Which to buy?
Consumers often express
confusion when trying to decide between buying Muscle Provider (MP) or Ultimate
Muscle Protein (UMP). This isn’t surprising, seeing as the products have much in
common. Fortunately, the decision
can be made very easily when you are armed with sufficient information. Arming
you is the purpose of this paper.
Both MP and UMP are powdered
drink mixes packed densely the world’s highest quality proteins surrounded from
every conceivable angle by one-of-a-kind, addictive flavors. Each product has been
manufactured with the most advanced technologies and attention to detail that
BI has been known for since the company was founded in 1967 by nutritional
ingredients researcher Jim Heflin.
What makes MP and UMP
different? Some of their ingredients are different, yes. However, the real
difference lies in how the products are used. In fact, the simplest way to
decide which product to buy is to ask yourself whether you intend on using it:
a)
to enhance the
muscle-building effects of your workout, or
b)
as a meal
replacement?
If your answer is “a”, then
select MP. If your answer is “b”, then go with UMP.
Explanation
Resistance exercise (lifting
weights) is the mainstay of bodybuilding training. This is because it is the safest,
most potent tool with which to stimulate muscle protein synthesis, the
essential element of building muscle tissue. Whether your goal is to increase
the size of your muscles, keep what you have (“maintain”), you need to
stimulate muscle protein synthesis. This is best accomplished with resistance
exercise.
Nutrients found in your diet
can also stimulate protein synthesis. Protein is considered by far the most
potent nutrient in this regard. In healthy individuals eating a protein-containing
meal typically doesn’t cause your muscle to get bigger in and of itself,
however. Nevertheless, you must eat protein in order for resistance exercise to
do its muscle-building thing. Furthermore, protein supplements containing nutritionally
complete proteins like those found in MP and UMP can allow you to stimulate
even more in the way of protein synthesis than would be possible with whole
foods alone. They’re also more convenient.
MP: “Gives your workouts an anabolic boost”
Of the dietary proteins studied
to date, whey protein is the most proven as far as its ability to augment the
muscle-building effects of resistance exercise are concerned. The products used
in these studies have typically been whey protein isolate (WPI) or whey protein
hydrolysate (WPH). WPI and WPH are the two most dominant proteins in the MP
formula by weight. MP contains more than 35 times as much WPI and 10 times as
much WPH as some protein supplements.
Scientists aren’t exactly
sure why whey protein can give resistance exercise such a powerful “anabolic
boost”, though it likely has something to do with the fact that it is easily
digested and absorbed, causing tissue amino acid levels to increase rapidly.
This essentially gives your muscles the “green light” to go ahead with
synthesizing protein at an accelerated rate, ultimately resulting in bigger,
stronger muscles.
Time is of the essence, as
they say. Consuming protein soon after and even during your workouts generally
produces greater increases in muscle protein synthesis than delaying it for a
few hours. The ease with which whey protein –particularly WPI and WPH—is
digested and absorbed makes it ideal for consumption in close proximity to your
workouts. This is why MP is particularly helpful if your goal is to give your
workouts an anabolic boost and get more results from them.
UMP: “Feels and acts like a meal”
Whey and casein make up the
bulk of the proteins found in milk. Casein is even more abundant than whey.
Casein also tends to be more slowly absorbed than whey. These and other
properties make casein good for satisfying your appetite and keeping your body
fed with amino acids for long periods of time. Simply stated, casein “stays
with you”, somewhat like a bowl of oatmeal tends to do. All of which brings us
to UMP. With an 80:20 ratio of casein to whey, UMP is one of the most
casein-rich protein supplements you will find anywhere.
Does the slower digestion of
casein mean that UMP won’t give you an anabolic boost? Not at all. Casein has
been scientifically proven to stimulate muscle protein synthesis. However, the
faster digestion and absorption of whey means that MP can do so more quickly,
and to a greater degree, particularly in those critical minutes closely following
the end of your workouts. Casein-rich UMP, in comparison, is better suited for when
you want a protein supplement to behave like a meal, keeping your appetite
satisfied and your amino acid levels adequately sustained for longer periods of
time. Particularly if you are an athlete carrying a large amount of muscle mass
or you are trying to control your body fat level, UMP is a great alternative to
a higher-calorie whole-food meal.
