Protein Powder

AHJS

Professional
I've been taking time off from tennis in order to workout instead. I've been experimenting with supplements and have settled on some protein powder. I bought it, but then I realized, it tastes like SH*T! That stuff is nasty, and I have a hard time drinking it. Any ways to make this stuff taste better?
 

Ihatetennis

Hall of Fame
I've been taking time off from tennis in order to workout instead. I've been experimenting with supplements and have settled on some protein powder. I bought it, but then I realized, it tastes like SH*T! That stuff is nasty, and I have a hard time drinking it. Any ways to make this stuff taste better?
a lot of peanut butter. add 6-8 tbsp a shake and mix it with water or 50/50 water milk so its not a pudding like substance
 

Ash_Smith

Legend
Different brands have different tastes. I find SciMx really sweet for example. I use Protein Dynamix now and find them to taste great with milk or water, DY Nutrition tempro also has great taste.
 

fuzz nation

G.O.A.T.
I'm genuinely afraid of dietary supplements - thousands of these things are on the market and they're completely unregulated (as far as I know). Hard to believe that you can't get enough protein in your diet by eating enough real food.
 

ShahofTennis

Hall of Fame
I'm genuinely afraid of dietary supplements - thousands of these things are on the market and they're completely unregulated (as far as I know). Hard to believe that you can't get enough protein in your diet by eating enough real food.
Real food can certainly give you enough protein. Even so, there's no reason to be afraid of the supplement market. While some products are questionnable, the use of standard stuff like protein is safe and simple, provided you can read and understand the label.

If you're mixing protein in milk then make sure its nonfat. The fats in milk will clump protein together, the more clumps you have, the more likely it is for it not to absorb and come out the other end.
 

Ihatetennis

Hall of Fame
^^^ Except of course that skim milk is utter garbage - everything that's good for you in milk comes from full fat milk (organic/grass fed ideally).
I would use almond milk water mix also so it doesnt get clumpy

whole milk is the only good milk.

Use creatine as a supplement, its the safest and cheapest supplement to gain muscle mass
 

shindemac

Hall of Fame
Buy a different brand of protein powder (I know, too late.) It's a mistake we all make.

Buy a better flavor. That funky orange-banana flavor might be on sale, but it tastes nasty.

Make a smoothie. Need to buy a fruity flavor to go w it.

Just man up! Guzzle it down!
 

GuyClinch

Legend
Some of them taste really good..you need to check out the flavor/taste before you buy..
Some of them are only proteinish like BSN Syntha 6 - but that tastes awesome..
 

ShahofTennis

Hall of Fame
Use creatine as a supplement, its the safest and cheapest supplement to gain muscle mass
Creatine uses water to volumize cells, and has been found to help recovery due to it causing increased cellular uptake. Anyway, thats not added muscle, its water. It may translate to more definition and marginal increases in strength, but cycle off and you'll quickly return to normal. I take ON's Gold Standard Whey. If I use more than 6oz of water it starts to taste bitter, If I use 4-6oz of water its pretty decent. Whey Protein is naturally bitter, it's best to not dilute the sugar needed to comfortably drink it.
 

ShahofTennis

Hall of Fame
I've been taking time off from tennis in order to workout instead.

No! Dont do that. Working out and tennis training need to be complementary practices. You can work out, but if you don't want to interfere with your tennis you need to find ways to remain dually consistent in both, while giving the priority of intensity to tennis. Preworkouts primary ingredient, caffeine, does this very well.
 

Ihatetennis

Hall of Fame
Creatine uses water to volumize cells, and has been found to help recovery due to it causing increased cellular uptake. Anyway, thats not added muscle, its water. It may translate to more definition and marginal increases in strength, but cycle off and you'll quickly return to normal. I take ON's Gold Standard Whey. If I use more than 6oz of water it starts to taste bitter, If I use 4-6oz of water its pretty decent. Whey Protein is naturally bitter, it's best to not dilute the sugar needed to comfortably drink it.
it does help muscle growth though with faster recover. Also its buffered creatine so you dont get bloating. it is a pill
 

Ramon

Legend
I've been taking time off from tennis in order to workout instead. I've been experimenting with supplements and have settled on some protein powder. I bought it, but then I realized, it tastes like SH*T! That stuff is nasty, and I have a hard time drinking it. Any ways to make this stuff taste better?

You haven't mentioned what type of protein powder you tried. If it's soy, vegetable, hemp, or egg protein, then yes it tastes like SH*T! Generally, the milk based proteins (ie. whey, casein) taste more like a milk shake, which most people like.
 

Big_Dangerous

Talk Tennis Guru
Yeah most of the protein powder is tough to drink just mixed with water. A lot of times I'll mix it with Greek Yogurt, so it really gives you a ton of protein and not too much calories. You can also maybe mix in with a smoothie, so add like a serving or so of greek vanilla yogurt and some fruit like strawberries and a banana, add the protein powder, ice and blend well.
 

r2473

G.O.A.T.
I've been taking time off from tennis in order to workout instead. I've been experimenting with supplements and have settled on some protein powder. I bought it, but then I realized, it tastes like SH*T! That stuff is nasty, and I have a hard time drinking it. Any ways to make this stuff taste better?
Simple, eat the cheese instead of the expensive pig feed
 

Big_Dangerous

Talk Tennis Guru
a lot of peanut butter. add 6-8 tbsp a shake and mix it with water or 50/50 water milk so its not a pudding like substance

That's a lot of calories though lol. Hope you are working out for quite a bit of time. 6-8 tbsp of peanut butter is at least like 3-4 servings, so you're potentially adding around 600-800 calories just in PB alone, unless you're adding that PB2/Powdered PB mix, which has far fewer calories per serving.
 

Ihatetennis

Hall of Fame
That's a lot of calories though lol. Hope you are working out for quite a bit of time. 6-8 tbsp of peanut butter is at least like 3-4 servings, so you're potentially adding around 600-800 calories just in PB alone, unless you're adding that PB2/Powdered PB mix, which has far fewer calories per serving.
yeah, im actually
That's a lot of calories though lol. Hope you are working out for quite a bit of time. 6-8 tbsp of peanut butter is at least like 3-4 servings, so you're potentially adding around 600-800 calories just in PB alone, unless you're adding that PB2/Powdered PB mix, which has far fewer calories per serving.
needing to eat more calories just to get over what i burn a day.
 

Ihatetennis

Hall of Fame
How much working out do you do? I mean I do a fair amount, but still I find it hard to bring myself to drink high calories shakes. I'd rather eat the calories.
i workout 4-10 hours a day including gym fitness and drilling. i eat 3-5 meals a day to get in calories, 800 or so calories a meal. my shakes are like 1000 calories and im counting them as 1-2 meals a day
 

Big_Dangerous

Talk Tennis Guru
i workout 4-10 hours a day including gym fitness and drilling. i eat 3-5 meals a day to get in calories, 800 or so calories a meal. my shakes are like 1000 calories and im counting them as 1-2 meals a day

Wow that's crazy! Are you trying to go pro or something?
 

Big_Dangerous

Talk Tennis Guru
haha no, i just want to win more tournaments and get ready for college tennis.

I mean I'm right there with you, I like to workout quite a bit, but it's hard to be consistent because of several reasons. First, working a full time boring as **** office job really eats into how much time I have to work out, and then when I do do heavy training blocks, I end up spending a fortune on food. And without working I can't afford to eat like that. So it's like a vicious cycle.
 

GuyClinch

Legend
Simple, eat the cheese instead of the expensive pig feed
Meh. Too much casein.. Whey seems well tolerated and a little casein is okay.. but a lot will f you up in the long run. Not everything natural is good..

Egg whites - that's an alternative - maybe chicken breasts but not cheese..come on now. Dairy is pretty suspect because it has so much casein and some lactose.
 

r2473

G.O.A.T.
Meh. Too much casein.. Whey seems well tolerated and a little casein is okay.. but a lot will f you up in the long run. Not everything natural is good..

Egg whites - that's an alternative - maybe chicken breasts but not cheese..come on now. Dairy is pretty suspect because it has so much casein and some lactose.
I'm just laughing that the pig feed is more popular and often more expensive than the cheese
 

Ihatetennis

Hall of Fame
Tell me about these 10 hour workouts
the days that are 10 hours are usually over breaks or in the summer and rare, not on purpose lol. 6am wake up no matter what for the gym. workout till 7:30 this doesnt change then tennis 10-2, then lunch and a break, then tennis 3-5:30 if these days fall on a thurs then i have tennis league 7-9

without the morning tennis tho i often have this schedule wednesday and thursdays
 

r2473

G.O.A.T.
the days that are 10 hours are usually over breaks or in the summer and rare, not on purpose lol. 6am wake up no matter what for the gym. workout till 7:30 this doesnt change then tennis 10-2, then lunch and a break, then tennis 3-5:30 if these days fall on a thurs then i have tennis league 7-9

without the morning tennis tho i often have this schedule wednesday and thursdays
You play 8.5 hours of tennis?
 

Big_Dangerous

Talk Tennis Guru
the days that are 10 hours are usually over breaks or in the summer and rare, not on purpose lol. 6am wake up no matter what for the gym. workout till 7:30 this doesnt change then tennis 10-2, then lunch and a break, then tennis 3-5:30 if these days fall on a thurs then i have tennis league 7-9

without the morning tennis tho i often have this schedule wednesday and thursdays

I mean unless this is how you're hitting for a considerable portion of your practice sessions I have to call ******** on being able to play tennis for 8+ hours a day during the summer months without cramping horribly. Even I can't avoid cramping in the Summer when I do like 3-4 hour days.

 

shindemac

Hall of Fame
I usually end up cramping, but it's all good. 3 hours practice, 2 hours gym/swim, 2 hour bike ride or some combination depending on what I want to get in. There isn't enough hours in the day, so you gotta do what you gotta do.
 

Ihatetennis

Hall of Fame
You play 8.5 hours of tennis?
haha guys, drilling in the morning and match play in the afternoon. Tournaments in texas are split 5 matches saturday 4 matches sunday including 4 doubles, you gotta be in shape for that. 3 singles matches is anywhere from 5 hours to 12 depending on how hard the match is, usually i have 1:30-2:00 matches plus 45 minute doubles matches.

Junior tennis is tough, especially at 18s, gotta be fit enough to last a tournament and play back to back matches at your highest level

Edit, i play 2-3 tournaments a month
 

r2473

G.O.A.T.
haha guys, drilling in the morning and match play in the afternoon. Tournaments in texas are split 5 matches saturday 4 matches sunday including 4 doubles, you gotta be in shape for that. 3 singles matches is anywhere from 5 hours to 12 depending on how hard the match is, usually i have 1:30-2:00 matches plus 45 minute doubles matches.

Junior tennis is tough, especially at 18s, gotta be fit enough to last a tournament and play back to back matches at your highest level

Edit, i play 2-3 tournaments a month
I wish I was 18......
 

Big_Dangerous

Talk Tennis Guru
I wish I was 18......

I know, that kind of energy would be amazing to have. I mean I'm gonna be 28, so I'm still youngish, but I definitely wish I would have gotten into working out so much and eating better sooner in my life. I didn't start until March of 2012 really focusing on my diet/exercise. I had been so heavy before that though. Well over 300 pounds for most of my high school/college days. :eek:
 

dgold44

G.O.A.T.
Try those think thin bars
No sugar and high protein
Very good

Too much protein is hard on liver to breakdown and it will only go out your other end !!!
 

Ihatetennis

Hall of Fame
I wish I was 18......
I know, that kind of energy would be amazing to have. I mean I'm gonna be 28, so I'm still youngish, but I definitely wish I would have gotten into working out so much and eating better sooner in my life. I didn't start until March of 2012 really focusing on my diet/exercise. I had been so heavy before that though. Well over 300 pounds for most of my high school/college days. :eek:
I can't imagine what life will be like after college. I play so much now, I'm going to change my daily life so much.
 

Aretium

Hall of Fame
Is protein powder safe, I hear all sorts of bad things. I hate food/nutrition advice on the net and from people, its full of quasi knowledge and false truths. Don't know why I am asking haha. I don#t think the top athletes use protein powder anyway. I'd rather have tuna or chicken. I am at the moment, cutting down on carbs and only eat them in the morning and after exercise, obviously only whole grains. I'm replacing a few calories with dairy and low fat dairy. What effect will this have?
 

Ihatetennis

Hall of Fame
Is protein powder safe, I hear all sorts of bad things. I hate food/nutrition advice on the net and from people, its full of quasi knowledge and false truths. Don't know why I am asking haha. I don#t think the top athletes use protein powder anyway. I'd rather have tuna or chicken. I am at the moment, cutting down on carbs and only eat them in the morning and after exercise, obviously only whole grains. I'm replacing a few calories with dairy and low fat dairy. What effect will this have?
Protein powder is really just for people who can't get enough in their systems or who want a way to supplement some of it. For the most part it is safe, but beware, it can also turn to fat if you don't workout enough to earn it.
 

heninfan99

Talk Tennis Guru
This helps my unflavored protein powder
hershey-baking-cocoa_md.png

...it's still no milkshake but good enough, I mix both with vanilla soy milk...works for me
 

Aretium

Hall of Fame
Watched a bbc programme yesterday with loads of doctors and current research. They compared a group that took protein shakes after a workout and a group that didnt. It showed the same amount of improvement for both groups. Basically if you have a normal diet, all the protein you take in from a shake will end up as urine or fat. Capitalism > science.
 

r2473

G.O.A.T.
Watched a bbc programme yesterday with loads of doctors and current research. They compared a group that took protein shakes after a workout and a group that didnt. It showed the same amount of improvement for both groups. Basically if you have a normal diet, all the protein you take in from a shake will end up as urine or fat. Capitalism > science.
The supplement industry is no place for science based claims. Just ask @sureshs. For some odd reason, those that worship science (or let's just say "fact based claims") in every other aspect of life agree with Orrin Hatch, that having supplements back up their general claims (or other silly things like actually put the stuff on the ingredients list in the product), is just unfair to the poor multi-billion dollar con artist supplement industry.

In fact, if research says a protein (or any supplement for that matter) doesn't work, I pretty much just assume it was funded by Big Pharma in an evil attempt to discredit "little protein". It's just sickening. We all know protein makes you huge. We don't need no stinkin' science beyond bro science.
 
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shindemac

Hall of Fame
The supplement industry is no place for science based claims. Just ask @sureshs. For some odd reason, those that worship science (or let's just say "fact based claims") in every other aspect of life agree with Orrin Hatch, that having supplements back up their general claims (or other silly things like actually put the stuff on the ingredients list in the product), is just unfair to the poor multi-billion dollar con artist supplement industry.

In fact, if research says a protein (or any supplement for that matter) doesn't work, I pretty much just assume it was funded by Big Pharma in an evil attempt to discredit "little protein". It's just sickening. We all know protein makes you huge. We don't need no stinkin' science beyond bro science.

You don't need protein supplements to get bigger, but it may make it easier for some. I tried it with and wo and didn't notice a big difference. But it does make sense. Most bros don't know how to cook, prolly aren't married yet, so they either eat unhealthy fast food mickey D's or they go for the protein powder.
 
Real food is all you need to be in generally good health and have a normal BMI.

Which precludes building strength, power and endurance.

The pro's use "stuff" for a variety of reasons (from "no time" to "want to mask other things").

If you are not an aspiring pro/pro leave the artificial stuff out and concentrate on eating quality real food.

:cool:
 

Dags

Hall of Fame
A related request...

If anyone found that protein powder made them fart like a trooper... and then discovered a brand that didn't cause the windy-pops... please do let me know which one it was!

And for the record, I'm not lactose intolerant. And have tried various whey concentrates and isolates.
 

Turbo-87

G.O.A.T.
A related request...

If anyone found that protein powder made them fart like a trooper... and then discovered a brand that didn't cause the windy-pops... please do let me know which one it was!

And for the record, I'm not lactose intolerant. And have tried various whey concentrates and isolates.
Have you tried that Muscle Milk stuff? Seems pretty convenient when compared to powders.
 

Dags

Hall of Fame
Have you tried that Muscle Milk stuff? Seems pretty convenient when compared to powders.
As you're talking about convenience, I assume you're talking about the pre-mixed and bottled version? If so, it's a cost thing. Convenience does indeed come at a price.

@Dags - Protein Dynamix works for me in that regard
Poster boy Eddie Hall strikes me as a man who isn't afraid of a good trump! I'll give them a shot though, thanks Ash. (That said, I've just checked my supplies, and have a lot more than I thought I did. It might be a little while!)
 
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