# protein shakes im confused



## alan hanson (May 21, 2008)

Nearly ran out of the whey protein i got from holland and bharrat and heard good things about myprotein site. theres so many

basically i just want the best thing to help me build body muscle and tone up after doing a weights session. dont know if it makes any difference but i have the shake before i go bed.

i know it probably has alot of factors to what i should choose i.e. exercise, when, how often but didnt know whether i should just go highest protein content?

thanks


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## Guitarjon (Jul 13, 2012)

I'd personally go with the most natural one, the one with the least extras in. I've never had it but I hear the stuff from my protein site is really good and good value for money.


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## MA3RC (Jun 19, 2012)

If you want to bulk up in size you'd be better getting off going for one with some creatine in as well, not sure of the my protein equivalent but something like maxi muscle cyclone, PHD ******* etc. 

As for when you take them, one for breakfast, dinner, after your session and before you go to bed


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## fat-tony (Nov 8, 2008)

I'd look at upping your intake of protein with real foods first, have you weighed yourself and worked out how much extra you need to take on? If your looking at just adding 1-2 grams per pound of body weight add extra real food to your diet. Protein shakes are great, but only for a quick fix or if you can't get real food in straight after a workout. Look at your daily food intake first, using your food diary?, and see what you can do to improve your protein intake. I bulked up by adding 4 tins of tuna to my daily intake, plenty of protein in that. Also check all the ingredients in the shake, some have some nasty hidden extras and way to many sugars substitutes


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## alan hanson (May 21, 2008)

i try and eat as much eggs, chicken tuna etc.... but its hard and tbh im not interested in going the full deal with by changing eating habbits and routines etc... it i just wanted a supplement to take to aid in toning/building up slightly and muscle repair etc......


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## Modmedia (Jul 25, 2008)

alan hanson said:


> i try and eat as much eggs, chicken tuna etc.... but its hard and *tbh im not interested in going the full deal with by changing eating habbits and routines etc.*.. it i just wanted a supplement to take to aid in toning/building up slightly and muscle repair etc......


You have no real need to be taking protein then. The clue is in the name it's a "supplement" it's "in addition" to an otherwise spot on diet.

Not meaning to be harsh but just to save you the hassle.


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## fat-tony (Nov 8, 2008)

If you want muscle repair you need to take your protein within 20-30 mins of your workout, not before bed which could be 4 hrs too late. Toning up is a word that turns my stomach, you either want to put muscle on, or lose fat. Adding a couple of protein rich snacks isn't changing anything in your routine, it's just the same as taking a shake mate. Do some research into foods you can eat that are high in protein and are quick to eat. It's better for you to know what's out there than to follow the herd and drink the new rx-345 super bulkermusclebuildingshake


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## Guitarjon (Jul 13, 2012)

I would only really take a protein shake after a work out as states above. Don't use it as a meal replacement. If its just an aid to repair muscles then do just take one after your work out as a supplement. I agree eating more protein is better but its not always that easy and it can actually cost more money sometimes. 

If your serious about wanting to built lots of muscle then you will need to change eating habbits but if your doing it just to stay in shape then do as above, just take after a work out. If you don't work out then dont bother.


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## alan hanson (May 21, 2008)

i do eat a farily good protein diet tbh, i will just carry on taking one after the work out (i workout late at night as i have a 6 month old baby so getting in from work, then feeding him then me then bath and bed its late on only time i get spare which i then take a shake straight after. 

Is toning up not building muscle? i dont want to get big but would mind some shape to me i guess i certainly dont need to lose weight.

thanks for the heads up though appreaciate theres alot that needs to be understood and especailly diet when weigth training etc...


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## cts1975 (Feb 22, 2011)

Hurricane XS from MyProtien has creatine.
All the above advice is spot on. It can take a bit of effort to get your diet right though.


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## horico (Jul 17, 2010)

I'm sorry to sound a little rude and blunt here but the above comments are mostly nonsense.

What matters is overall daily protein intake over several days (a weekly average works well for most). Find out how much protein you need to take in per day and then find out how much you get from your diet. If I tell you I am around 200lbs and am cutting so aim for 200g protein per day you have an insight (you work out how much chicken / tuna you need to eat to get to 200g protein!!). The normally means me having 2 x 2 scoop servings per day when it suits me. Whey is an excellent nutritional choice and a good quality powder is not a poor relation to having 'real food', it simply helps reach a number.

Taking a protein shake after a workout is not a magic cure to 'repair' muscles either - what happens here depends on the above overall daily average. Please look up what actually happens when you train to understand what actually happens.

Creatine is an excellent supplement on it's own and should be taken daily over a number of days in order to gain a benefit (2-4 weeks to reach full saturation - no loading required). Adding this to a protein powder is not necessary as what happens if you require more protein but no more creatine? It ends up a waste of money. If you are looking to build muscle, creatine is a great choice and very cheap.

Your choice of protein should concentrate on the g value per 100g of powder. Above 70g is a good start. Maximuscle are very overrated and actualy quite expensive. I look at the above ratio and the taste as that's important when you're having it every day.

And as for toning / building up - I assume you mean losing body fat and building muscle? They are mutually exclusive (apart from untrained people starting a training plan) and protein requirements actually increase when in a calorie deficit. Look up the differences between bulking and cutting macronutrients for this info.

I hope this helps


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## colarado red (Jun 5, 2008)

I would never buy maximuscle ,as you say is very expensive.I buy from there sister site maxiraw,not as many products as my protein but I find there whey is better is far superior to some of the other bulk brands on offer and free delivery.:thumb:


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## horico (Jul 17, 2010)

I've just found the protein I use on amazon on a subscription basis. It means you get one delivered each month, free delivery and 10% off. Not sure if they do it with other brands...

You can also order one early for the same price if you're running low.

Matt


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## theshrew (May 21, 2008)

I normally use my protien good taste and price. 

The long post above sounds like he knows what hes doing :thumb:


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## fat-tony (Nov 8, 2008)

I get all my protein needs from real food, yes that's meat and veg, not a by product of cheese manufacture that used to be fed to cattle before someone found out there was big bucks to be made. Please go and get a book on nutrition and have a real good read, it'll save you a lot of hassle. (this is not a dig at anyone, or me being blunt, rude or a knob)


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## octobersown (Jun 7, 2012)

CNP pro mass or HSN anabolic muscle matrix are my favs, I've tried lots of different proteins and seen the best gains from these 2. 2-3 shakes on training days (morning, post workout and before bed) and one shake on rest day. Forget whey's or maxi muscle get a mass gainer if you want to bulk. Maxi muscle is just the most advertised, doesn't mean its good.


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## AdnanKhan (Aug 16, 2012)

As mentioned before anything above 70g of protein per 100g is good and one I find particularly useful is Optimum Nutrition Whey Protein Gold Standard. It is very fine powder and mixes incredibly well with just a simple few shakes of your shaker. No clumping like other cheap brands and no crazy malodextrin and sucralose. 

Creatine doesn't really directly increase muscle mass but what it does is draw more water to the muscle thus hydrating it and making it seem fuller. This does mean though that you need to drink a crap load more water in order to stop feeling dehydrated. Creatine will give you faster recovery times due to the increase of anodesanine triphosphate or atp which is what the muscles rely on for immediate energy. Dropping creatine intake will just desaturate your muscles and you might lose some endurance but definitely not muscle mass. In short you just carry more water.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2


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## Hot1 (Jun 24, 2012)

As always you will get a huge variety of answers which in the end leave you more confused than you started! I'd go for the best value shake I have tried many, cheap expensive and have found little difference other than the taste!


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## horico (Jul 17, 2010)

AdnanKhan said:


> As mentioned before anything above 70g of protein per 100g is good and one I find particularly useful is Optimum Nutrition Whey Protein Gold Standard. It is very fine powder and mixes incredibly well with just a simple few shakes of your shaker. No clumping like other cheap brands and no crazy malodextrin and sucralose.
> 
> Creatine doesn't really directly increase muscle mass but what it does is draw more water to the muscle thus hydrating it and making it seem fuller. This does mean though that you need to drink a crap load more water in order to stop feeling dehydrated. Creatine will give you faster recovery times due to the increase of anodesanine triphosphate or atp which is what the muscles rely on for immediate energy. Dropping creatine intake will just desaturate your muscles and you might lose some endurance but definitely not muscle mass. In short you just carry more water.
> 
> Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2


While it can be argued that creatine supplementation can help with recovery, it's primary use is to supplement the body's own creatine stores to sustain bursts of energy such as in a weight lifting scenario. Some might interpret this as a power increase but in reality it means more work can be done which will lead to more hypertrophy over time.

A small distinction from the quoted post but important nonetheless.


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