6 Best Protein Powder For Muscle Building

Need fuel for a great workout? One of the best ways is to use protein powders for muscle building. And if finding the suitable product for muscle building is a concern for you, we have it all sorted here.

Why Protein Powder?

Protein powder benefits range from fueling workouts to aiding weight loss. Let’s have a look at some of the top protein powder benefits.

Top 5 Protein Powder Benefits:

1. Helps in muscle building
2. Aids in weight loss
3. Helps in speedy recovery after an intense workout
4. Promotes muscle repair and maintenance
5. Can be consumed with or without bodybuilding goals, just for general fitness too.

Best Protein Powder to Achieve the Desired Muscle Mass

Now, let’s have a look at options you have for protein powder for muscle gain:

1. Whey Protein

Whey protein is the by-product you get during the process of cheese making. It is the yellowish coloured liquid that separates from curd. So, yes you can make whey protein at home as well. And in case you don’t want to go through all that trouble, there are several high-quality whey protein supplements online that you can easily buy.

Whey Protein obtained from further processing comes out in the form of Whey Isolate. Whey Isolate is the pure form of whey protein that contains very less lactose and thus is easier to digest. This also helps it work quicker and give better results for lean muscle building. No wonder, for many bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts, whey protein is the best option for muscle building.

Must Read – How To Make Whey Protein At Home

2. Casein Protein
   Casein protein is another form of protein powder that is popular for consumption by fitness enthusiasts and bodybuilders. Casein protein too, like whey protein, is found in milk. However, unlike whey isolate, casein protein powder digestion and absorption process are slower. Thus, when it comes to lean muscle building, whey protein powder is considered better than the casein protein powder.

But, there’s an alternate side to this too. In a study conducted on a group of men, casein protein came out better than whey protein. In this, the major point was calorie restriction. That is, if instead of meeting 100% calorie needs, if the number is reduced to let’s say 80%, then the performance of casein protein powder came out better not only in terms of gaining lean muscle mass but also in terms of reducing the fat mass.

3. Egg Protein

There’s a technical term that comes into picture when we talk about Egg Protein – “PDCAAS”

PDCAAS means Protein Digestibility Amino Acid Score. This is a method in which protein quality is evaluated. This evaluation is based on the amino acids requirements and its ability of digestion for humans. This method was adopted as the “preferred best” by the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) to determine protein quality.

Coming back to egg protein, the PDCAAS for eggs is known to be the highest among whole foods. Also, being an animal protein source, the egg protein fulfills your essential amino acid requirements. Being a rich source of leucine, the egg protein is great for muscle building and fitness. Thus, the egg white protein is an easily digestible high-quality protein source that not only contributes to muscle health but also helps keep you full for a long time.

4. Brown Rice Protein

If compared to Whey Protein powder for muscle building, brown rice protein is surely going to come second. This is because the protein powder from brown rice is low in lysine amino acid. Though, brown rice protein is a good source of all essential amino acids but loses the bet to whey protein when it comes to muscle building. But, here’s an alternate side of this coin. There was an 8-week study conducted on a bunch of fit young males. This study compared the effects of rice protein and whey protein in terms of muscle strength, body composition, and muscle recovery. And astonishingly, the resulting changes, after taking 48 grams of rice protein or whey protein, were found to be similar.

Therefore, considering that there is not a considerable research done on rice protein, you can choose whey protein over rice protein for better muscle building.

5. Pea Protein

When it comes to research, a little amount is done on the effectiveness of Pea Protein powder for muscle building. However, if you are a vegan and want to include protein in your diet for fitness, pea protein is a good plant protein source that you can consume.

Pea Protein is rich in BCAAs and contains a good amount of essential amino acids. Also, there was a controlled study done on a group of 161 men. These were people who performed 12 weeks of resistance training and were given 50 grams of pea protein and 50 grams of whey protein powder daily (within different people in groups). The result comparison between the group who took pea protein vs the group who took whey protein was similar in regards to an increase in muscle thickness.

In addition to this, consuming pea protein is also useful when it comes to lowering high blood pressure (as per a study that was done on rats and humans).

Therefore, pea protein powder for muscle building can be considered an option if you are a vegan. But still, as there’s not much scientific research to back pea protein for its muscle building effectiveness, you may also want to include other plant protein sources in your diet to fulfill your fitness requirements. And in case you are not a vegan, then you also have an option to go for whey protein.

6. Hemp Protein

Hemp Protein is another popular type of protein which is works great for people who are looking for gluten-free protein powder options. Hemp protein is derived from hempseed. Once the hempseed oil is extracted, the hempseed protein is processed from the remaining seedmeal which is high in protein. Hempseed is quite known for its high content of Omega-3 fatty acids. It is easily digestible too. Also, hemp protein is a rich source of all essential amino acids, though it’s a bit low in leucine and lysine.

Being a plant protein source, hemp protein can be really useful for vegans to fulfill their protein requirements for muscle health and fitness. The dosage of hemp protein would depend on the reason you are using it for. Also, because of a very little requirement of chemical use in hemp farming, hemp protein is also a quite safe plant protein source.

Conclusion

Listed above were some types of protein you can choose from based on your requirements. Ensure that you check the product label for the nutritional value as well as ingredients to make an informed decision.