What is the best protein shake for pre/post workout?
And what is the best website to purchase them?
Yeah, like that guy said, listen to Jay Cutler. Eat, sleep, juice, and train hard. When you're looking around for protein just make sure you pay attention to the numbers. How many scoops are per serving, how many grams of protein per serving, and how many servings per container. For example, one might say it has 80 servings, but you may only be getting half of the protein per serving as one that says it has 40 servings. Also, if you're going to be drinking it at times other than just pre and post workout, find something with all around proteins in it, whey, egg, and casein. If you drink one of those before bed it will take longer to digest, giving you a nice drawn out recovery period.
25 Answers
I would agree, BSN's Syntha-6 is a good option. I use it after evening workouts since it has a mix of different time-released protein.
I also use Optimum Nutrition proteins. The brand produces high quality products that have yielded some great results for me. The cake batter flavor is really tasty.
For great prices check out Supplement Warehouse they give out a ton of freebie samples when you place an order.
I use Jay Robb whey in either chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry (Strawberry is my favorite with milk after a workout)
The other I use is Jarrow whey unflavored which works in anything from milk, oj, even cold water. I also use it when cooking too. When making meatballs I substitute it for the saltine crackers to give them even more protein value and keep it healthier.
The difference I find with these two products VS a lot of the others on the market is quality. A grassroots store owner turned me on to them. I now purchase them through Vitacost or other online stores. He showed me a lot of the other products, especially name brands, have A LOT of unneeded ingredients. Jay Robb and Jarrow both have bare bones what you need.
As for a before protein/during shake. I use Accelerade. It tastes like a Gatorade with a lot less sugar. It also has a 4:1 carb to protein ratio perfect for working out. It'll keep you going and taste great. (Fruit Punch and Lemonade are awesome).
I've been stacking Hi-Def CE2 Thermo with Gold Standard and finally along with the CE2, I use N.O. Xplode. This mixup has done pretty damn well for me, even if you're not into the thermo, the rest of the stack worked for me prior to adding the CE2 Hi-Def.
I find that as far as protein goes, get what tastes good and has around 64 grams of protein per scoop, so you're not wolfing down an extra 240 calories a day with the additional scoops. As long as its that, and its high quality whey proteins, theyre pretty much the same. Secondly, change your pre workout mix after you finish a container, they all have these crazy proprietary blends, so by changing them your body doesnt get used to the pump, and you never lose that good feeling.
Hope that helps!
I have used several types throughout the years but have since stuck with Optimum Nutrition. They have a nice high quality product that has decent flavor choices.
Avoid Muscle Milk, it tastes great but isn't that great for you.
Reading a lot of these answers makes me cringe.... When it comes to protein , honestly you are just buying the brand label when it comes to price. Myself being a seasoned amateur body builder and power lifter it does not matter at all, there is no "best" in protein powder at all. I have tried everything and the results don't differ much at all. The only way protein powders can really ever shine to their full potential is if you are getting the majority of your protein from solid foods, adequate rest, and not over training in the gym. It is really as simple as that. As Jay Cutler says , eat, sleep, and train hard. No secrets. If you are trying to pack in a significant poundage of muscle mass remember 1 gram of protein per pound of body mass then add anywhere from 10-20 grams extra for the poundage you wanna gain. Lets say you weigh 200 pounds and are shooting to hit around gaining 5 pounds of muscle mass. Then you need at minimum in a day 210-220 grams of protein in your diet, i would only suggest getting maybe at the most 50 grams of this in shakes, your body digests liquids a lot more differently than it digests solids, you get a lot more from solid foods than liquid. I personally use GNC's brand just because i know the managers and they hook me up. I went off on a rant only because when it comes down to protein powders it really does not matter at all. Don't go into some supp shop asking for what the best is and come out with a 250+ dollar bill. This is the truth , period bro. Best of luck in the gym, and sorry for the rant :)
I stick with Optimum Whey - adding in glutamine or creatine with some bcaas and such for pre and post. Syntha 6 had some bad results to my instestines. You want to be sure you are taking in the proper quantities per day as well as not taking in too much as once as your body can only handle so much. More than 25 grams at a time can be difficult for your body to digest, creating intestinal issues (read: GAS) and the protein not being used efficiently, (read: can turn to fat). As simon states above, real food is ALWAYS best.
Syntha-6 .
Performance: This product, in any flavor, has given me the best results out of any Protein Supplement I have ever purchased. I have two brothers who use this product, both into heavy weight training, and they completely agree. With casual training, I saw a difference in my muscle mass in just a few weeks!
Taste: Best tasting protein mix ever! (any flavor). I look forward to having it every time. Mixes quickly and easily in water or milk and tastes great in both!
Note: The Nutrition Label for Vanilla was slightly different than the Chocolate flavor. The Chocolate Flavor is better, but only slightly. I rotate through all flavors.
Amazon has the best deal on this product that I can find, in store or on-line.