Grass-fed whey protein offers all sorts of benefits. People use it to help them build muscle, to lose weight or just to add some high-quality protein to their diet.
In truth, though, grass-fed whey can also help you between workouts, improving recovery and getting your body ready for the next time you hit the gym. How, exactly, does that work? What does grass-fed whey protein do to help your muscles recover after a workout?
How Muscles Improve
To fulling understand the role that whey plays in recovery, you first need to understand what exercise does to your muscles. Each time you work out and challenge your system, you are actually damaging your muscles – in a very small, strategic way.
This damage, in turn, tells your brain that your muscles not only need to be repaired but that they also need to be improved. The idea is that, by making your muscles bigger and stronger, damage won't occur next time you encounter that same type of challenge.
In large part, this is why you might experience Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) after a particularly difficult workout; that slight swelling and stiffness is part of the rebuilding efforts.
Raw Materials
So, what does that have to do with grass-fed whey protein? Just like any other rebuilding work, certain raw materials are needed to make sure that the work is done well and that your muscles will be stronger than they were before.
Whey protein provides tons of these raw ingredients. Like all proteins, whey is made of amino acids – basic building-blocks that can be broken down and rearranged to serve any number of purposes within your body. Whey protein, however, is a complete protein; it contains all of the amino acids that your body is not able to produce on its own in extremely high concentrations.
Also of note here is that whey protein is absorbed and used much faster than other proteins. So, used properly, whey can give you a rapid dose of everything your muscles need to properly recovery shortly after leaving the gym.
Anti-Inflammatory Action
Honestly, though, the above-noted benefits are also true of whey protein that is sourced from grass-fed cows. So, what makes grass-fed whey protein special when it comes to recovery? Unlike other whey products, the grass-fed variety contains fewer saturated fats and healthier omega-3 and conjugated linoleic fatty acids.
Both of these highly beneficial fats serve many helpful functions in the body. Of specific concern to this discussion about recovery, though, is their ability to reduce inflammation. Remember, that rebuilding work can cause discomfort, limited mobility and even plain old pain.
The anti-inflammatory action of these healthy fats found in grass-fed whey, though, can help to reduce the severity of these symptoms so that your regular routine doesn't have to be interrupted.
