Whey vs EEA’s pre workout

Hey Jordan, I have a few questions I was not able to find on the forum. I know you usually suggest whey for early AM workouts. I’ve ready that it takes 20 grams of whey protein 2 hours to be fully be absorbed. By that logic, it wouldn’t even be absorbed until the end of my workout. I also know you say there is a 3 hour refractory period after consuming protein before the body is re-sensitized to MPS from protein again.

  1. Wouldn’t it be better to have EAA’s before a workout, since they’re instantly absorbed?

  2. If the Whey wasn’t absorbed until after the end of my workout, wouldn’t my post workout meal be essentially useless in term of MPS?

Not totally sold on the muscle full effect after reading Jon Trommelon’s “Ultimate Guide to Muscle Protein Synthesis”.

  1. If I’m consuming a post workout meal directly after my workout, would EAA’s be a better pre-workout option?

I’d be taking them with Vitargo, to reduce Muscle Protein Breakdown.

  1. Would the Carbs from Vitargo reduce muscle protein breakdown on their own?

Just for Context I’m on a fat loss diet currently.

Barbell Medicine has improved my health in many different contexts, so thanks for all you do:smile:.

-Brad

Brad,

Thanks for the questions.

  1. Whey is absorbed and causes elevations in blood levels of amino acids at the 20-minute mark, lasting for another hour or so before returning to baseline. EAA’s aren’t really faster (definitely not instant). None of this matters for workout performance, as it doesn’t really rely on protein energy availability.

  2. I’m not sure I understand. Are you suggesting that it would be beneficial if EAAs caused an elevation in MPS for a few minutes between when you consume them and your workout started? MPS rates drop pretty much the moment the workout starts. Muscle protein breakdown also goes up significantly, supplement or not. I do not think MPS should be micromanaged.

  3. No.

  4. No. This is mostly for energy availability.

I do not think EAAs are > whey, but more so of an equivalent that are more expensive. I think they’re most useful in oral rehydration strategies or in people who don’t tolerate whey, but don’t want another protein supplement.

Hey Jordan. Question #2 was just some confusion I had about the refractory period. Clearly I’m overthinking this lol.

I’ll just stick with Vitargo, if the whey isn’t really doing anything from a Muscle Protein Breakdown reduction or performance standpoint.

I’d rather have more Calories coming from Whole Foods anyway, especially on a cut.

thanks again for that information and have a great day!

Yea, I think the refractory period for MPS is very real, but doesn’t really “count” when it overlaps with the workout. In other words, the MPS rates during a workout are going to be low (and muscle protein breakdown high) regardless of protein intake beforehand. The refractory period doesn’t seems to end far sooner with a workout than it would with food alone. Still, I wouldn’t use any of this information to manage protein intake., Would consume ~30 to 50g of protein 4-5x/day spread out by 3-5 hours.