Jan Muller

I started using hemp protein when I decided to focus on power training more and I wanted to gain a few kilos of muscle mass having shaped my muscles first.

It took a bit of experimenting before I found ideal to use the hemp protein in the morning after the training (sometimes even before the training, depending on what time allowed).
I liked best its taste in combination with fruit and almond milk. The final cocktail contained a rather high proportion of carbohydrates, it therefore not only provided a supply of proteins, but also excellently compensated for the energy loss during the training.

My morning training usually consisted of one hour of Muay Thai – either doing it myself (sparing and combination) or being in the position of a trainer (holding pads, doing technique training, etc.).
A body-building training followed that I mostly focused on developing my power – it increased of some 10 per cent in about a month and a half.

In the gym I chose the combination of fewer repetitions (about 8) and a maximum weight that I tried to increase gradually. For endurance, I usually chose the 10 to 10 training once a week, i.e. ten sets of ten repetitions of the same exercise (each for a separate muscular section). This training style where I did some eight trainings a week (both morning and evening) was rather demanding. My intake of protein has to be quite high given my weight of over 100 kilos.

As far as the common vegan food is concerned, I gain protein mainly from legumes, quinoa, nuts, alternatives to meat (tempeh, Robi, tofu, seitan, etc.), and in some periods also from food supplements, especially protein cocktails. In respect of hemp protein I appreciated its raw quality, a complex amino acid composition including all the essential amino acids and a high content of other substances required in case of high physical load, especially of magnesium.

What I liked less was the taste of unflavoured protein. My solution after some time of experimenting was to combine the hemp protein with plant milk (mostly almond and coconut milk) and fruit.
The resulting protein smoothies also contained carbohydrates to supply energy after the training or to increase energy before it.
Within about a month and a half I managed to gain some three kilos of quality muscle mass without building any fat thanks to substantial reduction of evening meals (I actually ate pure protein in the evening).

I see the advantage of hemp protein in its completeness (besides all the essential amino acids it also contains other substances relevant in sports diet, such as magnesium, B vitamins, omega-3 acids, iron or calcium). The share of the protein itself is about 49 per cent, so it proved optimum to me to take it in the morning, or possibly in the afternoon just after the afternoon training when it supplied not only the protein, but also energy, especially if combined with fruit, such as banana, blueberry, etc. This combination seemed most suitable to me also with respect to taste.