Cailan Gray

Kerksick, C.M., Rasmussen, C.J., Lancaster, S.L., Magu,B., Smith, P., Melton, C., Greenwood, M., Almada, A.L., Earnest, C.P., & Kreider, R.B. (2006). The effects of protein and amino acid supplementation on performance and training adaptations during ten weeks of resistance training. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 20(3). pp. 643-653

Protein supplementation has predominantly been thought of as the cornerstone of building body mass during resistance exercise.  Since protein is responsible for a prevailing role in tissue, therefore muscle, growth, it is thought of to be a capable means of increasing body mass with supplementation in conjunction with heavy resistance exercise.  However, recently there has been discretion as to which form of protein is more effective in supplementary form, moreover when coupled with complementary supplements such as amino acids.

Greenwood, et al. (2006) recruited thirty-six previously resistance trained men to participate in a three-tailed double-blind study to determine which was more efficient in increasing body mass, strength, and anaerobic capacity: forty grams per day of whey protein with eight grams per day of casein, forty grams per day of whey protein with three grams per day of branched-chain amino acids and five grams per day of L-glutamine, or a carbohydrate placebo drink.  The subjects underwent a ten week battery of full-body heavy resistance training including, but not limited to, multi-joint exercises such as bench press, squats, and leg press.

At five and ten weeks the subjects reported for re-evaluation including maximal efforts of bench press and leg press exercises, Wingate testing for maximal anaerobic capacity, as well as, body composition testing with duel-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scanning. Greenwood, et al. (2006) found that there were no significant differentiating results within the groups in anaerobic capacity or strength, in that they all increased respectively. However, the researchers did find significant gains in lean muscle mass in the group supplemented with forty grams per day of whey protein coupled with eight grams per day of casein.  Thus suggesting that this form of protein/amino acid supplementation is more so effective than that of compared.