by Iain Wilson

Created on: April 22, 2010

After buying a few tubs of Maximuscle Promax, which is a whey protein powder, and not really using it consistently, I decided to use it as recommended and see if it actually benefited me in any way.

In case you don't want to read on, the simple answer is no. Here's why.

On the back of the tub is the guideline amount of protein shakes each person should take a day, depending on goals and weight. It was recommended that I should take 2 per day, so I did. One within 30 minutes of a workout and the second around and hour before I went to bed.

I weighed myself at the beginning of the 2 weeks and at the end and there was absolutely no difference in my weight. I was lifting weights a decent amount, probably about an hour to 2 hours per day, with rest days thrown in as well. I was also eating quite a healthy diet void of any fizzy juice, sweets, crisps, etc. And eating things such as pasta, meat, fruits and plenty of water. Strength and definition wise there didn't seem to be any change either.

Apart from the fact I don't think it helped me at all there were some positives for people who want to try it out or have had positive results through other protein brands.

The first being the taste. I found it quite pleasant to drink. You're supposed to mix one scoop (30g) with 200ml of water, but I added some Robinsons diluting juice in (could that be the reason for the poor results? Surely not) to make it taste better. I tried it with just water and it wasn't very nice at all - I used the strawberry version by the way.

The second positive being that it is very easy to mix. I used to give it a thorough shake in a proper shaker, fit for purpose and after around 1 minute of vigorous shaking I never encountered any lumps, not even at the bottom. This also meant that cleaning the shaker was very easy.

Overall I wouldn't recommend protein shakes. Maybe I was getting enough protein from my regular diet and this was just a waste, but I didn't find it helpful and won't be buying again anytime soon. After I stopped taking the protein shakes I actually gained 1-2lbs after 1 to 2 weeks, so I seem to do better without it. I also wouldn't recommend it as a snack since after I took it I didn't feel any fuller.

Results: 1/10
Taste: 7/10
Mixing: 10/10
Snackability: 3/10

Nutrional Info (per 30g):

Protein (on dry matter): 24.3g
Carbohydrate: 2.04g
Of which sugars: 0.81g
Fat: 2.07g
Of which saturates: 1.23g
Fibre: trace
Sodium: 0.12g

Price:

Vanilla 908g - £23.99 (Amazon)
Strawberry 908g - £35.19 (Amazon)
Orange 908g - £24.45

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