QUESTION: Mark, should I take whey protein isolate or concentrate? Is one better than the other for building muscle?
ANSWER:
Strictly speaking, whey isolate is a superior form of protein…but it actually doesn’t matter.
It is superior in the sense that it just has more protein per serving.
WHEY ISOLATE VS WHEY CONCENTRATE
Whey isolate typically has a 90% protein content. So a 50g serving would deliver 45g protein.
Whey concentrate typically has a 75% protein content. So a 50g serving would deliver 37.5g protein.
You can get the same amount of protein simply by using more concentrate powder.
That’s why isolate is more expensive. For me personally though, the extra expense doesn’t justify the extra protein per serving.
So I buy whey concentrate and just make sure I measure it out with kitchen scales so that I’m confident about how much protein I’m actually getting.
I get Impact Whey Concentrate from MyProtein (UK link) (US link). It’s really quality stuff and verified as such through independent testing by Labdoor.
So unless you are keeping your carbs really low (below 30g) I recommend you just stick to concentrate. A good isolate I have always recommended is Isopure (zero carb) Whey Isolate.
And you can get Impact Whey from MyProtein by using the links below. The code “MUSCLEHACK” used at checkout will knock 10% of your order – and all orders in the future.
Hope that helps,
Mark McManus
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HERE ARE THE SUPPLEMENTS I HIGHLY RECOMMEND
I highly recommend MyProtein for all your supplement needs.
GO TO MYPROTEIN UK/EUROPE
GO TO MYPROTEIN USA
- I also recommend to US readers this Optimum Nutrition whey (and here's a low-carb whey)
- And this quality, inexpensive creatine ~ Mark McManus
How’s she cutting lad? Quick one, your thoughts on Kris Gethin’s line of supplements Kaged Muscle? I follow him and he constantly plugs the stuff as being far superior to the anything on the planet. I get why he’s doing it but is the range that much better????
Hi Mark, you used to recommend gold standard whey in the U.S.
Is there a specific reason why you now recommend my protein? It looks less expensive them gold standard but I’ve been buying gold standard for a couple years now because it really tastes good (chocolate coconut). Does my protein taste Good? Thanks
@Shane. I’m not aware of any independent testing of his products, so I can’t really comment. Since myprotein has been repeatedly verified and is cheap also, I just stick with them.
@Matt. I still recommend gold standard. If you scroll down, you’ll see. Myprotein didn’t used to exist in the US, so that was my recommendation for my American readers. Myprotein tastes awesome by the way.