Best protein powders for muscle gain?

So, I’m hitting the basketball court pretty hard lately and figured I need to bulk up a bit...
Since I’m out there training five days a week,
would it actually do anything if I started slamming some protein right after practice?
From what I've gathered, mixing in some glucose tablets might help too, but honestly,
I've just been reading stuff online—real-world experience is a whole different story...
For anyone who actually knows their way around a gym, should I be looking at something
different, or stick to the list of stuff mentioned above?

Dennis Lewis6 said:LOL, do you guys realize that artificial proteins actually wreck your kidneys?

LMAO
That’s just not true—what exactly is "artificial" about whey, other than a few minor additives similar to what you find in basically everything else you eat every single day?👎

feralbison4 said:Jesse Martinez23..

Grab about 9 ounces of fat-free cottage cheese and toss it in a shaker. Slowly pour in some milk—maybe 1 to 2 cups depending on how thick you want it—and once it’s smooth enough, throw in two scoops of Whey Isolate. Cap it off, give it a good shake, and there you go: two meals with roughly 40 grams of protein each, and minimal fat or carbs...
A quick tip: if you pick up some low-fat cottage cheese from Trader Joe's, it blends with the milk much better since it’s smoother. The stuff from Publix can be a nightmare—it’s full of clumps that you'd practically need a blender to fix...
You can basically have a meal like this whenever you want—just maybe not immediately after a workout, since that's when I prefer my whey mixed with water and Glucose tablets...
P.S. Don't overdo the milk during the day; it does have a relatively high glycemic index (I personally cap mine at about two cups a day)...

I tried it just like you said—oof, I wouldn't say it's amazing, but it's okay. It has this sort of tangy-sweet flavor profile.
Do you have any other recipes?
Also, what's the deal with oatmeal? Can I actually find decent oats at a regular grocery store?
🙂

Jesse Martinez23 said:I mixed it up just like you suggested, and ugh... honestly, it wasn't great. It had this weird, sour-sweet aftertaste.
Do you have any other recipes?
And what's the deal with oatmeal? Like, can I even find that stuff in a regular grocery store?
🙂

Wait, you've never heard of oats? They're awesome. You can grab a 500g bag at Walmart for like 12 bucks.$4.25.

Brenda Davis22 said:Have you never heard of oats? They’re actually fantastic. I've got a 500g bag sitting right here in my pantry, about 12--$4.25.

Honestly, if you just head to a big-box retailer like Walmart or Target, they're way cheaper there...

Brenda Davis22 said:Haven't you heard of oats? They're fantastic. You can grab some at Target—they have 500g bags for about $12...$4.25.

Oh, I've heard of them—I just wasn't sure if certain brands specialized in higher oat content across their grain lines.
So, Target it is, then.
Thanks.🙂

jadetiger962 said:They're way cheaper at the big-box retailers...

Honestly, I wouldn't call that a massive price jump—if I can drop that much on 500g of muesli twice a month, I can certainly swing this amount$9.75 2 times a month, so it's not quite the dealbreaker I thought it might be
but thanks anyway 😉

I just started hitting the gym, and someone suggested I pick up some XTREME MUSCLE GAINER to help out.

I’ve honestly never messed with supplements before, so I was wondering—could this actually do more harm than good?

I'm only at the gym twice a week, so I'd only be having one shake per session. That doesn't seem like much, but I'm a little worried about just putting on fat instead of muscle. My main goal is just to build some lean muscle and work on getting a six-pack.

Would it be better to just stick to natural training without any supplements, or should I give this stuff a shot? 🤷

Thomas Roberts49 said:I recently started hitting the gym, and someone suggested that XTREME MUSCLE GAINER might be a good addition to my routine.

I’ve never really dealt with supplements before, so I'm wondering if they actually do more harm than good.

I only go to the gym twice a week, so I'd only be having one shake per session. That doesn't seem excessive to me, but I am concerned about just putting on fat instead of muscle. My goal is simply to build some lean muscle and work on my abs.

Would it be better to just stick to natural training, or should I give this stuff a shot? 🤷

Whey, glucose, water... that's all you need. There isn't any room left in a proper diet for mass gainers!😉

slytrucker47 said:Just whey, glucose, and water... honestly, there's just no room left in my diet for mass gainers!😉

That’s exactly what I was thinking. Even the word "gainer" just makes me think of putting on fat.

Thanks!

So, look... I’m scrolling through all these comments here, and while there’s plenty of chatter, I honestly can’t seem to find a straight answer to the one thing actually bothering me... I guess what I’m trying to get at is, is it even remotely possible to actually pack on some muscle and build up a bit of mass if I’m just hitting the gym maybe three times a week and sticking to mostly whole foods? Like, I'm talking about just eating regular stuff—you know, maybe a small toasted sandwich here, a standard lunch there, things like that 🙂. To be perfectly honest... do you think it’s actually feasible to develop a decent physique while just following more or less normal eating habits, without obsessively weighing out every single gram of everything we put in our mouths?

Of course it’s doable—it might just take a little more patience than you'd like—but it’s absolutely possible! The key, naturally, is sticking to a clean diet. Think of proteins as just a supplement for that final 20% of your gains after a workout; the real heavy lifting—the true foundation of everything—is about 80% what happens in your kitchen.

brightharbor26 said:Look, guys... I’m scrolling through all these comments but I can’t seem to find a straight answer to what’s actually on my mind... Is it even possible to build some muscle and pack on a little mass if I'm just hitting the gym maybe three times a week and sticking to real food? Like, say, a quick warm sandwich here, a standard lunch there, stuff like 🙂... Honestly, can you actually build a decent physique just by eating more or less "normal" meals without obsessively weighing out every single gram of everything we shove in our mouths?

Yeah, it's doable, but let's be real—once you start seeing results, you'll probably get sucked into the whole "tracking everything" vortex anyway. You didn't give me much to work with here, but if your goal is putting on size, you absolutely have to up your calorie intake. After a workout, you definitely want some Glucose tablets 500, and while a bit of Whey Isolate wouldn't hurt, if you're dead set on just "regular food," then you need to seriously ramp up the protein. Think lean cheeses, tuna, chicken, turkey, beef—whatever works. And for carbs? Load up on rice, oatmeal, pasta, potatoes, whole grain bread, and so on. Bottom line: it's possible, but supplements make the whole process a hell of a lot easier...👍

jadetiger962 said:They're way cheaper at the big-box stores...

Look, I get it. It’s not a massive difference, but apparently, these ones are organic.🤷

Brenda Davis22 said:Look, I get it, but once you get hooked, you start paying way more attention to what you're actually putting into your body, especially when you finally start seeing some real progress in the mirror. You didn't give me much to work with here, but if your goal is strictly gaining mass, then you absolutely have to ramp up your caloric intake. Personally, I think hitting those glucose tablets 500 after a workout is a must, and honestly, adding some Whey Isolate would be a massive help too—though, I suppose if you prefer sticking to whole foods, you should probably just beef up your regular meals with things like low-fat cheeses, tuna, chicken, turkey, or even lean beef for protein; and for carbs, maybe load up on rice, oatmeal, pasta, boiled potatoes, or whole grain bread. At any rate, it’s definitely doable, but I really believe supplements can make a huge difference...👍

Oh, right... thanks for getting back to me... I think I follow you now.👍

So, listen, friend, why don't you just tell me exactly which two or three products I should go out and buy, and where I can actually find them?

From what I've gathered so far, it seems like I need some Whey Isolate (how much does that even run me, and where am I supposed to shop for it?) plus some glucose tablets from a place like CVS or Walgreens that might only cost a couple of bucks... is that basically it?

And then what's the move... do I just mix it all in some water right after the gym and chug it?🙄

brightharbor26 said:Yeah... thanks for the reply... I get it now. 👍

So look, man, just tell me straight—which 2 or 3 products should I actually grab, and where am I supposed to find them?

From what I’ve gathered so far, I need some whey (how much does that run me, and where do I buy it?) and some glucose tabs from CVS or something that costs like a couple of bucks... is that the deal?

And then what? Just mix it with water right after the gym and chug it? 🙄

Look, any decent whey protein will do the trick. Right now, I'm burning through Scitec Whey Isolate. Honestly, the smartest move is to snag one of those massive 4-5 kg tubs. It’s a bit of a sting if you're paying solo, but if you and a couple of buddies split it, it's a steal. You'll have to hunt for brands like Multipower, Universal, Scitec, or Weider at a specialty supplement shop. And yeah, you heard right—grab some Glucose tablets 500 g from a drugstore; they're only about $3.75. It’s basically just glucose with added vitamins and minerals. If you're into honey, go for that instead! Basically, as soon as you finish your set, mix 1-2 scoops of Whey Isolate with 2-3 heaped tablespoons of the Glucose tablets 500 or some honey in milk or water—whatever you prefer. That way, you're replenishing the glucose you burned off while slamming protein in for recovery and muscle growth. Knock it back immediately after training; that's when it works best. That's pretty much the bare minimum you can do if you want to bounce back faster.
The diet we talked about earlier still stands. There's more useful stuff out there, but I'll hit you up later... 👍

So, basically, you could totally swap out the glucose for some glucose tablets 500 g if you're in a pinch...
though I have a feeling jadetiger962 is going to give me the silent treatment for suggesting that.

Brenda Davis22 said:Look, honestly, any decent whey protein is going to do the trick for you. Personally, I’m currently burning through some Whey Isolate from Scitec. If I were you, I'd probably try to grab one of those massive 4-5 kg bulk tubs; they're definitely the most cost-effective way to go. I suppose it might seem a bit pricey if you're just buying it for yourself, but if you can split the cost with two or three buddies, it becomes much more manageable. You really need to hunt for brands like Multipower, Universal, Scitec, or Weider at a specialized supplement shop. And you heard right—go ahead and pick up some Glucose tablets 500 g at a CVS or Walgreens, they'll be about $3.75. It's basically glucose packed with vitamins and minerals. Or, if you're more of a honey person, that works great too! So, my suggestion is that immediately following your workout, you should mix 1-2 scoops of Whey with about 2-3 heaped tablespoons of Glucose tablets 500 or some honey in either milk or water, depending on what you prefer. That way, you're replenishing the glucose you burned off while simultaneously getting the protein needed for recovery and muscle synthesis. You really ought to consume this right after training; that's when it's most effective, I think. Anyway, that's really just the bare minimum you can do if you want to speed up your recovery.
The diet we discussed previously still applies. There are plenty of other useful things to consider as well, but I guess you'll reach out again once you've had a chance to process this...👍

Uh... sorry, I think there was a little bit of a communication breakdown here... what exactly constitutes a "scoop"? 😁 ... thanks again for the reply... just to make sure I've got this straight... so, after hitting the gym, I mix the whey with 2-3 tablespoons of that sugar into how much water? Would half a liter be okay?🙄

You usually get a scoop included when you buy the larger containers, like a 5lb tub, which comes in a plastic bin. If you happen to be missing one, you can just mix two scoops of large Whey Isolate with about half a liter of water and a few Glucose tablets 500. You could always toss in some extra supplements if you want, but let's just focus on this for now😁.

goldenfox24 said:So, I guess glucose tablets 500 could work instead of pure glucose...
I can already hear jadetiger962 coming for my neck about this one.

Dextrose is basically just what you find in those glucose tablets, and if I remember correctly, it's essentially the mirror molecule of glucose.
Basically, we're talking about almost the exact same thing.