Best protein powders for muscle gain?

wearyotter81 said:I drink this too (not just mixed with chocolate milk) and it’s honestly incredible. It's easily the best one I've ever tried, even when I just mix it with water... 👍

You should try grabbing a tub of the chocolate flavor sometime. I'm really curious to hear
what you think about it.

Ethan Garcia8 said:I drink my Ensure Banana flavor. But man, you have no idea what a crazy combo you get when you take the chocolate one and mix it with strawberry-flavored Ensure. Seriously, it’s like eating ice cream!

Haha, oh for sure! 😁

Sometimes during my fasting periods, I’ll mix in some whey and just add a few drops of lemon or vanilla extract... honestly, it turns into this incredible homemade ice cream. I even did this experiment once where I mixed egg whites, whey, and gelatin and threw it in the freezer... ugh, it was intense!
Gosh, I really should try that again, I completely forgot about it... 🙂

And let's just pretend we aren't ignoring all the extra sugar inside that strawberry Ensure, right? 😉

Henry Stewart56 said:Try grabbing that chocolate Ensure sometime, I'm actually really curious to hear
how you like it.

Alright, fine, I'll do it! I have to head over to Helix anyway in the next few days to restock my supplies...

It’s the exact same deal as those artificial sweeteners they use at In-N-Out.
There’s a little bit of aspartame in there, but honestly, it’s a risk I’m willing to take. 😁

And who knows, maybe they even changed the formula recently? I haven't used it in a while,
so I haven't picked it up lately.

Wait a second, Henry Stewart56, are you talking about those snack bars from Hershey's or actual chocolate-flavored whey? Like, which specific ones are we talking about here?

Ethan Garcia8, what kind of protein are you actually using—that muscle gainer or the chocolate whey from Hershey's?

wearyotter81 said:Hold on, Henry Stewart56, are you talking about those snack bars or chocolate flavored whey? Like, any specific brands?

Chocolate whey.

Ethan Garcia8 Asks:
I’ve been sticking to a banana protein shake lately. 😍 You know, I was thinking about that wild flavor combination you get when you mix chocolate with strawberry-flavored oatmeal. Honestly, it’s such a crazy pairing, but man, it hits the spot—it ends up tasting almost exactly like a decadent milkshake or some high-end ice cream. 😍

John Doe 😁

wearyotter81 As if I haven't heard this one before...
Heh, yeah, you could say that. 😁

Sometimes, when I'm sticking to a cleaner diet, I’ll mix some whey protein with a few drops of lemon or vanilla extract. Honestly, it turns into this incredible, makeshift ice cream—it's surprisingly good. I even went down a bit of a rabbit hole once, experimenting with whipped egg whites, whey, and gelatin before tossing the whole mess into the freezer. It was quite the undertaking, let me tell you.
Oh man, I honestly might have to dive back into that; it completely slipped my mind. 🙂

Good grief, don't you go giving me any bright ideas like that. 🙂 😁

wearyotter81 said:As for that strawberry flavor and all that hidden sugar tucked away inside, let's just pretend it doesn't exist. 😉

I mean, at the end of the day, you're already mixing that shake with glucose anyway, so what's a little extra sugar in the water going to do? It’s really not that big of a deal. 🙂

wearyotter81 said:Yeah, I drink it too—not necessarily as a shake—and it’s great. Honestly, it’s the best one I’ve tried, especially when mixed with water. 👍

What other flavors have you tried? I'm curious about the blueberry one...🙂

Oh, by the way—I'm actually holding the strawberry flavored Janu right now... it says there's only 2.9g of carbs per 100g... 🧐

So, I have a quick question... am I okay if I just grab some whey instead of a full meal on days when I don't actually hit the gym?
For example—I'm starving right now, but there’s nothing in the house except some whey and a bit of homemade sauce my mom sent over. Honestly, I can't bring myself to eat just that since I don't have any pasta to go with it.
???
Thanks.

Go with the whey, obviously!

If you're using whey as a fast-acting protein, it really should be reserved specifically for that window right after your workout, because if you're looking to use it as a standalone meal during the day, shouldn't you be mixing it with something else to help slow down that absorption rate? For instance, wouldn't a solid combo be some oatmeal mixed with a scoop of MusclePharm whey, some water, and maybe two tablespoons of flaxseed oil to get those complex carbs, proteins, and essential fats all in one go? As for the cost of the meal, it's honestly such a small detail when you consider how massive the nutritional value actually is...

Douglas Walker5 said:Whey is strictly a post-workout protein tool. If you intend to use it as a standalone meal during the day, you really ought to mix it with something to slow down its absorption rate... for instance, a solid combo would be oatmeal + one scoop of whey + water + two tablespoons of flaxseed oil (complex carbs + proteins + essential fats)... as for the cost of such a meal, it's negligible... while the nutritional value is quite substantial...

Wait, carbs, protein, and fat all in one sitting? Care to elaborate on that logic.

It would be far more efficient to mix your whey with some low-fat cottage cheese and take a fish oil supplement instead!

So, what should my final choice be then? haha
Does that mean if I'm taking it on non-training days, I shouldn't be mixing it with glucose?
And where can I pick up some flaxseed oil—is it just sitting there on the shelves at a typical grocery store like Kroger?

And what about mixing that chocolate whey with low-fat cottage cheese, followed by fish oil later on? What kind of combo is that? Ugh—your stomach might just do a complete flip

Hey there!
So, I jumped into lifting and hitting the gym just over three months ago. My main goal was putting on some size without getting a massive gut 🙂 and honestly, I nailed it...
I’ve packed on about 26 lbs in that timeframe, mostly seeing it in my upper body, while my waistline stayed pretty 🙂
The only thing I've been leaning on is MuscleTech Formula 80 Evolution
Sometimes I used it post-workout—even though I know it's not the best since it isn't pure whey—but mostly I just treated it as an extra meal during the day.
Looking at the next three months, the mission stays the same: more mass. I need to put on another 26 lbs before my muscles actually show up on this frame (at least according to the guys at my local Gold's Gym 🙂), and eventually, I want to get shredded... though I'll probably wait until I've bulked enough, maybe starting around month two and pushing through summer.

Now I'm thinking about stepping things up with both my training and my supplement stack. Post-workout, I'm planning to switch to MuscleTech Whey Professional
or maybe even MuscleTech Volume Whey


And before bed, I'll stick to my old reliable protein shake, the Formula 80 Evolution.

So, does anyone here have any experience with the stuff I mentioned?

My advice? Just cut the crap and stop overcomplicating things. Stick to whey and some sugar right after your workout, and for everything else, just eat real food.

Nicholas Kern90 said:honestly... just drop all that nonsense and stop overthinking it. just grab some whey and sugar after you lift, and otherwise just stick to real food.

Yeah, I was actually planning on doing exactly that. The only issue is I've still got an entire massive tub of this Formula 80 Evolution sitting here...
Guess I'll just hit up Walmart tomorrow to grab some whey instead, and I'll probably just give this stuff away to someone. 😂

So I saw some post earlier claiming MuscleTech proteins are garbage. Like, seriously? WTF????

Jesse Martinez23 said:And what about mixing chocolate whey with low-fat cottage cheese, followed by fish oil? What kind of combination is that? Ugh, your stomach might actually turn.

Fish oil is essentially just Omega-3 supplements anyway, so I highly doubt taking it with water and then following up with whey and cottage cheese will be an issue.😉

These little single-serve packs are such a rip-off. You can grab a massive tub of protein, like 5 lbs, for $167. That brings your cost down to about $73/lb, whereas if you go with this MuscleTech stuff, you're looking at $120/lb.

Oh, and one more thing—try eating some slow-digesting protein right before you hit the hay. Low-fat cottage cheese is perfect for that.

Roger Richardson61 said:Those little single servings are such a rip-off. You can grab a massive tub of protein, like 5 lbs, for $167. It works out to basically $73/lb, whereas this MuscleTech stuff ends up costing you $120/lb.

Anyway, just hit some slow-digesting protein before bed. Cottage cheese is perfect for that.

I've actually still got a tub of Formula 80 left for my night meal. It’s loaded with casein, way more than standard whey.
Once that runs out, I’ll just stick to the cottage cheese...
Have you actually tried this MuscleTech whey? Any idea if one of these beats the other two?

My bad, I messed up the link above, this is the actual whey I meant