal research and reading of official scientific studies in various journals and magazines. I hope sharing my experience with you has helped shed some light on protein supplementation. If you have any further questions about my story please feel free to contact me. And for more information on the subject, please visit the links below. I am in no way affiliated with nor know the people responsible for these websites. I simply found them to be helpful and insightful pieces of writing on the subject of protein while doing my own research.