Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey

- Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Protein -

As anyone who regularly works out will know, good nutrition is vital to development. Whether you lift weights at the gym, or train for a sport, one of the most fundamental aspects of diet is adequate protein intake.

=== What is protein? ===

Protein is essentially the body's building blocks, allowing your body to adapt and grow stronger after a good workout by rebuilding ...
...like Nesquik!

Optimum Nutrition 100% is widely regarded as one of the best available whey proteins, and is usually reasonably priced. I would normally expect to pay around £30-35 for one of the big 5lb tubs (77 servings). I have always bought mine from MonsteSupplements.com and have never had a problem. I thoroughly recommend it to anyone looking to maintain or build muscle mass, and see results from work-outs at the gym.  ... more

- Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Protein -

As anyone who regularly works out will know, good nutrition is vital to development. Whether you lift weights at the gym, or train for a sport, one of the most fundamental aspects of diet is adequate protein intake.

What is protein?

Protein is essentially the body's building blocks, allowing your body to adapt and grow stronger after a good workout by rebuilding your muscles. If your body is not getting enough protein, all that time spent at the gym could be wasted effort, especially for anyone looking to make size and strength gains.

If you are looking to bulk up, many bodybuilders suggest that at least 1 gram of protein should be consumed per pound of bodyweight. Now that's a lot of protein! The minimum daily intake for men is around the 56g mark I think. So if you are looking to build muscle-mass then you will be needing to consume about two or three times that amount of protein!

What is whey?

Whey is a by-product of the cheese-making process. When cow's milk is made into cheese, at some point a layer rises to the top. This layer is whey, and is skimmed off and heat-treated to be converted into powder form.

Many people who have never looked into diet and nutrition are unaware of what whey is, and many even have the misconception that it is some kind of steroid or dodgy supplement. Well it is in fact all natural! There is nothing at all dodgy about whey, as it is derived from cow's milk - what could be more natural than that?!Whey protein in particular is arguably the best source of protein available. All kinds of protein are ranked by their biological value. This is basically a number that shows how well the body absorbs and uses each protein. I found this little list on Wikipedia, which shows various foods and their respective biological values. Here are the top 4:

1. Whey protein concentrate: 104
2. Whole egg: 100
3. Cow milk: 91
4. Beef: 80

As you can see, whey is ranked first, better than eggs, milk and meat!

Why Whey Protein Shakes?

A high protein diet can be maintained by eating lots of eggs, chicken, fish or meat with every meal, but for athletes this is often still not enough protein to promote effective muscle recovery. This is where protein shakes come in. Ask any big guy at the gym if he drinks protein shakes and I am almost certain the answer will be yes.

Ideally, whey protein shakes should be consumed after a workout, while some people even advocate taking them both before and after. However, if you are looking to bulk up and perform physical exercise on a regular basis, they can even be taken every day. One thing to note is that protein shakes are a supplement and designed to be taken alongside a healthy, clean diet. They are not a substitute for good wholesome food, merely a means of increasing protein intake above and beyond the regular diet.

A protein shake can be made up in seconds. All you have to do is add a scoop (which is provided in the tub) of protein to a shaker (which you may have to buy seperately - a lot of companies offer them free however) and then add a liquid of your choice (milk or water work best) and shake it up! Then u can drink it, and within less than a minute you have taken in about as much protein as a can of tuna!

Nutritional Information

O.N. 100% Whey per scoop contains 23g of protein, 3g of carbohydrate, and 1.5g of fat.

If consumed with a pint of milk, you would be taking in roughly 38g of protein in one shake, which is about as much as the body can absorb in one go!

My Opinion

Before I started going to the gym, I weighed a measly 56kg. Now I weigh over 70kg (which is still rather measly but its a big improvement!). This was achieved with a combination of weight training, cardio and more recently Muay Thai kickboxing, and of course most importantly diet! I used to make my own protein shakes (milk, raw eggs, chocolate powder all in the blender) but once I tried whey protein powder I never looked back! It is so much easier and quicker, and most importantly it provides much more protein in one shake! (And it's probably safer than knocking back raw eggs Rocky-style!)

I have always bought the chocolate flavour protein, as I have been warned to stay away from most other flavours! Chocolate flavour is lovely however, and tastes just like Nesquik!

Optimum Nutrition 100% is widely regarded as one of the best available whey proteins, and is usually reasonably priced. I would normally expect to pay around £30-35 for one of the big 5lb tubs (77 servings). I have always bought mine from MonsteSupplements.com and have never had a problem. I thoroughly recommend it to anyone looking to maintain or build muscle mass, and see results from work-outs at the gym. 

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