protein powderBeing young and in love with working out, the topic of this article should be no surprise. Whey protein

Every kid goes through that stage where he finds his second love…a love that dare not speak its name.

Supplements (the reason I present supplements this way is because of how much money I have wasted on them…as you can tell I’m still kinda bitter)

I know I wasn’t the only kid obsessed with finding the magic pill or powder that would add 20 pounds solid muscle onto my skinny body.

I’ve tried all kinds of supplements; creatine, multi vitamins, joint supp, digestive enzymes, probiotics, greens supps, protein powders, and a couple of pre workouts.

But my go to supplement was always protein powder. No matter what, protein was always #1 on my list, I always felt that if I didn’t get my protein in after my training session I was wasting valuable gains. Gold Standard Whey Protein

And I still feel that way today and over the years I have tried all kinds of protein ranging from whey to plant based blends.  Some I felt helped while others just left a nasty taste in my mouth (literally)

And today I want to tell you about the best proteins I have found.

When I first started to lift weights the way I got my protein in was through solid foods; beef, chicken, fish, and eggs were a staple in my diet and they still are.

I ate this way for a while. That was until I started taking protein powder. Its funny cause back then my mom was always asking if there were steroids in the protein

Once she even asked the GNC guy (I dont know but was it just my mom that thought there were steroids in protein?)

But anyways, the first protein powder that I’ve ever tried was whey protein; I saw that everyone and their moms were promoting it so I decided to give it a try.

Back then I would research everything that I was going to take (supplement wise) protein powder

So I read up on everything and anything whey protein related. What I found out was that whey protein came from milk.

Whey is a byproduct of making cheese; it’s the liquid left behind after the milk curds.

It’s really high in BCAA’s and glutamic acid which are amino acids, the building blocks of protein.

And to put whey protein even more on a pedestal, whey is one of the most fast absorbing proteins you can consume. So taking it right after working out would only be the sensible thing to do cause you want to start the rebuilding process as fast as possible.

The supplement industry created 3 different types of whey protein powders and the only difference is the amount of processing involved and the amount of protein per gram

So the first type of whey is whey protein concentrate

This protein is the least processed but unfortunately it provides the least amount of protein.

I wouldn’t recommend taking it post workout because you need a faster absorbing whey with more protein

Which brings us to the second type, whey protein Isolate

This protein is processed more to increase the amount of protein and remove impurities making it pure protein, about 90-94% protein.

And since it’s so pure, meaning less fat and lactose; the body can break it down faster which means faster absorption.

The last type of whey is hydrolyzed (that’s an awesome word)

It’s a predigested whey protein that’s broken down by enzymes that create smaller peptides from the protein molecules.

So basically you’re bodies only job is to get that shit into your blood stream and into your muscles.

But unfortunately there’s a drawback from the amount of amino acids that rush into the blood stream after consuming hydrolyzed whey.

According to G Damon Wells, research suggests that when amino acids flood the blood stream too quickly, the muscles cannot use them fast enough. The result is that they can be stored as fat.

I don’t know about you but I’m not trying to let my protein powder make me fat. Whey Protein Side Effects

Personally I’ve never tried hydrolyzed whey; I’ve heard some people like it, while others think it’s not worth the extra money.

Call me old fashion but I rather let my body do its job and digest whey protein isolates. This way there’s a steady stream of amino acids instead of a sudden rush that may lead to fat stores.

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Let me know your thoughts on hydrolyzed whey protein and if you’ve noticed a difference from taking hydrolyzed versus isolate or if you have any question just drop a comment below

Talk to you later,

Signature

 

Wells, G. Damon. “The Post-Workout Protein Puzzle: Which Protein Packs the Most Punch?”Strength and Conditioning Journal 31.1 (2009): 27-30. print.