Which Protein Powder is Best for Runners and Triathletes?
As an endurance athlete, you know protein is super important for your training. Protein is a macronutrient, one of the major three food groups you need each day, and is crucial to building and repairing muscle. You probably know to have protein after a workout, and not so much before. You might see your weightlifting buddy or people at your gym always drinking their protein drinks to maximize results, but don’t think it applies to you.
But protein powders can help you perform better, it’s just a matter of which ones are best for runners and triathletes.
We’ll break down why protein powders are beneficial for endurance athletes, when to skip them, and make specific recommendations so you don’t waste your money on fillers and make protein powder work for you!
Why do runners and triathletes need protein powder?
Let’s first talk about what protein powder is exactly. Protein powders are concentrated proteins taken from animals or plant foods. There are three different forms; protein concentrate, which supply 60-80% of protein and the rest from fat and carbs; protein isolate, with 90-95% protein; and protein hydrolysate, which break down the bonds between amino acids so they are absorbed the most quickly by our muscles and body. Most protein powders are also fortified with vitamins and minerals, like calcium and probiotics.
Animal protein powders are whey, casein, or egg protein. Plant-based protein powders include pea, hemp, rice, and soy. The animal protein powders are complete proteins, meaning they contain all nine of the essential amino acids. Plant protein powders will usually include more than one type of protein in it to make it a complete protein. We’re going to cover the top protein powders from these categories; whey concentrate, whey protein isolate, casein, soy, pea, and hemp.
How much protein do runners and triathletes need?
The average American needs 0.8-1.2 grams of protein per kilogram per day. To figure out your weight in kilograms and how many grams of protein you need per day, check out this post.
But new research shows that endurance athletes have elevated protein needs, maybe even as much or more as bodybuilders. The old recommendation was 1.2-1.4 g/kg/day, but two recent studies suggest that 1.65-2.6 g/kg/day may be more beneficial for endurance athletes. This is just as much protein as a typical bodybuilder!
Even though only about 0.2g of protein per kilogram is used for energy during endurance activities, protein has a profound affect on muscle protein synthesis (growth) and breakdown. As soon as you finish your long run or bike ride, your muscle protein begins to remodel and repair those damaged proteins you just worked so hard. When you’re not getting enough protein, it makes it that much harder for the muscle to be repaired post-workout, so you might not see training progressions, especially during intense training cycles.
Are you getting enough protein as an endurance athlete?
Another reason why endurance athletes might need more protein is that many runners and triathletes are under-fueling. If you find yourself struggling to replace calories lost during long, intense training, or you’re restricting calories to lose weight, it’s imperative you get enough protein in your diet.
A lot of clients I work with struggle with having the time to meal prep protein sources (poultry, meat, tofu, etc.) and put a meal together with their busy schedules. This is a perfect example of when protein powders are a good choice. For instance, if you’re running into a meeting for a few hours and can’t eat, taking a protein drink with you to have during the meeting is crucial so you don’t overeat later.
What kind of protein powder is best for runners?
Another thing is that many athletes are not hungry after a long or tough training session. This is very common, and has some interesting science to it; when you exercise, ghrelin, the hunger hormone, decreases, while other hormones work to suppress your appetite.
Also, exercise is a form of stress, which can also kill your appetite. But you know it’s crucial to replenish the protein, carbs, and liquid you’ve lost during a hard session, so what can you do? Have a protein smoothie post-workout. That way you’re replenishing lost glycogen with carbs from fruit, protein from protein powder (or other sources like milk or Greek yogurt), and fluid.
Another option is a pre-packaged protein or milk drink, like Horizon Milk, Organic Valley High Protein Fuel, or Orgain Organic Nutrition Shake. These are especially helpful if you drive to your training location or your local run group. That way you kick off the repair process while driving home!
Remember that whole food protein sources should be your go-to
It’s important to note that whole food sources are always your best bet. You can definitely get enough protein in if you’re spreading protein intake throughout the day by including it at meals and snacks, especially breakfast.
There are so many foods packed with protein; poultry, eggs, meat, fish, beans, lentils, quinoa, nuts and nut butters, and soy products are all excellent sources of protein.
Also, your body can only utilize about 30-40 g of protein at once, so don’t think more is better. Stick to the serving size on the label and don’t go above 30 g at once.
What protein powder ingredients should runners avoid?
When looking for protein powders, it’s best to avoid artificial flavors, corn syrup, carrageenan, artificial sweeteners like aspartame and saccharin and MSG. Cheaper brands can be filled with chemicals, so if you’re going to buy a protein powder, this is the time to invest in a quality product.
Finally, remember that the FDA does not regulate supplements. This is one reason why I wrote this post, so you don’t have to go digging and check every label to figure out the best protein powder for you. Another way to know if a product is safe is to look for the NSF certified for sport label, which is required for athletes to ensure illegal supplements are not being consumed. NSF looks at products to assess whether what’s listed on the ingredient label is actually what the product contains.
You might be thinking that you’re not a professional athlete so this doesn’t matter, but there are countless products on the market that don’t contain what they say, so to avoid chemical fillers and stuff you don’t need, follow the guidelines and check out the NSF site for more.
The parameters for choosing the best protein powders for endurance athletes were: ingredients, types of flavorings used, and whether they were NSF certified for sport.
Should runners take whey protein?
Whey protein concentrate is the most popular type of protein powder, and for good reason. Whey protein comes from milk, and is the liquid that separates from the curds when cheese is made. Whey is a complete protein since it contains all of the essential amino acids, and contains branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), which we talked all about in this post, Should Runners and Triathletes take BCAAS? Whey is very high in one particular BCAA, leucine, which plays a critical role in promoting muscle growth and recovery after both strength training, power lifting, and endurance activities.
Whey protein is absorbed in the body faster than any other protein powder, making it ideal to have as a post-workout meal or snack. When you consume amino acids, they are digested and absorbed into your bloodstream. They then work to stimulate muscle protein synthesis, which is the creation of new muscle. Many studies have been conducted on whey protein and athletes, and whey has been shown to build and maintain muscle mass, speed recovery, and increase muscle strength.
What’s the difference between whey protein concentrate and whey protein isolate?
Even though whey is ideal for most athletes who aren’t plant-based, if you’re very lactose intolerant, you want to skip traditional whey protein and choose whey protein isolate. Whey protein isolate has very little lactose because the milk sugar is lost during processing, so choose isolate if you’re avoiding lactose. Whey protein concentrate is still lower in lactose, so you may be ok, but don’t chance it if you have a sensitive stomach to lactose.
Whey protein concentrate is about 80% protein, with the other 20% from carbohydrates and fats. However, this can range from 30-80%, depending on the product. Whey isolate is about 90% protein, so you get more protein but the amino acid profiles are virtually identical. Whey protein isolate is also a bit higher in leucine, the amino acid discussed above that is involved in muscle protein synthesis and repair.
Best brands of whey protein concentrate and isolate for runners and triathletes:
Garden of Life Grass Fed Whey Protein (no Stevia)
Should Endurance Athletes take Casein?
Casein is also a type of milk protein like whey; it’s the insoluble part, whereas whey is soluble. This means whey is easier to digest, whereas casein is much slower. However, this can be beneficial because it helps repair muscles for a prolonged period of time since the amino acids are released slowly. Lots of research has been done on casein and how it boosts muscle growth. Casein is typically used by athletes before bed since it’s a slow-acting protein. When you sleep, you go many hours between meals, and casein helps to prevent the breakdown of muscle to feed the body. This mostly applies to bodybuilders, but some endurance athletes deep in a training cycle can benefit if they want to boost recovery. Casein is a complete protein source like other animal proteins, so it provides all of the essential amino acids needed for growth and repair.
Best brands of casein protein for runners and triathletes:
What is the best whey protein for runners?
Plant-Based Protein Powders for Runners and Triathletes
Pea Protein for Endurance Athletes
Pea protein powder is quickly gaining popularity for plant-based endurance athletes, and for good reason! One study that came out last year found that whey and pea protein powder produce similar outcomes in body composition, muscle thickness, performance, and strength as whey protein. This is because pea protein is rich in BCAAs and is a complete protein. It’s also rich in iron, which is super important for athletes.
It’s also great if you’re allergic or intolerant to dairy, but want the performance benefits of casein and whey. Pea protein powder is made from yellow split pea, which gives the powder it’s yellow color. Pea protein is your best bet for a plant-based protein powder. It’s also common to see “plant-based blends” on protein powders, which means a mix of pea, soy, rice, hemp, and others have been mixed together to create a complete protein profile.
Best brands of pea protein for runners and triathletes:
Soy Protein Powder for Runners and Triathletes
Soy protein isolate powder is made from soybean flakes with fat, sugar, and fiber removed. Soy protein powder is a complete protein, however it’s not as effective as casein or whey for muscle protein synthesis. It also has less leucine, which is the main BCAA for muscle growth.
Athletes may be wary to consume soy thinking it has negative effects on health, but these are likely unfounded. Many observational studies have seen a protective effect against cancer with a high-soy diet, but observational studies are not the gold standard for research, so we can’t make a conclusive statement that soy is not harmful. It’s important to note that the research wasn’t done with soy protein isolate powder either, but soy foods like tofu. Soy is a good choice for protein powder, but your best bet for plant-based is probably still pea protein.
Best brand of soy protein isolate for runners and triathletes:
What is the best brand of protein powder for runners?
Hemp Protein Powder for Endurance Athletes
Hemp protein is another plant-based protein powder gaining popularity among athletes. Hemp protein a high-quality vegan protein that contains all nine essential amino acids, but research is mixed about the exact quantity of amino acids. We do know it’s lower in leucine and lysine, both essential amino acids. Hemp protein also has fiber, minerals, and unsaturated fats, and is fairly easy to digest for a plant-based protein.
There’s less protein per serving in hemp compared to pea or soy, so you have to have more servings to get more protein. Hemp is less processed though, so it’s a good choice for those who are concerned about overly processed foods. Hemp protein has an earthy taste. Look for cold-pressed hemp proteins for the most amount of protein. If you’re in the military or a an athlete subject to drug tests, I don’t recommend taking hemp protein or other hemp products in case you test positive for trace amounts of THC.
Best brands of hemp protein for runners and triathletes:
Conclusion
Protein powders can be beneficial for muscle growth, repair, and to stimulate recovery. They’re perfect for after a long workout on the go or if you’re not hungry after a workout. Remember that protein powders are a good way to ensure you’re getting enough protein, but that whole food sources are always your best bet. Have more questions about recovery post-workout? I create meal guidelines for athletes so they don’t have to waste time figuring out what products work best for them and maximize performance. Let’s hop on a no pressure phone call and talk about your goals!
