Trying to decide on which proteins to use at what times and for what reasons can be a mind-numbing process.

It is my hopes that this article can shed some light on the subject. There are basically two major proteins in the bodybuilder's arsenal. Those being casein and whey. They are also sometimes referred to as slow and fast acting proteins, respectively. The purpose of this article series is to give you an in-depth look at the properties of each of these proteins, explain what it all means and why it is important to you. nd, finally, to provide a systematic way to apply it all.

The Myths
!o, you've got a choice. "asein or whey# $ast or slow# !ome people swear by one or the other and would have you believe that one of them is, in fact, superior. %ell, I am sorry to say that those people are just plain wrong. They either do not understand the literature, have a poor sense of critical application, or just want to make an impact by taking a stand. %hichever it may be, these people have misled you. nd I can assure you that their path is nothing but a downward spiral to minimal results. To truly get the most from your protein supplementation, you will need to utili&e both types of protein in your repertoire of supplements. 'et's expand on whey a little bit first. I like to start with whey because it is better known and many have some background understanding of it. RELATED ARTICLE Clayton's Health Facts: Micellar Casein.
(icellar "asein - !low )igesting *rotein. [ Click here to learn more. ]

The Facts
hey
%hey is a by-product of cheese production. %hen cheese is made, a thin li+uid is left over. That li+uid is whey and it is less than ,- protein. It is concentrated and dried, and you have a protein powder. %hey protein is considered a .fast acting. protein. /ut what, exactly, is meant by 'fast'# $ast refers to the amount of time it takes to be fully metaboli&ed. (ore specifically, the time it takes for it to be digested 0if needed1, absorbed into the blood, taken up by a bodily tissue, and complete one of many metabolic fates. The two dominant pathways here are the creation of a new protein from the individual amino acids or oxidation into urea and possibly glucose. 2rea is the major component of urine, while glucose is the human basic unit of carbohydrate. %ith whey protein, it will take only 34 minutes before almost all of what you have consumed is coursing through your veins. !omewhere between 34-54 minutes, the level of amino acids in your blood has reached its high point. %ithin the hour it will have gone through the various metabolic processes, %'tim!m ())* either protein synthesis, or oxidation.,,,,3,,6,,5 hey #rotein. %hey *rotein Isolates s The This is a good thing7 (uscle growth is dependant on the balance between protein *rimary *rotein !ource7 synthesis and breakdown,8. If the synthesis of new muscle protein is greater than the [ Learn More ] breakdown of muscle protein, net gains in muscle mass are seen. !o with whey protein, it will take only 54 minutes for blood levels of amino acids and protein synthesis to reach a peak, and in about an hour they will come back to normal after a single feeding of protein.9,,5 This is ama&ingly fast in comparison to its counterpart casein, or even whole food. RELATED ARTICLE The hey It Is: The Tr!th A"o!t hey #rotein$ RELATED #R%D&CT

I hope this article finally clears up the major confusion people have surrounding whey. %hey is great stuff for many reasons, but you won't add mounds of muscle in ultra short time from the simple addition of whey to your diet. [ Click here to learn more. ]

Casein
"asein is considered a .slow. protein. %hen you consume casein, you will reach a peak in blood amino acids and protein synthesis between 6 to 5 hours.9,,3 This peak, however, does not even come close to that of whey. :n a scale of ,-,4 0with ,4 being the highest or fastest1, whey would be a ,4. "asein would come in with a meager rating of 3. /ut, here is the kicker. That is not a bad thing7 This, too, is a good thing. "asein dramatically slows the rate of protein breakdown. ;emember, muscle growth is dependant on the balance of protein synthesis and breakdown. !o as we can see here, relying on one or the other, and debating which is superior is futile in the hopes to gain the most benefits from them. To tip the scale in your favor, you need to increase protein synthesis and slow down muscle breakdown. <ou would be a fool to write one off. RELATED ARTICLE +!''lement Re,ie-s: Casein$
"asein protein is a milk protein extract recogni&ed for its excellent amino acid profile, slow digestion, and interesting peptides... [ Click here to learn more. ]

Don't Take It All At %nce

I know what you are thinking, .%hy not just mix them together and get the best of both worlds#. %ell, I am one step ahead of you. "asein has a uni+ue property, in that ii coagulates in the stomach.,3 This causes other proteins to be digested and absorbed much more slowly. =ave you ever tried to run through a vat of tar# It isn't easy by any means. <ou would be moving very slowly. "asein does the same thing to whey, and other proteins for that matter. Think of it as a sort of binding gel. This simple little fact would nullify the biggest and most important attribute of whey. That is its ability to flood your system +uickly with amino acid and stimulate protein synthesis. >ow before you ask, let me stop you - I already know what you are thinking. *erhaps it would be best to just slam whey protein drinks all day to keep your system swimming in amino acids, right# %rong7 It may seem counter-intuitive, but it would not keep protein synthesis rates up.3 ?ust having constantly high levels of amino acids or merely having a positive protein balance doesn't stimulate protein synthesis3,9,,, and doesn't lead to increases in muscle mass.,8 RELATED ARTICLE From Milk To M!scles: The hey +tory$
!everal weeks ago I was asked to explore the ins and outs of whey protein. :verlooking the media hype, this is what I found. The truth. >o outrageous claims to gain 39 lbs in @ weeks, just the best proteins7 [ Click here to learn more. ]

Then what does, you ask# ll evidence points to the same thing time and time again. It is the acute and large increase in the amount of amino acids in the blood that causes protein synthesis rates to increase.3,9,,,,34,,9,,6 If you were to tap a vein with an IA to crank blood levels of amino acids up and keep them there, we would see a dramatic increase in protein synthesis as well as a decrease in protein breakdown.,,,3 =owever, right around two hours, synthesis rates will level off and return to normal despite the abnormally high levels of amino acids.3 %hat is even more interesting is that even if amino acid levels are already very high and protein synthesis is dropping, I can consume more amino acids and further stimulate an increase in synthesis rates.,,

.Ho- To. Man!al

!o, here is the 'take home' message. It is not about just shoveling down 5,444 caloriesB or C-amount of protein to keep your blood saturated with amino acids at all times. It is the about presenting your body with sudden change and increase of amino acids that stimulates protein synthesis rates.3,9,,,,34,,9,,6,D This is why it is important to understand the differences between the various types of protein supplements. RELATED ARTICLE

Clayton's Health Facts:

hey #rotein Isolate.

%hey *rotein Isolate - =igh /iological Aalue %hey *rotein. [ Click here to learn more. ]

%hen products start touting how much of a certain amino acid they have added or that they have a better amino acid profile, just skip it. It doesn't matter.9 The amino acid profile becomes important when you are comparing different protein sources. nd since both casein and whey are derived from milk, they have essentially the same amino acid profile. <ou should be concerned with the main source of protein so that you know what that product will do for you. %ill it stimulate protein synthesis# :r will it slow protein breakdown#

Fin/in0 The Mi//le 1ro!n/

(ake no mistake about it, a high protein diet is a re+uirement for packing on high-+uality muscle mass.,,D,,6,,9,,@,,D /ut you need to find that middle ground. s we have covered, if you consume so much that you have chronically high levels of amino acids in your blood, much of the protein you consume will go straight down the toilet. 'iterally7,,3,9,,,,,B /ut don't let people sell you on the myth that your body can only handle so many grams of protein at one time. RELATED ARTICLE The 2est hey: A Re,ie- %3 The Most #o'!lar hey #roteins %n The Market.
(y goal here was to review most of the major whey protein powders on the market. ;ead on to learn what the results were of some common protein powders and how they stacked up against each other. [ Click here to learn more. ]

$irstly, this is a very vague statement. %hat is meant by .handle. or .at one time.# bout 94- of what you consume is incorporated into muscle tissue one way or another. 34- is incorporated into other body proteins and the remaining is oxidi&ed.,,,9,, large majority of the 64- is a class of amino acids called .non-essential amino acids..,B nd this breakdown of metabolic fates is true for just about any protein intake .at any one time.. :n the other hand, if you play it too safe, you will short circuit the muscle building mechanisms and the balance will shift towards muscle breakdown.5,,,,,8,,@,,D !o, the next time that someone tells you that they won't be happy until they can walk around with an IA drip of amino acids tapped into their arm, you can tell them they are just wasting their time. >ot only that, but you will understand why7

#recision #rotein +!''lementation

lright, so we now have all of this information swimming around in our heads. %hat do we do with it# 'et's put it together into a plan. %e know that we need to increase protein synthesis and reduce protein breakdown, right# %e know that whey is the most effective product to stimulate protein synthesis, and we know that casein is the most effective product to reduce protein breakdown. %e can't use them together, however, because casein will nullify whey's primary mode of action. =owever, we have one more weapon in the arsenal that we can use. nd that is our good ol' friend, food. In general, whole food proteins are digested very slowly. That means they will cause a mild and constant stream of amino acids into the blood, much like casein. =owever, most whole foods do not coagulate in the stomach and do not slow the digestion of other proteins. !o, the first step in the plan is to forget what you think you know about supplement timing. It is okay to consume whey protein at times during the day other than before or after a workout. nd honestly, you should. RELATED ARTICLE

The Ana"olic 4!trient Timin0 Factor$

This paper will discuss timing the macronutrients in scientifically proven method in order to assist the athlete in gaining results from their training methods via nutrition. [ Click here to learn more. ]

+te' 5(:

hey A3ter Foo/.

Cons!me a -hey 'rotein /rink shortly a3ter a -hole 3oo/ meal. /y doing so, you will have created an environment very conducive to muscle growth. /y consuming that whole food meal, you will have suppressed the rate of muscle breakdown. $irstly, by starting a slow cascade of amino acids through your system. !econdly, provided your meal had some kind of carbohydrates, you will have stimulated the release of insulin which, in itself, can slow the rate of muscle breakdown.,,,9,6,8,,5 Insulin is also the hormone that governs protein synthesis rate. /y elevating the release of insulin before the consumption of a whey protein drink, you have effectively set the stage for a serious anabolic reaction.,5,,4,,, There is a slight delay from the time you digest carbohydrates and the time that insulin levels peak. /ecause of the fact that whey is absorbed so +uickly, it is possible that the peaks between amino acids and insulin will not coincide, resulting in a less-than-optimal response.,,,,5 :nce the whey protein has been completely assimilated, amino acid levels will drop. =owever, they will not return to normal, because the . mino cid "ascade. that you stared with the whole food meal is still streaming. It's a beautiful sight, isn't it# This little step has effectively stimulated protein synthesis as well as slowing protein breakdown.

+te' 56: Casein

ithin 7 Ho!rs.

Cons!me a casein8"ase/ meal -ithin the ne9t 7 ho!rs. That means before three hours have elapsed - two hours would be an even safer bet. %e want the levels of amino acids in our blood to drop a bit so we can create a dramatic increase again. The degree of protein synthesis is directly related to the degree of change in the levels of amino acids. /y consuming a casein-based meal here we will allow for that drop while keeping amino acid levels above normal. This keeps the rate of protein breakdown to a minimum. )o you feel the scales tipping yet# Examples of good casein-based protein products are (olecular !ustained *rotein and Ctreme $ormulations 2ltra *eptide. To :ie- %!r Casein #rotein Recommen/ations; Click Here.

+te' 57: Lather; Rinse; Re'eat.

Re'eat$ That's all there is to it. lternate between a whole food meal with a whey protein chaser, and follow that up with a casein-based meal. >ow, I know this sounds expensive so you can modify it. <ou may want to reduce the si&e of the whey protein drink. /ut remember, the degree of protein synthesis is dependant on the degree of the increase in the levels of amino acids in the blood.3,9,,,,34,,9,,6 !o take caution when you are feeling cheap. It would not make sense to cut your servings and not have a very good response from it. <ou could also have just a whole food meal instead of a casein-based one. <ou would essentially get the same effect. =owever, many meal replacement products on the market today have a far better nutritional profile than anyone of us could every pull off in the kitchen. I highly recommend two a day, making sure to have one just prior to bed.

Concl!sion
%ell there you have it - a three pronged attackF *recision *rotein !upplementation. <ou now have the tools and knowledge to strategically create an environment that is highly conducive to not only increasing lean muscle mass, but preserving it as well. <ou will be surprised how effective this little strategy is during times of low-calorie dieting. !o, in summary, casein is a .slow. protein that is classified as anti-catabolic. That means that it prevent excessive protein breakdown. %hey protein is a .fast. protein that is classified as anabolic - meaning that it stimulates protein synthesis, but does not inhibit catabolism.9,,3,3

hat Do Ana"olic An/ Cata"olic Mean<

nabolic refers to the metabolic process that is characteri&ed by molecular growth, such as the increase of muscle mass. Thus, it means .muscle-building. in most common bodybuilding contexts. "atabolic, therefore, refers to the metabolic process that is characteri&ed by molecular breakdown and energy release, such as the decrease of muscle mass 0atrophy1.

%e can't do both at the same time, but we can mimic the effect by manipulating our dietary intake. nd finally, it is the rapid increase of amino acids that results in increases in protein synthesis. =opefully I have shed some light on the subject. There is no .best. type of protein, only a best approach. I'll never try to sway you one way or the other, I will only present you with the facts. )on't let anyone tell you anything different. If they are convinced that there is a .best., they are only joking themselves. ?ust smile, nod, and reali&e that you are bigger than that guy7