I’m normally quite involved in my fitness. I have always been carrying some extra fat, but nothing dangerous or limiting. I’m male, about 5′10″, 212lbs. I just turned 18 and I have always been on the larger-side of the build of my peers. I have recently gained an extra 10lbs-ish due to a 2-week period of inactive laziness. I’ve completely turned around, though, and am on a circuit-strength-training routine, involving core training, and exercises like jumping jacks, calisthenics, skipping and running (jogging, sprinting, hills, etc). I balance it so that on days that I am not doing my circuit training I am exercising with the said cardiovascular and anaerobic exercises. I also designate rest days to allow healing and growth. I am also stretching daily. My diet has changed, and I am eating more or less 6 small-ish meals a day, rather than 3 large ones. I am getting to bed before 10:00pm each night and I am gradually balancing my schooling with my new life of fitness.
With these details out of the way, I bring myself back to the question I now have: “What would be the most suitable protein supplement for my circumstances?”
For the record, I have quite a significant amount of muscle-weight. I am a very strong individual, and so I realize that I should only be focusing on cutting-fat, as the muscle is already underneath, ‘waiting’ to be seen. However, rather than focus on just fat-loss, I want to embrace rapid muscle growth (be it by mass or strength) to further produce results, as well as to help with my dieting. In other words, I want a protein supplement that will help me produce lean-muscle faster than I would without the help. However, I do not want to be gaining ‘water-weight’, which can happen quite often enough with certain supplements like creatine.
I know a fair amount when it comes to metabolism, heart rates, biology (at a molecular level) and exercise science in general (kinesiology), and from what I know, I think that I need a protein supplement that will provide me with the right amino acids to centralize on muscle growth and repair, as from what I understand, those same types of peptides will be digested and contribute to me feeling more ‘full’, helping me adjust to my 6-small meals a day.
I have looked into something called AMP Whey Protein, by GNC, and it seems pretty good, though I would love to have some other opinions.
Please tell me what you would recommend, and please feel free to share some of your own experiences with different supplements and what you thought about them. Much thanks in advance!