THE 100% WHEY MYTH

Don’t take the “100% Whey” distinction at face value. It’s really only 50% (or so) of the equation.

It’s an impressive number, one that gets our attention and makes us feel like we’re looking at perfection.

100%

You can’t do better than that, right? Athletes talk about “giving 110%” all the time, but that’s just a bullshit cliché. The best you can do is 100%, right?

Most of the time, yes. But when it comes to protein, no.

The “100% Whey” distinction is featured so prominently on protein powders that you’d think it’s the end-all-be-all. It’s purely whey, nothing else. Hell yeah!

Like a 100% purebred dog — a 100% Labrador Retriever or a 100% Bullmastiff. Those are the ones that win “Best in Show” and that people are willing to pay top dollar for at the puppy mill. When’s the last time a mutt or Labradoodle took first place at the Westminster Dog Show? Never, that’s when.

But protein powders and dogs are apples and oranges. Pardon the analogy, but you’re better off with a Labradoodle protein powder. Unfortunately, “100% Whey” makes for a better marketing pitch than “Mutt Protein.”

The Labradoodle protein would be a blend of casein and whey, not whey alone. The research is pretty cut and dry on the fact that combining whey (a super-fast protein) with casein (a super-slow protein), and even a medium-digesting source like egg protein, delivers better muscle gains than whey on its own.

Not to bash 100% whey too much, because it’s still a great anabolic protein source. But the bottom line is this: 100% whey shouldn’t comprise more than 50% of your protein powder.

Protein blends are better. They’re better because the only thing more important than getting amino acids to your muscles as quickly as possible following an intense workout — via a fast-digesting protein like whey — is slowing that fast-digesting protein down to facilitate a steady trickle of amino acids to the muscles over a period of hours, not minutes.

The “yin” of fast-digesting whey needs the “yang” of slow-digesting casein and medium-digesting egg protein to maximize its effectiveness at enhancing protein synthesis and driving muscle growth.

So, yes, 100% is an impressive number. But in terms of protein powders, it’s only half the story.

Pro JYM: Best in Show