Arms Race Nutrition Elevation: Whey Protein Isolate with Mind-Blowing Chocolate and Vanilla Flavors

This year, we’ve been catching up with Arms Race Nutrition, the brand co-founded by Doug Miller (of CORE Nutritionals, Merica Labz, and Merica Energy) and natural bodybuilding phenom Julian Smith. The brand has some of the most underrated formulas, which include hormone-optimizing Stabilize and brain-optimizing Clarity.

They already have Arms Race Foundation, which is a protein blend with numerous savory flavors, but that includes both whey concentrate and casein-based milk protein isolate, which brings a touch more lactose than all of Julian Smith’s fans can handle.

Chocolate and Vanilla Protein Done Right

Julian wants everyone to join his protein party, so his next step was to develop a pure whey protein isolate: Arms Race Elevation.

Arms Race Elevation: Just wait until you try these chocolate and vanilla flavors!

Arms Race Nutrition has a world-class sales team, hitting retailers around the country and training in neighborhood gyms just like it should be. And talking to retailers, they know something that too many people forget: chocolate and vanilla are still king! You can have all of the fancy flavors in the world, but if your “staple” flavors are weak, then your product is weak.

So what did Doug and Julian do? They put together two of the best flavors we’ve ever tasted in a pure whey isolate — and it’s not the fruity cereal one. It’s straight-up chocolate and vanilla, just like GNC asked for.

We have our details below, but all we have to say is that you’ve gotta try these if you’re an isolate-lover who likes the lower lactose, faster-digesting, lower-carb content. First, here are the prices:

Now that you’ve seen that, let’s look at the label:

Arms Race Nutrition Elevation Nutrition Facts

Super clean label with super clean whey protein isolate

Below is what one 28g scoop of French Vanilla yields:

• Calories: 100

• Protein: 24g

• Carbohydrates: 1g

  • Sugars: 0g

• Fat: 0g

This is of course incredibly clean, but even chocolate, whose cocoa always adds a splash of extra macros, only has an extra 0.5g fat! You basically cannot beat that without going to extremes.

Arms Race Elevation Ingredients: Pure Whey Protein Isolate

Elevation has just one main ingredient: Cold-Processed Microfiltered Non-GMO Whey Protein Isolate.

Are you an Arms Dealer yet?

At this point, it’s well-known that high-protein diets are the first key to overall health, strength, and improved body composition.^[1-5] If you’re following Doug Miller or Julian Smith, you should know that by now. Whether you go low-carb or low-fat generally doesn’t matter, so long as you stick to nutrient-dense, high-protein foods (our bigger dispute is with refined sugars and the toxic omega-6 industrial waste oils known as “vegetable oils”, but that’s for another day).

To supplement a high-protein diet, there is a large body of research showing that whey protein works for both men and women in terms of improving body composition and increasing strength — especially alongside a sound exercise program and an already healthy, nutrient dense diet with plenty of protein.^[6-9]

Whey protein is a fast-digesting protein, so it’s most often used post-workout or pre-breakfast, but it can really be used whenever you like.

But why whey protein isolate? Because it’s even cleaner:

Whey protein isolate: 90% protein by weight, less lactose, more flexible for dieters

With a pure whey protein isolate, also known as “WPI” or “WPI-90”, you have a powder that’s 90% protein by weight.^[10] The whey protein isolate has gone through additional filtration steps to remove as much sugar, fat, and impurities as possible.

Boost your workout with the Arms Race Nutrition Basics!

WPI is also highly bioavailable, with a protein digestibility rating of 95, biological value of 159, net protein utilization of 92, protein efficiency ratio of 3.6, and a “perfect” 1.0 PDCAAS (Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score).^[11]

With whey protein isolates, we get lower carbs and fats, so it can be used by any kind of dieter. For instance, if needing to bulk it up, carb-lovers can add their own oats if they want, and carb-haters can add MCT oil if they want. It’s a perfect protein base. But most of us just drink it solo with ice cold water.

Long story short: if you want a delicious dairy protein, but want to keep the diet flexible and lactose on the ultra low end, whey protein isolate is the way to go, and Elevation has a clean profile that doesn’t add extra calories in.

The other ingredients

Aside from the WPI, there’s also the flavor system (natural and artificial flavors, and cocoa in the case of chocolate), a gum blend of gum acacia, guar gum, and xanthan gum, just sucralose for sweetening, and a bit of sunflower lecithin for dispersion.

This should please those who don’t like acesulfame potassium (ace-k), and there definitely seems to be something special with the gum blends that Doug Miller’s brands use… his proteins just seem to work better.

Flavors Available

Elevation launched with four flavors — time will tell if more come:

Chocolate fan, but don’t want too high of macros? Then this tub’s for you.

Conclusion: You gotta do chocolate and vanilla right

Dealing with brick and mortar stores and GNCs around the country, Arms Race Nutrition knows what works: chocolate and vanilla. Yes, you can get your Fruity Cereal on, but at the end of the day, guess what sells at stores: chocolate and vanilla.

So when Doug and Julian made an isolate, they decided to do something that most companies have trouble with: a delicious chocolate and vanilla that doesn’t have loads of carbs or fat. Vanilla isolates are harder to flavor than most realize, but with numerous proteins under his belt, Doug Miller’s not scared of any of that. On that note, be sure to listen to our conversation, Protein Prices on the Rise: Figuring it Out with Doug Miller | Episode #050.

So if you’re ready to try delicious new chocolate and vanilla flavors, but are keeping the macros clean, Arms Race Elevation has, well, elevated the bar.

The full Arms Race Nutrition Elevation Label