MusclePharm Casein review

Catergory: Casein Protein

Brand / Model: "MUSCLEPHARM CASEIN"

Flavor: Chocolate Milk (3 lbs)

No of servings: ~43 servings ( approx 1 to 1.5 months)

Date of purchase: 08 June 2013

Place of purchase: Nutrifirst, Singapore (www.nutrifirst.net) 
Price: S$ 58.00 (free delivery for purchases above S$ 100.00)
Price per serving: S$ 1.34 per serving / scoop
Extras / Gift: Free MusclePharm Assault sample packet

Supplement Facts:

3 Lbs. Chocolate Milk Serving Size1ScoopApprox. (30g) Servings Per Container46‡ Amount Per Serving % Daily Value† Calories 110 Calories From Fat 5 Total Fat 0.5g 1% Total Carbohydrates 2g 1% Dietary Fiber 1g 4% Sugars 1g * Protein 25g 50% Calcium 588mg 60% Iron 1mg 6% Sodium 100mg 4% Digestion Enhancing Enzyme Blend: 60mg * Protease, Lactase Typical Amino Acid Profile (Mg Per Serving) * Essential Amino Acids (EAAs) L-Tryptophan 304mg L-Valine 1461mg L-Threonine 1034mg L-Isoleucine 1201mg L-Leucine 2385mg L-Lysine 2020mg L-Phenylalanine 1124mg L-Methionine 634mg Conditionally Essential Amino Acids (CAAs) * L-Arginine 874mg L-Cysteine 160mg L-Tyrosine 1206mg L-Histidine 642mg L-Proline 2298mg Glutamine & Precursors 5240mg Nonessential Amino Acids (NAAs) * Aspartic Acid 1850mg L-Serine 1338mg L-Glycine 425mg L-Alanine 779mg † Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet * Daily Value not established ** The Tryptophan in this product is naturally occurring.

Other Ingredients: Micellar Casein, Cocoa Powder, Digestion Resistant Maltodextrin, Natural And Artificial Flavors, Sucralose, Acesulfame Potassium, Salt. Allergen Warning: This Product Contains Milk And Soy. This Product Was Produced In A Facility That May Also Process Ingredients Containing Milk, Egg, Soybeans, Shellfish, Fish, Tree Nuts, And Peanuts.

Most average gym goers should that a post workout protein shake is a must after a gym session. I also do hope that they know the rationale behind drinking it which is to supply protein into our body to allow our body to repair the torn muscle fibres and create new ones. Our body needs a constant supply of protein throughout out the day for this process to be carried out effectively.

What about at night when we are fast asleep? This is where many people tend to overlook. You see, the main bulk of our body's recovery takes places when we are asleep. Why? Cos we are doing nothing else but to breathe and our body goes into recovery mode. An average person sleeps about 6 to 8 hours a day and during that time we do not eat or drink, unless you don't mind waking up in the wee hours to drink a protein shake! That's when casein comes into play.

To put it bluntly, micellar casein protein (or simply casein) is a slow digesting protein. Unlike whey protein isolate, which is fast absorbing and ideal for post workout consumption, casein is absorbed slowly providing hours or repair and maintenance to our muscles. One of the best thing about casein is that its perfect for consumption during non training days to ensure that your body gets a steady supply of protein for muscle repairs.

In a nutshell, its the perfect before-bed snack / drink.

MusclePharm, a US company founded in 2008 by a former professional NFL player, can be considered a new kid on the block in the supplement market. But backed by a good marketing campaign, a nice / eye catching packaging and competitive pricing, slowly gym goers are switching over to their brand. 

In my past experiences, casein has never come cheap. Most of the time, it's price slightly higher than whey protein. I've consumed a leading brand of casein (4 lb) before and it's priced almost double than MUSCLEPHARM CASEIN. It's a no brainer decision. Ideal for those who would like to get most out of their dollar.

Taste wise, I chose chocolate flavor (the safest and almost fool proof choice). I've had bad experiences trying other flavors from any protein or any brand. Chocolate flavor is the safest choice. I don't want to go into details on how I survived 3 longest month of my life with a 10 lb bag of strawberry whey protein. Not to mention how my "manliness" was dented when I was seen with a pink colour solution and often mistaken as strawberry milk!

I wouldn't say  MUSCLEPHARM CASEIN is the most soluble protein powder out there. You really need a sufficient amount of water and really give your shaker bottle a good shaker for at least 30 seconds for it to dissolve. Despite that, clumps or powder reside can be seen. That's the minus point of it.

I've been consuming casein for the past 1 year now and all I can say there is a visible effect on it. I know it may be contradicting with my previous post, where I mentioned it's hard to gauge the effectiveness of protein powder. In the first month of my casein intake, I was maintaining my diet and workout intensity. No changes to that except that every night, I started to consume casein. This is due to the supply of protein and amino acids my body is receiving for muscle repairs while asleep. Within a month, I can see visible effects on my body and the best part it I don't feel as hungry after waking up.

To sum it up, I would highly encourage gym goers to consume casein. It's the fuel our body needs at night. MUSCLEPHARM CASEIN is the best choice in terms of a bang for buck casein powder.

ADVANTAGES

- provides the body constant supply of protein and amino acids for muscle repairs at night

- a perfect meal replacement

- the perfect drink on a non training day

- competitive pricing

DISADVANTAGES

- slightly pricier

- doesn't comes in a bigger packaging

- doesn't mix well

**This review is carried out to my best knowledge / experience, personal reference / opinion and without prejudice to any parties.**

Mutant Whey review

Catergory: Whey Protein

Brand / Model: "MUTANT WHEY"

Flavor: Triple Chocolate Fusion (10 lbs)

No of servings: ~122 servings ( approx 2 to 3 months)

Date of purchase: 10 June 2013

Place of purchase: Fitlion store, Singapore (www.fitlion.com)
Price: S$ 110.00 (self-collection)
Price per serving: S$ 0.90 per serving 
Extras / Gift: Free Fitlion T-shirt

Supplement Facts:

In a saturated market such as protein supplement, the only way to stand out from the rest of the field is to have a creative marketing strategy, eye catching packaging and a good price to boot.

Mutant, a Canadian outfit started out in 2006, has come up with a quite an interesting and intriguing package in the form of its flagship (and only!) protein product simply named "MUTANT WHEY".

With it's catchphrase "We are MUTANT - Leave Humanity Behind!", it does sends out a message that it means business. To back them up, they have a list of professional bodybuilders to endorse their product.

As an average gym buff, who does not have the luxury of companies sponsoring my supplement cabinet, it can be quite hard on the pocket to fish out our hard earned money to splash (or to some, splurge) on supplements every month. In Singapore, supplements do not come cheap. Oh yes, I did my research and supplements in Singapore are quite, if not really, overpriced!

I came across "MUTANT WHEY" while browsing through one of the online shops in Singapore, www.fitlion.com. Aside from the packaging, the thing that caught me was the price of the item. 10 lbs for S$ 110! It's almost 40% cheaper than a leading brand 10 lbs protein powder I bought a few months back! I added it to my cart immediately and proceeded with my payment. The only downside was a S$5 will be incurred if I choose to have it delivered to me. Instead, I opted to self-collect it from their warehouse which was just a 10 minutes drive away from where work.

I collected it the next day at their warehouse and was surprised that I had got a free Fitlion t-shirt. A pleasant surprise indeed. A quick check with some of my friends revealed that those who had it delivered, did not get the t-shirt......perhaps it was a win-win situation for me??

Being one of those people who loves reading item labels, I found out that the recommended number of scoops in a "normal usage" setting is 2 scoops and the "mutated usage" takes in about 3 scoops, which is too much for my liking. Browsed through the supplement facts and found out that 1 scoop (~ 37 grams) gives you an ideal 22 grams of protein which is good enough! I find it ridiculous to be gulping down 66 grams of protein in a single sitting! It's really overkill! 22 grams of protein from a post workout shake is suffice and the rest of the protein source should be from our healthy and well balanced diet and protein shakes at later times during the day. Perhaps it's just one of the marketing tools from Mutant??

Aside from all the chemical lingos on the supplement fact, the important thing is the amount of protein. A good protein powder should serve about 22 - 24 grams of protein in 1 scoop (~ 33 grams). The rest is gibberish to me unless you are one of those avid gym goers who pay absolute attention to each individual ingredient.

Apart from the "misleading" serving recommendation, the other thing that irks me about this product is the bag itself. It's not a refill pack cos it does not have a container to fill up in the first place. The default packaging for this product is the bag. Just a personal preference of mine to have my powder stored in a proper container. Thankfully, I have yet thrown my old protein powder container and used it to store a portion of the "MUTANT WHEY" and kept the rest in the resealable bag and stowed it in my cabinet.

It's hard to gauge the effectiveness of a protein powder cos you can't really "feel" it. The muscles that you should be growing is dependent on your diet and workout. Most people rate protein powder by taste. I went for the safest option and chose the Triple Chocolate Eruption flavour which did not disappoint.

In a nutshell, I would recommend "MUTANT WHEY" to ANYBODY who goes to the gym and consumes post-workout protein shakes. Aside from the other gibberish lingos, this protein powder fuels your body with 22 grams of protein per scoop and is a bang for buck product. Perfect for those who are thrifty and financially prudent!

**This review is carried out to my best knowledge / experience, personal reference / opinion and without prejudice to any parties.**