In young, healthy guys, eating cricket, pea, or whey protein (based on body type) works the same for turning on a key muscle-building signal in the body — whether they’ve just worked out or not.

After a workout, drinking protein from cricket, pea, or whey doesn't seem to turn on muscle-building signals more than just taking the protein alone — at least not in the short term.

If young, active guys drink a shake with 20g of milk, whey, or casein protein plus 45g of carbs after a mixed workout, all three proteins help turn on muscle-building signals just as well—even though they’re absorbed differently.

When you lift weights, your muscles turn on a specific molecular switch called mTORC1, which helps build more muscle protein. But just because this switch flips on right after a workout doesn’t mean you’ll definitely get bigger muscles over time—it doesn’t always line up.

If young, healthy guys work out and then drink a whey protein shake based on their lean body weight, their bodies will absorb more amino acids than if they drank the same amount of cricket or pea protein.

Both types of whey protein at a higher dose activated the mTOR pathway in rats' muscles compared to no protein.