Anyone try these? Worth the expensive price tag?
Jay Robb Protein Powders
- Thread starter ChrisS86
- Start date
I'm assuming it's whey protein, I am not familiar with the name brand though.
What I've found over the past 10 years that I've been using protein shakes when lifting...there is not a lot of benefit to paying more. GNC marks up their proteins and supplements horribly, I really only buy vitamins there any more. There are some cheap proteins in Walmart that will give the $50 tubs at GNC a run for their money.
The main things to look at on the label when choosing a protein are:
*calories. If you want to bulk or gain weight, go higher. Trying to slim down and lose weight, keep the cals low.
*sugars. This is the real difference between a quality and bad protein powder. Some of them have a TON of sugar that will make you fat and retain water instead of building lean muscle. Try to get a protein with the lowest sugar you can find.
*obviously protein. See how much protein is actually packed into a serving. Some, usually the higher-sugar mixes will have a lot less than a quality one.
*servings per container. Some require a lot more mix to get the caloric and protein claims on the label and may only have a dozen or so servings in a tub. Better values are found in ones that require less powder per serving in my opinion. I like a tub that will not be gone in two weeks or even a month.
Of course, I always add a lot to my shakes to boost the calories and protein. A spoon of peanut butter will contain a LOT of extra protein. I usually run some oats (oatmeal) through the food processor and make it into a powder that mixes well. I always use milk, not water for more calories and vitamins. I'll often add a banana to it, or sometimes strawberries (of course not when using PB).
A great-tasting recipe I use most often is:
*vanilla whey protein
*PB
*squeeze of honey
*ground oats
*cinnamon
*milk
It comes out thick and tasting like a snickerdoodle with a hint of PB.
Another favorite is chocolate/banana.
Of course, my goal is to gain. I have an incredibly high metabolism and can't gain weight very easily. I try to pack mine with as many healthy calories as I can.
*This post is not necessarily scientifically-tested, only my findings and opinions that I've found to be true for me in the many years I've been working out.
What I've found over the past 10 years that I've been using protein shakes when lifting...there is not a lot of benefit to paying more. GNC marks up their proteins and supplements horribly, I really only buy vitamins there any more. There are some cheap proteins in Walmart that will give the $50 tubs at GNC a run for their money.
The main things to look at on the label when choosing a protein are:
*calories. If you want to bulk or gain weight, go higher. Trying to slim down and lose weight, keep the cals low.
*sugars. This is the real difference between a quality and bad protein powder. Some of them have a TON of sugar that will make you fat and retain water instead of building lean muscle. Try to get a protein with the lowest sugar you can find.
*obviously protein. See how much protein is actually packed into a serving. Some, usually the higher-sugar mixes will have a lot less than a quality one.
*servings per container. Some require a lot more mix to get the caloric and protein claims on the label and may only have a dozen or so servings in a tub. Better values are found in ones that require less powder per serving in my opinion. I like a tub that will not be gone in two weeks or even a month.
Of course, I always add a lot to my shakes to boost the calories and protein. A spoon of peanut butter will contain a LOT of extra protein. I usually run some oats (oatmeal) through the food processor and make it into a powder that mixes well. I always use milk, not water for more calories and vitamins. I'll often add a banana to it, or sometimes strawberries (of course not when using PB).
A great-tasting recipe I use most often is:
*vanilla whey protein
*PB
*squeeze of honey
*ground oats
*cinnamon
*milk
It comes out thick and tasting like a snickerdoodle with a hint of PB.
Another favorite is chocolate/banana.
Of course, my goal is to gain. I have an incredibly high metabolism and can't gain weight very easily. I try to pack mine with as many healthy calories as I can.
*This post is not necessarily scientifically-tested, only my findings and opinions that I've found to be true for me in the many years I've been working out.
I Stick with optimum nutrition whey. Inexpensive, no fillers, quality ingredients, 1 scoop = 25g of whey protein and the scoop is small. Then i use Optimum nutrition Casein protein at night because its slower to digest. That too is cheap and has 25g per serving. Both of these can be had for under $15 a piece for a 25 serving tub. Plenty of different flavors to choose from too.
Up your protein intake from 1g per pound of body weight to 1.5g per pound. You'll gain. There's no way not to. Just make sure you stick in 2 days of cardio per week to keep your appetite up and stay lean.
- Thread starter
- #5
Thanks for the replies guys.
My initial inquiry about the protein concerned its contents and overall integrity. Supposedly, the Jay Robb company manufactures protein powders without artificial colors and flavors, rBGH (the whey comes from grass-fed cows not treated with the hormone), and MSG (my main concern).
I briefly took ON for sports in high school, but stopped after a while (don't exactly know why). I took Muscle Milk for a brief time period in college for hockey season, but stopped that too. In retrospect, I'm glad I stopped; I notice it has 300+ calories and approximately 100 of those originate from fat. It also seemed to have a lot of extra "stuff" in the ingredients that I don't think I'd be comfortable taking daily if I used Muscle Milk today.
I'm not that experienced with protein powders, but the prospect of MSG in hydrolyzed and isolated whey protein mixtures worries me because I am concerned with the long-term effects of excitotoxins on the nervous system.
Is ON safe to use? Does anyone have any supplement recommendations? I appreciate any feedback
My initial inquiry about the protein concerned its contents and overall integrity. Supposedly, the Jay Robb company manufactures protein powders without artificial colors and flavors, rBGH (the whey comes from grass-fed cows not treated with the hormone), and MSG (my main concern).
I briefly took ON for sports in high school, but stopped after a while (don't exactly know why). I took Muscle Milk for a brief time period in college for hockey season, but stopped that too. In retrospect, I'm glad I stopped; I notice it has 300+ calories and approximately 100 of those originate from fat. It also seemed to have a lot of extra "stuff" in the ingredients that I don't think I'd be comfortable taking daily if I used Muscle Milk today.
I'm not that experienced with protein powders, but the prospect of MSG in hydrolyzed and isolated whey protein mixtures worries me because I am concerned with the long-term effects of excitotoxins on the nervous system.
Is ON safe to use? Does anyone have any supplement recommendations? I appreciate any feedback
I have found that expensive protein is just a gimmick. Many have gotten great gains off the cheapest, raunchiest whey available.
I like the stuff from ON, the flavors are decent and the price isn't too bad.
I like the stuff from ON, the flavors are decent and the price isn't too bad.
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- Thread starter
- #7
I'm still trying to make sense of all this talk concerning MSG and high amounts of glutamate and/or aspartame in protein powders. Some sources don't seem credible at all while some do make you think.
The ON stuff doesn't look too bad at first glance. I'm going to give the company a call next week and see if they'll give me some straightforward responses
I don't find the expensive to be any better than the cheap. In football, bulking up was always a big deal and I never saw any different changes with any brand. Look at the ingredients and the nutritional info, that's all you've ever need to know.
+1, this is more or less what I followed for weight loss and muscle building.
Also, IMHO, nothing beats egg whites.
I've been using EAS from Sam's Club for a while with good results and the price is right. Every so often I'll pick up a tub of something else just to keep it interesting.
Another vote for on whey, good price and you're getting exactly what you're paying for.
I personally like syntrax matrix, it's a whey/casein blend so you get a nice steady release plus they do some oddball flavours like orange sorbet or the cookies n cream which can be dangerous as it tastes like oreos.
Plus you can freeze the orange or turn it into a sorbet, handy for when you get tired of necking it down the normal whey.
Muscle milk is gorgeous stuff for when you're bulking just very pricey.
I personally like syntrax matrix, it's a whey/casein blend so you get a nice steady release plus they do some oddball flavours like orange sorbet or the cookies n cream which can be dangerous as it tastes like oreos.
Plus you can freeze the orange or turn it into a sorbet, handy for when you get tired of necking it down the normal whey.
Muscle milk is gorgeous stuff for when you're bulking just very pricey.
ON whey Double Chocolate 
I'll try MM once my abs are uncovered
I'll try MM once my abs are uncovered
ON is a good one.
make sure you do a good job with drinking plenty of water each day. The protein can be hard on the kidneys.
make sure you do a good job with drinking plenty of water each day. The protein can be hard on the kidneys.
I have found good prices at http://www.bulknutrition.com/
Also, the http://www.bodybuilding.com store often has good sales and deals.
Also, the http://www.bodybuilding.com store often has good sales and deals.
- Thread starter
- #18
I went to Whole Foods today and picked up some Jarrow Formulas Whey Protein. I got the Caribbean Chocolate flavor to mix with milk. It tastes very good and mixes well.
It's very similar to the Jay Robb protein mixes (as far as product integrity goes), but it costs less. I paid $25 for 2 lbs. It contains no artificial colors or sweeteners, no hydrolyzed protein, no rBST or other hormones, very low soy content, and no MSG/free glutamate. It has 17g of protein per serving, but I will always be mixing it with milk and/or peanut butter for an extra boost.
I think I will be very happy with this mix. I wanted to start taking protein to build a little more muscle for rugby season this year. The reason the Jay Robb proteins appealed to me was because of their claim to be MSG-free. I have a very sensitive reaction to glutamate; if I eat Chinese food and certain other types of fast food, I feel like CRAP shortly afterward and I get pretty intense headaches. Thus, I wanted to find a protein that contained little to no added glutamate. For price and content, the Jarrow was the best bet for me. I like the added peace of mind I get from taking this, too.
It's very similar to the Jay Robb protein mixes (as far as product integrity goes), but it costs less. I paid $25 for 2 lbs. It contains no artificial colors or sweeteners, no hydrolyzed protein, no rBST or other hormones, very low soy content, and no MSG/free glutamate. It has 17g of protein per serving, but I will always be mixing it with milk and/or peanut butter for an extra boost.
I think I will be very happy with this mix. I wanted to start taking protein to build a little more muscle for rugby season this year. The reason the Jay Robb proteins appealed to me was because of their claim to be MSG-free. I have a very sensitive reaction to glutamate; if I eat Chinese food and certain other types of fast food, I feel like CRAP shortly afterward and I get pretty intense headaches. Thus, I wanted to find a protein that contained little to no added glutamate. For price and content, the Jarrow was the best bet for me. I like the added peace of mind I get from taking this, too.
