Which Type Of Protein Is Best After A Workout?

The world of protein shakes can be a very confusing one.

After all, every product claims it’s the best.

Every brand claims to have the optimal formula.

And every company has athletes which all look the part.

Check out this e-mail from website member Ben:

“Hey Russ,

Quick question regarding protein — I’ve always took whey after a training session and presumed I was doing okay. But recently a few guys at my gym have told me I should be using different forms of protein because they’ll improve results.

One says I should switch to casein (which I thought was only for bedtime) and another says I should move over to egg protein. What’s the truth?”

So, if you are trying to gain lean muscle in the gym, what type of protein should you be using?

THE COMBO

Getting the most from protein shakes is easier than the supplement industry wants you to think.

Obviously, they want you to go out and purchase the most expensive formulas they have.

So you’re always going to read sales pitches about how your body needs the latest, greatest hydrolized isolate blend of protein which was created at the top of a fire mountain and sprinkled with unicorn tears.

But when it comes to results, studies suggest that a protein blend — the type you see in much cheaper products — is superior for boosting muscle protein synthesis after a workout.

By combining a fast digesting source of protein (such as whey) with a slow-release source of protein, we are able to keep muscle protien synthesis turned on for longer. And that is good news.

TRUST SCIENCE

Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, compared the effects of two groups of individuals consuming one of the following shakes after a leg workout:

• 20 grams of whey
• 20 grams of a whey/soy/casein blend

To be expected, both groups noticed an increase in muscle protein synthesis.

But the second group, which consumed the blended formula, had an increased level of muscle protein synthesis which lasted for hours longer than the other group.

While the whey provides our body with a very fast-digesting form of protein, casein is released much more slowly and soy falls somewhere between the two. Soy often gets a bad rap from fitness snobs, who believe it’s “cheap” in comparison to whey — as discussed in this article — but it certainly has it’s uses.

The only downside here is that the study didn’t look into further combinations — such as whey and egg, or whey and casein — to see which blend performed the best.

But the basic fact to come out of this study is that you are going to experience heightened levels of muscle protein synthesis using a whey protein formula which is a blend, not an isolate.

Done.

If you have enjoyed this read, share it with others. You might also like reading my recent article on the best preworkout.