NOTE: I did the video at the Malaysian Institute of Sports (this was before the ECQ or lockdown mandated by most countries in response to the Covid19 pandemic) during the training camp of Olympian Hidilyn Diaz.
So while waiting for her training session, I decided to make a video to answer a query posed by one of my followers, Ms. Lalaine. So basically her question was she wants to find out if I allow the use of whey protein supplements to athletes and even to gym goers who would like their abs to show. Yes I do allow the use of whey protein supplements for athletes but in the context of meeting the daily protein requirements of an athlete. Meaning the use of protein supplements is just an adjunct to the protein that an athlete gets from whole food sources.
Why do I allow the addition of whey protein? (1) if the protein requirement of an athlete is very high and is unable to meet the requirement by eating from whole food sources alone. If this is the case, I add protein powder supplements so that the athlete will be able to meet his/her protein requirement. And (2) I also add whey protein supplements to athletes I’m handling who are undergoing weight-cutting. Why do I do this? Because protein powder supplements are naturally high in protein but contains very minimal fats. So it’s one way for me to be assured that the athlete meets his protein requirement to prevent loss of lean mass while minimizing intake of fat calories. But this is not to downplay the importance of carbohydrates in the athletes’ diet. We have to makes sure that carbohydrate requirements are also met based on the needs of the sport that the athlete is into.
Now when it comes to gym goers who would like for their abs to show, the basic requirement for making your abs more evident is to put your body in a negative calorie balance.
Your body should be burning more calories or your food calorie intake should be less compared to what your body actually needs so that your body fat will be reduced. So should you use whey protein? Yes you can use whey protein because as mentioned it is naturally high in protein but contains very minimal fats which means it helps in maintaining a low calorie intake of a person who would like their abs to be more evident. But again, I’m reminding the athletes that to get your abs to show out is not an absolute requirement of the sport except if you are in body building. But in terms of sports performance, it’s really not required.