posted Wed, 08/27/2025 - 07:15
398
Whey protein shakes
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Y'all still doing whey protein shakes? I'm on reta and trying to keep my protein up but I remember back in the day competitors saying theres no point since it's in and out of your body quick unless you drink it slowly over the day....
What's the consensus on this?
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I put 55g of Whey Hydrolysate powder into 200ml of water with 50g Dextrose powder, there is no easier way of getting in a big amount of protein with so little effort and ease. I have this either after training or on rest days as a drink next to my middle meal of the day. Then later on its 15g of EAA's, 5g Leucine and Dextrose. Then normally a 25g RTD just before bed to keep me a little fuller. I then have the main usual meals of the day.
I've found that if I do not get all of these in every day plus my meals then it throws my recovery out and I need to add extra rest days. I saw some of these kind of comments on here back when I signed up and began using gear, guys saying don't bother with shakes as it should all come from food and they make no difference Blah Blah blah. Being an Idiot I tried this and after a week my lifts had plummeted. There is no possible way any sane human being can justify why protein shakes don't work.
Been hearing EAA are better than BCAA. Since I'm in a deficit maybe i should hit those up. Thanks for the tip.
In all fairness I've had good results with both, as really with BCAA all you are doing is topping up your daily total with Leucine, Iso Leucine and Valine and still getting the other EAA's with your Whey shakes etc. BUT in studies EAA's produce a much greater protein synthesis level as you have all the main EAA's in there and not just the BCAA's. EAA's taste worse than BCAA's which is why many stay away from them I believe - but those smaller acids like Histidine (the one that makes it taste nasty) and Methonine really play a crucial role in the muscle building process. I find them exceptional for really healing sore tendons and niggly RTC's in the shoulders. Consuming 15g's of EAA's is effective as drinking a 50g Whey shake in studies I've seen, and the body still produces its own non essential aminos anyway which of course you get many of in Whey too.
This whole ‘whey in and out too fast’ thing is ancient bro-science. Whey is literally designed to be fast-digesting … that’s its advantage, not a flaw. Competitors back in the day avoided it because they didn’t understand nitrogen balance or amino acid kinetics.
If you’re on RETA and trying to hit your protein, a shake is just another tool. Whether you sip it over an hour or slam it in 30 seconds, your body doesn’t magically ‘waste’ the protein … it still gets broken down into aminos and used where needed.
The only real questions are:
Does it help you hit your daily protein target?
Does it fit your digestion and satiety?
That’s it. No secret sauce. Stop overthinking it, brother man !
People used to and still say it’s better to get your protein from whole foods. But this is broscience. There’s no data to suggest whey is an inferior protein source. The data available says the opposite actually, it’s a more perfect and complete protein source compared to meat. And it’s very easily digested and has the highest bioavailability of any protein source. The one thing it does lack is micro nutrients.
With that said I still get the vast majority of my protein from whole foods because shakes dont taste good. But i still have one post workout for an easy 50 grams of protein. And sometimes i make a smoothie with banana, strawberries, milk and some whey to replace a meal. If I was struggling to eat on something like reta I’d have no qualms having a couple shakes to boost my protein intake.
That's how I understood it a while back was people were moving to food sourcing. But fuck it's hard to hit protein macros on reta. Just happy not eating and forget.
Jrihard89100% bro science man. Whey bioavailability is just as good as eggs. It’s just fine to help. When I was competing I limited shakes or cream of rice mash up to 1-2 times a day depending on my work load and school and stuff
But now I use 2-3 shakes a day and 3 solid meals. Just a part of being a dad and raising a family. Shakes are easy
When you are on reta you need to be eating protein every chance you get when you are hungry if you do not want to lose muscle. I am on it now and have been for about 3 months. I always drink whey protein shake after I workout and eat lots of chicken, fish and other meats when I eat. I have gained muscle and toned while on reta.
I'm obviously eating protein every chance I get but there's no getting around the cal deficit and lack of appetite that I'm in.... otherwise I wouldn't be trying to slam whey protein.
You are supposed to be in a cal deficit that is the whole point of reta, it tones you up by making your body use your fat sources as fuel.
Have you even ran Reta before? Do you have any idea how catabolic it is?
They are fine to supplement protein with when you can't get enough from whole foods. Protein from whole foods is arguably a bit more bioavailable in how our body processes it, but to say there is no point in a protein shake because its in and out too quick is just silly bro-science.