Does anyone use protein shakes? Like "Muscle Milk"?

[pat fan]

My DS wants me to get him "Muscle Milk". Is it like any other protein shake? Are they safe? Anything I should know? He's 17 BTW.

 

[Buckalew11]

My 71yo mother uses Muscle Milk. She hikes, kayaks and plays tennis 5 days a week for at 3 hours a pop. She drinks muscle milk during her day at some point but I do not know when. She says it is very good.

 

[pat fan]

Thanks! Guess I'm just a paranoid mom....NO STEROIDS!! Or something that in 3 years they say "Oh, BTW it causes cancer" or something. BTW, your mom sounds like she'd put me 6 ft. under! Good for her

 

[gina2000]

My son drinks Muscle Milk after he swims.

 

[Chereya]

Is your son wanting to start taking it because he wants to bulk up muscularly? I know that if you're trying to build muscle, it's an easy way to get the extra proteins needed. However, it can lead to a dependence on continuing to maintain the muscle built while on it. My husband is naturally muscular and his younger brother is not. My BIL started drinking those powdered protein shakes in an effort to "catch up" to my husband. We live in different cities so I don't know what he's doing now that he's out of college - whether he still drinks it or not or still has time to work out as much as he used to. Long term daily use can be an expensive habit also.

Another think to think about is kidneys processing extra protein. I only mention this because I have a kidney problem which sometimes shows up as excess protein in my urine.

Maybe you should check with his pediatrician?

 

[Free4Life11]

I really like Muscle Milk. The shakes are a great snack, especially if you are craving something sweet, but don't want the fat, sugar, and carbs found in most sweets! That being said, I simply can't afford it. It gets to be very expensive! I had to switch to the canister of whey protein at Walmart. It's "Body Fortress" brand, chocolate flavored and was about $15. I'm not a serious weightlifter, just looking to add some protein to my diet. So far I have been impressed; it tastes good and blends well with milk or water.

Here are some reviews:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=2570521

I don't think the protein supplements are dangerous as long as you aren't having more than 1 or 2 servings a day. And IMO, you really need to be very active and do both cardio and strength training to justify protein shakes; they can easily lead to increased body fat. I mean one serving alone could be almost 300 calories.

Personally, no I would not buy such an expensive supplement for a 17 year-old, I would buy a cheaper alternative from Walmart and make sure he is not overdoing it on the servings.

 

[pat fan]

Thanks. I know his friend (who runs) uses it, so I'm guessing that's where he got the name from. I was going to compare prices around and get what was cheapest (I'm pretty cheap). My DS lifts weights (not a lot) and does sit-ups etc...just a basic routine he does every night and I think he wants to maximize it or something. I don't know, but as long as it's not harmful I'm ok with it.

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

My DS15 uses a powder form from Wal-Mart. I refuse to buy him the expensive premade drinks.

He drinks it after football condititoning every morning. He has become very muscular this summer conditioning in the morning and playing baseball at night.

 

[Wishing on a star]

I don't know about Muscle Milk.... What you need to do is to read the label!

My husband buys a protein powder that does not have chemicals or additives, and makes his own protein shake every evening. That way he knows what he is putting in his body... He uses the protein powder, ice, lowfat milk, and to make it taste good, a scoop of all natural ice cream (Walmarts brand believe it or not - Great Value all natural premium- no high fructose corn syrup - very good).

 

[Uuaww]

HGH! Protein! Power Bars! MY NEW HAIRCUT!

(check "my new haircut" on youtube if you don't know what I'm talking about)

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

I would suggest the MUSCLE MILK LIGHT version. You can get a 24 pack at Costco for $29.99. The regular Muscle Milk is very high in sugar.

 

[FireDancer]

I don't buy the RTDs but have a couple different containers of the Muscle Milk protein powder at home in different flavors. I thrown frozen fruit, 100% fruit juice, and the powder into a blender and have a healthy snack after the gym or run.

If you are looking to do MRPs to loose weight there are better options than Muscle Milk but as a pre or post workout drink it is great and tastes the best of the protein powders IMO.

 

[Hercules10]

I prefer WHEY protein powder. Make sure it has low sugar (no more then 2g). I use a hand blender, filtered water and some ice. Tried it once in skim milk and I damn near puked halfway through my workout....should've known better then to drink milk before a work-out.

 

[JanaNs]

From what I understand you need protein in order to build muscle. I think the rule of thumb is to consume 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. So if your son was 160lbs-160 grams of protein to build muscle. If his shakes were 30 grams each and he drank 3 per day then he'd could get the other 70 grams from his food intake. I've taken them for years and from what I read they are very safe.

 

[pat fan]

Thanks everyone!

I'm not sure what exactly his goal is, I'll have to ask him. He's been drinking a Carnation mix once in the evening after he works out, so I'm assuming it would replace that.

I would only buy the powder, the pre-made stuff is $$$$. And like I said, I'm going to check out different brands as far as price goes. Thanks again!

 

[FireDancer]

From what I understand you need protein in order to build muscle. I think the rule of thumb is to consume 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. So if your son was 160lbs-160 grams of protein to build muscle. If his shakes were 30 grams each and he drank 3 per day then he'd could get the other 70 grams from his food intake. I've taken them for years and from what I read they are very safe.

I use the Lean Mass Weight (Kg) x 2.75 = Daily Protein Requirement formula myself.

Lean Mass Weight is calculated by multiplying you body fat % by your weight and then subtracting. If you weight 150lbs and have 10% body fat your LMW is: 150-(150 * .10) = 135 lbs or 61.36kg. If you plug that into the formula this person would require 168.74g of protein to build muscle (61.36*2.75).

Ideally you would find your body fat by doing underwater weighing, but that is inconvenient. I have a friend who is a personal trainer use skin calipers to find my body fat %. Those machines that you grab or the scales you stand on are way off. I get readings from 8% to 15% on those machines when my actual body fat is below 7%, so it does make a difference.

This can be tweaked for your goals. If you are trying to build muscle it will work but if you are trying to minimize muscle loss without gaining muscle weight you will have to change the formula.

 

[Papa Deuce]

I think it is way overpriced, and you can get at least as good nutrition from any of the big name whey protein powders, but the powders are usually far less expensive.

Muscle Milk sure sounds impressive from a marketing standpoint, though.

 

[pat fan]

I think it is way overpriced, and you can get at least as good nutrition from any of the big name whey protein powders, but the powders are usually far less expensive.

Muscle Milk sure sounds impressive from a marketing standpoint, though.

Right, and I'm not married to the brand, it's just what my DS asked for and I thought people might recognize the name and then be able to give me advice on the subject.

I guess I'm just going to find some whey powders and hope he likes one.