What is whey isolate?

Whey, or milk plasma, is the material left behind after milk has been curdled and strained. It is a by product of processes such as making cheese. For many a protein source that is derived from dairy has unpleasant connotations of lactose and fats, but whey has caught on in a big way in the body building community because it can deliver a massive dose of protein, without much fat or lactose at all.

Why is protein important?

Protein is an organic compound that is made up of amino acids, in a particular linear chain and has several main features of relevance to body builders:

• The order of the aminos for a particular protein is dependent on the genetic ‘code’ of the organism involved.
• For humans there are twenty amino acids, some of which are considered essential for life, and some which are important for optimal health, but not essential.
• In order to achieve peak outcomes, body builders need to have all the aminos present and be able to ingest large amounts of protein, since protein is the building blocks of muscle tissue.
• What a lot of people don’t realize is that muscle tissue is in a constant state of flux. It is always being ‘re organised’, with new muscle tissue being built and older tissue being broken down into energy that can be used by the body.
• The latter is a ‘catabolic’ process, and one of concern for competitive body builders.

Getting the right quantities of protein has never been more important for those who take optimum results seriously.

Protein supplements

In order to build muscle, protein is required. And in order to avoid muscle loss an amount of protein needs to be ingested that is significantly higher than what is used during the exercise undertaken to trigger muscular growth. Getting this right is every body builder’s main goal. Sourcing protein from conventional food sources is just part of it. Preparing meals and digesting them takes time and energy. Supplements allow a mass dose of protein to be ingested in a form that is easily digestible. A good protein supplement will also contain a mixture of proteins which digest, and are therefore released into the body, at different times. A lot of people don’t realize that up to 40% of muscle can be added whilst in a deep sleep state, so any protein supplement needs to be able to deliver protein on a slower release basis, as well as more immediately.

Whey in protein supplements

Whey has revolutionised protein supplements because it can deliver protein that is easily digested and released into the body, in a form that has very little lactose or ‘bad fats’. This is because whey is now extracted from milk, leaving behind the things you don’t want and just delivering the protein you do want. And in fact these processes have now become so effective that you will hear about whey ‘isolates’. This is a very precise form of extraction where specific amino acids can be targeted. This is a huge boon for body builders because different aminos have different roles, some of which are very pertinent for adding muscle. In other words it is ‘tailor’ made protein for body building!

Getting exactly what your body needs for adding muscle is one area where modern body builders have a huge advantage over previous generations. Whey isolates deliver not only protein but the exact amino acid blend required for optimal muscle growth. It is no wonder that whey has now become synonymous with peak performance in body building!