Best protein powders for muscle gain?

swiftraven52 said:Ugh, Nicholas Kern90... How much do you weigh and how long are your sessions, if you don't mind me asking? That 150g of sugar feels a bit excessive to me (standard dose is usually around 0.8-1g per kg of body weight), plus 80g of whey... Maybe it makes sense after an intense leg day for someone weighing 280lbs (if I recall correctly, you're around 250?), but still.
And with 80g of whey, I wonder how much is actually being used versus how much is just throwing money down the drain (since any excess just gets converted to glucose).

By the way, The Healthy Plus from Walmart is a collagen protein... If anyone knows exactly what's in that, let us know. From what I can tell, it doesn't have the same amino acid profile as "normal" whey.

I'm bulking right now, that's why it's 150g... I weigh 200 lbs... workouts last up to an hour and a half...

As for the whey, that's why I say I drink three shakes. Before, during, and after training.

feralbison4 said:food is the foundation, it's true, and anyone who swaps meals for supplements is making a mistake...

but claiming that MuscleTech is unnecessary or useless? That’s just ridiculous...
there's plenty of literature on MuscleTech, not to mention the firsthand experience of top-tier competitors, so I think claims like that need some actual substance behind them...

I was simply stating a position based on my own casual approach to lifting at the gym.

feralbison4 said:by the way, there's a specialized bodybuilding forum out there where you can see photos of members; take a look at what people using MuscleTech actually look like...

they're probably using something else 😉

You're kind of right, Jason Campbell70, but only halfway—a huge chunk of them are naturals and aren't touching steroids at all...

I’m not saying what you're doing is bad, but I get the feeling that people inspired by your gains might realize MuscleTech is just extra fluff they don't need in their routine—which could end up hurting their progress...
What I'm getting at is... it's not like you *can't* survive without MuscleTech, but it's better with it. And honestly, more is always better than not enough...
Let me break it down... after a killer workout, your body is screaming for fast proteins and simple carbs because your ATP and glycogen levels are basically bottomed out. If you just eat steak, it would take hours for your body to actually get what it's craving right away...
You say you haven't noticed a difference with or without MuscleTech? Well, what exactly were you expecting? A massive jump in your bench press or maybe 10 pounds on the scale in a month? Building a physique is a years-long grind that takes serious grit and patience—especially for those staying natural...
Later...

feralbison4 said:You’re kind of right, Jason Campbell70, but only halfway—a huge chunk of these guys are naturals and aren't touching steroids at all...

I’m not saying what you're doing is bad, but I get the feeling that if people see your insane results, they might think MuscleTech is totally unnecessary for their own routines, which could actually end up hurting them...
What I mean is... it’s definitely not impossible to make progress without MuscleTech, but having it is better. And honestly, being "enough" is usually the biggest enemy of getting "great"...
To back that up... after an intense session, our bodies are basically screaming for fast-acting proteins and simple carbs because our ATP and glycogen stores are totally bottomed out. If you just rely on eating steak, it would take hours for your body to actually get what it's starving for right away...
You mentioned you haven't seen much difference with or without MuscleTech... but man, what were you expecting? A 150lb jump on your bench press or maybe adding 10 pounds to the scale in a month? Building a physique is a long game that takes years of grit and patience—especially for those of us staying natural...
Cheers...

I’ve been thinking about maybe using some whey after my workouts and trying to bump up my daily protein intake through regular meals.

My goal isn't really to step on a bodybuilding stage or anything; I just don't want all that hard work in the gym to go to waste because my body didn't have the fuel it needed to repair the muscle.

Years ago, I used to train like this—super intense sessions paired with terrible nutrition and way too little protein. I basically didn't give a damn about what I was eating back then.

I can't say the gym didn't change how I looked at all, but back then, my main focus was just putting on mass. Any mass, really, since I was barely 180 lbs standing 6'6''...🤷

Nicholas Kern90 said:Try taking 50g of whey protein—just split it into two shakes, one during your workout and one right after.

Do those have the same effect while you're actually training? I was under the impression you should only be sipping on about 1.5 liters of water throughout a session.

When you're right in the middle of your workout, I’d suggest holding off on the protein intake—mostly because your body ends up burning it straight up as fuel instead of using it for muscle repair—so it's much better to save those hits for after your session, paired up with some glucose to really kickstart the process

goldenfox24 said:Don't bother with protein while you're actually training; your body will just burn it for fuel. Save the protein intake for after your workout and pair it with some glucose.

Wrong again.🙄

But wait—if that’s the case, why do all those pro bodybuilders swear by sticking strictly to carbs during their workouts instead of messing around with protein shakes?

goldenfox24 said:Then why do all these pro bodybuilders claim you shouldn't be sipping shakes during a workout, just straight carbs instead?

Alright, who actually said that?

Hey there, Mr. Google
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&sa...aining&spell=1

Look, I’m not a mind reader... 🙄

goldenfox24 said:So why the hell do pro bodybuilders say you shouldn't be sipping shakes during a workout, just carbs instead?

Milos Sarcev (assuming you know who he is) actually recommends taking both Pre-Workout and Protein along with carbs DURING your session if you're a hardgainer or just trying to pack on size fast.

So, I was chatting with Zlatko the other day—you know how he is, always thinking three steps ahead—and he mentioned that I should probably steer clear of sipping protein right in the middle of my workout. Instead, his suggestion is to wait until the session is actually over, then whip up a shake combining some whey with glucose—we're talking at least two big scoops of that

So who’s Zlatko now? I thought Zoki was the one running things 😁 Look, you've got an entire army of coaches looking out for you 🤣

goldenfox24 said:I don't know, Zlatko says I should avoid taking protein during my workout. He thinks I should wait until after and just mix whey with glucose—at least two big scoops.

What, does something magical happen to your body five minutes after a workout that suddenly stops it from using protein for energy? If that's the case, then sure, go ahead and drink your whey.

From what I understand, you really want to time your intake for after the workout. That’s when your muscles are actually recovering from all that intense work. During the session itself, you aren't really using nutrients to build tissue; you're just burning them for fuel.
Usually, I’d just toss in a little bit of glucose, but I recently picked up some advice suggesting that for every 30 grams of protein, you should be hitting about 100 grams of glucose. If I follow that, that massive 500g bag of sugar I grabbed at Walmart is going to disappear in less than two weeks—basically gone in five workouts. At the rate I was going before, just using a teaspoon at a time, that bag would have lasted me months.😢

you guys suck... 😂

Mark Gray4 said:I used to just toss in a little glucose here and there. But I recently picked up some advice suggesting that for every 30 grams of protein, you should be hitting 100 grams of glucose. If that's the case, that 500g bag I grabbed from Walmart is going to vanish in less than two weeks—maybe five workouts? Funny how things change. Before, a single teaspoon would have lasted me months.😢

I'm in my prime. 🙄 I was mixing two scoops of whey with three scoops of glucose—grabbed the glucose from Walmart—into my MuscleTech. 🥳

So... about taking Pre-Workout that contains high-GI carbohydrates.

Aren't high GI carbs a guaranteed ticket to hypoglycemia?
And that’s roughly when I'd time it—right around the middle or toward the end of my workout.

So, what exactly should you be avoiding during strength training?

lol hypoglycemia? where on earth are you guys getting your data from? 🤣

Nicholas Kern90 said:Hypoglycemia? Seriously? Where on earth are you guys getting your data? 🤣

Back to basics, Nicholas Kern90... back to basics.

One of the contributing factors to hypoglycemia.

High insulin levels? We’ve all been there. It’s that massive insulin spike you get after slamming too much glucose at once.
Increased physical exertion? Well, that’s a given when you're training, isn't it?
Blood glucose levels have dropped. It's expected, really—just a result of the increased physical exertion.

Of course, when I bring up hypoglycemia, don't immediately jump to those extreme, drastic symptoms.

So, I wouldn't recommend high GI carbs. Why bother?

I'd much rather stick to complex carbs.