The Masters Athlete Survival Guide
We explore thriving as an athlete after 40. Each episode, we’ll dive into tips, hacks, and inspiring stories from seasoned athletes and our personal experience. Whether you’re a weekend warrior or a competitive pro, this podcast is your playbook for staying fit, strong, and motivated
The Masters Athlete Survival Guide
We Tried 15 Protein Drinks So You Don't Have To
Scott and John conduct an extensive taste test of ready-to-drink protein beverages, sampling over 15 different products to provide honest reviews and insights for athletes looking to supplement their protein intake.
• Tasting proteins from brands including RedCon MRE, Premier Protein, OWYN, Iso Pure, Lean Body, Fair Life, Muscle Milk, and Quest
• Evaluating taste, texture, aftertaste, and overall experience on a scale of 1-10
• Discovering that plant protein options (particularly pea protein) ranked lowest in palatability
• Testing clear and carbonated protein options as alternatives to traditional milky shakes
• Finding Quest Protein Milkshakes (45g protein) ranked highest across all flavors tested
• Comparing protein drinks to protein bars for different usage scenarios and portability
• Discussing the benefits of different protein options for various workout situations
• Noting most products now feature improved taste and minimal sugar compared to older protein drinks
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New episodes come out every other Thursday!
Welcome to the Master's Athlete Survival Guide, where we explore the secrets to thriving in sports after 40. I'm John Catalinas and, along with Scott Fyke, we'll dive into training tips, nutrition hacks and inspiring stories from seasoned athletes who defy age limits. Whether you're a weekend warrior or a competitive pro, this podcast is your playbook for staying fit, strong and motivated. Let's get started.
Speaker 2:And we're back. I'm Scott. You can't hear John because John is now practicing his mime routines. He got jealous when I was at mime camp so he decided to go over. This week he might be joining us. I'm here. I was on the other side of the studio.
Speaker 1:I was like in, like, like you know, down those stairs and across that hallway over there, and oh, by concessions, yeah, yeah, by by the mission, by the, actually by the protein, uh, liquid machine.
Speaker 2:No, yeah, it's funny that you mentioned the protein liquid machine. Yeah, why is that? You know, one of our earlier episodes, john, that really got a lot of traction with folks was when we tried a variety of different protein bars. Do you remember that one?
Speaker 1:oh, I love that one I basically lived off that one for about three days.
Speaker 2:Three days, yeah there wasn't that much.
Speaker 1:Some of those are still in your closet well, that would be the vegan last place one the uh, the pea, protein the pea yeah, no, the pea protein yes.
Speaker 2:So when you and I were training recently, you know we we were rehashing some of the older episodes, and I think one of the things that we talked about was boobies, protein liquids oh yeah, protein liquids. So the market right now in strongman or in fitness is flooded with just protein bars, protein shakes, protein powders, protein, this protein, that protein, ice cream. Everything is being overdone. So we decided to go a little old school. We went back to pre-made protein drinks and we've got probably about 15 to 20 of them sitting in front of us, different flavors, some of them that we've had before, some that I don't think we've ever had, some with some very well-known names, and others that I don't know that I've ever heard of before. So I, uh I would like to start sampling the wares and give our incredibly highly educated, unbiased opinion of them. What do you think?
Speaker 1:well, I I emptied the, the protein shake machine, of everything that they had. Where'd you get all the quarters? Quarters you're adorable old man quarters what runs on quarter. You know what runs on quarters anymore nothing. Video games yeah, no no, old man, not even that. But yeah. So we have a bunch of pre-made protein shakes, although a couple of them are not actually shakes. But we'll get to that. Can I just start where I want to start?
Speaker 2:as they said in the sound of music. Oh, I knew it?
Speaker 1:why did I know this start at the very beginning?
Speaker 2:it's a very good place to start before before.
Speaker 1:Since we're talking about start folks, I'm gonna I want to pull the curtain back a little on aurora studios. Um, my primary goal is to sign a setup, the sound and the recording and scott has very few roles other than sarcasm and I do it well and starting our recording timer, so I know approximately how long a episode goes and it's been.
Speaker 2:Oh, look, there you go three seconds push the button.
Speaker 1:No, okay anyway. So let's start with shake one which is redcon mre protein shake vanilla milkshake with 40 grams of protein, no whey and zero sugar no way I believe isn't this the brian shaw sponsor? I don't remember it was funny because when you said, mre yeah meal ready to eat.
Speaker 1:That's exactly where my brain I think that's considering there's sort of a digital camo thing going on. Um, I think that's sort of what they're kind of getting close to. It says vanilla, it looks banana, it smells like mine smells like not much scott's drinking out of a cup. I'm drinking out of the original container I've got a like a vanilla mix. Oh, now I smell it yeah, a little more like birthday cake maybe.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes yeah, it's got a birthday cake vibe. I would like to set a trigger alert for anybody who's into like quiet swallowing, because you're just gonna have to deal with it. Sorry, um, I don't hate it. It's pretty innocuous. It has absolutely no aftertaste. Um, it does have 40 grams of protein. I'm assuming that's in this whole carton. Uh, I gotta believe I gotta?
Speaker 2:I would think so, and I agree with you on the no aftertaste, which is a huge improvement from when we were younger, john, you know, back in the oh 1860s. Um, it does have more of that vanilla like extract cake batter type of vanilla taste to it yeah, yeah, I, I would.
Speaker 1:I think they misbranded this. I would call this birthday cake, like, considering there's so many protein bars that are called birthday cake, I think they wouldn't hurt anybody by calling it protein no, I would agree with that sorry, I gotta run down to the kitchen for the next one. So one out of ten. I don't know what you think I'm thinking a seven. It's hard early, but All right. So decent protein, right, I mean it's 45 grams is a.
Speaker 1:Do you have your glasses on? It's 40. Do you have your glasses on? I don't know how big that carton is, because I think that they're all similarly sized, though If you've had one they're all kind of that size, all similarly sized, though if you've had one, they're all kind of that size.
Speaker 2:You had one. You had them all. Is that what you're saying? No, no, 16.9 fluid ounces, oh okay 500 milliliters.
Speaker 1:So half a liter. Half a liter I guess, if you're drinking it over the course of a workout or post-workout as a thing, or just as a meal replacement well as a meal replacement.
Speaker 2:That's a decent size protein drink.
Speaker 1:Ladies and gentlemen, again let's pull the curtain back at aurora studios. Um, some of you longtime listeners may know that I held a world record for about a year in a grip event and I compete, uh, I guess, professionally. I guess I'm allowed to call it professional grip. We are professional grip. I am having a hell of a time opening the next one. Oh, I got it. No, I didn't got it. Oh, I got it. All right, that was funny. The next one, scottness, is Premier Protein Indulgence, chocolate Covered Strawberry.
Speaker 1:I know 30 grams of protein, 107 calories. Oh, this has three grams of sugar in it, my friend. So this is not sugar-free. Most of them are going to be sugar-free, this one is not. Oh, it smells, kind of it smells off I'm not a huge fan of the smell.
Speaker 2:Well, it's not a positive for me.
Speaker 1:Um fake strawberry. Definitely like like Frankenberry cereal. Oh yeah, um, very fake strawberry. I don't get a lot of chocolate.
Speaker 2:It's sort of like if you're making chocolate milk with Nestle's quick or with, like, the Hershey syrup, and it's the very bottom of the jar and you get just that little bit of chocolate in there. So it it has a hint, but that's about it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's more fake strawberry than anything and I am not a fan. I am not a fan. It's a little smaller bottle. It does. This is what is this? This is 11 and a half fluid ounces. 30 grams of protein Premier protein. I give it a. It's not disgusting, so I'm going to give it like a three, all right. I can accept that, can you? That's good, all right, I got to run back to the kitchen. Hold on, oh my God, so many stairs. What do you got for us? Can you pick?
Speaker 2:one. I can't read these things. You have glasses. What do you got for us? You pick one. I can't read these things. You have glasses. Oh and yeah, but I've got no light over here. You're hogging all the light in the studio.
Speaker 1:I'm hogging all the light. I'm hogging the light.
Speaker 2:In the words of man for man. He is blinded by the light, by the light through the modern marvels of recording. I turned the light on uh-oh john, uh-oh, own protein, own what you need only what you need.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's what the o-w-y-d stands for better known as o-w-y-n.
Speaker 2:Thank you, oh sorry, only what you deserve. That's where I was going 12 fluid ounces, 32 grams of vanilla protein. Okay, zero grams of sugar.
Speaker 1:Good well, what? Why? What's the trepidation? I feel trepidation. I'm hearing trepidation in your voice.
Speaker 2:Oh god yeah six different covers on this thing.
Speaker 1:Oh, I know I know that I blame that tylenol guy back in the 80s, but you know these were shrunk, wrap, capped, and uh, then there's like a foil thing do not look at the bottle just take a drink smell and a drink smell oh, oh, ah, is this pee? Take a, take a drink, I will. Oh god, it's horrible, it smells, ah, it smells horrible. Oh dude, there has got to be better ways for vegetarians and vegans to get their protein in, because don't, don't do this to yourself, oh, plant protein yay and yes.
Speaker 2:For the record, I just dumped mine into the uh, the porcelain sink that we have close to us yeah it. Um, I didn't even give it a taste.
Speaker 1:So, john, please, give us a rating. Oh, that's a, that's a zero. Honestly, we can't go negative. We are scientists. Negative is 37. I mean, this is, I don't know. Maybe you know I will be open-minded. Maybe the vegan slash, vegetarian palette is different, but this all right. So here's the story. A lovely lady all right. So here's the story. When I went out to a lovely lady, went out to dinner one evening with friends and karen and, uh, you know leftovers, as one does. Uh included, uh, brussels sprouts, which left some brussels sprouts accidentally in the car. The smell of the car is the taste of this. Oh, don't, don't do this to yourself. I swear there's got to be better ways to do plant-based protein. This is not. It, wait, wait, it's got 200 calories in this bottle, why?
Speaker 2:I don't know, there might be a fat count oh there's a lot of fiber.
Speaker 1:There's a lot of fiber. I don't know there's a lot of fiber, I don't know. There's a lot of fiber, a lot of fiber, a lot of iron, a lot of gross. All right, folks, we're going to move on and cleanse the palate a little bit here. Can we move on? Because?
Speaker 2:I've got to set this down. So we are going to go into our first non-cream pre-made protein drink.
Speaker 1:Oh, this is one of those clear ones.
Speaker 2:It's one of the clear ones.
Speaker 1:It's called.
Speaker 2:Iso Pure. This is the grape frost flavor Zero carbs. 16 fluid ounces says 32 grams of protein.
Speaker 1:Oh, so we're going to give this to you. I don't know if you've noticed. I have noticed Like these ready-made shakes have a lot, of, a lot of protein. It's a quick way to get a lot of protein in these things. I had to get a cup for scott.
Speaker 2:He's pouring, he's handing um oh, that's got a solid like oh no, grape frost oh, popsicle smell.
Speaker 1:You freaked me out there for a minute. I'm like what? No sugar.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no sugar at all, no carbs. Oh, that's not bad, a little chemical, not horribly chemical A little aftertaste to it, yeah, but I think what it has is and I said it for the smell. It smells like those purple freezy pops when you were a kid oh, yeah, you know, I bet ice cold.
Speaker 1:This would probably be much like not much better, but a lot better. Um, I definitely can see this is the kind of thing you would chug, either intro workout or post workout. Yeah, as soon as you're done with something. Yeah, because this is not going to hit your stomach. You could drink, you could sip on this as you were performing a sport. I don't know Pickleball, thank you. Thank you. I didn't want to always say it myself, but yeah, no, honestly, this is much lighter. You know, the one thing we didn't really do is pay attention to price, but they're all kind of similar, honestly, they're all in that depending could be anywhere from the high twos to the mid fours.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I think that's true, john is still cleansing his palate from the yeah, oh, yeah, the own protein.
Speaker 1:Yeah, clearly I am not a pea protein kind of home boy. Home boy, oh, I dropped the cups. Yeah, I know. Okay, so I want you know a lot of these come in vanilla. I think it's just the easiest Is that it it's like sort of like the most generic everybody might buy, kind of thing, Scott's got coffee cough everybody. There you go.
Speaker 2:I'm sorry.
Speaker 1:We're in a different room of Aurora Studios today and we don't have a cough button, so I am looking at.
Speaker 2:What is that?
Speaker 1:What's the name? No, I'm trying to read the small print first. 17 fluid ounces it is lean body. Vanilla it is 40 grams of protein, zero grams of sugar okay yeah uh. Where do all the calories come from? This thing has got 270 calories in 17 ounces proteins and fat I guess a reasonable amount of sodium, which you know, might not be the worst thing again, that's not the bad, that's a good thing.
Speaker 2:When you're lifting, you want that sodium, which you know might not be the worst thing. Again, that's not the bad, that's a good thing. When you're lifting, you want that sodium in you to serve electrolytes.
Speaker 1:There's a whole lot. They also list the whole laundry list of uh, uh. You know, like the vitamins and minerals, I'm pouring way too much for scott to have to drink well, on an upcoming episode we will have an actual doctor, not a uh fake doctor like me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we will have an actual doctor, not a uh fake doctor like me. Yeah, we will have an actual doctor that we can talk to some about some of that with the. You know why we want the sodium, why we want some of those other.
Speaker 1:Can I ask him why I want the molybdenum? Because that's in here riboflavin. Riboflavin makes me think of like a breakfast cereal from the 70s oh yeah yeah, all right, here we go.
Speaker 2:Uh, lean body vanilla not a big fan of the smell. Why?
Speaker 1:people you chose another veggie protein, one didn't know, not on purpose, I hope, here we go that's a protein drink from when we were kids. I don't know what that means, since a protein drink when I was kid was tang. But um, there's no protein, there's no tang in protein. Um, I don't know what you mean by that, but I get it. It does have a retro, like we just figured out how to make vanilla flavored things that's exactly I'm going at.
Speaker 2:That sort of old school, yeah, big aftertaste sort of leaves in your mouth, not horrible.
Speaker 1:I mean 40 grams of protein, it works. Um, I mean and I applaud this one I mean, they talk as much about it being recyclable, the container is everything. So I mean, there's that, that's nice. Thanks, uh, I, I don't hate it, it's a five, it's, it's fine. You got a number for this one 4.637. Oh, the russian judge oh, I gotta hang on.
Speaker 2:I am sort of I'm running downstairs again waiting time here because we ran out of cups, so John has to go to the other floor of the studio. Our next is Premier Protein from their quote bake shop. This is with nutrients for immune health support 30 grams of protein, 116 calories, 1 gram of sugar, 24 vitamins and minerals. And yes, ladies and gentlemen, you guessed it, this is cookie dough flavor. Who?
Speaker 1:guessed that I did. Oh, I was going to say who would guess that? Because I was holding it. Oh, how do you feel about cookie dough flavor?
Speaker 2:I was never a cookie dough fan growing up Liked cookie dough when I could eat such stuff.
Speaker 1:Yeah, cookie dough, yeah, when I could eat such stuff, yeah, but if you, uh, if you go back in my facebook like five years, six, seven years, maybe let's go seven years. There was a time where I bought a tub of cookie dough from sam's club, took you what? 13 minutes to eat it no, but it probably took, uh, four days for way too much. Yeah, all right anyway.
Speaker 2:Well, I guess I have a question have you ever bought like cereal marshmallows?
Speaker 1:I have not bought them if you want to be that way? I have not bought them. Have you ever received them?
Speaker 1:have I ever been gifted them? Absolutely do. I still own, whatever it is, eight pounds of cereal marshmallows I do. Shout out to tim mullally. Shout out to tim um, yeah, I do, and I don't know what to do about them. And now, because I'm a psychopath, uh, with the 20 year old brownie and these, what did I decide? 17 year old m&ms that I own, that now they're like, they're getting to be like vintage food you should make cookies and give them out to your friends, except me, because I'm not your friend.
Speaker 1:Those dark chocolate M&M's that were part of the promotion for Revenge of the Sith. Maybe One of those Are worth $100 on eBay. Sell them. Yeah, I was thinking that's my retirement plan. All right, cheers everybody. Oh, smell this? No, I have, I'm here. Why would I smell yours? Weirdo, keep yours to yourself. This, this. To me the smell is pretty innocuous, but the taste is. If they made like a cookie dough, is if they made like a cookie dough liquor, yes, 100. Like if you had like like a liqueur or something, yeah, like a cookie dough liqueur. Um, because it is a little alcoholy. That's not the right word, but it's. It's not unpleasant, don't get me wrong. It doesn't burn like alcohol, it just has that like.
Speaker 2:If you've ever had, like I don't know, bourbon cream, peanut butter, whiskey, any of those flavored kind of things it's funny that you go there, because I was just thinking I wish I knew somebody that made a good bourbon cream yeah and we mix the rest of this with that. Oh, that'd be delicious. Oh, don't look over your shoulder, because, because we're in this studio.
Speaker 1:This is where my bourbon collection is. Don't look over your shoulder because, because we're in this studio, this is where my bourbon collection is.
Speaker 2:Don't look over your shoulder oh, I know exactly where the bourbon collection.
Speaker 1:I know uh, I'm gonna pick one. I picked kind of a this, this one's kind of a cheat code, because I picked fair life 30 grams of protein chocolate, chocolate flavor. So I will tell you folks, my girlfriend, karen is a wizard in the kitchen and the one thing she owns is a Ninja Creamy. And if you're not familiar with a Ninja Creamy, it is the home version of a commercial product that basically makes almost instant ice cream. I forget the name of the commercial one, but it's super expensive. Uh, a blade spins at hundreds of rpms to basically cream, hence the ninja creamy part. Um, like chilled liquids, and you can make a bunch of stuff and karen often will make a high protein ice cream ish thing from fairlife. I uh, I'm a huge fan. I uh, I actually am waiting for scott's opinion on this and I, uh, I didn't actually give him a glass of it. Have you had? Have you had that?
Speaker 2:I've heard of it. I've never had it fairly nutrition plan 30 grams of high quality protein. Yeah, does that say 12 grams of sugar? I? Don't think so is it?
Speaker 1:let's check the check, the calorie count. That's usually a giveaway 150, oh geez, maybe no it's a two. Oh okay, I was gonna. I try to avoid the sugary things. Yeah, that's what threw me a little bit there it might just be the high protein is where a lot of this caloric count comes from, but I'm a fan of this. I'm cheating because I'm a fan of this. Cheers.
Speaker 2:It's got a real chocolate smell to it cheers.
Speaker 1:It's got a real chocolate smell to it. Yeah, I think this is to me, this is low quality.
Speaker 2:Melted chocolate, custard ice cream. Yeah, I, I would. I would concur with that.
Speaker 1:I would probably give this a seven to an eight yeah, it's, it's good it's not, you know, I think a seven, I think an eight's, getting carried away, and I think why you want to go that high is because it's pretty innocuous. It kind of tastes like average chocolate milk, right like not astounding chocolate milk, but fine chocolate milk. But when you wrap in the fact that it's got 30 grams of protein, it's pretty drinkable.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I think it's one of the better ones Thus far. Yeah. Oh my God, if we had gone from pea protein to this, I may have exploded. You pick one, Scott.
Speaker 2:We're going to go true old school here with muscle milk protein. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, true old school here with muscle milk protein. Yeah, yeah, you know, and I'd like. So scott and I went our own ways and and bought some from the machine and I had forgotten to actually consider muscle milk. I, you know, scott, when you, when you brought up the fact that we should taste protein drinks for half a second I thought, oh okay, we'll just get things of protein powder. Have you been to the local grocery store, vitamin store lately and looked at the protein powder selection?
Speaker 2:Selection and price. Yeah, that stuff might be as pricey as gold right now.
Speaker 1:But all right. So I was in my local vitamin shoppy the other day. Shoppy and another person walked in to pick up their order that they made online. They bought a 30-pound bag of protein powder 50 bucks, 50 bucks, it was probably 200 bucks.
Speaker 2:Oh snap, grandpa. I have a question. I'm looking for my light so I can see things. Small print says this is 11 fluid ounces. It is 9 carbs, 5 of them being fiber. Only 1 gram of sugar, 2 grams of fat, 170 calories. This is the part where we should say something, I'm boring.
Speaker 1:At least you said something we're going. Sorry, I had to run a studio c to get a uh container over to Jonathan. Thanks brother, I got your flashlight. I appreciate that.
Speaker 2:This more chocolatey but more chemical chocolatey smell.
Speaker 1:Oh, okay, it's a smaller. This is 11 fluid ounces. What was similar? Similar container.
Speaker 2:And we're back to old school, is it?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm not necessarily sure I know exactly what you mean by old school, but I get it. It's not super chemical, but it definitely hasn't figured out how to not taste like something that's manufactured. It's got an aftertaste and that's just. Oh, maybe that's it. Maybe it got an aftertaste and that's just oh maybe that's it. Maybe it's the aftertaste that gives it away.
Speaker 2:That, to me, is where why I say old school okay it's got 16 vitamins and minerals.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't know what that means. I don't think you should be getting your vitamins and minerals from a protein drink.
Speaker 2:It's not the 24 yeah right.
Speaker 1:The other one, yeah right. Where am I getting my molybdenum from? But do you have? Riboflavin everybody's got riboflavin. I wish someone would. I wish someone would comment wasn't there a cereal that, like, touted the fact that it had riboflavin in it?
Speaker 2:great, now I'm gonna think yeah three o'clock in the morning.
Speaker 1:You're gonna wake up and be like, oh my god, it was this. All right, you pour. Oh boy, all right, brother, we're going with raw. Apparently this is raw, raw protein shake, ready to drink. Chocolate milkshake 12 fluid ounces, 30 grams of protein, 160 calories. It is labeled for Sport and labeled for protein. That's always exciting. I don't know, it's riboflavin Count, sorry.
Speaker 2:And yes, ladies and gentlemen, riboflavin, the cereal with the most Of it yeah. Kellogg's Corn Flakes.
Speaker 1:There you go. We could do a whole episode On how Corn Fl flakes was like uh, wasn't corn flakes? They're great, that's frosted flakes you dope. Corn flakes were corn flakes. I believe were invented as a way to curb your sexual hysteria. I think that's true. I don't think I made that up. I want to feel like I made that up, but I don't think I did.
Speaker 2:I feel like the moral words of the meme running rampant with the little boy in a high chair. A bullshit.
Speaker 1:You know what. You claim to be an educator. I am an educator, okay? Well, you look up that fact. And when you find out that Kellogg started that for just that reason You're going to be drinking protein and eating crow, brother here, pour yourself some protein. Wow, we have a lot of protein. Good thing I don't have to go hang out with a crowd later and probably have protein gaseous emissions all evening. Gaspadania, nastrovia.
Speaker 2:Nastrovia.
Speaker 1:What do?
Speaker 2:Propst.
Speaker 1:I was gonna say slantia, is that Irish? Yeah, okay, thanks for that, I guess.
Speaker 2:I like the chocolate smell of this a lot better. So far, to me, this is the most chocolate smelling one.
Speaker 1:Okay, the smell's great. Use it as an air freshener.
Speaker 2:I haven't tasted mine yet. With that reaction, folks, I think I'm going to pass.
Speaker 1:No, it's great, Enjoy it. Oh, scott's making a face, or maybe that's just Scott's face, I can't tell. That may be the weirdest chocolate I've ever tasted. It's weird. Yeah, that's it. It's not bad. It's not bad. It's not bad. No, it's not. It's not pea protein no, and we're also. We're suffering a little from this whole spectrum of protein shakes. We're doing right like if you drank this without anything to compare to it. It might be better. But oh, it's weird yeah it's um I give this a four. I.
Speaker 2:I can live with that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't think it does better than a four. This smells odd.
Speaker 2:Where do?
Speaker 1:you want to go next? Let's go with the clear one, oh, okay.
Speaker 2:How about the one in the can?
Speaker 1:Oh, there's one in the can I think this one's carbonated. I get to read oh yeah, this is going to go well, this is clear protein. You know what the flavor is Prickly pear.
Speaker 2:You bought it, I know that's all I got to say, I got to tell you.
Speaker 1:So I was at a conference inrizona once and they had prickly pear margaritas.
Speaker 2:That's delicious we had prickly pear and jalapeno flavored rain once remember that oh my god, I'm thinking rain.
Speaker 1:It rained prickly pear at your house. Where do you, where do you live? Oh, yeah, yeah, sorry, yeah, okay. No, I actually don't remember that.
Speaker 2:Was that one of the it was one of the early arnold's. It might have been your first of 26 energy, you know you don't.
Speaker 1:You don't even have to exaggerate, because the first arnold I went to what did?
Speaker 2:I have in one day nine, nine of them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so let's say they had 200 average 1,800 milligrams of caffeine in a span of not long enough, Probably just five, six hours. Oh my gosh. And I live to tell the tale. All right. So this is. I think the brand is called Clear Protein. The flavor is prickly pear, as we've spoken of. It has 20 grams of grass-fed protein of grass-fed protein. I hope that just means it's grass-fed like that's beef baby, lactose-free, no artificial ingredients.
Speaker 1:Uh, gentle, on digestion, clearly superior. The can says it's clearly superior. Has 90 calories. I don't know anything about its riboflavin. Um, do you remember that old beer commercial for bush? I guess you do taste of the mountains. There you go. It's clear, it is absolutely clear, 100 clear. It is sparkly. It's sparkly, it's definitely carbonate. That smells like a banana. You're a banana. Yeah, it does smell like a banana, thank you, no you're not wrong but you're implying that I'm not right either.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, that's not bad, but it's. Yeah, that's what your face just said. No, it it coats, the mouth and the tongue, right, yeah, yeah it has almost like the the cream protein drink type of approach. I wonder if that's a deal and I wonder if that's why the early protein drinks are creamy. Is that protein has the the qualities of this weird creamy? Because this is not creamy, it's. It's clear and sparkling it's sparkle liquidity?
Speaker 2:yeah, but it, it's like that educating word, this you know honestly, though, it's not so bad.
Speaker 1:I give it maybe a five or six, but what I will say, I'd go with six. This is another one of those ones that I feel like you could drink in the middle of a workout and not get all bloated and yucky. You pick one, I pick one Prickly pear. I didn't hate it, I didn't.
Speaker 2:This brand is a brand that is actually sold by Amway. It is 25 grams of protein, gluten-free sports protein shake XS is the name on it. It is vanilla cream flavored 170 calories, 5 grams of carb, 4 of them being fiber, Only 1 gram of sugar. That's cool. We'll give her a try.
Speaker 1:Want a cup. It would be helpful. Would you like it to be a Red Solo cup? You fill me up RIP? What is that? 25 grams of protein? Oh, gluten. Yes, sir. Gluten-free, that matters to people Rebound faster, okay. Grams of protein, oh gluten.
Speaker 2:Yes, sir, gluten-free. That matters to people. Um, rebound faster. Okay, I will tell you that these are warm and these are ones that my wife tends to drink daily. They are night and day difference.
Speaker 1:Better cold I don't think it's bad I'm trying to categorize the kind of vanilla. It's like french vanilla yes, if that makes sense they don't call it vanilla french vanilla but I would call it vanilla creme. Yeah, oh, with an, though there is an accent on the e, so it is called an umlaut. That's not an umlaut, that's's the dots, you dummy. Seriously, I'm going to have to see your doctorate because I don't know what it's in. I feel like it's in like Super Mario Kart or something Space Invaders.
Speaker 2:Yeah, this isn't so bad. No, gene will drink a couple of these a day. They come in chocolate and vanilla and she cold she absolutely loves them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, this is good. Like I said, I think if they had called it french vanilla, I would have been a little less surprised by the uh, the flavor. But no, it's just a solid drink. How big is this? I think they're all somewhere between 11 and 12 ounces too. It seems like I, I, um, I like this one too. Nothing about riboflavin.
Speaker 1:All right Back to Premier Protein 30 grams of protein, 160 calories, is Premier Protein. The one we did that was cookies and cream. Yes, so they have the more exotic flavors they do All right.
Speaker 2:And this one now. Depending on your level of being an aristocrat, you can say caramel or carmel, and I know with John it's carmel by the sea. I don't know.
Speaker 1:Is there a correct way? I?
Speaker 2:don't know what there is. I honestly don't know.
Speaker 1:Again, what's your doctrine in?
Speaker 2:Not pronouncing words.
Speaker 1:Yeah, obviously I don't even think we said pronouncing correctly?
Speaker 2:No, I didn't. This one does have selenium in it as well as magnesium. Oh, and it's got your molybdenum.
Speaker 1:Yes, oh, that's because the cookies and cream.
Speaker 2:one did too, trying to see if there's riboflavin in it. John, I'm sorry.
Speaker 1:I'm afraid to tell you it doesn't look like there is riboflavin. Trying to see if there's riboflavin and, john, I'm sorry, I'm afraid to tell you it doesn't look like there is riboflavin. I'm not going to lie because I'm such a nerd. I am going to look up what riboflavin is after this, because I honestly don't know. But I'm sure it's something. How many grams of protein in this deliciousness? 30. Oh, okay, and the flavor is Caramel. Yeah where. 30? Oh okay, and the flavor is caramel, yeah. Where does it say that?
Speaker 2:oh, there it is the giant hunk of caramel on the front. Well, yeah, it kind of gives it away.
Speaker 1:But could have been brick flavor. What?
Speaker 2:do? I know this has the same smell as the cookie to one that we tried before this one tastes similar to the like.
Speaker 1:I honestly feel they're trying to influence us by the picture on the front. This is not that dissimilar I.
Speaker 2:I think there might be just to use an old word, a skosh is that a an old word? Well, I just said it wasn't. I'm a doctor, so but I think it does have just a hint of caramel taste to it. Yeah, it does, but it's not so distinctively different from the cookie dough one that I would say oh yeah, that's a complete different.
Speaker 1:Yeah, which is weird, but not bad. No, not bad at all. I would give that. I think I might give all the not bad ones like a five or a six. So you know, really, I think there's only it's like bad. Okay, and good is really what we should be going with what's that?
Speaker 2:one I you would expect. I mean, you look at it and it says protein 2-0. Yeah, does that mean it's protein water? I'm guessing. Yeah, but my brain wants to see protein O2. Oh Okay, protein hydration drink. Oh cool, this is one of the ones that I grabbed today Mixed berry with electrolytes.
Speaker 1:Oh, so this doesn't really completely fit in this category, I guess.
Speaker 2:I guess it does, but this doesn't really completely fit in this category? I guess I guess it does, but it doesn't now a true warning, with this one. It is 90 calories. It is one of the clear ones, like I said, 20 grams of protein. It has eight carbs, but it's zero added sugar, zero sugar, but there are five grams of sugar alcohol oh yeah, that's a good warning.
Speaker 1:Gotta be careful. How are you with sugar alcohols? I can tell you from the early atkins days that, like I'd be fine, I'd be fine, I would be fine, and then I would be very not fine sugar alcohols don't bother me at all, oh I am lucky with that yeah, because I, uh, I have some, let's, gastro issues. Yeah, I was gonna say gastric distress, cheers it's lunch lunches. Scott has his, oh, scott has his eyes closed. This is, we're hurting ourselves by switching from like caramel milk to berries juice it.
Speaker 2:There's a taste that lingers. I wouldn't necessarily call it an aftertaste, because it just it sits there and it just it's like it keeps going.
Speaker 1:It's not bad, it's kind of blue. I would say it's very blueberry centric, even though it says it's mixed berry. It's not bad, it's kind of blue. I would say it's very blueberry-centric even though it says it's mixed berry, it's not blue, though it's purple. Oh no, you don't think the color comes from blueberries. How weird you think they may have, although this is probably one of those reds they're about to.
Speaker 2:Red dye number 614.
Speaker 1:Yeah that they're about to ban. It's a five, it's a six, it's another one. It's one of those ones that you could drink during a workout.
Speaker 2:to me, that's four compared to the sparkling prickly pear one, which I would have gone five with okay, I don't think you're wrong with that.
Speaker 1:This, this feels more chemical. I mean, they both are, but this feels more oh, oh, my god, I just had a thought yeah, you wouldn't want to do that episode, though I really kind of want to do like an energy drink episode, but I really don't we can do an energy drink episode, however, no however, we are going to strictly ration how much of those we drink.
Speaker 2:Yeah, plus, we should do it like let's, let's not at the studio.
Speaker 1:Yeah plus, we should do it like let's let's not at the studio, yeah, or let's record at like eight in the morning, so maybe I can sleep that night yeah, all right.
Speaker 2:Ladies and gentlemen, john and I have been playing coy a little bit. Part of this goes to when we were at I think think it was the Olympia we had. We're walking around and we saw Quest protein drinks and we'd all heard of them. You know the Quest bars. They were a big part of our original taste test and whatnot, but they introduced us to the Quest milkshake protein drinks and that's what we're we're sort of saving for the end and that's what we've got left for. We've got three different flavors. If I can read that far across the studio, it looks like we have chocolate, vanilla and strawberry.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm opening, so it's kind of like a neapolitan ice cream of milkshakes, I decided to open chocolate, just so we were sort of doing an apples to apples kind of thing.
Speaker 2:All right. So Quest just came out with these. What about a year ago? Maybe a year and a half ago?
Speaker 1:I don't know Whenever we were at the Olympias when they were introducing them. So yeah, that sounds about right. Snack like a genius Snack, like a genius snack, like a genius this is what melted chocolate should smell like oh yeah, well, okay, the uh master's athlete survival guide fully, wholly endorses the use of quest protein milkshakes in your training regimen, at 45 grams of complete protein and utter deliciousness.
Speaker 2:Yeah, this was a 10 dude yeah.
Speaker 1:This was a 10.
Speaker 2:This was full on pre-made chocolate milk with protein. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:This is the yeah Wow. You know I knew these were good and we kind of saved it to the end because we knew they were good. But now that we've run kind of the gamut, do you want to do a different flavor, since we're indulging?
Speaker 2:We're doing all three flavors.
Speaker 1:Oh, look at that, we're doing all three flavors. We got chocolate, vanilla and strawberry, the Apollo Ice Cream.
Speaker 2:This, this is great. This, this is this. Is it? This is this? Is it? Now the thing with these 230 calories? So a few more calories in these, but they are 14 ounces, so a little less than a half a liter. Four grams of fat, which, when you're working out, is not a bad thing to get into diet. Yes, there's some sodium in there, which we talked about already for carbs. Two of them are sugar, but not added sugar, which you know. There's a huge distinction there, because added sugar is when you get into that corn syrup and all that. Oh yeah, good point. So you know, whereas we do endorse these drinks, we don't endorse high fructose corn syrup.
Speaker 1:Dude, these are 45 grams of protein in 14 ounces. I mean Yep. These are 45 grams of protein in uh 14 ounces. I mean yep, if you're, if you're chasing that, what is it? Gram of protein per pound of body weight I need. What about 12 of these?
Speaker 1:well, 50, but I mean you were seriously where I was gonna go with this in a non-combative way was this is an excellent way to supplement your protein intake. Um, I can't think of a, and I like a lot of the powders. I can't think of a powder that tastes that good. Now, I mean, the powders are far more economical. Right, I mean four dollars a powder versus four dollars. You know a drink? Where are you getting protein powder for $4? Well, I mean a serving Like this serving of protein powder. What oh Scott gave me like the look of love people. We've moved on to the strawberry quest.
Speaker 2:Go ahead and give it a smell.
Speaker 1:For all you Frankenberry fans out out there. You might as well, you know, if you just pulled a book, if you poured a bowl of cheerios with this stuff. I might as well be sitting in front of the tv on saturday morning watching, uh, the jetsons and woody woodpecker is what he would. I think woody woodpecker is older than us oh yeah yeah he was in the 60s, was he? It's funny, I kind of lump him in, I think you were born in the 60s, weren't you?
Speaker 1:Yeah, but I wasn't watching cartoons as a baby, as far as I know. Maybe I was. That might explain some things. Heckle and Jekyll come to mind.
Speaker 2:Oh, tom and Jerry. Tom and Jerry, tom and jerry used to crush each other. Yeah, so we've been drinking not much you know mouthful maybe, with each of these.
Speaker 1:John is next to me finishing the bottle. This is really good out. This one's, you know, because here's the thing let's define really good. The smell is acceptable. The taste and mouth feel are not abhorrent, right, it tastes like a strawberry milk liquid um and again, these are warm folks we have, yeah I mean, they're not super cold for sure. Uh, it doesn't leave a weird aftertaste. Yeah, I, I think.
Speaker 2:I think it's as much what it doesn't do as what it does that makes them tasty and I think part of this, john, is when you think about the, the smell, and you said the smell is not horrible, put it in perspective to the smell of all of the others yeah, yeah, yeah thus far, it is light years ahead yeah, I suspect if you put this into like a strawberry milk container, that nobody that wasn't chasing 45 grams of protein would would object to it at all.
Speaker 1:I don't know how to open stuff, scott. Last one, brother. Last one, last one, best one, this where have I heard that? This would be the quest vanilla.
Speaker 2:So this is just gratuitous protein drinking at this point so what was funny was when we were at the Olimpo. Well, john is the. Olimpo the Olimpo. It's the Oompa Loompa version of the Olympia.
Speaker 1:Oh, is that why I had to wear those weird shoes? Okay, yes.
Speaker 2:So when we were there, what was funny was that they, you know, I told them yeah, we use this, we try this, and they're giving out little. You know, I told them yeah, we use this, we try this, and they're giving out little. You know, those little taster shot glass size things. The lady goes, come here and she hands us full size bars of the explosion bars and one full size container of each of these.
Speaker 1:I don't know if she's being nice or if we just look pathetic. I feel like it's the latter I don't care. No, I think it was the latter. I think we look pathetic. I'm excited for this. I wonder how many grams of protein we've taken in. I don't even think I have to work out tomorrow?
Speaker 2:Oh, you do, because we're going rock lifting I know.
Speaker 1:Again, pick your favorite flavor of Quest Protein Milkshake, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry. I don't actually think there's other flavors at this point.
Speaker 2:I think this is it. This is all I found while researching Same thing. I mean, these are light year different than the other ones. We had some very good ones with the other ones. To me these three were the best and it um, I think cold they would be very good, like bordering on exceptional uh quest.
Speaker 1:We do have sponsorships available um reach out. Contact me. Thanks, uh. Unlike uh, here we go unlike cheetos, I'm a gram.
Speaker 2:We want them to be a sponsor. Wait what? No, we want quest to be a sponsor. Yeah, we need clarity, clarity.
Speaker 1:You know, I think when you get your phd in something, they teach you clarity in your words and deeds. No, it's baffle them with bullshit. Oh, that's why I never got my phd, because I'm such a straightforward, honest human being and you're just full of shit. And there's that too.
Speaker 2:I think that's it for liquids, my friend I think we have enough protein for the weekend maybe.
Speaker 1:Oh, there's a thought, oh. So I just had a flash to like the disgusting college thing where you take all the alcohol and you pour it in a cooler and you shake it up and you drink it like I'm not going to some people call it like jungle juice or something along those lines. I wonder if we can make jungle protein.
Speaker 2:Scott has given me a look that says uh no it's not quite what the look says, but you get the idea all right, so we will not be mixing these all together and trying them all right, john. A couple of questions to wrap us up. Yes, sir, thoughts overall on protein drinks versus protein bars. Um, now that we've done both, yeah, that's that.
Speaker 1:That's an excellent question. I know I have a phd. Yeah, good point. I mean, protein bars are more portable, like right now. In my work computer bag I have two that are just sitting there waiting for me being trapped somewhere and hungry um in hungry or being hungry, all the hungries um, so I mean there's that, the other. The other, if you think of the caveat we've said with a lot of these, is a lot of these need to be served cold, or we suspect would be a lot better like very cold for the drinks.
Speaker 1:I would agree with that yeah, so that sort of limits you to in a fridge, in a cooler, that kind of thing all right, think workout.
Speaker 2:Whatever your workout is, whether it's weight training, it's a cardio type of thing, you're, you're playing pickleball, you're bowling, you're whatever yeah so you have the ability for fluid to be cold. Yeah, okay. So would you rather reach for some sort of a protein drink or grab some sort of a protein snack slash bar?
Speaker 1:I think these they're definitely not pre-workout because I would feel sluggish and bloated-ish, I think, because right now I feel a little bloaty the clear ones I wouldn't mind sipping on during a workout. I think these are a good. You know, 15 minutes after a workout, when you kind of get like walloped with man, I'm starving. I think that there's a good place for that starving. Uh, I think that there's a good place for that again.
Speaker 2:And then the other thing is just, you know, if you're suffering from trying to get in 200 grams of protein a day, these are a good shortcut that was the way that I was going to go personally is that we've gotten to the point now with protein drinks, because they really are becoming less of a niche market and the taste is becoming more mainstream with them. I think this is a lot of people's go-to. I mean, I shared earlier you know, jean, she gets up in the morning, she does what she has to do in the morning with you know, the animals and everything else, and she'll grab a couple of these and this is how she starts her day, just so you know uh, jean a vet, not Snow White.
Speaker 1:It's not like she goes out in the backyard and puts out her finger, has a bluebird land on it. Jean's the real doctor in the family. Yeah, she actually is the real doctor. I should admit that I actually use protein drinks in my daily life. Now I make cold brew coffee and I use the fair life vanilla as the creamer or base. So that makes like a hypercharged proteiny, overly caffeinated.
Speaker 2:Good morning john kind of drink, big fan john has enough pro or uh, overcharged tingly in his life. We, we know no, no, no, no. I worry what an overcharged tingly in his life. We know, no, no.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:No.
Speaker 1:I worry what an overcharged tingly is. I'm looking forward to the energy drink episode.
Speaker 2:I am.
Speaker 1:I mean we might, as you know, we should probably bring guests in, for that it might be safer. Yeah, because that's what I mean, I think you know, because in case one of us goes off, the other ones can drive the hospital.
Speaker 2:Oh, I thought you meant have them do it, you know. Oh just like I guess my question is does the Master's Athlete Survival Guide have an institutional review board? Bring in test subjects For human subjects, yeah.
Speaker 1:I think we're good. I think we fall under some caveat of we're just citizen scientists. Yeah, that's it. Yeah, if you want to volunteer to be, uh, overly caffeinated here in aurora studios, you know, reach out. Wow, wow, that's. That's dark. That is a dark way to finish this. I'm still scott. Are we finished this? No, we're not finished this.
Speaker 2:We're not finished this no, I had, I'm not scott. Sorry, he's not scott yet we have one.
Speaker 1:I have one question to you, scott. What's your question? Did you have a favorite? Would you drink one of these? I mean, you talked about Gene drinking them. I talked about I use them. Are they your thing?
Speaker 2:I do actually use them quite frequently. Okay, the excess ones, like I said, we have them in the house and if I'm in a pinch I'll grab those. I do like using the Quest ones and I'm a big fan of those because, for me, because of the diet that I have to follow, I really take a lot of protein in, and this is a simple way to do it. I mean 45 grams and what? 13 ounces, 14 ounces? That's a no brainer to me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and again, if you have some disposable cash and a sweet tooth, look up the ninja creamy and what you can do with one of those uh, delicious quest milkshakes, because it's astounding, honestly astounding, scott, astounding now now you can do it. Who are you? I'm john, and I'm still scott.
Speaker 2:I don't think we mentioned cheetos enough. They're not a sponsor. Why are we fair enough? Thanks a lot, folks, for joining us. Then for another episode, if you have something that we didn't try and you think we should, please let us know, send it in the comments, or you can write us at masters athlete survival guide on instagram. Yeah, yes, talk to you later.
Speaker 1:Bye thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode and you'd like to help support the podcast, please share it with others, post it on your social media or leave a review. To catch all the latest from us, you can follow us on instagram at masters athlete survival guide. Thanks again. Now get off our lawn, you damn kids.