Which protein shake is the best: whey, casein, gender or soy?
Protein is an essential building block for muscle tissue. In fact, the human muscle cell is made up mostly of simple protein fragments called amino acids. Amino acids are molecules that are arranged to form various types of protein molecules. Protein is a generic term meaning an arrangement of these amino acids, linked together. The body can make any type of protein it needs from amino acids, but it needs a strong reserve in which to assemble the necessary amino acid fragments. Dietary protein supplies the body with these essential and non-essential amino acids, which are broken down in the stomach and then reorganized at the cellular level to create the proteins needed for cell and muscle growth.
However, all proteins are not created equal. Each type of protein has its own composition and quality of amino acids. Which means that different amounts of the 22 amino acids make up each type of protein. This is important because the quality of protein depends largely on its amino acid composition. High-quality proteins like whey, egg, casein, and gender protein are perfect for the bodybuilder, while other forms like soy and collagen are largely shunned by the bodybuilding community due to their low amino acid profile.
The amount of protein a bodybuilder needs is based on the amount of activity and if the bodybuilder is taking supplements they can benefit from additional protein such as the various “andro” products on the market. Supplements like andro will help speed up protein synthesis, which will require even more protein than usual when training hard.
Of course, this is why people call “andro” the king of all supplements. Still, if andro is king, then protein makes up the subjects. You can’t build muscle without it. Protein is the most important aspect of supplementation for the bodybuilder. Choosing a high-quality protein is of the utmost importance, as is getting enough protein in the diet.
Even the most novice bodybuilder should consume approximately 3/4 of a gram of protein per pound of body weight. This means that an average man should ingest around 120 g per day. Protein in the diet can come from a variety of sources such as meat, fish, eggs, and beans.
Meats like chicken, beef, and pork contain between 7 and 10 grams of protein per ounce. The leaner the meat, the higher the protein content. Eggs contain about 6 g of protein per egg, which means you would need to eat a breakfast of 5 eggs to get 30 g of protein in your diet. A typical 8oz flank steak with 7g of protein will give you around 56g of protein and a 6oz chicken breast will give you 42g of protein. Eating a diet like this every day will give the novice bodybuilder around 120g of protein per day.
If you are looking to supercharge your gains and are following a strict training program, then you will want to get more than 170-190g of dietary protein per day. Also, if you’re taking a supplement like andro, which puts your body into a hypergrowth state, then that magic number can be as high as 250g of protein per day to meet your maximum muscle building requirements. With numbers like this, a standard diet isn’t going to work. Most people just don’t want to eat 10 eggs for breakfast, 2 steaks for lunch, and 3 chicken breasts for dinner. That is why they turn to protein supplements in the form of a protein shake.
Protein shakes come in a wide variety of flavors, making them much more enjoyable than in years past. There are two types of shakes on the market: MRP and Protein Shakes. MRP is a “meal replacement” that contains fat and is usually a source of carbohydrates. I don’t find these to be good at all because they use lousy carbs like maltodextrin. Protein shakes typically have less than 5g carbs per serving and 20-25g protein per scoop. This makes getting the almost 200g of protein per day for an advanced bodybuilder much easier. Smoothies are often tasty and much more convenient than other protein sources like meat or eggs.
There are many forms of protein in a standard shake, but there are actually 5 main types of protein that you will find bodybuilders using. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, although some are better than others.
Whey protein concentrate is the most widely used protein source. It is high in branched chain amino acids which are essential for building muscle and probably the key factor why whey protein is so good for building mass. Whey is the standard by which all other proteins are judged. However, some whey-only products can contain too much lactose, making it hard to digest and causing uncomfortable bloating.
Casein is another milk protein. The fame of casein is that it takes longer to digest in the stomach. This is good for a nightly protein as it will fuel the muscle during a long sleep. Casein has been shown to be slightly inferior to whey in its muscle building ability.
Egg protein is the standard by which all other proteins are judged. Egg protein is very expensive, which makes it difficult to find 100% pure egg protein. It is very easy to digest and has good bioavailability, but its amino acid profile is not as impressive as whey.
The genus protein comes from the yellow pea, making it a plant-based protein. It is very different from most protein sources because it is high in glutain and arginine, making it a great protein to pair with whey. Genus protein is the easiest to digest and has a very low fat content, making it one of the best proteins to use in a blend with whey. It tastes great and is a very high quality protein.
Soy protein is not a complete protein and is avoided by most bodybuilders due to the estrogenic flavonoids in soy. These estrogenic hormonal agents can act like estrogens in the body. Estrogen is the female hormone and it reduces muscle density and makes you fat.
Hemp protein tastes so lousy that I can’t bear to drink enough of it to know if it’s good for building muscle. If you have guts of steel and don’t mind drinking something that tastes like pond water mixed with garden soil, go for it.
The best protein shake I think is a mix of Genus protein and whey protein. These two give a much better digestibility factor than pure whey and also perfectly balance each other in amino acids that are important to the bodybuilder. Whey contains high amounts of branched chain amino acids and Genus protein contains high amounts of glutamine and arginine. Mixing these two makes a killer combination.
No matter what you use for protein, remember to get at least 3/4 g to 1 g of protein per pound of body weight for beginners/intermediates, 2 g of protein per pound of body weight for advanced bodybuilders, and 2.5 g when using anabolic supplements. like andro! By ingesting this basic nutrient, you will ensure a much faster growth rate, much better recovery, and increased stamina. Plus, you won’t get big without it!