Protein Powder: How to Best Use It For Muscle Growth (4 Things You Need to Know)

Protein powder is by far the most widely consumed supplement within the fitness industry, and for good reason. It's convenient, contains high quality protein, and it's a lot more cost efficient when compared to other protein sources. And not only that, but it's also one of the few supplements that's heavily backed by research in terms of its safety, muscle building properties, and several other benefits. However, despite the popularity of protein powder, most people are often left clueless when it comes to how to choose the best type of protein, and even more so when it comes to how to best use it to build muscle. And unfortunately, asking the sales guy at your local supplement store will likely just leave you even more confused or misinformed than you were to begin with. But luckily, in this video, I'll clear everything up for you and show you exactly how to maximize the effectiveness of protein powder by looking at the following points when it comes to picking a protein powder, the sheer amount of options can definitely be overwhelming. But to keep it simple, research indicates that when compared to other forms of protein powder, whey and casein have the highest essential amino acid content and are the best at stimulating muscle protein synthesis, meaning that they're going to be your best options. Now, as for the difference between whey and casein and which one is better, it mainly has to do with their digestive properties. Whey is a faster digesting protein that rapidly spikes protein synthesis for a short period of time, whereas casein is a slower digesting protein that gradually increases protein synthesis over a longer period of time. But generally I'd advise sticking with whey over casing since it has a slightly higher leucine content, and because research such as this 2015 literature review on the topic tends to favor whey over casing when it comes to elevating protein synthesis and promoting gains in muscle mass. And more specifically, I'd recommend sticking to whey isolate since it's the purest form of whey protein and contains the least lactose if that's an issue for you. However, with that being said, as you'll see later on in this video, if you're seeking to maximize your results, then casein does have a unique potential application and maybe something you still want to consider in addition to whey and for vegans who can't intake whey or casein. Although research shows that plant protein powders don't stimulate muscle protein synthesis as well as whey or casing does, research also shows that this can be potentially compensated by ingesting a greater amount of plant protein or simply ensuring you intake adequate amino acids through various food sources, which is just something for you to keep in mind. Although most people are firm believers that protein shakes are meant to be taken right after your workout, research actually doesn't fully support this idea. For example, as shown in this 2013 literature review on the topic, ingesting protein immediately post workout doesn't seem to be very important. And if you've already had a pre workout meal with sufficient protein, multiple other studies support this idea by emphasizing that this one hour post workout anabolic window may only apply to fasted training where there's no pre ingestion of protein. Whereas if you've ingested protein sometime before your workout, it essentially renders the timing of your post workout shake as useless. Which just means that a post workout shake isn't as important as we thought it was if you're in a fed state. And in fact, if you haven't had any protein before your workout, research even suggests that ingesting your shake before your workout is more beneficial than after. For example, this study from the American Journal Physiology showed that when subjects in a fasted state ingested protein before their workout, they experienced significantly higher muscle protein synthesis when compared to subjects who ingested their protein immediately after their workout. Therefore, when it comes to the timing of your protein shake, I'd suggest the following if you've ingested protein at some point before your workout, a post workout workout shake doesn't seem to be absolutely necessary, meaning you can have your shake at any time during the day to simply boost your daily protein intake. However, since a post workout shake is convenient for most people, it's fast digesting and it helps you spread out your protein intake throughout the day, it may still very well be the ideal time for you to take it. Just know that it's not urgent. On the other hand, if you haven't eaten any protein prior to your workout, then adjusting your shake shortly before your workout is likely the best option to maximize protein synthesis. And lastly, if you're planning on working out in a fasted state, then adjusting your shake within an hour or so after your workout seems to be ideal. In addition to this, as mentioned earlier, to maximize your results, you might also want to consider ingesting casein protein powder shortly before bed. This is because multiple recent studies have found that intaking at least 40 grams of a slow digesting protein before bed helps improve overnight muscle protein synthesis, which theoretically leads to better muscle recovery and growth over time. And since casein is a slow digesting protein that makes intaking this 40 grams of protein shortly before bed more convenient, it might be something you want to incorporate in addition to your whey protein. As for how much protein to take at a time, multiple studies have arrived at the general consensus that 20 to 25 grams of a high quality protein like whey is is sufficient for maximizing muscle protein synthesis and is therefore a good minimum you'd want to aim for when taking it. It's also worth noting though that having more than this might provide a small additional benefit, with one recent 2016 paper concluding that in taking 40 grams of whey protein stimulated muscle protein synthesis to a greater extent than a 20 gram dose, regardless of the subject's body weight and lean body mass. But generally it seems that sticking to a dose of anywhere between 20 grams to 40 grams is likely your best bet. Now as for how often to take protein, this just ultimately depends on your own total daily protein requirements. You want to prioritize in taking your protein from food sources since they provide a variety of other amino acids and nutrients and then use protein powders to supplement this if needed. For example, we know that sticking to a protein intake of roughly 0.73 to 1 grams per pound of body weight is ideal. So if a 170 pound individual requires 170 grams of protein a day and can comfortably intake 130 grams of protein from real food sources, then they could take one 40 gram scoop of protein daily, regardless of if they worked out or not to help them reach their daily goal. And if you needed to take more than this to reach your goal, that's perfectly fine. Whatever helps you hit your daily protein target conveniently and consistently is what will be ideal. To keep it simple. Multiple studies have shown that although co ingesting protein powder with additional carbs and or fat does slow down digestion, it does not increase nor decrease muscle protein synthesis, simply meaning that you can feel free to take your protein with whatever you prefer, whether that be milk, water or something else. However, in my opinion, if you're focusing on gaining weight, then it can be helpful to take take your protein with dairy milk for the additional 100 to 200 calories and the extra protein it provides. Whereas if you're focusing on losing fat, it might be best to take it with something like almond milk or water, which just helps you conveniently save an extra couple hundred calories or so. So to sum the video up, here are the key takeaways. One thing I want you to keep in mind though is that as with all supplements, protein powder is not anything magical and is by no means necessary to see results. However, if you struggle to hit your daily protein intake through food alone, then this is where it becomes useful and something for you to consider.

Thanks so much for watching everyone. I hope you enjoyed this one. As far as supplements, I've covered creatine and now protein, so let me know in the comments down below what you'd like to see me cover next and I'll do just that.

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