Best protein powders for muscle gain?

I have a few questions regarding the creatine and whey protein I started taking exactly seven days ago...

I’ve been working out at home for about a year now, and I finally decided to add creatine and whey to the mix. I picked up some creatine from Gold's Gym; the guy at the gym claimed the raw ingredients were top-tier, so I figured, why not? My first issue is that this stuff won't dissolve in water to save its life. I’ve been doing 5g daily instead of a loading phase, but even after sitting in water for 20 minutes, there's zero dissolution. It’s like drinking liquid plastic.

As for the whey, I got it from MuscleTech. I take it post-workout with glucose and creatine, and on rest days, I usually take my creatine about two hours after a meal. I also stir half a scoop of whey into my morning oatmeal and milk.

But here’s the real issue: since Monday, I’ve been feeling really strange in my head. It’s like this mild dizziness combined with a weird pressure. It’s hard to describe, honestly. I’ve never felt anything like this before, so I can't help but wonder if it's linked to the supplements, especially since I started everything Sunday evening and the symptoms kicked in the very next day. Regardless, I’m going to stop taking them and see what happens.

Even today, after having my oats and half a scoop of whey for breakfast, I noticed that about two hours later, that strange sensation in my head returned.

Anyone have any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

Just take 5g of creatine right after your workout during your post-workout window... As for that dizziness, it might just be a temporary thing while your body adjusts. Honestly, if anything causes that, it's more likely to be the whey than the creatine... And here's a little pro tip regarding how well creatine dissolves: you can actually dissolve it in warm water first. Just heat up about half a glass of water, stir the creatine in until it's fully dissolved, then top it off with cold water and drink it all down

Oh, I forgot to ask... how much water are you drinking on a daily basis?

I drink plenty of water... at least 3 to 5 liters a day...

Regarding the creatine and why I take it daily... I follow the standard research-backed advice: just hit 5g every single day instead of doing those tedious loading phases. It seems to be the consensus on most fitness forums, too...

If I only take it three times a week on my training days, I won't actually reach saturation within 30 days, will I?

briskjackal5 said:So that's what caused him to grow?

The bottom line for most people here is just how old that sister actually is.

-User123

Joe Biden

So, here’s my situation:
I’m 16 years old and I’m planning on hitting the gym starting next month. My biggest struggle right now is definitely my weight. I’m about 6'2" and only weigh around 155 pounds. It feels impossible to put on any mass; I feel like I eat everything in sight and still nothing happens—I just keep getting taller instead. :S I’ve been reading up on protein supplements lately. Some of my friends are telling me that if I actually want to "bulk up," I need to start drinking mass gainer proteins. To be honest, I don't know the first thing about this stuff. Could someone please explain how it works? Is there really a need for me to use them, and if so, how often should I be taking them? Thanks. 🙂

Hi everyone.

I have been browsing through some old threads on the forum, and while the topic has come up a few times, I haven't found a definitive answer yet.
In your opinion, would these proteins available at Walmart be acceptable choices?
A.) Optimum Nutrition Whey
B.) MuscleTech Protein

I anticipate many of you will jump in to claim these are just more low-quality options, but looking over the specs, they don't seem too bad to me (though I am certainly no expert). Besides, my budget is a bit tight right now.
Here are the nutritional facts:

A.) Optimum Nutrition Whey

Average nutritional value : per 100 g
Calories : 1611 kJ / 380 kcal
Protein : 80 g
Total carbohydrates : 8.5 g , of which sugars are 7 g
Total fat : 2.9 g , of which saturated fats are 2 g

Ingredients Optimum Nutrition Whey Protein 80 Vanilla: 30% whey protein isolate, 30% whey protein concentrate, milk protein, protein-enriched whey powder, aroma, powdered egg whites, magnesium carbonate, thickening agent (guar flour), vegetable oil, sweeteners sodium cyclamate, aspartame and sodium saccharine, L-ascorbic acid, nicotinamide, colourants beta-carotene and riboflavin, calcium-D-pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, DL-alpha-tocopherol, folic acid, theimain hydrochloride, cyanocobalamine.

B.) MuscleTech Protein

Average nutritional value : per 100 g
Calories : 1590 kJ / 374 kcal
Protein : 88 g
Total carbohydrates : 2.4 g , of which sugars are 1.2 g
Total fat : 1.3 g , of which saturated fats are 0.6 g
L-Glutamine : 5.7 g

Ingredients: Milk protein, whey protein, 3.3% L-glutamine, powdered egg whites, aroma, emulsifier (soy lecithin), sweeteners sodium cyclamate and sodium saccharin, salt, 0.04% zinc oxide, vegetable oil, pyridoxine hydrchloride, folic acid.

The MuscleTech Protein looks quite decent to me. The Optimum Nutrition Whey seems to have a bit too much sugar, but again, I don't know much about this stuff.
I just need something to take after my workout—nothing fancy. Just maybe a couple of tubs to help see some muscle progress.
MuscleTech Mass Tech isn't an option for me.

So how much does one pack cost, and how big is the container? I'm not sure if this is even worth the money...

Sam Roberts said:Also, what's the price per container, and how big is the actual serving size? I have my doubts about whether this is even worth the money.

$40 - It's roughly 24 ounces... something along those lines.

It’s not worth it. You can grab some high-quality stuff for like $350 per $127 5 lbs.

Hey everyone,
I started working out about ten days ago—mostly doing home workouts with weights following a specific program, plus some cardio—with the goal of improving my overall fitness and building muscle mass, particularly in the upper body, specifically the chest, shoulders, and arms, along with
of course, I've also balanced my diet to complement the training... I managed to drop about 3 pounds in those first 10 days.
I'm currently 5'11" and 176 lbs.
So, I was wondering if there’s any real benefit to starting a supplement regimen at this stage, and if so, what would you recommend? (Ideally something that won't break the bank. ^^)

Anyone know a reliable supplier they can recommend? Or maybe someone's got their own stash they’re looking to offload (I’m open to negotiating terms)? I'm heading out to pick up some supplies near Chicago soon. Shoot me a DM if you've got anything! thanks

I guess I'm finally jumping on the bandwagon and starting my own supplement routine.

So, looking at this creatine container, it says to take it twice a day on an empty stomach. I was wondering if I can eat right after taking it? When is actually the best time to use this stuff?
And regarding the whey, the label just suggests 2-3 servings a day and leaves it at that. What I really want to know is when is the optimal timing? Personally, I usually just have it after a meal or after a workout rather than before. Any advice or thoughts on this?

swiftcrane96 said:I'm just starting my supplement routine too.

Regarding the creatine, the tub says to take it twice a day on an empty stomach. Is it okay if I eat immediately after taking it? When is actually the best time to use it?
As for the whey, the label suggests 2-3 servings a day, and that's it. But I'm curious—when is the optimal timing? I usually drink mine after a meal or after a workout rather than before. Any advice?

There are essentially two ways you can handle creatine:

1) A loading phase followed by maintenance. Depending on your body weight, you pick a specific daily dosage (for instance, back when I was around 150 lbs, I would take four 5g doses spread throughout the day) for about 4-7 days. After that, you move to 5g daily on rest days and 10g total on training days (maybe 5g in the morning and 5g post-workout), and you stick to that for a few weeks before taking a break.

2) Just taking 10g on training days—specifically, 5g about 30 minutes before you hit the gym and 5g immediately afterward.

With whey, the best time is right after your workout: one scoop of Optimum Nutrition Whey + 40-80g of glucose + 5g of creatine.

You could also have your whey in the morning with water and some oatmeal, or mixed with milk. During the rest of the day, it’s generally better to rely on whole foods instead of whey, since solid food absorbs more slowly, which helps keep your amino acid levels steady for longer.

thanks, Richard Cook2

I suppose I'll give those instructions a shot and see how it goes.

swiftcrane96 said:thanks, Richard Cook2

I'll definitely be following those instructions.

I realized I forgot to mention that I actually recommend a different approach. This way, you won't end up retaining quite as much water weight all at once, but you'll still feel a noticeable boost in your anaerobic endurance during workouts (thanks to that 5g dose beforehand) and experience faster recovery by replenishing your muscle stores (due to the 5g dose afterward).

Regarding the second option, while most people seem to agree that taking breaks isn't strictly necessary, I would personally suggest taking a month off after every three months of use before starting the cycle again.🙂

Creatine tends to yield its best results when you stack it with some Optimum Nutrition Whey and glucose right after your training session!

Just keep in mind that creatine works wonders for some people, moderately for others, and doesn't seem to do much for some at all. If you don't see any progress, you might want to experiment with a different type of creatine available on the market, like monohydrate or ethyl ester.

Dymatize is the mother of all brands 🙂
I managed to snag a 5lb tub through a buddy at a discount of about $100 🙂
They're solid products and they actually work. All credit to them,

Richard Cook2 said:I forgot to mention that I’d actually suggest a different approach to you. It might help prevent you from holding onto too much water weight all at once, but you should still feel that boost in anaerobic endurance during your workouts (thanks to those 5g beforehand) and see faster recovery by refilling your muscle stores (from the 5g afterward via creatine).

Regarding the other option, most people seem to agree that you don't really need to cycle it, but if I were you, I'd probably take a month off after three months of consistent use before starting up again.🙂

Creatine tends to yield the best results when you pair it with whey and some glucose right after your training session.

Just keep in mind that creatine works wonders for some people, only okay for others, and doesn't seem to do much for some at all. If it isn't doing anything for you, maybe try a different type—like monohydrate, ethyl ester, or whatever else is out there on the market.

Thanks,

you explained everything perfectly for me.👍

Does anyone know where I can actually track down some MuscleTech formula?

Just curious, what's the point of that?

Why is it that every single beginner feels the need to rush into supplements immediately? Do you honestly think you’re going to transform into a beast in just two months?
My advice is to spend at least a month or two focusing strictly on the fundamentals—just water, consistent training, and getting your nutrition dialed in. Wait until the initial inflammation subsides and you actually see some tangible progress before you even consider touching something like that. I know plenty of people who started shoving supplements down their throats on day one at the gym, and frankly, they just end up looking like awkward, bloated messes covered in stretch marks.