Find out why you need bars, what their advantages and disadvantages are for people who gain muscle mass and lose fat. Let's first find out what protein bars are. This is a new type of sports food, containing mainly fast carbohydrates, protein compounds, trace elements with a minimum amount of fat.
All of these substances have specific functions. Carbohydrates are a source of energy, and protein compounds act as anti-catabolics and promote muscle growth. The task of vitamins is to fight free radicals. By and large, protein bars in bodybuilding can be called sports "Snickers".
Benefits of Protein Bars in Bodybuilding
It must be said right away that, like any type of sports food, bars cannot fully replace ordinary food products. They should only be used as a complementary source of nutrients. Note that the bars are very convenient to use, and you can replace meals with them if necessary, but often this is still not worth doing.
It is clear that this is a very tasty delicacy, but you should not get carried away with the bars either. The manufacturers themselves warn that no more than four servings should be consumed throughout the day. But even this amount can be a lot and it can be recommended to use the bars only when necessary. With a balanced composition, protein bars in bodybuilding can be a very useful tool for enhancing athletic performance. But it is important to correctly approach their choice, since not all products can be equally useful. First of all, we are talking about their composition. When choosing a supplement for yourself, you must definitely pay attention to the composition of this supplement. Let's take a look at all the main parameters of protein bars in bodybuilding:
- Energy value. This is perhaps one of the most important points to pay attention to. There are a variety of calorie foods available today, and you should only choose those that fit your goals. For mass gain, use bars with a higher calorie content. If you are losing weight, then the calorie content of the bar should not be high.
- Carbohydrates. The second most important parameter and it can vary significantly from product to product. If you want to lose weight, then you need bars containing the minimum amount of this nutrient. The high carbohydrate content may be beneficial for you when consuming the bars after your workout. During this period, it is necessary to restore glycogen stores as quickly as possible and in this case you will need carbohydrates.
- Other components. It is also worth finding out what other components are included in the supplement. It is imperative that all protein bars in bodybuilding contain fructose syrups. Moreover, the content of fructose in the syrup is quite high, which is not very good. You may be advised to buy foods that contain as little syrup as possible.
- Fats. When you are losing weight, bars may not be the best choice due to their high fat content. Try to choose those foods that contain the minimum amount of fat. This is because high amounts of saturated fat increase the risk of heart disease. However, this nutrient should not be considered extremely harmful, if only for the reason that the male hormone is synthesized from fats.
Disadvantages of protein bars in bodybuilding
Almost all the negative aspects of these products are related to their composition. The main reason for this lies in the very high energy value. Some bars are very similar in this indicator to gainers and you should be careful with them, carefully studying the composition.
It is not entirely clear why carnitine is added to the bars. It looks more like a publicity stunt. With a high content of simple carbohydrates in the product, the body will definitely respond to the use of the bar with a powerful release of insulin. This hormone does not contribute to the fat burning process at all. Even if you eat such a bar before the start of the class, then the body will first of all begin to consume carbohydrates, and not fats.
Very often, you can find a cheap protein in the supplement, say, gelatin or soy. These protein compounds do not have a complete amino acid profile, which will prevent you from providing your body with the amines it needs. We also note the cost of the bars, which is often clearly overpriced. When you see cheap carbohydrates and protein compounds in the composition, the question arises - on the basis of what is the cost of the product formed?
In some situations, protein bars in bodybuilding can be quite useful, but you need to carefully study the composition of this product.
Learn more about protein bars in this video:
