Best Protein Powder For Gaining Muscle?

[sstein01]

Amplified wheybolic extreme 60's platinum edition is the best I've seen so far. I just buy the bags rather than tub to make up for the higher cost but its def worth it.

[mikeyfin]

Whey protein Isolate regardless of the brand...

[dacotahd]

To be honest, I just shop in the discount rack for protein. I just make sure that the protein/cholesterol/sodium count is within reason. I prefer whey isolate but there have been occasion where I have picked up blends. If I had it my was I'd be getting optimum nutrition 100% whey gold standard every time.

[JitteryJoes]

Anybody have any good suggestions for cheap protein powder? Anyone ever used SNI Standard Whey?

[nic9212]

Whey protein Isolate regardless of the brand...

100% Agree

[Mangarita]

What would you guys suggest a good protein powder for me? I'm 5ft at 120lbs. I'm just looking to have lean muscle, not gain a whole lot. I want to keep them in shape.

[BStowers023]

GNC : Amp Wheybolic 60
Optimum : Hydrowhey
Dymatize : Iso-100
BSN : Syntha 6 Isolate

Anything Hydrolized Whey Isolate is the best option. Hands down. Anyone that says Muscle Milk is a derp.

[JohnNY522]

ON Whey. Cheap, mixes well, tastes good and best if all it works.

[mazzalc]

Beast 100% whey protein is great. Ive tasted better but love the results

[puranjay1969]

ON's casien...i like my steady amino acid flow and the huge amount of glutemine and Bcaa's in it.

Gives me the best results , o course when coupled with good workouts

[puranjay1969]

Beast 100% whey protein is great. Ive tasted better but love the results

I want to know if drinking coffee after a protein drink does in any way hamper the protein absorption in the body ? If yes then what's the time gap thy should be given ....

[KingWZRD]

6 star whey protein (preferably cookies n cream yummm) mixed with some creatine monohydrate. Best post workout formula

[danieljohnalam]

ON gold standard 100% whey protein. Really good and doesn't fill you up too much so u can eat heaps after as well.

[Baz345]

Hi guys,

I'm an amateur boxer and for me weight is everything, After World Titles in August I want to put on around 6 kilos of pure muscle and I was pretty keen on buying
* Optimum 100% Whey Protein Gold for my protein supplement
* Beast creature Creatine for my Creatine supplement

I'm in high school and probley the smallest out of everyone (50kg) so I just want to catch up to my age(15) and height (171cm).

So my question is, are they the best supplements out there and when should I take them, are they okay taken together? etc etc.

Cheers Guys. Baz.

[Mangarita]

Another question, what do you guys suggest for a good Casein powder? for a female my size. 5'0 120lbs. Wanting to lean out.

[charltonlynn]

100% whey gold standard

Omg it's so good best protein out <3

[dondeluis]

I think Dymatize is the best bang for your buck as far as proteins go.

[22davidson22]

Myofusion all the way

[CarD1]

Optimum Serious Mass!

[james4277]

I got some Optiumum nutrition whey gold 100% strawberry

Im going to stay with ONs products as well . Has done great for me , My gains went up since using it .

[PerfectBodyOslo]

Gainer 90 % białko and shaker is very nice

[BOOSTEDDUDE]

Right now my favorite is Myofusion elite. It's profile is excellent and it seems to work great for me. I've also been diggin on XF Formulations Casein Whey peptide. It taste very good but is very expensive so it's hard to justify.

As far as low Calories go it's hard to beat ON wheys that seem really clean and effective . I haven't used ON in a while since I'm big on taste but ON is one of the cleaner Whey's I've used. I like to mix up my wheys since it seems beneficial to use a variety of Wheys.. Casein, Isolate, Concentrate,etc. I keep trying new ones but I typically like Myofusion and Syntha-6 the best for taste reasons. I like to treat myself to something enjoyful after a workout.

[reachforlife]

What would you guys suggest a good protein powder for me? I'm 5ft at 120lbs. I'm just looking to have lean muscle, not gain a whole lot. I want to keep them in shape.

I would like to suggest you Navita Wheatgrass Powder from Reachforlife.com.au.

[mickeydefty]

ON's casien...i like my steady amino acid flow and the huge amount of glutemine and Bcaa's in it.

Humapro in another league 99.1% absorbed

[ClassyEcdysiast]

After the positive feedback of a post I wrote regarding the different types of protein, I have decided to delve deeper into the research and provide a more detailed response. Most information about protein powders originates from the ignorant mouths of those with a vested interest in selling the stuff. Once in a while someone escapes that mess. Please allow me to help everyone who wants to hop off the bro bandwagon and consider the factual evidence. If one thing is certain, scientific literature has demonstrated that faster cannot be assumed to be better when it comes to promoting net anabolism.


There’s really no staggering difference in the performance of the popular types of protein on the market, no matter how desperately companies try to hype them up. Assuming that someone is consuming sufficient total daily protein from a variety of high-quality sources, then their bases will be covered, regardless of differences in protein type. However, if I were forced to name the "best protein powder for gaining muscle", it would be a protein blend with a mix of high-quality sources. There is emerging data that fast proteins alone are not the optimal choice for promoting lean body mass gains. Slow proteins or a combination of slow and fast proteins appear to be more effective. Let's consider the post-workout protein shake, which is only popular due to a misunderstanding about the need to frantically cram nutrients during a short period of opportunity, commonly known in bro circles as the "magic anabolic window". In reality, the receptivity of muscle to protein dosing can persist for at least 24 hours after a training session (link). Again, as long as macro targets for the day are hit, it's highly unlikely to make any measurable difference whether it's whey, casein, or a blend. Both proteins are high-quality, and both are effective. They have different absorption kinetics, but the difference they have on net muscle protein accretion appears to be negligible, especially within the context of the diet as a whole, which contains other protein sources. Having said that, the combination of whey and casein should be superior to either in isolation. The whey provides a quick hit of aminos to boost protein synthesis while the casein provides a longer source of aminos to blunt protein breakdown. You get a spike from the whey along with a sustained level from the casein, plus you get slightly different amino acid profiles.

A comparison study of whey, casein, and milk protein revealed that total milk protein (about 80% casein and 20% whey) had the "best nutritional quality" and lower rates of deamination/conversion to urea than either micellar casein or whey protein in human volunteers. The researchers suggested that this was due to synergistic effects between the two (link). Total milk protein was the superior performer in all parameters, with casein in the middle, and whey in last place. Quoting from the study, "In conclusion, we showed that a slowly digested protein induced better postprandial utilization of dietary nitrogen than did a rapidly digested protein, despite the high chemical score of MSPI. This result, together with the hypoaminoacidemia observed 4 h after the ingestion of MSPI, strongly suggests that a too-rapid dietary AA delivery cannot support the anabolic requirement throughout the postprandial period."

In terms of strength and body composition, another study compared the effects of three treatments on resistance-trained men: 40g whey + 8g casein; 40g whey + 3g BCAA + 5g glutamine; 48 grams of carbohydrate. The supplements were ingested post-workout and on the mornings of non-exercise days. The casein/whey group had the greatest increase in lean mass, the carbohydrate group came in second without any gain, and the whey/BCAA/glutamine group actually lost lean mass (link). "Significant improvements in both lean mass and fat-free mass were found for the whey protein with casein group, as determined by DEXA, compared to the other 2 groups. While this finding was unexpected at the time the study was conducted, it is not surprising upon consideration of some recent findings. It has been well documented that whey and casein possess different patterns of amino acid release, which has been shown to greatly affect the extracellular amino acid concentrations and the resulting levels of protein synthesis and protein breakdown."

Research has also shown that "whey and casein intake immediately after resistance exercise results in an overall equal MPS [muscle protein synthesis] response despite temporal differences in insulin and amino acid concentrations and 4E-BP1" (link). The study noted, "Taken together, it could be argued that the combination of whey and casein would be an optimal choice postexercise because whey stimulates the protein synthesis machinery with its high digestibility and consequently high peak concentrations of insulin and amino acids, including a high proportion of leucine in its composition, and casein provides amino acids for a prolonged period of time, fulfilling the amino acid need for the increased protein synthesis machinery... the ratio of whey to casein in milk could be manipulated to 50:50, thereby supplying equal amounts of fast- and slow-digested milk protein." Moreover, the International Society of Sport Nutrition recommends that when supplements are ingested, the protein contain both whey and casein components due to their high protein digestibility, corrected amino acid score, and ability to increase muscle protein accretion.

Of more interest, at least two other published trials have shown a whey/casien blend is superior for lean mass and strength gains. In one study, milk outperformed a soy based drink (both drinks contained identical protein, carbs and calories) in terms of lean body mass gains over 3-8 weeks. Not only did the milk group gain more lean body mass, they lost a bit of fat. It was thought that the superiority of the milk was due to its slower digestion compared to the soy (a fast protein). (link) Previous results also strongly suggest that the lower postprandial retention of soy protein than of milk protein tended to be due to the more rapid appearance of dietary AAs in the blood rather than to differences in AA composition. Authors have noted that "because of differences in digestion rates, milk proteins may provide a slower pattern of amino acid delivery to the muscle than soy protein. Therefore, we propose that a difference in the digestion rate of milk and soy protein affects the pattern of amino acid appearance, which ultimately leads to differences in the net amino acid uptake and muscle protein synthesis after resistance exercise… We propose that the rapid digestion of soy protein, and therefore the faster and greater increase in delivery of amino acids from the gut to the liver, may have resulted in an increased utilization of these amino acids for the synthesis of serum proteins and urea, as seen by Bos et al, rather than for muscle protein synthesis." (link) The soy based beverage was digested and absorbed much more rapidly leading to a large rapid rise in blood concentrations of amino acids shuttling them to plasma protein and urea synthesis, whereas with milk the elevation in blood amino acids was slower and remained elevated for a more prolonged period, providing a more sustained delivery of amino acids for skeletal muscle protein synthesis. Thus, research shows that a slow or combination slow and fast protein following training appears to be superior in terms of lean body mass gains. Quoting from the paper’s conclusion: “Consumption of low-fat milk appears to create an anabolic environment following resistance training and over the long term with training, it appears that greater gains in lean mass and muscle hypertrophy can be obtained. Furthermore, milk may also lead to greater losses of body fat when it is consumed following resistance training.”

I will allow AlanAragon to summarize the findings: "Does casein slow down the absorption of whey? Yes, but this is not at all a bad thing... Casein allows IGF-1 to maintain its binding capacity & structure whereas IGF-1 would normally undergo significant denaturation by the time it hits the blood. This quality tends to counterbalance & even supercede its slow absorption & processing. Whey does not exert these same positive effects on IGF-1 the way casein does, nor does it have the same positive effect on nitrogen retention. In research done by Demling & DeSanti, resistance trained healthy subjects who received a casein-dominant blend had approximately 100% better strength & lean mass gain along with another 100% greater loss of fat compared to the comparison group who received straight whey without casein. It doesn't get any clearer than this [link].

Wipe away all the marketing you've been hypnotized by, & try to understand that there is nothing particularly special about making sure casein doesn't get in the way of whey absorption. In fact, to play devil's advocate, one might better ask why include any whey if it's gonna get in the way of casein. The answer to this is that whey contains, among other things, a significant hit of much needed BCAAs, a uniquely anabolic amino acid profile, and it also can synergize with milk/casein to hike insulin levels beyond either protein source by itself. Chemical teamwork."

Further reading that may be of interest:

[link] "The timed release of amino acids into the circulation is associated with greater SMPS [skeletal muscle protein synthesis] rates and lean body mass gains. These authors attributed the benefits of the protein blend to differences in digestion rates that prolonged the increase in blood amino acid levels, resulting in greater muscle amino acid uptake. Blending [proteins] also creates a more balanced amino acid profile, specifically for BCAAs, glutamine, and arginine. This may confer an advantage because a more balanced amino acid profile might provide for a wider range of benefits (e.g., acid-base balance, growth hormone release, enhanced muscle blood flow, immunity) than a single protein source rich in only 1 or 2 of these key amino acids.

[link] A new study on protein blends released Jan. 2013 (full text not available to me yet)

Assuming I agree with all of this, what would be the best protein powder for me? That is, a whey/casein blend for someone who is celiac / lactose intolerant?

[davidross87]

Thanks for the help.

[bbguenther]

I've heard a bunch of stuff from which is the best, hydro whey, 100% whey... Both by ON. Also compare to Amplify XL by pmd or GNCs amp 60 pls! It's be great to know what others think before buying

[BetterThanLife]

Assuming I agree with all of this, what would be the best protein powder for me? That is, a whey/casein blend for someone who is celiac / lactose intolerant?

Whey concentrate is the main source of lactose in most protein powders, so I suggest looking for a product low in whey concentrate. If you're extremely sensitive to lactose, you may just want to get a product with whey isolate as the lone protein source, which will be virtually free of lactose. The following protein blend is gluten-free and has minimal lactose (less than 0.5g per serving), and it's my personal favorite: http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/tr...n/trutein.html
I don't know the level of lactose in any other protein blends. Remember that getting the right total amount of protein each day is far more important than what's in your protein shake . You're welcomed to message me if you have any other questions.

[tgggd86]

Hard to beat anything from ON as far as Nutrition Profile and it tastes pretty damn good.

Amplified wheybolic extreme 60's platinum edition is the best I've seen so far. I just buy the bags rather than tub to make up for the higher cost but its def worth it.

I used to agree and they sold it to me on the fact it helps your body digest all 60 grams. Well I later found out your body will absorb as much protein as you give it. The added aminos help a lot, but can be added easily and cheaper elsewhere.

[eekLV]

Hard to beat anything from ON as far as Nutrition Profile and it tastes pretty damn good.

ha ha funny. I just noticed about 10 seconds ago that one scoop of ON has 210 mg of sodium. why? they even add it straight in as salt, not even from another source, just plain as day. for longer shelf life maybe? I was going to buy this stuff and try it, too.

Not to mention 60 mg of cholesterol.

this is all in one 33 g scoop.

nutritional - hard to beat? yeah right. Even walmart's crap only has 85 mg sodium, and only 5mg cholesterol. If it didn't have fillers like cellulose gum, xantham gum, and carrageenan, to help with clumps and thickness then it would be good stuff. even has added BCAA's.

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I've yet to find a decent whey isolate protein powder that lives up to their overly hyped reputations. Was trying protein factory but someone's lab test proved their stuff as phony-bologny as well. So I'll just stick to the walmart crap for now, since I go there once a week anyways.

They're all greedy bastards adding crap to extend shelf life and unpurify stuff to add more product weight.