WATER & PROTEIN.

Why you need water

 Your body is made up predominantly of water – especially your muscles. Without water they cannot exist, so you need to stay constantly hydrated. You also need water for your organs to function correctly, and for your body to transport nutrients to your muscles properly. Plain and simple, you need water, and lots of it.

 How much water do I need?

You need to be drinking at least 3 liters of water a day. To some, this will seem like a lot, as they’ve never been drinking enough water – but this is a minimum. You need it to grow, don’t short-change yourself. Also don’t fall into the habit of saying “I had 500ml’s of milk, which has to count for some water” – it’s a trap – drink 3l of water throughout your day. The second you start feeling thirsty you’re actually dehydrated – so fix it as soon as possible.

 The basics Protein

is one of the key building blocks in building muscle. Muscle is actually made of Protein and Water, so without protein, you wouldn’t have muscle. Protein is made of amino acids, and the body uses these for a multitude of things. It is essential that you not only have an adequate intake of protein, but also that you have it at regular intervals, and from the right sources, to make sure that you aren’t deficient at any point during the day or the night.

 Types of protein

 It is easy to get confused when trying to work out your protein intake and the types you should be having. Not only in your foods, but also when you’re supplementing it (that’s where it can get really confusing). As a general guide, foods such as Steak and Chicken provide protein which is available for a medium amount of time. From here we have our various types of supplemented protein, which we’ll go into more completely in the Supplement Chapter of this book. The main thing you need to know is that protein isn’t just protein, there are different types which need to be used at different times. This is the primary reason for us dividing up our meals, as the body can only absorb a certain amount and the rest goes to waste.

 How your body uses protein

 Your body uses protein to repair and rebuild muscle, and also to build new muscle. While we don’t need to go into the actual chemistry of it all, what you need to understand is that your body is reliant on having consistent protein waiting to be used. You’re better to have too much protein than too little, as your body simply excretes the excess as waste.

Now when you do the simple maths of it all, most proteins don’t last for 8 hours – and your body uses most of your protein while you’re recovering, i.e. sleeping. So for that time when you’re sleeping, you will most likely end up protein deficient by the end of the night.

 So the obvious answer is to take the longest possible protein, and this protein is called Casein protein. The closest food you will get to this is eggs, which are great. Cottage Cheese is also a big winner in this category. But to make the most of it, you should probably supplement this right before bed.

 The other side of this is, immediately upon waking up you should be taking in some protein, as you will no doubt be deficient. Another way to combat this is to actually wake up in the middle of the night, have a pre-prepared shake, and smash it down around 2am. This will help a lot, just make sure it’s pre-prepared, as you don’t want to interrupt your sleep too harshly while you’re trying to recover.

 How much do I need

This varies greatly depending on who you ask, but it really is a case of taking potentially too much instead of risking taking too little. If you stick to the ratio of 40:40:20 for protein:carbs:fats, then you’ll generally be fine regardless of your overall caloric intake. Another method is that you will need a minimum of 1-1.5g/lbs of bodyweight. This works out around 2-3g/kg. This means for an 80kg man, he should be taking in a minimum of 160-240g of protein per day.

 When do I take it

Protein is generally needed at the following intervals:

2am – Sleep Shake (Casein Protein)


This shake allows your body to have the essential nutrients it needs to recover, and stops the risk of ‘running out’ during the middle of the night.

 Breakfast Shake (Whey)

Whey Protein is the best for kicking off the day. While not essential if your breakfast already has plenty of protein, this is a good way to start the day knowing you’re in the positive for protein.

Post Workout (Whey Protein Isolate) Whey Protein Isolate is a fast acting version of Whey, and allows you to replenish your muscles very quickly. This is vital after a workout, as they will be in dire need of it.

 Pre-Bed (Casein) This shake allows you to maintain a positive level of available protein while you need it the most – while recovering during a rest period