If you workout and take your performance seriously, then you need to make sure you are ingesting the right amount of protein. Unfortunately there is a lot of confusing information that needlessly complicates this key issue. This article is going to provide concise recommendations on protein intake for hard training athletes, and it will discuss the science behind protein supplementation.
Most gym bro’s have heard that protein is the key to success. If you go on any Facebook group for working out you will inevitably find someone asking some variation of, “which protein sup is the best?”
This isn’t a bad question, but I generally find when people ask this they are really looking for some kind of shortcut that doesn’t exist. If you’re reading this article hoping I’m going to tell you about a magic protein elixir that’s better than steroids, you’re going to be sorely disappointed.
I am going to cover some key pieces of research on protein intake for athletes, and I’m going to give you some solid recommendations on protein supplements if you think you need one. Before we get into the details let’s first review what protein is and what it does for us as strength athletes.
Protein Basics
Protein is the primary structural, and functional component of each cell in your body. It is used to repair cells, create enzymes, and create hormones, as well as many other uses. Regardless of what Thunder says down at the Golds, protein does not only build muscle tissue.
It is composed of amino acids, which are nitrogenous compounds that are bound together with peptides to form protein molecules. While these compounds are used in nearly every part of the body, for sports performance, proteins and amino acids are used for building and repairing muscle tissue and other structures in the body. Now that you have a good idea what protein is, let’s talking about how your body actually uses it.
Protein Utilization
Protein has two types of amino acids, loosely grouped into essential and nonessential amino acids. Essential amino acids cannot be produced in your body and must be ingested from protein sources. Nonessential amino acids can be produced within your body and don’t necessarily have to be consumed.
These amino acids are synthesized in the body to produce and repair a wide variety of tissues, including muscle tissue. Proteins with complete sources of essential amino acids are used much more efficiently to help produce muscle tissue and repair damage from hard workouts.
If we were all angels we would eat a wide variety of protein sources in our normal meals, which would give us all of our amino acids, but we aren’t. This means we need to supplement our diets with additional protein.
Protein Supplements for Functional Fitness Athletes
If you’ve read this site for any length of time you’ll no doubt have heard me say that most people don’t need to be taking supplements, and this is true. Quality sleep, and good food is, and always will be, the basis for increasing your fitness.
I do generally make an exemption for protein supplements. For many athletes it can be hard to eat enough protein to really maximize lean tissue production, and strength gains. There is also a lot of solid research showing that increasing protein intake causes increased muscle mass. It’s not even a question anymore.
Traditional Protein Supplements
For the last several decades there have been two very common protein supplements that have been shown to have beneficial effects for strength athletes. These are whey protein isolate, and casein protein isolate.
Whey Protein
Whey protein isolate is what is most commonly found in powdered protein supplements. It also appears as an additive in other food products we all regularly consume. It works very well, and is even tolerated well by people with lactose intolerance.
It is best thought of as a high performing amino acid delivery system. Most studies show that taking whey protein after a hard workout causes an immediate spike in protein synthesis, which lasts for about 3 hours. Casein is the opposite.
Casein Protein
Casein isolate is produced from bovine milk, as is whey, but it has different properties causing it to be more slowly released in the blood stream. It causes the same kind of increase in protein synthesis, but it does so over a much longer period than whey does.
Both of these protein supplements have a long track record of working well for athletes, but they do have a few drawbacks. They can taste bad to many without adding a lot of sugar or fat which isn’t always desirable for those looking to lose weight.
They also don’t always mix well with many liquids, especially water, often leaving a chunky, chalk flavored drink that can be pretty difficult to choke down.
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This sounds somewhat trivial given the great benefit of increasing protein intake, but I can promise that you are much less likely to take something, regardless of it’s benefit, if it tastes like garbage. This leads us to our next question, what makes a good protein supplement?
Protein Supplement Qualities
In my book, any good protein supplement needs to be palatable first and foremost. Secondly, it needs to be easily absorbed by the body with the full complement of essential amino acids.
There has also been research showing that protein is best absorbed when at least 3 grams of the amino acid leucine are ingested as well. Likewise, protein ingested with carbohydrates is more easily utilized as well.
This leaves us looking for a supplement that tastes good, has all essential amino acid including leucine, as well as carbohydrate. Wouldn’t you know it, I know of just such a supplement.
Blonyx Egg White Protein Isolate
Blonyx contacted me a few months ago to let me know they were releasing their newest supplement, an egg white protein isolate. It sounded interesting, so I asked them to send me a sample to review.
Egg protein does have a few advantages over whey and casein. Eggs are the most bio available protein in nature, meaning that it is the easiest for your body to synthesize into new tissue. Secondly, it can be used a little easier when cooking. Hello protein waffles!
Personally I prefer protein powder in a shake, but that’s just me, I’m boring. I found the chocolate flavor they sent to be more or less the same taste as other chocolate flavored whey protein I’ve tried in the past. It was decent and and mixed fairly well.
I did find that it tasted better when mixed with milk, rather than water. There’s just something about chocolate flavored water that is a bit off, but chocolate milk is pretty damn good!
This egg white protein powder does have all your essential amino acids, and 11g of carbs in each serving. This makes it ideal for pre/post workout shakes. Protein supplements without carbs are not as easily absorbed. Even if you are on a diet, 11g of carbs isn’t a big deal, thats only 44cal.
If you’d like to give it a try click on the image below, and you’ll get a 10% discount on your order, which means you should get a bag for about $50. Or you can use the discount code TIERTHREE at checkout.
Full disclosure, I am an affiliate with Blonyx which means that if you make a purchase from them after clicking from our site, or using our code, then they pay us a referral fee at no cost to you. It helps keep the lights on around here, and you’ll never see a recommendation for something we don’t believe in and use.
Final Thoughts
I see this supplement as a good option for functional fitness athletes who have a tough time eating enough protein. In my experience that is most hard training folks. Run your numbers through this macro calculator to see if you are eating enough.
Like most protein supplements this isn’t going to drastically change your performance in the short term. You’ll need to be consistent for a few months with your diet and your fitness program to see real results, but that’s how life is. There are no shortcuts.
If you’re a serious athlete, or just want to know more about nutrition and top performance, then check out my ebook!
If you have any questions or comments put them below where I can respond them the quickest. Now get out there and start training.
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