Whey protein powders have been used by bodybuilders for decades as a convenient way to feed their muscles with a quality complete protein source. With so many whey protein supplements on the market today, determining which ones are worth investing in can be an extremely daunting task. Some base their decision on taste, some on the nutritional content, but most base their decision on which protein powder to purchase solely on price.
I have spent some time researching the differences between the designer whey proteins and the cheaper generic whey protein supplements. What I found was quite surprising and I will never again purchase a whey protein product using the price tag as the basis of my decision. I want to share with you 3 reasons why cheap protein powders are simply unacceptable for any serious bodybuilder who wants to build muscle mass as quickly and healthily as possible.
Amino Acid Spiking and Incomplete Protein Profiles
Amino acid spiking is a tactic used by supplement companies to increase the protein content of their whey protein products. Supplement companies even use a cleverly crafted way of disclosing their addition of amino acids by actually listing them as a benefit on their products. This will usually read something like, “more than 5 grams of BCAAs in each serving”. But, is this addition of branched chain amino acids really beneficial for someone investing in a whey protein supplement?
The fact is that branched chain amino acids, or BCAAs, are entirely unnecessary if you are consuming complete protein sources, such as pure whey protein isolate, meats, fish and eggs. The truth is that supplement companies add amino acids, or spike their protein products with amino acids, as a way to use less whey protein while maintaining the same amount of detectable protein in their products.
When amino acids are tested for nutritional profiling they will actually show up as a protein. So, for every gram of amino acid that is contained in a product, it will show up on a nutritional label as a full gram of protein. The problem is that bodybuilders are using whey protein for the sole purpose of feeding their muscles with the protein required to make them grow larger, bigger and fuller. When supplement companies spike their whey protein products with amino acids, these
amino acids are entirely useless for building muscle mass because the body requires all 24 amino acids to build new muscle tissue.
Pure whey protein does contain all of the amino acids required for muscle growth. However, when a protein supplement contains cheap amino acid additives, all that does is give your body less useable protein. Without fail, all of the cheapest whey protein supplements will be as cheap as they are because some amount of whey protein has been replaced with a cheap and incomplete protein alternative. Some protein products actually add so many grams of additional amino acids that their distributors can sell their products for cheaper than the cost of whey protein – while still making profit!
So, how can you guarantee that you are purchasing a pure whey protein product?
The sad reality is that so many whey protein products are using the tactic of amino acid spiking that most whey protein products really should be avoided. That being said, there is an easy way to make sure that you are getting pure whey protein when purchasing whey protein supplements. You want to make sure that you are only purchasing products that are 100% pure whey protein isolate. Whey protein isolate is the most pure form of whey protein and will not include any cheap additives that simply do not add any value in terms of muscle growth when compared to pure whey protein.
You should know that pure whey protein isolate will cost more since you are paying for only whey protein, and not cheap filler ingredients. Nevertheless, if you are going to spend your hard earned money on a whey protein supplement as a way to conveniently feed your muscles with the nutrition they need to grow, you might as well make sure that you aren’t wasting your money on any protein supplements that will not provide that exact benefit.
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