How to get the most muscle gain from your protein shake
Research shows whey is the single most effective source of protein for gaining muscle and strength—beating out all other sources of protein. Depending on the type and intensity of your workout, you will need somewhere in the range of 20-40 grams of protein afterwards. Knowing these factors, let’s make some delicious shakes geared toward muscle gain.
Follow the recipes in this article to enjoy not only muscle gain and increased recovery after a workout, but also the tasty flavor of a post-workout protein shake you won’t get tired of.
I’ve been regularly consuming protein shakes for years after demanding workouts. And since it’s a beverage I’m drinking almost daily, I figure why not make it as simple, effective, and delicious as possible?
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What You’ll Need to Make an Amazing Protein Shake
- A blender
- Quality protein powder
- Milk or milk-alternative
- Frozen fruit or ice
- Optional: Healthy additions (chia seeds, super greens mix, nuts, etc.)
The ingredient list is and should be short and to the point. The goal with a protein shake is to feed your body protein to help grow and repair muscles, not pack an entire meal into a blender bottle.
While you can add numerous additions to any recipe, if you’re getting vitamins and minerals from your daily food intake, you don’t need to turbo-charge your protein shake with anything other than protein, great taste, and a few additional supplements of your choosing.
Based on research by University of Stirling in a Men’s Journal article, post-workout you will only ever need 20 grams of protein for lesser intense workouts and 40 grams of protein for more grueling workouts.
Types of Protein to Consider
Before we break down 4 quick and simple recipes, let’s talk about protein since this is obviously the most important ingredient in a protein shake.
For both our chocolate and vanilla recipes will be using Dioxyme’s grass-fed ultra whey protein. Dioxyme is a small-batch craft supplement brand producing formulas developed by physicians with honest, minimal ingredient lists.
We’re using whey as it has consistently been proven to be the most biologically available protein and the one most effective for guys looking to tack on muscle gains and increase strength.
Plus, with Dioxyme’s formula, you’re investing in a clean-burning whey that comes from grass-fed pasture-raised cows without hormones or antibiotics. That’s a major win compared to the caution tape-wrapped, additive-riddled tubs of junk smeared all over the market today.
Dioxyme goes so far as to add a digestive enzyme to their whey protein. You can wave goodbye to the disgusting stomach gurgles coming from your gut while you fire off your first few morning emails.
If you want to switch up your protein and try something plant-based, there’s loads of options for that too. Consider Orgain as a reasonably priced, effective whey alternative.
Most plant-based powders consist of pea protein as the main ingredient. However, brown rice protein and hemp protein are two other tremendous protein plant-based sources to consider. Check to see how you digest pea protein and go from there.
Be careful to note the dosing for plant-based proteins. Some top out at 15 grams of protein per serving. In this case, consider adding a half or full scoop extra to meet the muscle-building demands of a hard workout.
Pasture raised and hormone free, this whey burns clean. You might not be able to tell because it tastes so freakin' good.
4 Best Protein Shake Recipes to Help Build More Muscle
Below, I’ve broken down four different recipes based on flavor and achieving our targeted goal of muscle gain. For a few of the recipes, I’ve factored in fat burn and low-carb options for guys with those particular goals.
Best Chocolate Protein Shake Recipe
I’ve been a vanilla guy my whole life. The type who even avoided chocolate cake at birthday parties growing up. Dioxyme’s chocolate protein has converted me. The smell is deep, rich, and fragrant. I later learned this is because Dioxyme enlisted trained artisan chefs to perfect their flavors.
If you’ve had chocolate protein powder before, you probably expect the same sweet artificial flavor. Dioxyme’s formula tastes more like a gourmet chocolate confection. And at 27 grams per serving, this falls right between the two limits we’ve set for ourselves to help fully recover from our intense daily workout.
Because this powder is so rich in flavor, we aren’t going to add too many other conflicting flavors to this recipe that might dilute the chocolatey goodness.
Okay, grab your blender cup and blender let’s fire up some recovery fuel.
Step 1
Add 6-8 ounces of liquid (milk or milk alternative). Flax milk, oat milk, or hemp milk are my tops picks for their creamy, light, and digestible qualities. You can even find nut milks with 8-10 grams of protein per serving on their own for an added boost.
Step 2
Add 1 heaping scoop of Dioxyme’s grass-fed ultra whey chocolate protein.
Step 3
Add 1 frozen banana. A regular banana and a handful of ice works too. Add extra ice for texture.
Step 4
Add any additional nutrient boosters you regularly buy. These could be leafy greens, a superfood mix, mct oil, chia seeds, maca root powder, collagen peptides, flax seeds, spirulina, or coconut oil.
Step 5
Blend for 8-10 second and enjoy!
Best Vanilla Protein Shake Recipe
For this recipe, we want to put vanilla’s creamy dreamy flavor front and center and build a shake around that.
You might already know chocolate doesn’t mix too well with many fruits other than bananas. The idea of chocolate and strawberries sounds nice for a dessert. But in a protein shake? The flavors get all jumbled together and don’t taste how you might want them to.
On the other hand, vanilla pairs beautifully with a spectrum of different fruits so go wild and see which fruits are your favorite compliment to a vanilla-based shake.
Step 1
- Add 6-8 ounces of liquid (milk or milk alternative). My pick is oat milk to get the creamiest texture.
Step 2
- Add 1 heaping scoop of Dioxyme’s grass-fed ultra whey vanilla protein.
Step 3
- Add 1 cup of frozen mangoes or strawberries. Add extra ice for texture.
Step 4
- Add one tablespoon of mct oil or coconut oil. Or, any other nutrient boosters you regularly buy such as leafy greens, a superfood mix, mct oil, chia seeds, maca root powder, collagen peptides, flax seeds, spirulina, or coconut oil.
Step 5
- Optional: Add ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract + sweeter such as Stevia
Step 6
- Blend for 8-10 second and enjoy!
Best Weight Loss and Muscle Gain Shake Recipe
This recipe will be similar to our standard chocolate and vanilla recipes with a few differences. Namely, it will include a few extra ingredients aimed toward keeping us full longer and helping boost metabolism to burn a little extra fat.
To do this, we want to avoid any sugary milks whatsoever. We are also going to add almonds to keep us fuller longer, and cinnamon which has been shown to suppress appetite, regulate blood sugar levels, and speed up metabolism.
Step 1
- Add 6-8 ounces of unsweetened almond milk.
Step 2
- Add 1 heaping scoop of vanilla or unflavored whey protein powder.
Step 3
- Add 1 cup of almonds
Step 4
- Add 1 cup of ice. Add extra ice for texture.
Step 5
- Add collagen peptides for extra protein. Or, any other nutrient boosters you regularly buy such as leafy greens, a superfood mix, mct oil, chia seeds, maca root powder, collagen peptides, flax seeds, spirulina, or coconut oil.
Step 6
- Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
Step 7
- Blend for 8-10 second and enjoy!
Best Low-Carb Protein Shake Recipe
If you’ve been eating keto or just wanting to avoid carbs for any reason, here’s a good low carb recipe to try out. Remember, fruits are fantastic, but they do have carbs. You can get away with most berries such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries as they have a tiny number of net carbs.
Step 1
- Add 6-8 ounces of unsweetened coconut milk.
Step 2
- Add 1 heaping scoop of vanilla, chocolate or unflavored whey protein powder.
Step 3
- Add 1 cup of ice. Add extra ice for texture.
Step 4
- Optional: Add 1 cup of berries + sweetener such as Stevia
Step 5
- Blend for 8-10 second and enjoy!
Add Nutrient Boosters
While I regularly change it up, I consistently add nutrient boosters like chia seeds, coconut oil, or collagen to my daily shakes. Chia seeds are an excellent source of omega 3s, antioxidants, and fiber. Coconut oil gives you a big serving of healthy fats. And collagen promotes skin, bone, joint, and nail health.
There’s limitless options in this category. Think about what you don’t get enough of in your daily diet and pick a nutrient booster based on that to add to your protein shakes. One that I’m sampling right now is Purium’s Power Shake. It’s a powder that has tons of nutrient boosters all in one including: spirulina, carrot juice powder, millet, wheatgrass, and chia seeds. I encourage you to do your research and see what might benefit you the best.
Blend It Up
Did you find any recipes you liked? The truth is that delicious protein-packed shakes are simpler than you might think. There’s no need to go overboard with lengthy lists of ingredients.
Pasture raised and hormone free, this whey burns clean. You might not be able to tell because it tastes so freakin' good.
Start by picking a clean-burning, high-quality protein like Dioxyme’s Grass-Fed Ultra Whey as your base. From there, build around it to achieve delicious flavor and muscle gain all in one drinkable cup.
FAQs
How can skinny guys gain weight fast?
While everyone’s metabolism is different, there are a few techniques skinny guys can adopt to start packing on muscle. This includes eating more nutrient dense foods, eating more calories than you burn, lifting heavy, and being consistent with your habits.
Which fruits increase weight?
Fruits are a healthy part of a daily diet. But not all fruits are the same. Some fruits have more calories or other qualities that can help you gain weight such as bananas, avocados, coconuts, and mangoes.
Is it OK to drink a protein shake with a meal?
This all depends on your goals. Some people replace breakfast with a protein shake. Others, eat both breakfast and a protein shake. Remember, your body can only synthesize about 20 grams of protein at one sitting.
