What is Casein?

What’s micellar casein and why the heck you should be taking it?

When it comes to protein powders, there’s nothing more beloved than good ol’ fashioned whey. But as manufacturing techniques have evolved over the past few years, the love for casein in the athletic and bodybuilding communities has grown. Newer versions like Complete Casein from Cytosport taste a heckuvalot better than the chalky varieties of yesteryear, and more importantly, casein’s nutritional attributes have made it a popular meal replacement and pre-bed option for those working to gain muscle or cut fat.

Yet, despite its growing popularity, we’ve received a ton of questions about what it is, when to use it, and how it actually helps. So, in response to those questions, we’ve put together a 1R wiki below on micellar casein.

How it Works

Those familiar with casein have heard it’s a slow digesting protein, as opposed to whey, which is fast digesting… but what does that really mean? Instead of being rapidly absorbed, casein forms a gel in your stomach and intestine, which takes much longer to dissolve (think 4-6 hours as opposed to right away). This prolonged digestion allows casein to deliver a steady supply of BCAAs into your bloodstream (the building blocks of muscle tissue), as opposed to one large spike (which whey delivers).

Why to Take it

The beautiful thing about casein is that like whey, it can be used to put on lean muscle mass, or cut unwanted fat. Here’s how it does both:

For Gaining Weight

To put on as much muscle as humanly possible, you need to keep your body in an anabolic state. While “anabolic” has obvious steroid connotations (thank you Jose Canseco), all it means is your body is fueled with enough protein and BCAAs to build lean muscle mass. After long periods without food, or having just finished a workout, your muscles break down and are catabolic (the opposite of anabolic). In order to get bigger you have to flip the switch with protein and BCAAs, allowing your muscle tissue to be built back up again (how your muscles actually grow). Just as you need a fast digesting whey-based protein shake to prevent catabolism after workouts, you need a slow digesting casein protein shake to prevent catabolism from happening while you’re asleep.

For Weight Loss

The standard micellar casein protein shake has about 25 grams of protein, 110 calories and very few grams of fat or carbohydrates, making them nutritionally ideal when trying to lose weight. Whether having casein as a meal replacement, or as a between-meal-snack, a scoop will help you retain good weight, lose weight, and only take up a fraction of your daily allotted calories and carbs.

When to Take It

Before Bed

Slow digesting casein will fuel your body with protein and amino acids while you sleep, preventing a catabolic state (as discussed in the “why” above).

Post Lift

Recent studies have shown that a blended shake combining whey and casein is actually more effective in helping you add muscle mass than straight whey. The reason is your muscle tissue is fueled with amino acids over a longer period, helping to aid recovery and lean muscle growth. While some opt for pre-blended shakes like 2:1:1 Recovery or Syntha-6, others choose to mix their own.

Between Meals

If you’re trying to put on size, or simply retain the muscle mass you already have, the goal is to avoid catabolism. If you’re going 4+ hours between meals, the easiest way to avoid burning that hard earned muscle mass is byhaving a scoop of casein to bridge the nutritional gap.

When Not to Take It

Right When You Wake Up

Even if you take a scoop of casein before bed you’ll still wake up in a catabolic state after fasting for 8 hours. Sure the casein will hold you over for a good portion of that sleep, but it’s no miracle worker. Which is precisely why breakfast, and fueling your muscles immediately upon waking up, is so important. Here a whey shake is actually ideal, as it flips your body’s switch from catabolic to anabolic a lot faster than casein does.

What to Take It With

Because casein is a milk derivative (without all of the lactose) there’s really no need to mix it with milk. Water should do the trick, unless of course you’ve got an extremely fast metabolism and want to mix whole milk in for the added calories.

Casein, and its how, why, and when’s. We’d hope the above addresses all of your questions, but should you have more, don’t hesitate to drop them in the comments box below.

If you're interested in incorporating casein into your supplement routine 1R would recommend the following products:

1. Cytosport Complete Casein – A great tasting casein shake that will ensure you don’t lose your hard earned muscle when you’re sleeping
2. BSN Syntha-6 - This versatile protein shake can be used as a meal replacement to help you meet your daily protein requirements or as a post workout shake to help improve your recovery time and build lean muscle mass
3. Optimum Nutrition 2:1:1 Recovery - The carbs and protein will help you recover and build lean muscle faster after tough workouts