What’s up Wellness Warriors! It is time for another installment in my Protein series. You can read from the beginning here. As with my theme for this series, the goal is to turn the volume on some of the noise down a bit so that you can make well informed choices without being completely overwhelmed. Today, I want to talk about supplements.
Dun, dun, DUN! Supplements. The big one. The thing I get asked about as a trainer/coach/teacher more than any other. Seriously. If I had a dollar for every time someone asked about a protein supplement you could call me Bill Gates.
In all truthfulness, though, people ask about this a lot. Why? Well, in my humble opinion, manufacturers want you to think that things are changing fast and you are missing out if you don’t have the latest and greatest Super Mass Builder 5000 Xtreme. The manufacturers spend a lot of money producing and marketing these products and at some point they want to make their money back.
I’ve said this before, but here it comes: you don’t need protein supplements. But I will also be fair and acknowledge that many struggle to meet protein needs through their regular diet. And this could be for a variety of reasons: because other macronutrients are making up the bulk of your meals, because you don’t have the time needed to properly meal prep, or because you have training goals that require a very large protein intake.
Protein supplements make filling that gap much, much easier. But prepare to have your mind blown again. There aren’t as many varieties as the manufacturers want you to think. There aren’t as many useful protocols for training gains as the forums will have you think. And the fanciest, most expensive supplement won’t help you if you aren’t using it correctly or training to stimulate need.
Let’s start from the top. Protein supplements come in several very basic forms. There are powders that can be mixed to make shakes (or otherwise stirred into viscous food like oatmeal). There are ready-made or meal replacement options, which are comprised of your pre-mixed drinks and ready to eat bars. And there are weight/mass gainers.
The mixable powders are great and there is a lot of variety in terms of flavor here. What you really want to look at with these (and you’ll notice the start of a theme) is the label. Some of these are labelled “isolate” and some “concentrate.” In other words, whey protein concentrate. Those labels describe the percentage of protein. Isolate is good for about 75% protein, concentrate is 80-95%. The higher the percentage of protein, the less filler you are getting (read: more bang for your buck).
You can also look at the nutrition label on these. You want to optimize the protein while reducing sugar. But be aware that more protein isn’t always better. Your body can only handle about 30 grams or so at a time. And that much protein without a bit of a taste bud buffer can be unpalatable. These powders are also versatile and the most cost effective of the bunch. If you are a non-vegan dairy consumer, a good whey protein concentrate will not let you down.
The meal replacement or ready to eat options also offer a lot of variety. But they come with more downsides. First, there is more filler and stabilizers in these. They are after all, ready-made, but they also have to be shelf stable. Often times you will be consuming a lot of other things that you don’t need. Beyond that, you’ll pay for it, too. These are probably the most expensive of the bunch. It shouldn’t surprise you that I’m not a huge fan.
Weight or mass gainers are basically similar to the aforementioned powders but with a ton of calories added. You’ll remember that if you want to put on a lot of muscle, you need both the protein and the calories coming in to support that goal. In this case, calories typically means sugar, which isn’t ideal. I usually suggest to clients and students who want to put on size that they are better off with a standard powder. You always have to option of increasing your intake of actual food (in which you get other beneficial nutrients) and/or increasing the frequency of supplementation with that route.
Which brings me to my next point: for every protein supplement on the shelf at GNC, there is a protocol that (apparently) goes with it. Protein supplementation works best on a KISS method. Keep It Simple Sir. After training, there is a 30-60 minute window in which the body is primed to break down protein and use it to repair the microtrauma in the muscle. Consume your protein in this window. The only exception, like the literal only one, is casein. Casein (which you can purchase in a powder mix format) is a large molecule for the body to break down, so it takes awhile. Take this one before bed.
In fact, when I said earlier that if hypertrophy is your goal and you could double up on standard supplements (which you can if you really want to KISS), you can also do a standard supplement in the post workout recovery window and then a casein supplement at nighty night. The most straightforward protocols are the ones that work. Mostly because they are easier to stick to.
And, as I mentioned before, you don’t need to shell out for the fanciest supplement for results. The basic stuff will get you where you need to go as long as you are training properly to stimulate need. If you are consuming a protein supplement without spending time strength training, and I mean actually lifting heavy things, you are wasting money.
Now if you are saying to yourself, Melissa, what about supplements with that little something extra, BCAAs, greens, collagen, and what have you? Well, that’s for the next installment!
Until next time, be well, friends!
