The only thing that makes me cringe more than people who don’t squat properly is ridiculous recommendations when it comes to supplements. We’ve talked about this, mostly through social media, time and time again but it seems to be an endless cycle that might only be getting worse. Why? Because more people are using it.
When I started using protein powder daily, back in 2007, there were far fewer brands on the market. At that point, protein powders were moving out of the bodybuilding industry, as they started to gain respect among performance athletes. Sports nutritionists did a great job explaining the importance of protein consumption for athletes, so professional and collegiate athletes were supplementing their protein intake with powders. (That is how I started!)
When we started this blog in 2012, other groups in the fitness industry (such as CrossFit) started developing their own lines of protein powder that would cater to their community. As the health & wellness industry grew exponentially through the emergence of “online fitness professionals” on Instagram, even more brands and specialized products were appearing. We’d hear from brands that wanted us to test and review their protein powders, whether they were made from crickets, vegan or were made proudly in the United States.
Every brand was trying to find its niche in order to survive a competitive market that had some major players in the game, for a long time, such as Optimum Nutrition (1986) and Dymatize (1994). While some of these brands were created with the best intentions and contained quality ingredients, just as many seemed like gimmicks that were trying to capitalize on the billion dollar sports nutrition industry. ($2.7 billion in 2010)
Legitimate brands were losing their market share to competitors that were claiming they had a better product at a lower cost, but that didn’t last for long without consequences. Private testing of these new products showed that many newer companies were “amino spiking” their protein powder blends, which essentially means, they weren’t giving you as much “quality, usable protein” as they were advertising. This led to states filing lawsuits against some extremely popular brands, and either brands went bankrupt (never to be seen again) or they had to put the correct nutritional facts on their packaging, which some did.
Why are we bringing this up now? Just the other day, a friend (successful young entrepreneur) asked for recommendations on Facebook for coffee flavored protein powder. I, unfortunately, saw the post and gave my recommendation, which enabled Facebook’s push notifications and led to me seeing everyone else’s opinions. I don’t think a single person was qualified to do so and not to be ageist, but I was shocked at the amount of seniors that gave their two cents. If I’ve had a hard time convincing anyone about the benefits of using a protein supplement, it would be the senior population.
No one was a registered dietician, nutritionist or even fitness professional. They weren’t even “in shape” but they were willing to recommend horrible products that included pyramid scams, amino spiked blends and faux-bio-hacking powders. The thing is, they (most likely) don’t understand the science or the secrets of the supplement industry. They might have seen or felt results while taking that same product, but it would’ve more likely come from the work they’re doing in the gym. (That is part of the science.) Even if the results were derived from their supplement, they would’ve seen even better results when taking a higher quality product. (The secrets of the supplement industry.)
The key is, you need to know why you’re doing what you’re doing when it comes to anything fitness. People take protein powder because they hear or see that it works for other people, but they don’t realize that there is much more to the whole equation. Someone recommended a product that was a blend of many ingredients, including caffeine and protein. While the protein was high quality, the price was incredibly steep for such a small serving. It was almost too little protein to even serve as a “supplement” for their protein intake; this was the faux-bio-hacking gimmick.
It was tremendously overpriced and a more educated consumer would’ve bought pure caffeine pills and a protein isolate powder. They could’ve taken them separately for the same (or greater) results at a lower price. It might not taste as good, but they make protein isolates in many flavors, including coffee or espresso. By the way, to answer my friend’s request, MTS Nutrition’s Machine Whey Espresso would be a top choice. Also, you could just combine coffee with your protein shake in the morning. There are so many better options and we’re encouraging you to be a better consumer. How?
First, figure out why you want to take protein or caffeine, or any other supplements. Then, do your research (ideally by asking SOMEONE QUALIFIED) what dosage you should take and for legitimate brand recommendations. Finally, as you’re taking those supplements, track your consumption so you can measure success. If you’re not feeling enough energy from 200mg of caffeine, you might want to try moving to 225mg or 250mg. If you’re not seeing growth in lean muscle mass consuming 1g protein per lb of body weight, you might want to up it to 1.5x or play around with your other macros/caloric intake.
There will be a lot of trial and error, but start with a strong base by using products that will definitely work. If you try to go through this trial and error phase with bad products, you’re going to be wasting a ton of time and money.
There is a right way to approach this journey, and be aware that we’re here to help you. Also, there are other great resources out there, put together by professionals that actually want to see you make progress. Guys, here is a 2018 guide for some of the best protein powder options on the market. Ladies, those products could work well for you as well, depending on your goals. Again, if you have specific questions feel free to comment below or send us an email because not wasting money or being fooled in this competitive world will help you stay hungry and fit!
