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Q: Today in the Hawk’s Nest, we have Keith who is 42 years old and has been training hard day in and day out for the past few months. I know this personally because he trains at the same gym as me and I can see that he is really working hard and taking his training seriously. He came to me the other day and mentioned that he has been researching all different types of protein products, but wasn’t sure which one to buy. He is now stuck on the question: What is better…whey or soy protein?

A: Well Keith, most people who are training these days have found it very useful and most beneficial to add a supplement or numerous supplements to their workout. These supplements all vary, but the most commonly used supplement today is protein. Protein is the key ingredient for your muscles after a good workout. Amino acids (which are found in protein) help to rebuild your muscle after you break it down and then help to build more muscle on top of that. It’s a fact that protein is most beneficial right after a workout within a 60 minute time frame. Which now brings us to the question: Which type of protein is the best to use?

Whey protein has been among the best and most effective proteins for many years. It is a fast digesting protein which means it’s going to work almost immediately after being consumed. With all of the essential amino acids in it, it helps to rebuild and grow your muscle fast and effectively. Depending on your set goals, if you were shooting to gain good quality muscle it is recommended to take anywhere from one to two grams of protein per pound of body weight. If you are trying to stay lean take .75 to one gram of protein per pound of body weight. So depending on what you want your finished product to look like, this means you can’t always go by the serving size on your protein supplement because they all vary. One thing I recommend is to take half your serving as a shake and the other half take naturally by eating healthy protein containing foods. Some of these quality foods are, fish, steak, chicken, eggs, etc.

Soy protein has been given a pretty bad reputation over the past few years, but things you may hear aren’t always what they are made out to be. Like if you are a male and you are taking a soy protein, your testosterone levels will slowly begin to decrease and your estrogen levels will slowly begin to increase. What you are hearing is not all that true. There weren’t that many previous studies on this specific protein, but there are enough studies out there now to show that this isn’t the case. As a matter of fact, studies show that soy protein and whey protein have many of the same effects and both contain many of the same essential amino acids needed for rebuilding muscle and growth.

So now that we have gone over the differences between the two, which one do you choose? Whey or Soy? Well to be honest with you, it’s both whey and soy. The main difference between the two is that where the whey is a fast acting/digesting protein, the soy is a slow digesting protein (which will allow it to be in your system longer). So when you combine the two, you have a protein (whey) which will immediately take effect on rebuilding the damaged tissue and the other protein (soy) which will stay in your system longer to help in the growth of the muscle. By combining them you are creating a win- win situation in muscle recovery and growth.

David Hawk Jr. - Is a NPC national level competitor, personal trainer and fitness model. He is currently working with Triarco Industries as their athlete and spokesperson. Dave can be reached at DAVEHAWKH2@YAHOO.COM or DAVE@DAVEHAWKJR.COM.