What do you want from your protein powder?
Before you go out and splash out a king’s ransom on something flashy-looking with ‘protein’ emblazoned on the front, consider first what you’re using it for.
If you’re wanting to get huge over the winter, but you can cram enough calories in from normal food, you’re probably in the market for something with ‘Mega Mass 5000’ plastered all over the tub.
But this isn’t going to be ideal if you’re training to be lean, athletic or you have sport-specific goals. There’s nothing worse that turning up on the first day of the season having piled on a stone – just ask Manchester United forward Memphis Depay.
Memphis Depay explains the weight he's gained since joining Manchester United https://t.co/T5cxMpZxK3 pic.twitter.com/lw5irHV9fL
— JOE (@JOE_co_uk) November 11, 2015
One product JOE was sent to try that fits the bill of supporting lean muscle gains was Science in Sport’s new Advanced Isolate+ protein powder.
You will no doubt have seen SIS supplements down the year, but now the Lancashire-based firm have branched out into protein products.
The first thing you notice about the product is the ‘Triple Tested for Banned Substances’ guarantee.
If there’s anything worse as an athlete than sticking a load of weight on during the off season, it’s probably failing a random drugs test due to a contaminant in one of your sports supplements.
It’s a huge consideration for any performance athletes subject to regular drug testing in their sport – – and bodies like British Athletics use this list of approved supplements by Informed Sport they know are drug-free.
This is one of them.
So for starters you know there’s no nasties in it before you’ve even checked out the nutrient profile.
The first thing many people look for is the amount of carbohydrates – and particularly sugars – in a powder. SIS whey isolate is very low in carbs. There’s just 1.7g per 40g serving, and just 0.6g is from sugars, so you can keep those muffin tops at bay.
You’ll also get 31g of protein in that same serving – which isn’t bad at all. SIS have also added extra leucine – 5g to be exact.
This amino acid is a fundamental building block for new muscle protein and is king when it comes to increasing muscle protein synthesis.
There are also a further 9g of BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids) which help stop muscle protein breakdown when you’ve just smashed an intense workout.
These all add up to a pretty solid product – and it’s available in mint chocolate or strawberry.
