ExRx.net

I realise every post here pretty much is on the subject of protein, and i did have a look through past posts to see if my question had been asked already but i couldn't see it. I'm sorry if this query's been dealt with before.

For years i struggled to make any gains in mass, despite eating loads. A month or so ago i decided to buy some protein powder thinking I might as well give it a try.

The difference has been astounding. I've put on more mass (none of it fat) in the last 4 weeks than i think i did the 2 years previous. Admittedly i have changed my workout split to a more effective one, but there is no doubt in my mind the gains were due to the protein.

My question is this, now i've started taking protein supplements I'm obvously getting loads more protein. What worries me now is if i stop taking the supplement, will i shrink back down to the size i was? I mean do i need that extra high level of protein consumption i'm at now to maintain my new mass?

Any advice is, as always, much appreciated.

Probably not if you eat enought calories to maintain and continue to lift.

It's not like a NO-Xplod product where you lose alot of the gained mass when you come off of the creatine. As long as you eat you should be fine.

This isn't anadrol we are dealing with. As long as you bring in the required protein & calories to sustain the muscle then it will won't atrophy. Also as long as you don't go sedentary.

You know that it's water you are losing not muscle when coming off creatine right?

I know, but alot of hard gainers will see it as muscle growth when theyre bloated. I've seen some personally deflate quite a bit coming off a cycle.

question answered, thanks guys.

That whey protein stuff's awesome by the way, i never thought it would work half as well as it did.

Not to discount the protein too much, but changing your routine (and I may be reading more into this than it actually is) after 2 years may have had more to do with your gains.

It's hard to separate. Last year I added lots of crossfit workouts to my schedule, switched up my 10 and 5 rep set full-body workout routine and bodyweight routine to a slightly shorter routine with all 3x5, and changed my diet. I gained some muscle and a lot of strength. Which was it that made the biggest difference? Hard to say, really. I knew that it would be a problem later but the shotgun approach was necessary...hit everything all at once and get results, where I got it from wasn't really important.

But protein powder is just food. Whey especially is fast-digesting so it's useful after a workout in a way that a steak isn't, but if you're trying to maintain I would think 150g of protein from chicken and steak and fish and 150g from those and whey protein is going to get you about the same results.

What is there to separate or think about? Protein and a workout you are not used to are both required to grow. You discovered 2 important factors. Keep doing it. If you stop, you'll stay the same. You won't lose anything unless you let your diet slide and quit working out altogether.

I just meant it's hard to determine what was the most valuable factor. It would be nice to know, say, in my case, which did what so I could know what is cuttable and what is necessary to achieve my next set of goals.

But I agree completely, if it's working and you've met or exceeded your goals...great! That was the whole point of changing the workout and drinking the protein down.

Yeah i don't mean to understate the value of changing my routine, what i'm doing now is by far the best routine i've ever done, so the gains are obviously going to be the best i've ever had. It was just because they were SO good that I've fallen in love with whey.