Muscle Milk
 

I had some of this on a long hot ride last week and I found it energizing and that I was in good shape even toward the end of my ride. BTW: this big ride was a day after another big ride, so my condition was all the more impressive. It is very expensive but I think it may be worth the expense when faced with a hug challenge.

Anyone else ever try this stuff?

What would you normally have used?

I like to mix 4 oz of fruit juice with whey protein powder and carry it in my trunk with a cooler pack. I also use bananas and raisins.

I haven't used it before mostly since I am soy intolerant, but I am trying to figure out why it worked for you. Muscle milk isn't the highest quality supplement of its type available, only the most convenient. The results were due to either your recovery before the ride, the fats in MM, or the faster-than-fruit-juice absorbing Maltodextrin.

I'm lactose intolerant and use dairy digestive pills with my whey protein supplements. The muscle milk was a 1 time thing, so it could have a number of things that made me perform so well. but I appreciate your analysis of the ingrediants! the stuff costs $4!!! I'm certainly not going to have that on aregular basis ...

I've never used it on the bike or as a recovery drink. From time to time I'll drink some. It's like a shake to me. I think it tastes great. I mainly drink it as a meal replacement while traveling or sometimes after a really hard day working out. I do know a runner who drinks this as a recovery drink and swears by it.

If you use a good quality whey isolate you won't have a problem with lactose. A good quality whey isolate is lactose free. As far as muscle milk is concerned, there are a lot of better choices out there.

I'll bite, and those choices would be...?

Keith, I use EAS whey protein powder cuz I can find it everywhere. I took a quick glance at the container but didn't see any mention of it being lactose free. anyone know a whey mix that is lactose free?

btw: I've heard of pea powder but that is a lot lower in protein

Whey protein ISOLATE should be lactose free, but Whey protein CONCENTRATE will not be lactose free. This is assuming that the isolate is indeed good quality. MM uses enzymes to make it lactose free. Good quality. If whey is indeed isolate, it should have less than 1 g of both fat and carbs per 25 g serving. Probably the source of the best quality WPI I know of is proteinfactory.com. I am also VERY lactose intolerant, and their WPIs are indeed lactose free. It also helps that their prices are very good. The problem with some proteins such as buckwheat, pea, etc., is that they don't have a complete amino acid profile.

i drink muscle milk everday post ride- i love it, the only downside (for other people) is it
causes horrendous gas

Nature's best makes a great whey isolate. If the fat and carb content per serving is not less than 1 gram then the whey isolate is of poor quality. I have to throw in, that my company is about to launch a line of supplements for cyclists in a couple of weeks. I have only sourced the best ingredients of the highest quality. PM me if you are interested in some samples.

EAS brand whey is not a very good choice as far as quality. They use a blend of concentrate and isolate etc. If a company uses a blend of concentrate and isolate and list it on the label like that, then they can use 99% concentrate and 1% isolate and not tell you this is the breakdown. The first ingredient on a supplement label has to be the main ingredient. If it is listed as for example; super protein blend (whey isolate, whey concentrate), chocolate flavor. The company is more than likely using 99% whey concentrate, 1% whey isolate. If the blend has any whey concentrate in it, then it is not lactose free. Muscle milk uses a low quality whey blend and then uses enzymes to make it lactose free. It is too expensive for them to use a quality isolate only.

I tried the Monster Milk last weekend for the first time. It worked great. I drank half the bottle 1 hour prior to the ride and the other just after the ride. I felt great. One of the best rides I have ever had. Usually after a ride like that I want to eat everything I can get my hands on because my body is so depleted. I don't know much about the science but I know it works - in the Florida heat too. I'm not intolerant to any kind of food, so I went out and bought some more. Can't wait until the next hard ride to see if it works again.

I just recently read a nutrion article called, "the seven best office snacks".

The article was geared towards atheletes, not couch potatoes, Muscle milk light was one of the snacks mentioned in the article.

An 8.5 oz serving contains 160 calories, 20g of protein, 9g of carbs, 5g of fat, and only 3g of sugar. Compared to some protein bars, the sugar and calories are lower and the protein is the same amount or higher. Power bars usually have about 20g of protein, clif bars only have 10, both have alot more calories.

Costco has boxes of the MM Light. Sorry I don't have a price, but I love the stuff. +1 on the gas, it's better now, but for a few months it was BAD. Bad enough where people would blame their dogs, when it was really me!

I rather eat real food. *shrug Mmm Greek yogurt mixed with some unsweetened cocoa powder and stevia with a splash of chocolate milk to help it mix. :thumb:

UD

I'll look into Nature's Best. I have been using Muscle Milk Light and Hemp Protein Powder. I don't know if it works as well as whey isolate, but for now I'm thinking I'll probably stick with the Hemp powder, it tastes good and has other nutritional benefits like Omega 6 & 3 essential fatty acids and fibre.

If you like the hemp protein powder and it works for you then continue to use it. If you ever want to try something different or have any questions than hit me up.