Best Protein for Building Muscle

 Everyone knows that protein is absolutely essential to muscle growth. For our normal dietary needs, it doesn’t really require much more though than that. But when it comes to protein for building muscle, it’s very helpful to seek protein elsewhere with supplements.

At this point the issue becomes a little more complicated and it’s important to keep a few things in mind regarding what protein(s) you choose for your supplement. There isn’t a single best protein. Most people find that Whey protein supplements are ideal for a post workout supplement.

Whey protein has a very strong amino acid profile; it contains a broad spectrum of different amino acids. But, this doesn’t make it the best protein, and you need to consider your individual situation and goals to help you decide which is best for you.

The primary factors are: diet, time(s) of ingestion, your goals, and how many times you’ll take it. Diet is important because a given protein has a specific amino acid profile.

You may find when looking closely at your diet that you’re particularly weak or strong in various amino acids and then use a protein to give you a better balance. If you’re a vegetarian, you might lean more toward whey because of its complete profile, but if you’re a vegan, you might consider soy or rice proteins.

Time of consumption is extremely important, particularly due to the speed at which your body will absorb the protein. To take advantage of the anabolic window post-workout, you’ll want a fast absorbing protein.

However, the major fact affect the speed of absorption is not the kind of protein (whey, casein, etc.) but the form it’s in. The fastest form for a protein to be in is hydrolized, so you’d want to make sure for a post workout supplement that it’s a hydrolized whey protein.

If you plan to take your protein at night, to avoid muscle catabolism, you’ll want to find a slower digesting protein. Casein protein is typically the choice people make here because it’s slow digesting and spikes your body’s levels of leucine for quite a while.

Your goals with supplementation are also very important. If you’re in a bulking phase, you might consider supplementing protein in the form of a meal replacement shake or a weight gainer. If you’re trying to lose weight while preserving muscle mass, you might consider a protein supplement that’s been combined with creatine and more glutamine.

Finally, how often you plan to supplement is of major importance. Due to the factors above and a desire to supplement large amounts of protein some people choose to take supplements multiple times a day.

In this case, you may find it wisest to take multiple different kinds of protein for their different purposes. You might take a hydrolized whey protein for your post-workout and opt to take a casein protein isolate before bed.

When deciding on protein(s), it’s important that you consider all of these factors so that you can maximize your results.