Andrew Huberman's Protein Powder Choice: Expert Insights

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What Protein Powder does Huberman Use?

While Dr. Huberman doesn’t explicitly recommend any specific protein powder brand to his audience, he is sponsored by Momentous. Although he has mentioned he prefers whey protein.

It’s worth noting that this reflects his personal preference rather than a recommendation.

Protein-Carb Ratios for Strength, Conditioning, and Hypertrophy

When thinking about building muscle, sometimes called hypertrophy, what you eat and any supplements you take can make a big difference.

Huberman brought up some numbers from Dr. Lane Norton about protein. The idea is that you might need somewhere between 1.6 grams of protein for every kilogram you weigh, all the way up to maybe 2.4 or even 2.7 grams per kilogram each day. That's a pretty wide range, but it’s generally on the higher side of what most people might think they need for protein.

Dr. Andy Galpin agreed, saying a good rule of thumb to start with is about one gram of protein for every pound you weigh. If you use kilograms, that’s about 2.2 grams of protein for every kilogram you weigh. So, these numbers are all in a similar ballpark.

A really interesting point Galpin made is that if you manage to eat enough protein overall, then a lot of the other nitty-gritty details, like exactly when you eat your protein or what type of protein it is, seem to matter a lot less. Even studies on non-animal based proteins have shown they can be quite effective as long as your total protein intake for the day is high enough. So, getting enough total protein can actually simplify things because you don't have to stress as much about the other stuff. If your protein intake is low, that’s when you’d need to start paying much closer attention to those other factors.

But this "timing doesn't matter as much" rule mainly applies to protein, according to Galpin.

For carbohydrates (carbs), timing does seem to be important. Replenishing your muscle's energy stores, known as glycogen, is very specific to timing, and you’ll want to get those carbs in if you’re trying to keep up your training quality or if you’re doing a lot of endurance-type activities.

Huberman asked what people should try to eat or drink after a workout specifically aimed at muscle growth, assuming they're already getting enough protein and calories throughout the day. He recalled how in the past, people talked a lot about a "feeding window," like needing to get carbs and protein within 30 or 90 minutes after exercising. Now, it's understood that this window is probably much wider.

Galpin explained that what you might want to eat or drink around your workout can depend on your training goals:

For workouts focused purely on strength, a one-to-one ratio of protein to carbs is a good general guideline. So, if you had 35 grams of protein, you'd also have about 35 grams of carbs. This could be consumed before, during (maybe as a drink, not a full meal!), or after your workout. This is especially helpful if you train in the morning without having eaten beforehand.

If you're doing a really tough conditioning workout, you'd want more carbs compared to protein – something like a three-to-one or even four-to-one ratio of carbs to protein. So, with that same 35 grams of protein, you might aim for 100 to 140 grams of carbs.

For a workout that's a mix of some strength and some conditioning, which many people do, you could go for about a two-to-one ratio of carbs to protein. For example, 35 grams of protein with 60 or 70 grams of carbs.

And what about for pure muscle growth (hypertrophy)? Huberman asked if carbs were important post-training for this goal.

Galpin stated that for building muscle, he prefers to see nutrients consumed around the training window – whether that's before, during, or after. He doesn't see any benefit to not fueling around your workouts if muscle growth is the aim, and in fact, there are known and potential advantages to doing so. Based on his coaching experience, most people tend to do better when they spread their meals throughout the day and also have nutrients close to their training sessions.

For muscle growth specifically, Galpin suggested a ratio of carbs to protein somewhere in the range of 1:3 to 1:1. This means for every gram of protein you consume around your workout, you might have about one-third of a gram of carbs up to a full gram of carbs.

So, if you had 30 grams of protein, you could pair it with about 10 to 30 grams of carbohydrates. You can adjust this based on your personal preference. Some people don't like to eat before training, while others feel they need to. The main idea is to get that fuel in to support muscle growth and kickstart your recovery, since you'll likely be training again relatively soon.

How Protein Timing Can Reshape Weight Loss

Dr. Gabrielle Lyon shared a interesting study. One group of people ate protein like many typically do: just a little in the morning (about 10 grams, like from some cereal with milk), a bit more at lunch (15 grams, maybe from a sandwich), and then a lot at dinner (45 grams, like a big steak). This was described by Huberman as the standard American way.

Another group spread their protein out more evenly. They had a good amount for breakfast (45 grams – think five or six eggs!), 35 grams for lunch (like a chicken breast in a salad), and another 35 grams for dinner (perhaps a piece of fish).

Lyon pointed out that these meals were designed to hit a special target that helps muscles. The people in this study were a bit older, mostly in their 40s or more.

Now, let's first look at what happened to the folks in these two diet groups who didn't add any extra exercise to their routines. Both groups were eating 500 calories less than they needed to maintain their weight, so everyone lost some weight.

But here’s where it gets interesting, according to Lyon. The group that ate protein more evenly throughout the day lost 24% more weight overall. When they looked specifically at fat loss, this higher, evenly distributed protein group lost 16 pounds of fat, while the standard diet group lost 11 pounds of fat. That’s a pretty big difference, all while eating the same number of calories!

But weight isn't just about fat. It's also about muscle, or what scientists call "lean body mass."

To measure this, they used something called a DEXA scan. Huberman asked for a quick explanation of DEXA. Lyon described it as a machine you just lay on, which uses a type of X-ray to figure out how much bone, fat, and lean body mass you have.

Using these DEXA scans, they found that the group eating the standard American diet lost about 34% of their lean body mass. The group eating the higher, evenly spread protein, however, lost less – around 26%. Lyon said the big takeaway here is that "protein had a sparing effect."

Huberman put it simply: protein helped protect muscle, and people lost more body fat even when eating the same reduced number of calories. It's also important to know, as Lyon confirmed, that the study emphasized "high quality protein" sources like meat, fish, eggs, and chicken.

This first study, which didn't include an exercise plan, really showed how changing when you eat your protein could make a difference.

Protein and Training for Women

Huberman asked some women he knew a question. If they could ask a world expert about exercise, hormones, and health for women just one thing, what would it be? For women in the 50 and up group, a very common question was about the best way to train for a long and healthy life.

Dr. Stacy Sims said she loves this question because she hears it a lot. She explained that for women over 50, it’s time to think differently about exercise than they might have before. If you want to be living on your own, have good balance, strong bones, and be strong when you're 80 or 90, you need a new plan.

A key part of this plan is "jump training" for about 10 minutes, three times a week. Sims emphasized this isn't about landing softly; it’s about making an impact on your bones to make them stronger.

She mentioned a friend and colleague, Clissel, who did research showing this kind of jumping can really improve bone strength. In just four months, some people went from having weaker bones to having normal bone density.

This is a big deal because women can lose about a third of their bone strength when menopause starts. Sims said that while some women might consider medicine to stop bone loss, she first looks for ways to use exercise – an "external stress" – to make the body change for the better without needing medication.

So, for women over 50, Sims highlighted three main types of training: jump training, heavy weightlifting, and sprint interval training. And just as important as the exercise is getting enough protein. She mentioned that women should aim for around 1 to 1.1 grams of protein per pound of their body weight each day. That might sound like a lot, Sims acknowledged, because many women aren't used to eating that much.

Huberman pointed out that this could look like a few scrambled eggs for breakfast, a chicken breast at lunch, and a small steak for dinner, along with other foods.

Sims agreed, adding that protein doesn't just have to come from animal products; beans and other plant-based foods count too. These four things – the sprint training, heavy lifting, jump training, and protein – are the "big rocks," or the most important things, for staying strong and healthy for a long time.

Huberman then thought about his own mother, who is 79. She’s healthy, walks a lot, gardens, and does some yoga, but not the specific things Sims described. He then shifted the focus, asking Sims what women aged 20 to 40 should do to train efficiently for health and a long life.

Sims stressed that for younger women, the most important thing is to make exercise fun. "If you're someone who's been told you need to run and you hate running, then don't run," she said. She explained that forcing yourself to do exercise you dislike can make you hate being active altogether, which is the opposite of the goal. When you're in your 20s and 30s, your body can handle a bit more, so you have more flexibility.

A cornerstone for this age group is still resistance training, or working your muscles. Sims said it doesn't always have to be super heavy weights lifted until you can't do any more. It’s good to change up your routine, maybe doing some Olympic lifting if you like it, or using machines if that’s more comfortable. The main idea is to keep changing things to build strength and muscle.

Then, Sims talked about brain health. She explained that women's bodies tend to use oxygen for energy more, and they don't produce as much of a substance called lactate, which is made during intense exercise.

Old studies found that women's brains sometimes didn't use lactate well because they weren't exposed to it much, partly because intense exercise wasn't always encouraged for women in the past.

Doing high-intensity workouts helps your brain get used to lactate. Sims said the younger you are when you start doing this, the better. It can help keep your brain sharp as you get older and even reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer's. That's why she really wants women in their 40s and older to do sprints and other high-intensity exercises – to make that lactate.

Starting this early can even change some of your muscle fibers to be better at producing it.

So, for women in their 20s and 30s, Sims said the two main things are resistance training (and keeping it varied) and doing high-intensity work to produce lactate for brain health. Beyond that, they can play around with other types of exercise. If someone wants to be an athlete who does super long-distance sports, Sims mentioned it might not be "ideal" but it's okay – younger women can usually recover well.

How High-Quality Proteins May Affect Skin

In an episode about skin, and again when Dr. Teo Soleimani, a dermatologist who specializes in skin cancers and cosmetic skin care, was on the podcast, an interesting point came up. It seems that for some people—not everyone—a diet high in leucine can contribute to acne.

This might sound a bit confusing since leucine is generally good, but it’s important to know. Whey protein has a lot of leucine, and studies have looked into whether it can increase acne in some individuals. The idea is that leucine can boost certain cell growth pathways, involving something called mTOR. So, it’s not that you should be scared of whey protein causing acne. What seems to happen is that the high leucine content in whey protein, and possibly other things that increase insulin, can lead to an increase in mTOR activity. This, in turn, might cause skin changes that sometimes show up as more acne.

Huberman himself hasn't noticed this issue with whey protein, but other people might. There are scientific studies that point to this connection.

An interesting point from discussions with Soleimani is that for women, especially because their hormones change throughout the month, whey protein and other high-leucine foods might make acne worse or trigger it during certain parts of their menstrual cycle. This is because of how that mTOR pathway interacts with fluctuating hormones.

So, what's the takeaway? We all need to be like scientists experimenting on ourselves. Try something, see if you like it, and if you don't, ask yourself why. If a certain brand of whey protein upsets your stomach, definitely don't use that one again. You have to find what works for you.

For instance, if you're a woman and you notice more acne or other skin issues when taking whey protein at a particular time of your cycle, maybe you stop taking it during that phase and only use it at other times.

For men, whose hormones don't cycle in the same way, if you're dealing with a lot of acne, you could try removing whey protein altogether. Maybe switch to a casein protein or another good quality protein and see how your skin reacts.

FAQs About Protein

What Protein Powder Does Peter Attia Use?

According to Kevin Rose on The Random Show, Peter Attia's current favorite protein powder is Promix. This was mentioned at 1:48:23 on YouTube where they discuss this specific topic.

What Protein Powder Does Stacy Sims Recommend?

While Dr. Stacy Sims hasn't explicitly endorsed a specific protein powder brand, she has been associated with Momentous. Dr. Sims generally emphasizes the importance of high-quality protein intake, particularly for women over 50, recommending about 1 to 1.1 grams of protein per pound of body weight daily.

What Protein Powder Does Tim Ferriss Use?

Tim Ferriss hasn't explicitly recommended a single protein powder brand as his personal favorite, though he has mentioned both Ascent and Momentous in his content. Ferriss typically discusses various protein supplements in the context of his fitness experiments and interviews with health experts.

Are Plant-Based Proteins as Effective as Animal Proteins?

According to Dr. Galpin, studies show that plant-based proteins can be quite effective for muscle building as long as total daily protein intake is sufficiently high. When overall protein consumption meets recommended levels, the specific source becomes less important. However, plant proteins typically contain less leucine (a key amino acid for muscle protein synthesis), so slightly higher quantities may be needed to achieve the same effect as animal proteins.

Does Protein Timing Matter for Fat Loss?

Dr. Gabrielle Lyon's research suggests that protein timing significantly impacts body composition during weight loss. Consuming higher protein amounts at breakfast (40-45g) rather than concentrating protein at dinner can enhance fat loss while preserving muscle mass, even when total daily protein and calorie intake remain identical. This approach appears to optimize hormonal signaling for fat metabolism while protecting lean tissue.