Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey Muscle Building and Recovery Protein Powder With Naturally Occurring Glutamine and Amino Acids, Extreme Milk Chocolate, 71 Servings, 2.27kg, Packaging May Vary

Effects on training: I ran out of whey powder before I bought this tub on Amazon. I have trained several periods in the last years with and without whey protein (replaced shakes with natural protein sources). I personally like the quick absorption of Optimum Nutrition Whey, the flexibility and creativity it adds to my day-to-day activities and the quality of the product. I have barely any other option to quickly get a protein amount while I am juggling my job, my workouts and my friends. I personally think this whey protein has good effects on my training. (I have gained about 10 lbs of muscle mass in the last 12 months of training - 4 day split). I run 2-3 times a week (approx. 30 minutes). TASTE: I have tried several brands before I discovered Optimum Nutrition. I prefer the Milk CHOCOLATE taste and it really does taste like chocolate. There are sweeteners in this whey but you can't really taste them. Mixing with WATER: Using a SMART SHAKER (tm) - mixes OK with water, there are no lumps and the process is quick. However the TASTE changes a bit if you are using the Milk CHOCOLATE with water only. If you have further questions please do not hesitate to contact me. Mixing with MILK (low-fat 0.3% milk): Using a SMART SHAKER - mixes really well, taste is excellent. No lumps or issues. If you shake it hard enough there will be a little bit of "foam" on top of your shake which is good. Mixing with fruit juice: I have tried MINUTE MAID Orange Juice - mixing was no problem but I personally didn't like the chocolate/orange taste (but I also don't like this combination in chocolate, others love it - just try it out!) Mixing/Combining with Quaker Oats (oatmeal/porridge): ON Double Rich Chocolate with oatmeal adds a great chocolate taste and makes the oatmeal more appealing. However, there is also a floury side taste (similar to mixing with water alone) which is the only downside. I can live with it. NEGATIVE / ADVERSE effects on body, skin or hair: None. Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey 4712 g Double Chocolate Protein Shake Powder monstersupplements also sent me a free shaker and a sample (PhD gain chocolate).

I have been using Gold Standard Whey for almost 10 years now, and the extreme milk chocolate flavour is definitely one of my favourites. It has a really good chocolate taste, kind of like chocolate milk and I’ve always found this brand trustworthy, so I’ve stuck with it. While it’s not my main protein these days, I still enjoy having it every once in a while. Each scoop has 120 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 3 grams of carbs (1 gram fibre, 2 grams sugar), and 24 grams of protein. The macronutrient profile is solid, and it’s made up of a blend of proteins, including whey protein isolate, whey protein concentrate, and whey peptides. Mixing it up is easy, and it smells great as soon as you open it, a nice chocolate aroma without being too sweet or overpowering. It’s smooth and has a good texture, and I like the chocolate flavour intensity, it’s got just the right balance, not too strong or weak. I’d call it the Goldilocks of chocolate flavours, if you will. On a scale of 1 to 10 I’d give this flavour an 8.5 out of 10. If you’re looking for a tasty, reliable chocolate protein, I’d definitely recommend trying the extreme milk Chocolate flavour. Cheers, and happy mixing!

Wow! Never been a fan of the taste of protein shakes I've chosen... until now. This is amazing. if someone was to create a milkshake based on Lindt excellence extra creamy - this would be it. Love it.

So first up I'm not trying to body build - a mate uses this to bulk up a bit and recommended for general use. I'm using it for "recovery/muscle repair" (supposedly) after longish runs and a very basic weight session as a cheaper alternative to eg for goodness shakes. Grim with water but tastes okayish with skimmed milk (which ironically gives you plenty of protein and some vitamins) but the sweeteners come though strong on flavour - yuck and prob not great for you. Best shaken up with some ice to really chill it. Otherwise for the hell of it i mucked about and tried one heaped spoonful of this plus one of vanilla slimfast (don't laugh!) with a pint of skimmed and the combo tastes better than the ON Gold on it's own - quite palatable - the combo also gives you some vitamins, minerals and prob around 35 - 40 g of protein. Either way with milk this fills me up and seems to help me on the recovery front. That said, and depending on what you are trying to achieve, you may want to avoid the hype and consider a reasonable diet and add some extra skimmed milk - combined with weights...surprise you may find yourself bulking up without blowing £45 on this stuff! I've read some reviews with people saying after several weeks of using this and doing weights...they can do more now - surprise (!) but after several weeks of weights you will normally find yourself getting fitter and stronger without this stuff if you have a reasonable diet. I've also use for goodness shakes (the recovery or 25g protein varieties as I get them cheap) and frankly while costing a bit more they taste a lot better and on top of the protein have plenty of vitamins and minerals (I assume that's a good thing) - I do find after a longish run I feel better the next day for having a bottle of this stuff after the run but likewise with the bizarre combo described above, so I guess they all do some good. I guess you'll make you own mind up and depending on what you're doing and trying to achieve....your body will tell you what works best for you - so listen to it and take it from there...