Best Whey Protein for Bulking 2022: Which is best?

Whey protein is perhaps one of the ultimate supplements for bodybuilders and athletes alike. It regularly appears at the top of everyones list when it comes to which supplements to use. In fact, when you first begin working out, whey protein is often the go to beginners supplement.

But this popularity also creates a lot of choice. A huge amount of protein supplements are now available. In this post we will explore the best whey protein for bulking in 2022. Before we look at the options available, it’s a good idea to understand some of the choice available when it comes to protein.

Not all protein supplements are the same. Firstly, the type of protein is a consideration. The two most popular are whey protein and casein protein. Put simply, casein protein is a slow release protein. This means it takes a long time for the body to digest over many hours.

There are some benefits to this, including for when you are not going to eat your next meal for a while such as overnight. You can allow your muscles to be supplied with a slow release of protein for many hours. But casein is not the focus of this post. For this post we will be focusing on whey protein only.

Whey proteins are broken down in the body quickly. Therefore they are fast release proteins. This fast release is ideal for when we are looking for a boost of protein as soon as possible. This includes after an intense workout. Whey protein makes the ideal post-workout supplement. The protein is able to get to your muscles quickly and begin the repair process for them to grow back bigger and stronger. Ensuring adequate protein is key to bulking successfully.

Best whey protein for bulking

Take a look at our favourite options for the best whey protein for bulking below and see further down for top tips on building muscle.

Mutant Whey

When it comes to bulking and putting on size, Mutant is one of the most well known and recognised brands. Perhaps best known for the Mutant Mass gainer, Mutant makes for an excellent and reliable choice. The brand produces a full range of supplements designed to support muscle growth. This includes weight gainers and pre-workout supplements. The supplement manufacturer is regularly used by many professional body builders online.

Mutant Whey is a whey protein supplement for those looking to gain mass. The blend contains a large variety of 5 different proteins. Each of these designed to support sustained muscle growth. Per serving there is over 22g of whey protein. This is a solid amount for maximum muscle recovery and growth.

This whey features a unique protein delivery system that is rich in BCAAs. Many flavours are available including chocolate fudge brownie and triple chocolate. This makes a great option as the best whey protein for bulking. Mutant supplements are always available in large pouches including this 2.2kg pouch.

The Protein Works Muscle Protein

The Protein works produce our favourite for the best whey protein for bulking

One of my favourite supplement manufacturers is The Protein Works. The online supplier of sports supplements was launched in 2012 and is based in Cheshire. With fast growth in recent years, they now ship too over 30 countries across Europe. As well as protein, The Protein Works sell a full range of sports supplements including pre-workout and diet formulations.

Where they really stand out is the unique blends that are available. Many of the supplements feature unique blends that cannot be found elsewhere. Muscle Protein is a unique whey protein blend for those looking to build muscle. This features premium micro-filtrated creatine and also a proprietary vitamin blend.

This is ideal to support your training. Fats and carbohydrates are also found in low amounts, with just 2g of fat per serving. A good selection of flavours are available including Chocolate Silk and Strawberries ‘n’ cream. Muscle Protein can be conveniently purchased from The Protein Works website along with a range of additional supplements.

Sci-MX Ultra Whey Protein

If your looking for a supplement brand to support your fitness goals, Sci-MX make a great choice. Whether it’s protein, creatine or sports clothing, a huge selection is available. The premium brand features some of the most high quality supplements I have used. Sci-MX is also widely stocked at many supplement stores.

This makes it widely available and easy to shop around for the lowest price. Sci-MX was launched back in 2007 and so has lots of experience in producing protein for whatever your goal. This Ultra Whey Protein makes a great option for those looking for a premium protein to build muscle. Each serving contains a huge 35g of protein.

This big amount is ideal to support building muscle and bulking. There is also 6.1g of BCAAs which will support muscle growth even further. The further amino acid L-Glutamine is added to this whey protein which is a nice edition to support muscle growth. This high quality blend features both whey isolates and Hydrolysates. A good choice of flavours are available including both Chocolate and Vanilla, which can be purchased in a large 2.28kg tub.

PhD Nutrition Pharma Whey HT+

The PhD nutrition brand features a huge range of premium sports supplements. Smart thinking is the focus behind PhD nutrition, leading to supplement that deliver great performance. Since being established in 2006, PhD has taken a different approach to sports supplements.

The aim is to move the sports market forward with honesty prevails. Since then PhD now deliveries to 45 countries around the world. If you are looking for a premium sports brand, this is a great choice.

Pharma Whey HT+ features a premium protein complex. Each serving contains 18.5g of protein. This is slightly lower compared with some other brands, but often due to the serving size being less. There are also some further ingredients to maximise bulking. This includes -Glutamine & L-Leucine amino acids for muscle recovery and growth.

The type of protein is a premium blend containing hydrolysed whey protein isolate. The selection of flavours are good including Strawberry creme and Chocolate Cookie. The price of PhD is slightly higher compared with some other sports brands but can often be found from different suppliers online.

Bulk Powders Complete Protein Blend

Bulk Powders feature a range of high quality proteins

An extremely popular supplement brand, Bulk Powders is one of Europe’s fastest growing sports supplement manufacturers. Launched by two students in 2006, the brand has the aim to sells a collection of different powders rather than ‘finished products’.

Allowing you to mix your supplements as and when you like I really like with Bulk Powders that all the ingredients and quantities are clearly listed on each supplement. This allows the consumer to make the most informed choice. As everything is sold through their website, it is easy to pick up all the supplements you need at the same time.

Complete Protein Mix contains a multi-source, tapered release protein supplement which contains whey protein, milk protein and egg protein. The ratio is 50/35/15. This is great for bulking to achieve a sustained protein release for a longer period. You will also find added glutamine peptides. Each serving contains 78g per 100g of protein.

A wide selection of flavours are available including chocolate mint and strawberry. Unfortunately there are only small sized pouches currently available.

Tips when using the best whey protein for bulking

When bulking, the selection of whey proteins to pick from is vast. With a huge choice available it can often be confusing on where to find the best options. Furthermore, once you find the best whey protein for bulking, how do you make the best use of it? below we share some of our favourite tips for making the most of your new whey supplements.

How much protein should I consume?

Calculating how much protein you need each day can often be a challenge. We find that some spend hours trying to calculate small variations each day trying to find the exact amount. This can potentially be too stressful and also make it difficult to achieve your goals every day. Instead, we like to pick a rough amount and try to stick to it. We find being slightly more relaxed can help to achieve your goals in the long-run. Getting over worked is only going to lead to less motivation.

It is recommended for adults to consume 0.75g of protein per kilo of body weight. This calculates to an average of 55g of protein for men. It’s also recommended that adults who train more than once a day should eat twice as much protein as the average adult. Many people may often already have a high protein diet, even before supplements. Protein is found naturally in many types of foods including meats, fish and beans.

How can I track my consumption?

One of the key areas when it comes to bulking, we want to be in a position where the body has excess calories that it can use to support muscle growth. If enough calories or protein are not being consumed, they will not be available to support muscle growth. If you have been working out for months with little progress, it may be time to take tracking consumption seriously.

For muscle growth and bulking, we need protein synthesis to take place. This occurs when there is adequate protein supply available. The body is able to use this protein to build muscle. If not enough protein is available to the body, the protein in your muscles could be broken down and used for energy.

You could just write down everything you could and count your consumption from there. However, there are many apps available now to do this for you. One of my favourites is MyFitnessPal. This app allows you to easily input or even scan the barcodes of your favourite foods and track the amount you are eating.

When should I take whey protein?

The timing of when protein is consumed can also have an effect on the benefits. As we have discussed, whey protein is a fast release protein and is digested quickly by the body. This allows for ideal times when it is consumed. One of the best times if after a workout.

During a workout your muscles become damaged and need to be repaired. A whey protein shake right after a workout gets the protein to the muscles as soon as possible. This is when the protein is most useful in speeding up recovery. We recommend consuming a protein shake as soon as you have finished a workout.

Another great time to consume whey protein for bulking is in the morning as a breakfast shake. Overnight the body will have been using the protein that has been consumed during the previous day. Therefore when you wake up all the protein from the day before will have been depleted.

The aim when bulking is for the body to always have protein available for building muscle. A whey protein shake in the morning quickly gets the body back into a state where it has enough protein for growth and recovery.

Popular ingredients in the best whey protein for bulking

Protein powders do not contain 100% protein and nothing else. They are made up of different ingredients including many that are naturally found in whey protein. Furthermore, some supplement manufacturers may add additional ingredients focused for those that are bulking.

Concentrate vs Isolate

Firstly, we ned to understand there are two types of whey protein available. These are whey protein isolate and concentrate. Whey concentrate is the most common type of whey protein. There are several reasons for this. Whey concentrate contains roughly 80% protein content e.g. 80g per 100g are protein.

The other 20g are made up of mainly fats and carbohydrates. This 80% protein content is far higher than the amount found in foods and offers a massive protein boost with relatively low calories compared with the same amount of protein from food. Whey concentrate is also very good value and creates a great affordable option.

On the other hand, whey isolate is more expensive. This is due to the additional processes that need to happen for whey isolate to be produced. Isolate contains roughly 90% protein. So 90g out of every 100g is protein. This is higher than whey and means there is less room for fats and carbohydrates. For those that are bulking, isolates are not really needed. Instead they are better suited for those that are cutting.

Types of protein shakes

There are actually three types of protein shakes available when it comes to bulking. Each have their own benefits and use cases. One is not necessarily better compared with the others. Instead it may just be suited for different needs.

Whey shakes

Standard whey protein shakes are the most popular and primarily the focus for this post. A standard whey protein shake contains pretty must just whey protein. This makes it very flexible and suited to many use cases. It can also be consumed with other ingredients.

Weight gainer shakes

Another option that some consider is a mass gainer shake. They differ from standard whey protein shakes as they contain a lot more carbohydrates. These make a good option for those who may the struggling with bulking. The shakes can often add thousands of additional calories each day.

Casein shakes

Casein shakes are slightly different to whey shakes as they release the protein slowly. This makes them best suited to times when protein will not be consumed for a while after. When bulking, some choose to consume casein before bed. The aim is to provide the muscles with enough protein to maximise recovery overnight.

Creatine

Did you know that creatine one of the most researched sports supplements? many studies have shown the benefits of improving performance gain. In particular it makes an ideal choice for strength and muscle gain. We actually get creatine naturally from our diet. But often not enough to realise all the performance gains. Creatine increases the amount of phosphocreatine, a form of energy stored in cells. This helps the body in producing more ATP, which allows you to perform better.

Creatine is not found naturally in whey protein. Instead, it is added by some manufacturers. This is for those looking for bulking shakes to maximise performance. You can also supplement with creatine on its own or mix it with a standard whey protein shake.

BCAAs

Branched-chain amino acids are found naturally in whey protein. They are essential acids which are not produced naturally by the body. We need to get them from our diet. BCAAs help to support muscle growth and are often referred to as the building blocks of muscle. They can also help reduce muscle fatigue. This is important when bulking to get back to maximum performance as soon as possible. All whey proteins for bulking will contain BCAAs, but some contain more than others.

In summary

Overall, whey protein powders and shakes make a great choice for those bulking. But there are a lot of factors to consider. Some of the most important factors include the type of protein and additional ingredients. The timing and amount of whey protein consumed can also have a positive impact. We hope you found our favourites for the best whey protein for bulking use. Let us know which protein supplements you are using for bulking below.

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