Whey protein candidate

[ewmetz]

Hey everybody.

I'm 5'7" and 150 lbs. I'm just wondering if whey protein or some other supplement would be a good idea for me to enhance my workouts. I workout 4-5 times a week and usually run around 15-17 miles a week. I usually lift 45 minutes to an hour after I run too. However, I'm having problems plateauing or just losing my muscle mass and definition due to my high intensity and volume of cardio. So I'm just wondering if taking whey protein would be a good option for me to keep my gains and defintion. The only thing I'm worried about is getting bulky or being bogged down by perhaps gaining too much muscle or weight. Any recommendations on how many grams to take or any other ideas on supplements or diet would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[cncretecwbo]

before someone else tells you, what do you think it would do for you?
if you know why it is used and what it does, you will know if you need it.
i dont mean to be an @ss but research what you are getting before you get it.

that being said, whey is just more protein, nothing magic. you could also eat a can of tuna or a chicken breast or some milk to get protein.

[Gmedlo]

Replace your long distance runs with sprinting/HIIT and you won't lose muscle mass while you get rid of fat. I would recommend supplementing with Whey protein if you're lifting weights. It'd be hard to make mass gains without protein supplementation while playing tennis and running.

[ewmetz]

I've always considered trying out some HIIT regimens but have been too scared because I feel if I do these exercises I'll lose some of my endurance but I'm definitely willing to try something new due to the plateau I've reached and ready to break out of a rut. Are there any good sites that have good HIIT regimens and workouts or do you just go with the flow?

[Babb]

Originally Posted by Gmedlo

Replace your long distance runs with sprinting/HIIT and you won't lose muscle mass while you get rid of fat. I would recommend supplementing with Whey protein if you're lifting weights. It'd be hard to make mass gains without protein supplementation while playing tennis and running.

I'm in the same boat as the OP. I run cross country and play tennis. I've been working out a lot lately, but running a ton, and haven't made too much progress in building muscle. You think it would be necessary to try a protein supplement? I'm only 16, so that should probably be taken into account...

[Gmedlo]

Originally Posted by Babb

I'm in the same boat as the OP. I run cross country and play tennis. I've been working out a lot lately, but running a ton, and haven't made too much progress in building muscle. You think it would be necessary to try a protein supplement? I'm only 16, so that should probably be taken into account...

I'm surprised that you've seen any progress at all, playing tennis and running cross country. If you're serious about cross country more than tennis, then lifting for mass gains might not be beneficial to you, as cross country is one of the few sports where extra muscle mass won't really help you.

This thread here: http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=191183&
Talks about making strength gains without much mass being added. You may want to do something more along the lines of that, but I would still supplement with some whey if you don't feel you get enough protein during the day. I know when school starts up, it's very difficult for me to get most of my protein from whole foods. But during the summer it's easy cookin', I probably eat 8 meals a day.

[joeyscl]

Originally Posted by ewmetz

I've always considered trying out some HIIT regimens but have been too scared because I feel if I do these exercises I'll lose some of my endurance but I'm definitely willing to try something new due to the plateau I've reached and ready to break out of a rut. Are there any good sites that have good HIIT regimens and workouts or do you just go with the flow?

I'm pretty sure HIIT builds endurance

[SystemicAnomaly]

X-country running probably uses primarily Type I (slow-twitch) muscle fibers (for endurance). This type of muscle fiber does not increase in size very much at all. Power in tennis will recruit more of the Type IIa and Type IIx muscles fibers. These fast-twitch fibers can increase in size with training. Type IIx is the faster fibers, but do not have much endurance to speak of. The Type IIa fast-twitch fibers are a bit slower than IIx but will have the endurance that is needed for much of your tennis.

If you decide to supplement with whey, look for whey isolate rather than whey concentrate. A product that uses both isolates and concentrate may also be ok.