Unbiased Information (Protein & Pre Workout)

paul7g

Hi,

I've been taken Protein Powder for the last 10 years... usually 1 scoop before the gym and another after.

I've stuck the same brand (MaxiNutrition Promax Lean). I know the general consensus from most people is that it's overpriced etc...

I've asked a few other people (Personal Trainers and Nutrition Shops), to recommend a few different brands, pre works outs etc.

I feel that most feedback is biased because they are either making a referral OR a certain brand has more of a markup than previous.

I have a few questions which i hope someone can help with:

01 - what protein brand would you recommend

02 - what pre workout would you recommend

03 - what is the main difference between BCCA vs protein powder

Thanks for your help.

vard

Have you tried chicken breasts?

Protein is protein. Unless you're in a calorie deficit and lacking adequate nutrition to fully maintain muscle mass you don't need a BCAA supplement. Even then, the benefits of BCAA supplementation are minimal.

If you want a protein shake it should be either because you like the taste or because you need to supplement your protein intake. Your choice of brand doesn't matter. They're mostly nutritionally identical. Some might contain creatine, so if that's something you want, that's one of the few differences you should be concerned with.

If you want my recommendation on protein brands I'd go for my choice of The Protein Works. Purely because they have a huge variety, usually well priced with promotions/discounts and, most importantly, they taste good.

the groutch

as mentioned above, whey protein is pretty much identical no matter where you buy it, don't fall for the marketing jargon that tries tell you otherwise.
Bulkpowders, MyProtein & GoNutrition would be 3 of the cheapest ones, just a case of experimenting to find a decent one taste-wise.

Mellor

paul7g wrote: »

I've been taken Protein Powder for the last 10 years... usually 1 scoop before the gym and another after.

Why?

01 - what protein brand would you recommend

02 - what pre workout would you recommend

03 - what is the main difference between BCCA vs protein powder

Thanks for your help.

Whey protein, is whey protein, for the most part. Any of the main companies are probably all from the same or similar sources.

1. One of the online bulk suppliers mentioned above.
2. Coffee or caffeine
3. BCAA is basically protein that that been broken down into a simplier molecule. That's all.

paul7g

Thanks all.

When you say that protein is protein, this isn't the actual case with protein powder though, right?

For example, some brands that i look at have some of the following, and some don't have:

- caffeine
- excess sugar
- creatine

I had one "nutritionist" inform me lately that i should avoid protein powder completely as it is full of sugar... which is not accurate, as it depends on the brand and make up of the product.

Yes, there is no need to take protein powder IF you can obtain enough protein from natural sources / food intake... but not everyone can, for different reasons.

A lot of reviews / articles i read about BCAAs are saying it is marketing hype... do you agree?

Alf Veedersane

If you're taking whey protein and getting protein from food, you are already getting BCAAs.

If you look at the protein content, the higher it is, the less filler there is. If they are being sold with creatine and/or caffeine then they're being marketed as something other than protein, i.e. a blend.

All of the proteins from the online bulk suppliers to the high-end Ronnie Coleman etc. has sugar in it. Usually somewhere in the 5-8% range (for flavoured whey)

Mellor

paul7g wrote: »

Thanks all.

When you say that protein is protein, this isn't the actual case with protein powder though, right?

For example, some brands that i look at have some of the following, and some don't have:

- caffeine
- excess sugar
- creatine

I had one "nutritionist" inform me lately that i should avoid protein powder completely as it is full of sugar... which is not accurate, as it depends on the brand and make up of the product.

Don't confuse protein powder with other supplements that contain protein.
Protein powder is basically just dried concentrated whey protein.
The others you describe are other supplements much as muscle builder, mass gainer, lean xxx, blah blah blah. This will usually be a mix of protein carbs, and other "special" ingredients. A nice mark up for the privilege too. Avoid

A whey protein powder

paul7g

Thanks all, that's very helpful and informative.

This leads me to my next question. Can you recommend a reputable whey protein (which you don't own, and you are not sending to me because of a referral :-)

Dtp1979

is the quality of whey protein not measured by digestive enzymes?

Alf Veedersane

Apart from the proteins already mentioned in the thread?

Deco99

Just looking for advice, started off with the Holland and Barrets, upgraded to getting Kinetica Whey Protein 2.3kg online for 65 euro, just been into a shop where they have 2.3kg Star Labs WP8 Myobolic 2.0 for 55 euro.

Am i fine to get the Star Labs version?

Zillah

Get this or this. Basic, good quality protein; no sales pitch, no dubious claims, no excessive branding, no guff, no markup. Stuff in the shop is literally twice the price.

Both seem to have sales going on right now, not sure which is better value. I like chocolate. Don't get unflavoured unless you're planning on mixing it with something else with a strong flavour.