Whey Protein

Whey Protein 

What is whey protein?

Whey protein, for the most part, is a tool to help hit your protein targets and, thus, a tool to maximise muscle protein synthesis (muscle development), maintain muscle mass when in a Calorie deficit, and facilitate muscle recovery. Protein provides the building blocks our muscles need to develop, and whey protein is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways of getting in enough protein.

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Is whey protein a supplement?

People are often hesitant to take supplements, especially ones popular in the bodybuilding world, but whey protein is more of a superfood than a supplement. It’s arguably no more of a supplement than cheese is. Whey protein is a mixture of proteins found in whey, which is the liquid part of milk that separates from the curds during cheese production. If you’ve ever opened yoghurt and seen a liquid floating on top — that’s whey! After being separated during cheese production, whey goes through various processing to become the powdered form that you and I are more familiar with.

Whey protein and leucine

Whey is a well-absorbed, high-quality protein source. High-quality, meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids. It’s loaded with them! It’s particularly high in branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) like leucine. Leucine is a particularly interesting amino acid as it’s the one most capable of increasing muscle protein synthesis. Leucine essentially starts the engine and gets the ball rolling for muscle protein synthesis.

Parting shot

When it comes to protein, it’s not just about quantity – it’s about quality, and whey protein allows for both quantity and quality!