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Best protein powders for muscle gain? in Hobbies & Leisure · Sep 29, 2010

...I’ve still got one left from back in January—I actually stopped drinking them once I quit my workout routine, so they're just sitting there gathering dust now...

..well, why didn't you just stop eating altogether? It seems like everyone assumes there's some sort of magic ingredient in home-cooked meals, and I honestly don't get why people think protein is strictly necessary when you're hitting the gym, yet totally optional when you aren't...

Best protein powders for muscle gain? in Hobbies & Leisure · Sep 21, 2010

Christian Harris2 said:Back at it again with the sales pitch, I see. 😁 😛

Besides, what kind of creatine are we even talking about? There's plenty of different types of creatine out there...

I put my thoughts down clearly enough for anyone who actually cares—which obviously doesn't include you, so there's no need to chime in. Someone else might find this useful (personally, I would), and it’s good to have the info. I just happened to forget to mention the brand name at the very end—it was Optimum Nutrition.

Best protein powders for muscle gain? in Hobbies & Leisure · Sep 21, 2010

Anonymous said:Look, I’ve been 😁 deep in ketosis for two weeks now—so no whey protein for me—but honestly, 😁 what I’m actually craving is 😢

..if anyone cares, I was hitting the gym at Gold's Gym last night and they have a sale going on. They’ve got a 500g tub of Muscle gainer for $30, Creatine for 129 or $46 for a half-kilo, and some Cell-tec for 113 or $40. I didn't catch the exact dollar amounts—my brain was a bit fried from the workout—but I don't think I missed out on much.

Best protein powders for muscle gain? in Hobbies & Leisure · Sep 8, 2010

Ethan Garcia8 said:Hardly. I’m not just making noise for the sake of hearing myself talk—I simply couldn't care less about Inka catastrophe.

..who exactly are you, you hyperactive type? Honestly, who cares what's bothering you... a little decency wouldn't hurt.

Best protein powders for muscle gain? in Hobbies & Leisure · Sep 8, 2010

Ethan Garcia8 said:It’s an absolute fact—the solubility of that stuff is an Inca catastrophe. On the other hand, Dymatize Elite is genuinely 5-star quality and probably the most popular Whey on the planet.

With the strawberry flavor from MusclePharm, I dealt with digestive issues every single time—total nightmare. Dymatize, however, sits perfectly on my stomach.

...maybe you were dealing with something else entirely, but at this point, it's fine to vent a little...

Best protein powders for muscle gain? in Hobbies & Leisure · Sep 8, 2010

Nicholas Chavez70 said:I burned through my tub of Xtreme Whey a few months back—and honestly, if we’re talking about flavor profile or how well it actually dissolves in water or milk, it’s a total zero compared to Dymatize Elite... just massive clumps everywhere... 👎 As for Dymatize Elite, I've heard nothing but glowing reviews, not just here in the States but internationally too... Personally, I can't weigh in quite yet since I just started using it, but after a month or two, I'll be happy to throw in my two cents... 😉

..I haven't had that experience, and I've tried almost every flavor they offer. It used to foam up like crazy, but the folks at my gym told me that was because it was basically fat-free. Apparently, they bumped the fat content up by about 1%, so it doesn't bubble up nearly as much now. At least, that's what I was told.

Best protein powders for muscle gain? in Hobbies & Leisure · Sep 8, 2010

Nicholas Chavez70 said:It’s really not even a political issue... It’s more about whether these gentlemen can actually learn to be competitive like they are in the rest of the USA—instead of just planning how they'll go out and buy a BMW X5 after only a year on the job...

..I was simply stating that I am quite satisfied with the brand I use (think of something like General Mills)—it’s actually a few percentage points cheaper here than it is in the rest of the USA, so you can't claim it isn't competitive. As for why certain American products are priced so high here while being much more affordable back home? I won't even touch that subject, as I have no idea where those massive price discrepancies originate. Perhaps the quality isn't quite everything they claim it is when they market it to us locally.

Best protein powders for muscle gain? in Hobbies & Leisure · Sep 8, 2010

Christian Harris2;28793660 said:Josey Wales, thanks for the reply. 🙂

There’s always that bitter edge with you—it's practically your trademark. 🙄 Now you're dragging politics into this, too. 🙄 Personally, I don't bother sorting people into categories like Canadians versus Americans, or black versus white, or good versus bad. My criteria are much simpler: there are those who are willing to sell me supplements at a fair price, and then there are those who can go jump in a lake. ☕

I don't either, really—but since we have this habit of trashing everything produced right here at home—calling it low quality, overpriced, blah, blah, blah... if we aren't willing to support our own, we can't expect any miracles. This isn't about being political; it's about mindset. At the end of the day, everyone decides where to spend their hard-earned cash, but if you're constantly busy cleaning up someone else's backyard, yours is going to stay a mess forever. And before you claim I'm just philosophizing, I tend to look at the bigger picture rather than just what's sitting in my wallet.

Best protein powders for muscle gain? in Hobbies & Leisure · Sep 7, 2010

Nicholas Chavez70 said:Well, you have to factor in the 15 miles drive over to Jelsan 15 miles plus the $3.25 highway tolls ($1.75 just one way)... Honestly, aside from a little gas, it’s not a huge expense—and those costs per head drop significantly if you're traveling in a group, making it almost negligible... Prosport doesn't offer tax refunds, but Flexshop does... As long as you stay under $333 per person, you don't have to deal with customs, so you can actually stock up on some high-quality gear within that limit... Of course, if you run into a particularly difficult customs officer, they might cross-reference your supplements against an approved import list and seize anything that isn't explicitly cleared—I heard about someone who lost their entire stash of Universal Animal Stack because of that, though whether it's been approved by now, I haven't the slightest clue. It was definitely worth it, though; in stores here in the States, the price for that exact same protein is easily $35-$40 higher, not to mention the constant waiting for restocks... 👎 Besides, if I end up liking this protein, next time I'll just grab the 4.5kg tub for $162 and call it a day... I am certainly NOT paying $70-$$267... for these guys here.

If the importer carries it, then it's officially permitted—the importer has to pay for the permit, which is likely why everything is so overpriced? Oh, and don't forget our 23% sales tax. In principle, it works out great for the Canadians since they don't have to worry about permits for the US market. We're such "wonderful" neighbors, aren't we? They want access to our coast for free, yet we're still out here driving their business numbers up.

Best protein powders for muscle gain? in Hobbies & Leisure · Sep 6, 2010

Ethan Garcia8 said:I think you’re misreading my point entirely. No hard feelings—I can see you enjoy a good debate—but if you want to get serious, please bring some actual facts to the table, because right now this feels like a lot of guesswork. 🙂 Look, it seems to me you're just falling for clever branding. Honestly, I tend to trust European standards more myself, but then again, Inko doesn't produce any whey that isn't loaded with aspartame.

Exactly—it's in just about every candy bar out there. It's a classic American marketing ploy to slap an "aspartame-free" label on things. They just swap it out for sucralose, which is cheap and comes with much more lenient consumption limits. You should do a little digging online. Of course, the ideal scenario would be zero artificial sweeteners across the board. Speaking of marketing, though, the US is leagues ahead of Europe in that department—they have a knack for selling products based on flashy campaigns rather than actual quality. That's just my two cents, if anyone cares.

Best protein powders for muscle gain? in Hobbies & Leisure · Sep 5, 2010

Ethan Garcia8 said:So, what does those "x" grams of glutamine actually signify to you? Do you have any actual empirical evidence suggesting it helps? How did you measure it—what were the percentages? What percentage of those trivial little grams of glutamine even gets metabolized? How much muscle mass did you put on during periods when you weren't using Inkospor versus when you were? And what were your comparative training patterns during those times? 😁

Folks, we're just spinning our wheels here. 😁

Are you suggesting glutamine is irrelevant or just a waste of cash? I’m simply sharing my own experience—which has been positive—with others, and all I get is anger. My apologies if my perspective differs from yours.

Best protein powders for muscle gain? in Hobbies & Leisure · Sep 5, 2010

Christian Harris2 said:Why all the bitterness? 🙂 The issue here is that you haven't actually explained *why* this specific protein is supposedly so superior. You just threw out some numbers that, frankly, don't look like they offer any dramatic advantage over other brands.

One scoop is 30.4g, and within that scoop, you're getting 4.082g of glutamine.

Thanks! In the meantime, I took a peek at the Optimum Nutrition website, and we can now safely say it’s outrageously overpriced. $19.90 for a single pound (about 16 oz). They’re likely identical to Dymatize, they just have a massive markup. And honestly, who even cares about the raw data? It feels a bit silly—you claim it’s the gold standard based on the ingredient profile, whereas my own "gold standard" is something else entirely (I personally tend to trust European food regulations more than the ones here in the States), which is why I bring up those specific figures. Incidentally, I rarely see added vitamins and minerals in American products, yet Inkospor includes them. That shouldn't be overlooked; if you have to buy those supplements separately, you're looking at an extra expense.

Best protein powders for muscle gain? in Hobbies & Leisure · Sep 5, 2010

Christian Harris2 said:Optimum Nutrition gold whey has 13g per 100g. ☕

How much are they paying you? 🙂 That seems to be the only logical explanation for why you’re so blindly favoring this brand—it's totally unsubstantiated. Nothing special about it. 🤷

So, we’ve actually reached the point where people are questioning if someone is being paid just because they’re standing by their opinion. Honestly, I don't care what brand it is—this time we're talking about MusclePharm—and I always try to back up what I say, though apparently, that isn't very popular around here. If something is good, I say it's good; if I've had a bad experience, I say that too, and that's that. Now you've gone and given me homework, since I wasn't aware of those 13 grams. I'll go check!

Best protein powders for muscle gain? in Hobbies & Leisure · Sep 5, 2010

Ethan Garcia8 said:Look, I’ve used MusclePharm. There really isn't a measurable difference between Dymatize and MusclePharm. The reality is that I source my Dymatize from Austria, and the issue here is simply that retailers in the States have an outrageously high markup.

I don't know about all that, but they don't carry MusclePharm over there—so I actually tried checking MusclePharm prices in Germany since a friend visits frequently, but I gave up because almost everything is cheaper here in the US. To me, that felt more like a confirmation of quality rather than just a high margin. It’s possible that the cheaper products we see locally make the most profit precisely because everyone assumes all proteins are identical; essentially, customers "save" a few cents only to end up buying total garbage. I've heard guys who buy stuff in Austria mention they often get products right at their expiration date, or sometimes even past it, so I've definitely crossed that off my list.

I put a little effort into this comparison because when you claim they are the same, and I say they aren't—well, I'll let the numbers speak. I'm not sure how clear this will be, but here is the breakdown:
Dymatize
Dymatize is an ideal blend of whey proteins, featuring concentrate, isolate obtained via ion exchange, and protein peptides. Furthermore, Dymatize doesn't include unnecessary added carbohydrates or salts. To further enhance the product, Dymatize included an enzyme blend (Zytrix®) which facilitates better absorption and utilization of the consumed protein. Anyone with even a passing interest in nutrition knows that protein is the cornerstone of muscle recovery and growth. Processed whey proteins with high biological value are undoubtedly a primary source for any athlete looking to improve physical performance and gain quality muscle mass. On top of all these technical perks, Dymatize tastes great and mixes incredibly well.

Nutritional value and composition per:
28.8g
29.4g

Caloric content
470 kJ/ 112 kcal
470 kJ/ 112 kcal

Protein
23 g
23 g

Carbohydrates, including: - sugar
2.5 g
1 g
2.5 g
1 g

Fats
including: - saturated
1.5 g
0 g
1.5 g
0 g

cholesterol
2 mg
5mg

sodium
55 mg
55 mg

MuscleTech - A top-tier protein isolate derived through ion exchange and microfiltration. Its distinct advantage lies in the use of high-value whey protein, which serves as a particularly accessible and rapid source of protein. MuscleTech contains a specifically high ratio of essential amino acids and is rich in branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). Due to this characteristic, MuscleTech is an essential component for muscle building during strength training. Through the addition of Glutamine, MuscleTech ensures that the increased needs of successful athletes are met during recovery phases. A Vitamin B-complex, along with Vitamins E and C, accelerates overall energy metabolism and synthesis. The specialized, highly concentrated Vitamin B6 plays a key role in protein metabolism.
Minerals, calcium, and magnesium support optimal muscle function as well as muscle contractions during strength training. The whey protein isolate is obtained through a specialized filtration and ion exchange process.
MuscleTech comes in various flavors, naturally free of purines and low in fat. It is exceptionally easy to digest and absorbs very quickly.
Composition per 100 g %RDA* per serving (30 g) %RDA*
Energy value 1533 kJ(362 kcal) 457 kJ(108 kcal)
Protein 80 g 24 g
Carbohydrates 3.0 g 0.9 g
Sugars 3 g 0.9 g
Fat 3.3 g 1.0 g
Saturated Fat 2.3 g 0.7 g
Fiber 1.1 g 0.3 g 12 %
Sodium 0.3 g 0.1 g
Calcium 230 mg 29 % 69 mg 9 %
Magnesium 125 mg 42 % 38 mg 13 %
Vitamin C 200 mg 333 % 60 mg 100 %
Niacin 60 mg 333 % 18 mg 100 %
Vitamin E 33.3 mg 333 % 10 mg 100 %
Pantothenic Acid 20 mg 333 % 6.0 mg 100 %
Vitamin B6 6.7 mg 333 % 2.0 mg 100 %
Vitamin B2 5.3 mg 333 % 1.6 mg 100 %
Vitamin B1 4.7 mg 333 % 1.4 mg 100 %
Folic Acid 667 µg 333 % 200 µg 100 %
Vitamin B12 3.3 µg 333 % 1 µg 100 %

* Percentages refer to the Daily Value based on a standard American diet.
Amino acid profile per 100 g of pure protein (in grams)
L-Isoleucine * 6.4 g
L-Serine 4.8 g
L-Proline 5.0 g
L-Histidine 2.2 g
Glycine 2.2 g
Glutamic Acid 12.4 g
L-Cystine 2.0 g
L-Aspartic Acid 11.9 g
L-Arginine 3.1 g
L-Alanine 5.4 g
L-Glutamine 6.9 g
L-Valine * 6.7 g
L-Tryptophan * 2.3 g
L-Threonine * 7.2 g
L-Phenylalanine * 4.1 g
L-Methionine * 2.1 g
L-Lysine * 10.2 g
L-Leucine * 12.6 g
L-Tyrosine 3.9 g

* = essential amino acids

Best protein powders for muscle gain? in Hobbies & Leisure · Sep 5, 2010

Ethan Garcia8 said:I don't know—I personally drop the cash on 5 lbs of Dymatize natural$93. Look, let's be real—there is just no way MusclePharm can even compete with that.

In terms of price? Certainly not. But really, it all comes down to what kind of quality you’re actually hunting for. If you think one specific brand is the gold standard, hey, that's your call to make. Ultimately, you get what you pay for—it's a simple equation—and since I happen to know exactly what I'm putting in my body, I don't mind shelling out a little extra. You might want to grab some MusclePharm just to run a side-by-side comparison; there is often a massive gap between manufacturers regarding how much of a product your body actually absorbs—which, arguably, is the whole point. Lower-tier stuff usually just ends up passing right through you... straight to the restroom. It's a cliché for a reason—"you get what you pay for"—and when it comes to supplements, that has proven true for me a thousand times over. So, I disagree with the idea that MusclePharm is "expensive"; quality is never cheap, regardless of who you ask. I'm sticking to my choice precisely because I have no interest in throwing money down the drain.

Best protein powders for muscle gain? in Hobbies & Leisure · Sep 5, 2010

Ethan Garcia8 said:MusclePharm has absolutely ridiculous prices—it’s basically the same junk as any other big-name manufacturer.

...I'm not sure if you've actually sat down to look at their price points, but I suspect your math might be a bit off. For instance, their 500g CFM isolate—which packs 8g of Glutamine per 100g of powder—is priced at $46 (you can verify all the numbers on their site). If you take that and compare it to the cost of 500g of some cheap whey concentrate or something that's only 10% or 20% isolate, the "high price" argument against MusclePharm falls apart pretty quickly. I've heard this complaint about high prices more times than I can count, but personally, I wouldn't go along with it—mostly because I've spent enough time testing everything, crunching the numbers, and comparing brands to know better. In the end, it usually works out much cheaper to pay a few extra bucks for quality, since, let's face it, not all proteins and glutamines are created equal.

Best protein powders for muscle gain? in Hobbies & Leisure · Sep 5, 2010

Christian Harris2 said:Well... I'm not from Washington, D.C., so pulling off a stunt like that would be a whole lot more complicated down in Miami. 🙄

Thanks for the reply, though. 🙏

EDIT: Oh, and one more thing—when they say over at Nike that orders over $133 qualify for free shipping... is there some kind of catch? Like, some sneaky little fine print where they somehow find a way to tack on some freakin' extra fee anyway?

Check out www.gladiator.com—they carry MusclePharm proteins and they're running a sale right now, I just saw it.

Best protein powders for muscle gain? in Hobbies & Leisure · Sep 1, 2010

The NBA does a hell of a job with their marketing—it’s almost impressive how they manage to imply that anything else isn't worth your time. They play a dirty game, honestly, and it seems to work perfectly fine here because, frankly, most people haven't been given the full story yet.

Best protein powders for muscle gain? in Hobbies & Leisure · Aug 25, 2010

velvetgardener5 said:What are your thoughts on this?

...from what I can tell, that's just a concentrate—and it’s pricey, too $43. Personally, when I'm hitting the gym, I pick up a 500g tub of Whey protein isolate from $45 MusclePharm that packs 40g of glutamine; honestly, the difference in quality between those two is like night and day

Best protein powders for muscle gain? in Hobbies & Leisure · Aug 16, 2010

feralharbor7 said:Let’s try looking at this through a slightly more logical lens:

Whey is a protein.
Proteins consist of amino acids—mind the plural there—linked by peptide bonds.
So, logically speaking, whey is just... what?

No matter how much someone tries to twist the argument, at the end of the day, whey is fundamentally just amino acids.

...we aren't debating the fundamental essence here; we are conducting an analysis. If you start listing specific amino acids, you aren't really talking about "whey" anymore—you're just confusing people who might be reading about this for the very first time. If someone is actually searching for information on amino acids, they’ll find a breakdown of essential versus non-essential ones. You won't find "whey" listed as a category within that classification... I don't see how that isn't the core issue. I personally believe that participating in these discussions should involve teaching something useful, rather than just muddying the waters for those who are still learning the basics.