After a strenuous workout the best supplement for years has always been a tasty protein shake. These delicious shakes are often supplemented with a protein bar to get extra sources of protein into your diet to aid recovery. However, in recent years more and more different proteins have launched with additional benefits. In recent years proteins have become more goal specific – this blog will discuss new types of protein and their additional benefits that will help you achieve your fitness goals.
Classic Protein
‘Classic Proteins’ are the most common and are typically made using the proteins found in Milk – Whey and Casein.
WHEY
Whether you are an elite athlete or just starting out at the gym whey protein will work great for you and is the most popular on the market.
There are three types of whey protein: whey protein concentrate, whey protein isolate and hydrolysed whey. These have varying protein, lactose and fat contents and provide different health benefits. Standard whey protein concentrate is approximately 70-80% protein, with moderate fat and lactose levels. Whey protein isolate contains nearer 90%, with lower levels of lactose and fat (but also much lower levels of nutrients, too). Hydrolysed whey is absorbed faster than the other types, causing a sharp rise in insulin levels.
There are many benefits to taking whey protein supplements, the first being it helps to lose that stubborn fat but build muscle mass at the same time in order to maintain a healthy weight. By repairing the muscles that you tear during your workout it also will reduce the ‘morning after ache’ which will prevent you from making that your excuse to skip a day (we have all done that). Enjoying a whey shake as part of a balanced diet is also proven to reduce hunger as it helps us to feel fuller and therefore reduce temptation to snack.
When to Take: The best time to take your whey protein shake is immediately after that heavy training session so that the benefits can be put to work straight away, but you can also take whey can be consumed at any point during the day!
Product Suggestion: One of the best whey protein products on the market today is ‘Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey’ – it quite literally is the Gold Standard of whey protein Having been voted the best tasting protein in 2018. You can find the wide range of flavours and sizes right here.
CASEIN
Casein is the other protein found in milk. As like Whey Protein, Casein covers the same benefits the difference is that it is a slow releasing protein. Casein can take up to 6 hours to be ingested fully which means that it feeds your muscles slowly than when compared to Whey or Isolate which gives the muscles that full hit after training. In fact, the protein source found in Casein has been shown in research to release amino acids into your bloodstream for up to 8 hours after taking it.
When to Take: With it being a slow releasing protein, its best form of intake should be before bed to ensure a long, uninterrupted amount to get to work feeding and repairing muscles.
Product Suggestion: Regarded as the best, ‘MuscleTech Nitro Tech Casein Gold’s highly anabolic and anti-catabolic formula promotes a muscle building environment for longer periods of time. Check it out here.
Mass Gainers
The next type of protein is Mass Gainers. These are jam packed full of calories, protein, fat and carbohydrates and are ideal if you are taking protein for weight gain. Whilst the intake of protein may be less when compared to ‘Classic Protein’ a ‘Mass Gainer’ certainly makes up for that in added fats and carbohydrates helping you achieve that huge physique you are after.
A good mass gainer will contain between 500 to 1500 calories so if you are new to this type of protein then it is suggested that you start at the lower end and build yourself up to the ‘big shakes’. The benefits to using a mass gainer lies in its added ingredients, extra carbohydrates give you that added energy boost; the proteins help you achieve a leaner physique, which in return aids your muscle growth and recovery. This is simply a powder that gives you that overall nourishment when it comes to gains!
When to take: The main aim of a mass gainer is to increase your calorie intake and promote muscle growth. This means it can really be taken whenever you desire. If taken in the morning it will fuel your day and instantly boost your calorie intake before even leaving the house. It can also be taken post workout after you have burnt off large number of calories to ensure you are still in a ‘calorie surplus’.
Product Suggestion: When it comes to the lower calorie gains look no further than ‘Serious Gainz’. Does what it says on the tub with high carbs and protein per serving plus it is great value for money! You can find it here.
Also, ‘Serious Mass’ by Optimum Nutrition has a whopping 1250 calories per serving 250g of carbohydrates to fuel intense workouts. This great tasting protein is currently on special offer and can be found right here.
Diet Proteins
These proteins main aim is to help you lose weight. Often containing Whey Protein, they contain several known fat-loss ingredients to give your target of weight loss that extra boost. The benefits of whey protein, as discussed previously, with regards suppressing hunger and shifting stubborn fat, coupled with fat-loss ingredients such as green tea extract make these proteins ideal if your main aim is to lose weight. Some diet proteins are diet specific, for example the Keto Diet is extremely low carbs meaning that shakes have been designed specifically to keep your macros in line with your dietary requirements. Meal replacement proteins are also becoming more and more popular which are full of all the sustenance you would get from a healthy meal without any of the ‘bad bits’ and wasted calories.
When to take: The best time to take these shakes varies depending on your exercise output. Similarly, to the whey proteins though in the morning or post workout is best and obviously with meal replacement protein shakes enjoy it at the time of the meal you are replacing.
Product Suggestion: Regarded as the best diet whey on the market, ‘PhD Diet Whey’ contains a multitude of potential fat-loss ingredients which may assist with the building of fat-free muscle, without any bulking or excess calorie intake. It can also be used as a meal replacement shake too so it is ideal – grab it here.
Hopefully this article gives you a better understanding of what the different proteins are and how the majority all give out the same results added extras can make a wild difference in the outcome.
If you want to check out all our latest protein offers you can do by following the link here.
