John Phung

Archives For whey protein isolate

MuscleTech Phase8 Review

March 14, 2013 — 6 Comments

Originally I bought MuscleTech Phase8 whey protein thinking that it was a protein powder, similar to that of Optimum Nutrition’s Gold Standard 100% whey protein or Dymatize Elite.

Turns out, it’s not.

According to the “supplement facts”, it only contains a little over 60% protein per serving.

It also contains 7 grams of carbohydrates. Something that I wasn’t expecting because I ASSuMEd it was just a “regular” protein powder.

You know, the stuff that has a ~30 g serving size and a 24+ g of protein per serving with 1-3 g of carbs.

It was listed under the category “protein powder”, and all of the protein powder I had bought previously was the regular stuff I just described.

They say that it contains “only half the carbs and fat of the leading competitor”. I’m not sure who or what product they are referring to.

My mistake, and lesson learned: Read the label before buying

It seems like it doesn’t fit into any category that I’m aware of. It contains too little carbohydrates to be classified as a meal replacement, post-workout powder or mass gainer. But it contains too much carbs to be a pure protein powder. Maybe there’s some new made-up category that popped up recently that I’m not aware of.

My plan was to take this later after I finish my existing tubs of protein, but since this stuff has more carbs than I expected (probably due to the maltodextrin, the 2nd ingredient listed after it’s protein blend), I’m going to drink MuscleTech Phase8 during my workout.

Anyway, I ended up purchasing 2 jugs of each flavor (strawberry, chocolate and vanilla) for a total of 6 jugs because of some buy 1 get 1 free deal. So now I have 27 lb of this MuscleTech Phase8 powder.

What I thought was a little weird was that the weight of the protein was not the same for every flavor.

The strawberry is only 4.4 lb, vanilla is 4.5 lb, and milk chocolate is 4.6 lb.

I don’t know if this is the case with every manufacturer, but I thought it was odd.

Ingredients

According to the product description, it contains a protein blend which is listed as:

1. Hydrolyzed Whey Protein Isolate
2. Whey Protein Isolate
3. Whey Protein Concentrate
4. Milk Protein Concentrate
5. Calcium Caseinate
6. Micellar Casein

Interestingly, the order of the type of protein listed on their product profile is not the same as the order in which they’re listed in the “ingredients” label:

I wish they would show the quantities or some percentage of each type of protein instead of simply listing it out in a bracket under “protein blend”.

I also want to point out something that caught my eye:

Processed in a facility that also processes wheat, egg, fish and shellfish.

I checked to see if my other protein powders had this, and it did not.

I would be interested to see this facility that processes wheat, egg, fish and shellfish…along with MuscleTech Phase8 powder. Maybe there’s a MuscleTech wheat, egg, fish and shellfish product out there?

Sustained Release Protein

The claim in their marketing is “8-Hour Sustained-Release Protein Absorption”.

I’m not sure how I can test this out for myself to see if it is true, but I would bet eating a steak and not chewing it thoroughly would provide me with a longer “Sustained-Release Protein Absorption” than an easily digestible protein powder that contains some “Digestive Enzyme Matrix” to help digest it.

Scoop & Serving Size

The scoop is much larger than I’m accustomed to seeing, but it makes sense because the serving size is much larger than average.

The serving size is a whopping 41 g, and it only contains 26 g of protein per serving. See the comparisons below (the MuscleTech scoop is on the right side).

Mixability

It’s a very fine powder, something similar to that of baby powder. Because of this, MuscleTech Phase8 mixes well, but is a bit messier than other protein powders that I’ve used. It goes everywhere; sticks to my hand and fingers, sticks to the scoop, on the table, on the container and even in the air.

I didn’t bother mixing it in with my coffee, because I did not want to make a big mess and didn’t want the additional carbs first thing in the morning.

Taste

All the flavors are very sweet, and have a slight chemically taste.

Vanilla tasted best, chocolate had an artificial taste to it, and strawberry tasted like strawberry flavored medicine.

Strawberry

Smells nice
White powder turns pink when you combine it with liquid
Taste a bit like medicine
Looks like Pepto Bismal

Chocolate

Vanilla

The scoop was on top when I opened this tub.

Overall

Because of the buy-1-get-1-free deal for the 4.4 - 4.6 lb tubs (which is no longer available), I suppose 27 lb of MuscleTech Phase8 for $157.11 was alright, even though it only contains about ~62% protein (that’s 16.7 lb of protein) by weight.

That’s still $9.41 per pound of protein if my math is correct.

Would I buy at full price? Nah.

I think the next time I buy protein, I’m just going to go with something cheaper with less carbs, like a 25 lb cube of whey protein from CanadaProtein.

I think if they eliminated the maltodextrin (which seems to me like a cheap filler ingredient…not sure why it’s in there) this would be a better product. But there may be some people out there who want the extra 7 g of carbohydrates coming partially from maltodextrin per serving.

Personally, if I wanted extra carbs, I would just eat a piece of fruit, add an extra scoop of rice to my post-workout meal or something like that.

It does have pretty high ratings from other people though (currently a rating of 9.5/10 from 195 reviews). Although from reading some of the reviews, it looks like MuscleTech themselves sent out free tubs to bb.com members to evaluate.

Personally, I give it a 3 out of 5.

In Product Reviews Calcium Caseinate, Hydrolyzed Whey Protein Isolate, Micellar Casein, Milk Protein Concentrate, muscletech, muscletech phase8 review, phase8, protein powder, whey protein, whey protein concentrate, whey protein isolate

Dymatize Elite Whey Protein Isolate Gourmet Vanilla Review

December 13, 2012 — Leave a comment

I’ve already finished my 25lbs bag of protein from CanadaProtein, and I’m nearly finished the 10lbs bag of Optimum Nutrition.

So I decided to open up the 10lbs box Dymatize Elite Whey Protein Isolate I had sitting around and making my living and dining room smell delicious for a few months.

The flavor is “Gourmet Vanilla”, and unlike the other proteins I have purchased in the past, it comes packaged in a box, rather than a food grade bag or plastic container. This seems to make sense from a merchant’s perspective: it would be easier to store and stack boxes on top and beside each other compared to bags or tubs of protein.

Upon opening the box, I saw that the protein was inside a huge Dymatize branded zip lock bag.

I felt some powder on the outside of the bag before opening it. I’m not sure if there was a hole in the bag or the powder was a result of the package process.

The bag felt thinner than I’m used to, and the zip lock seemed a little flimsy compared to the bag from Optimum Nutrition, and other food grade bags that I’ve come across in the past. Even the sandwich zip lock bags feels more secure.

When I opened the bag, the aroma of artificial vanilla rushed into my nose. It smelled great!

Unfortunately, the scoop was not at the top (does this even happen in real life??), so I used my old scoop from another batch of protein to dig around. The Dymatize scoop wasn’t hard to find since it was just below the surface.

When I pulled out the scoop, this is what I found:

Nice looking scoop!

This scoop is branded, and there are 2 sets of measurements on the side. This would make it easy to get the exact quantity of the powder if you’re into exact measurements.

It’s also narrower at the bottom. I’m not sure what function this serves however.

Ingredients

Even though the brand name is “Dymatize Elite Whey Protein Isolate”, it’s actually a mix of whey protein isolate and whey protein concentrate. Unfortunately it doesn’t list the exact quantities of each, but since whey protein isolate is listed first, I’m assuming that there’s a higher ratio of WPI to WPC.

There’s also a proprietary enzyme blend to help with digestion. I’m not sure if this really works, but I haven’t experienced any sort of bloat or gas from this product.

The sweetener used is acesulfame potassium. I don’t believe I have ever tried this sweetener before.

Mixability

I mix whey protein in my morning coffee.

I also mix 2 scoops of protein with water and drink that throughout my workout.

Dymatize Elite Whey Protein Isolate mixes great at first, but it leaves some residue at the bottom of my mug (shown below) and shaker cup. I’m not sure what this residue is, but I haven’t seen it with the other protein powders that I’ve tried.

Taste

From the moment this entered my mouth, all I could think of was, “DAMMIT I have 10lbs of this stuff to ingest!”

It tasted horrible. Probably the worst tasting powder that I have put in my mouth since the vanilla flavored “Mega Mass 2000” I took back when I was a bone rack in the 90’s.

This protein also leaves a bad aftertaste in my mouth. It might because of the acesulfame potassium. Apparently, this sweetener leaves a bitter aftertaste if your mouth. I’m not sure if I would describe it as bitter. It’s more like YUCK.

Value

I got this during a free shipping promotion from BodyBuilding.com, so all I had to pay was $86.99. Normally I would have to pay for shipping and additional charges, so this was a good deal.

It worked out to be $8.70 per pound of protein, which is a little bit more than the 25lbs bag I got from CanadaProtein.com earlier this year.

Overall

Pro’s

Scoop has measurements
Mixes well
Smells delicious
Cheaper than Optimum Nutrition

Con’s

Leaves a yucky aftertaste in my mouth
Leaves some residue at the bottom of my mug/shaker container

I’m going to have to ingest 10lbs of this stuff. Guess I’ll man up and down this protein 1 day at a time.

And here’s the thing about whey protein reviews. I can’t verify the contents of the package, so I can really judge on a matter of taste, mix ability and other things that I can observe.

Personally I don’t like the taste, but taste is really subjective. Read what other people have to say about Dymatize Elite Whey Protein Isolate.

It does have an overall rating of 8.7 on Bodybuilding.com, and I just noticed that most of the reviews are about the flavor Rich Chocolate.

Dammit I should have looked at this more closely before buying.

In Product Reviews dymatize, Dymatize Elite Whey Protein Isolate, whey protein, whey protein isolate, whey protein powder

25lbs CanadaProtein.com Vanilla Premium Whey Blend Review

June 12, 2012 — 4 Comments

The way I see it, the ingestion of protein can be done the hard way (preparing, cooking, chewing and eating some dead animal...and then wash all the dishes after), or the easy way (scoop, mix, drink).

These days, I do a bit of both.

Why I Take Protein Now

Using whey protein powder is a convenient way to add protein to my diet, especially first thing in the morning when I’m groggy and generally not very hungry.

Also, I don’t like making “shakes” and usually use whey protein for flavoring/creamer in my coffee, and add extra protein and flavoring to the carb-mud also known as oatmeal.

Why Bulk Protein

It’s something I take everyday, so I might as well get the best bang for the buck I can find.

I assume that with brand name protein powders such as Optimum Nutrition, Gaspari Nutrition, MusclePharm and others you’ll find advertised in bodybuilding magazines is that part of the price of their products goes towards advertising costs and packaging.

I already have enough containers and I’m sure many of the models advertising these products are digitally enhanced.

So that’s why I went with a huge 25lbs BAG of whey protein from CanadianProtein.com.

That’s not to say I won’t be trying any proteins from brand names again. If the price is right, I’ll try it out in the future.

Shipping

Shipping was free and FAST. I ordered it on Monday, May 28, 2012, shipped out the same day and it arrived at my door 2 days later, on May 30th.

Unboxing

This thing arrived in a box with a warning sticker attached to it.

Opening the box I saw this:

The 25lbs of whey protein is inside not 1, but 2 clear plastic bags. The opening of the bag is twisted and is sealed with 2 re-sealable plastic tie straps. The re-sealable plastic tie straps are a bonus because I can reuse it for something else, maybe organizing cables or sealing a bag of oats.

Anyways, I felt the outside of the bag and discovered there were 2 plastic scoops inside.

When I took out the bag of protein from the box, it held it’s shape and looked like a cube of whey protein. It reminded me of the cubed watermelons that are sold in Japan.

Anyways, I weighed it on my scale to verify that this is in fact 25lbs of whey protein powder. The protein along with the bags, plastic tie straps and scoops is 25.75lbs.

Good enough!

Storing

I have some empty containers that used to hold 5lbs of whey protein from different manufacturers. Good thing I didn’t throw them out, because now I can store the whey protein in those jugs.

I used a mug to scoop the whey protein powder from the bag into each container. I filled 3x5lbs containers worth of protein, and the rest (about 10lbs worth) is still sitting in the bag, inside the box.

Nutritional Profile

Serving size is 30g

Protein per serving is 25.5g

This works out to be 85% protein per serving.

According to their website:

“Premium Whey Blend is made up of a blend of 50% cold pressed whey protein isolate, and 50% high quality whey protein concentrate”.

I like how they state the percentage of the different types of whey protein they use. Many companies have some proprietary blend of various proteins on the label, but do not show the percentage of each type. I usually assume that it’s mostly the cheaper protein taking up the bulk of their proprietary blend.

Personally I like whey protein isolate simply because it doesn’t contain any lactose. I don’t want any surprise explosions while I’m in the hole trying to hit a new 1RM.

Unlike Optimum Nutrition’s 100% Whey Gold Standard, it doesn’t contain the digestive enzyme “lactase”. But even with 50% whey protein concentrate, it doesn't give me any excess bloat, gas or stomach issues.

Sweetener Used

CanadianProtein.com’s Premium Whey Blend is sweetened with the artificial sweetener “sucralose”.

Taste

This is the best tasting protein I’ve ever tried. Note, I’ve only started using whey protein recently, and have only tried:

Whey-factory.com whey protein isolate vanilla flavor
Whey-factory.com whey protein isolate chocolate flavor
Whey-factory.com whey protein isolate natural flavor
Optimum nutrition 100% Gold Standard coffee mocha

Also, I find CanadaProtein.com’s vanilla whey protein taste very sweet.

I have a bit of a sweet tooth (and no cavities!) so this added sweetness is great for me.

I normally add whey protein to my coffee. I find with this protein, I don’t need to add any additional sweetener. With the previous whey protein powders I’ve tried, I always had to add a little extra sweetener to satisfy my taste buds.

Mix-ability

Mixes fine in coffee, leaving no clumps at all. The same goes for adding it in oatmeal.

I’ve also mixed it with only water, and the protein powder mixes just fine. It tastes pretty good too even with plain water, a bit like a watery vanilla milkshake.

Value

This is where bulk protein really shines.

$8.37/lb

$41.83/ 5lbs

I suspect that it’s cheap because I’m buying in bulk (duh). Also, unlike many of the whey protein supplements you see in magazines, there are no advertising costs that I know of.

It’s reasonable to believe that the higher priced brand name proteins are more expensive partially because of the advertising costs.

Cons

It’s in a bag.

But, at 25lbs, it’s understandable. It would probably be more expensive if it were in 5 separate plastic containers. But at this point, I already have containers, and I don’t want to spend extra money on packaging.

It’s also a bit of a hassle to dump the protein from the bag into the old containers. But the cost of this (assuming that you don’t spill protein on the floor) is only time.

And heck, I buy bags of rice, so bags of protein powder is not foreign to me.

Overall

CanadaProtein.com’s Premium Whey Blend (vanilla flavored) is a simple, cheap, no frills whey protein powder composed of 50% whey protein isolate and 50% whey protein concentrate.

It smells delicious, very sweet (compared to the other proteins I’ve tried) and it tastes great with coffee, oatmeal or even plain water.

I’ll probably try cookies-and-cream or chocolate and peanut butter next time. But 25lbs will last me a few months, so it’ll be a while before I order my next batch of whey protein again.

In Product Reviews bulk protein, bulk whey protein, canada protein, canadian protein, whey protein concentrate, whey protein isolate

Weekly Review: Whey Protein Isolate, TRAIN, Crossfit, 5/3/1, Starting With Power Cleans & The Yoke

September 10, 2011 — Leave a comment

Yummy

I have been training seriously for about 9-10 months now, however I haven't taken any "bodybuilding" supplements for almost 9-10 years. I've made some pretty good progress, but lately I've been thinking about adding some whey protein to my diet.

So after weeks (maybe months?) of thinking & debating with myself, I finally ordered some whey protein.

I find that sometimes:

my meals don't contain enough meat
takes too long to prepare and cook meat
the quality of the meat is pure crap (i.e. hot dogs)
I'm just to lazy to cook up a high protein meal

So to remedy this, I picked up three 5lbs tubs of whey protein isolate from Whey-Factory.com (best deal I could find in Canada).

Personally I don't think you should be taking bodybuilding supplements unless you're already training, making progress, and have a fairly decent diet. But since I got these covered, increasing my protein intake & keeping it more consistent via supplementation seems like a good investment.

25% off & free shipping probably influenced my decision too LOL.

Anyways, here are some good reads I've come across this past week:

ThePsychologyofFitness.com tells you why you should "TRAIN" and not "workout"
Stevo from SAPT shares his opinion and raises some good points about Crossfit.
- My take on it: Some people love it, others hate it. Personally, although I don't do Crossfit myself, but I think it's probably better than most things out there available to the general public. I'm talking infomercial programs, fitness/muscle magazine's cookie cutter workouts, martial arts McDojo's, etc etc.
Jim Wendler explains how to use "5/3/1" for beginners. He also shows you how you can increase your squat & deadlifts by adding power cleans at the beginning of your training session, and how awesome it is to develop a huge yoke.