If you lift weights there’s a good chance you consume protein shakes — when someone says “protein shake,” they pretty much always mean whey protein shake. It’s cheap, it’s tasty, and it’s far and away the most popular protein shake on the market.

But let's compare it to another popular protein on the market: casein. In the battle of whey versus casein protein, is one superior for strength building and muscle gain?

Casein is sort of the dark horse of the protein powders. Like whey it comes from milk, but it’s a little pricier and far less popular. But funnily enough, there’s an argument to be made — a controversial one — that casein could potentially be better for strength and muscle gain. So why isn’t it the go-to post-workout?

Today we’re doing to dive deep into the benefits of casein and whey for strength, health, and muscle gain, but let’s start off with the obvious question. What is this stuff?

So how does milk protein even get from udder to protein tub? Long story short they're usually products of cheese making. Milk is separated into curds and whey with heat, acid, or enzymes, and the curds — which are high in casein — can be used to make cheese. This is why whey is sometimes considered a waste byproduct, which is why it tends to be a little cheaper than casein.

You can take the curds and use them to make cheese or you can process them into powder and generally speaking, the most sought after form of casein is micellar casein. That’s when the protein is encased in an intact micelle, a sort of globular structure, and when that micelle is intact casein appears to be a bit more bioactive and, most importantly, it forms clumps.

So what does that mean for strength and muscle gain? We dive into the science to find out which protein might be better for your needs.

Have more questions on these two types of protein? Let us know in the comments below!

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