Whey Protein Powder The Preferred Muscle Builder - Whey protein powder is hands down the most popular supplement. If you ask any body builder at a gym what muscle building supplement he takes, chances are they will tell you they take a whey protein supplement. The body builder probably takes other supplements as well but for anyone serious about gaining muscle mass, they recommend at least whey protein.

What Exactly is Whey Protein?
Whey protein is a type of protein that is found in dairy.

It is the most widely used protein in powder form.

The reason for this is because your body breaks down whey protein within 30 minutes of eating it. You need it to break down this fast because you need to repair your muscle tissue as fast as possible.

That is why so many people take a whey protein supplement.

For the Lactose Intolerate

For anyone that is lactose intolerate you can still use whey, however your choices are limited. I recommend Muscle Milk protein powder if your lactose intolerate because it has no lactose in it.

The Lowdown on Whey Protein Powder
Truth is, you don’t necessarily have to take a whey protein supplement to gain muscle mass fast. You can do without it if you eat the right foods; in fact you are better off making a healthy high protein meal with some vitamins as well to help break down the protein quicker and more efficiently.

Many body builders and personal trainers will tell you that you must eat some type of protein within 45 minutes after working out to repair the muscle tissue. If you wait longer than that you will see minimal gains in your muscle mass over time.

People use whey protein powders because they lack the time to create a meal in that amount of time after working out.

Other Benefits of Whey Protein
Whey protein powders usually don’t just contain whey protein. They also contain some vitamins. Some even contain amino acids.

These vitamins and amino acids are crucial to help break down the protein and distribute it throughout your body faster and more efficiently.

Many brands also do not contain a high concentration of carbohydrates and calories. This is particularly good for people who are overweight and want to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time.

For skinny individuals like I was, a weight gainer is more suitable to build muscle mass. I would not recommend taking a whey protein powder along with a weight gainer because a weight gainer contains whey protein.

The Brands of Protein Powder
Here are some of the most popular brands of whey protein:

Types of Whey Protein
While picking a brand that is right for you consider looking at the ingredients.

You may find yourself reading the label not understanding what any of that means.

Well I will explain what the first two ingredients are usually in detail.

The two ingredients are Whey Protein Isolate and Whey Protein Concentrate.

They are essentially the same type of protein but there are differences in the quality of protein.

If you want the absolute best quality whey protein supplement find a brand that uses Whey Protein Isolate. It is whey protein in its purest form.

It’s obviously not a necessity and those types of protein are usually the most expensive. Companies usually mix Whey Protein Concentrate to reduce the cost of making it, thus passing the savings onto the consumer. These types of whey protein are usually the cheapest.

It’s not going to make a major difference using the more expensive brand. If you cannot afford the best whey protein I would search for a mid priced protein and try to find a protein powder with Whey Protein Isolate before Whey Protein Concentrate because it will contain more Isolate than Concentrate.

What I like to do when trying a new brand of protein powder is to taste each type. Whatever tastes the worst means it is usually the best.

You might be asking, “Why?”
It’s simple… because companies aiming to make their protein taste better will usually put more sugar in and less protein and vitamins, which makes it less effective.

Is Whey Protein the Right Supplement For Me?
Ask yourself this…
“Do I want to build lean muscle mass?”

Now honestly determine whether you are:

If you’re over weight or average weight I would recommend you take this as your primary supplement if you choose to take one. If you are skinny I recommend a weight gainer rather than this, unless you can eat at least 5 midsized meals a day around equal time intervals (such as every 2-3 hours) then you should use a whey protein powder.