It’s been too long since we visited with The Guerilla Chemist, co-founder of Chemix Lifestyle supplements. Last time we covered Chemix, we wrote about their muscle builder, Chemix Natabolic, nearly a year ago!
After a small lull in the action (they also had a new Rainbow Pop flavor of King of Pumps released), they’re back in action, this time going with a staple: protein powder! But it’s not just any protein – it’s a pure whey protein isolate that’s amplified with an ingredient named Velositol.
Chemix Whey Isolate: Pure WPI Boosted with Velositol!
Chemix Whey Isolate actually launched last month in February, debuting with a Vanilla flavor we’re yet to experience. A month later, they followed up with a Chocolate Peanut Butter flavor, which we did get our hands on – and it’s really good and smooth.
But the real story with this protein is how it uses Nutrition21’s patented Velositol ingredient to boost muscle protein synthesis. This is an excellent thing to have, because there aren’t many Velositol based pure whey protein isolates on the market, and The Guerilla Chemist just filled that market gap.
And this tub – it’s pretty big – with 30 full servings, each with 25 or 26 grams of protein (chocolate peanut butter having an extra gram). It actually weighs in at 2.38 pounds, far more than your average 2 pound tub that’s often a bit under that number. TGC knows how it’s done.
In this article, we detail what makes Velositol cool. First, check PricePlow’s coupon-powered prices and sign up for our Chemix Lifestyle news alerts so you don’t miss any future products and flavors:
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Chemix Whey Isolate Nutrition Facts / Macros
The macro breakdown will depend on the flavor you choose. As we write this, there are two available:
Chemix Vanilla Macros
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Calories: 135.5
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Protein: 25g
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Total Carbohydrate: 5.5g
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Sugars: 2g (0g added)
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Dietary Fiber: 0g
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Total Fat: 1.5g
Chemix Chocolate Peanut Butter Macros
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Calories: 136
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Protein: 26g
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Total Carbohydrate: 3.5g
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Sugars: 2g (0g added)
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Dietary Fiber: <1g
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Total Fat: 2g
Oftentimes, chocolate peanut butter flavors bring more overall macros, since peanut flour and cocoa both add more fat and carbs (respectively), but Chemix did a good job balancing these two by using lower-carb components with the chocolate peanut butter flavor. They likely got a bit of that extra protein out of those sources too.
Now let’s get into the two main ingredients, so we can learn about Velositol:
Chemix Whey Isolate Ingredients
Each scoop of Chemix Isolate has ~35 or 36 grams of powder, yielding 25 or 26 grams of protein respectively. And aside from the protein in the chocolate peanut butter flavor’s peanut flour, it’s all coming from one protein source, whey protein isolate.
Let’s dig into the details, then get into what’s so cool about Velositol:
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Whey Protein Isolate
Several studies have shown that whey protein used alongside a healthy, nutrient-dense diet is incredibly beneficial for both strength and body composition improvements for both men and women.[1-4] It can be used anytime, really. And taking yet another step further, with Chemix, we have a pure whey protein isolate.
Pure whey protein isolate is also known as “WPI” or “WPI-90” — the 90 is because it’s 90% protein by weight.[5] This is from the additional isolation, or filtration, that the whey protein powder has gone through. Those processes remove as much fat, sugar, and impurities (like ash) as possible.
Included with the removal of “sugar” is lactose, which is the milk sugar that many are sensitive to. Being a lower-lactose protein powder that’s still dairy-based, pure whey isolates are great for those who are dairy sensitive, but can still handle lower-lactose forms.
Whey protein isolate has very high bioavailability, too. Its protein digestibility rating is 95, net protein utilization is 92, biological value is 159, protein efficiency ratio is 3.6, and has a “perfect” 1.0 PDCAAS (protein digestibility corrected amino acid score).[6]
This all makes pure whey isolates very flexible – there’s less fat and carbs, which are generally easy to get. Many are familiar with protein, but what about the next ingredient used to boost its effectiveness:
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Velositol (Amylopectin / Chromium Complex) – 2000mg
Velositol is a patented, GRAS (generally recognized as safe) complex of chromium picolinate and amylopectin from Nutrition21.[7] It has a clinically-studied dose of 2g, and that’s what’s on the label here. We like to see Velositol added to protein powders, amino acid drinks, and protein bars because it can significantly boost muscle protein synthesis.
Mechanistically, it works like this: the chromium picolinate has been shown to increase insulin action and boost the metabolism of nutrients.[8] With the increased insulin action, you can get more anabolic effects like a better uptake in carbohydrates, lipids, and protein, and enhance the glucose and amino acid uptake rates in muscle cells.
The amylopectin is a starch that helps spike it a bit further – adding a couple of carbs to “ignite” the chromium-assisted insulin response to help drive our whey protein where we want it to go – into the trained muscles.
Learn about Velositol in our original podcast:
Nutrition21 is constantly putting out new research on their ingredients, so some is covered below:
Velositol doubles the power of protein – at lower doses…
The initial research on Velositol was a human pilot study that used a double-blind, crossover design. It showed that after a single round of resistance training, using 2 grams of Velositol with a sub-optimal protein dose (6 grams whey) boosted skeletal muscle protein synthesis (MPS) better than 6 grams of whey protein alone, as measured by the fractional rate of MPS. In the study, Velositol doubled the MPS response (48% vs 24%) compared to whey protein alone.[9]
In addition, the researchers discovered that the participants receiving Velositol had higher levels of cytokines, proteins involved in cell signaling.[9]
This was of course on a sub-optimal protein dose in a pilot study, so it could be great for protein bars or amino acid blends, given that 20-40g protein is required to fully activate MPS. What about larger doses?
Velositol increases exercise performance
Encouraged by the above results, researchers then looked at 2g Velositol alongside 15g whey protein to see how it would affect muscle strength, fat-free mass, whole-body protein balance, and exercise performance over time.
They recruited 35 recreationally-active men for eight weeks, dividing them into three groups: the active group (2g of Velositol, 15g whey protein, “V15W”), the comparator group (15g whey protein, “15W”), and a high-dose comparator group (30g whey protein, “30W”).[10]
The participants drank their supplement on training days immediately after their workouts, and at the same time on non-training days. At zero, four, and eight weeks, their body composition, protein balance, and lower/upper body strength was assessed.
All participants gained size and strength and improved their fat-free mass. But more importantly, the active V15W group saw a significantly better increase in reps to failure on squat, vertical jump power, relative squat strength, and vertical jump height than the other two groups! In addition, they had greater levels of net-protein balance at zero and four weeks.[10]
Learn more about this Velositol study on video:
Here in Chemix Whey Isolate, we get the best of both worlds – a higher dose of protein (25-26g) and Velositol to tie it together.
If you want to learn more about Velositol, check out this article: Velositol: Enhancing Muscle Protein Synthesis with Science and Velositol Increases Exercise Performance: New University Study Previewed.
The Guerrilla Chemist chimes in
We asked The Guerrilla Chemist for a comment on the record, and here’s what he sent us:
“I included Velositol bc of the study the did comparing 15g of whey alone, 30g of whey alone and 15g of whey plus 2g of whey. Protein synthesis was nearly double vs the 15g alone and the same as 30g alone. Obviously it’s due to the Chromium amino chelates, working on the insulin/mTOR pathway. Increased absorption and use of amino acids to help recover faster and build more lean tissue. The idea is that 1 scoop is = to 2 scoops of whey alone. Not to mention the increase in strength(1RM) and more reps and power.
Plus, it’s a pure 100% whey isolate, not a cheaper blend. It tastes great and I take it pre and post workout in cream of rice. More flavors to come(fruity cereal most likely).”
— The Guerrilla Chemist
High Protein Diets are King
We can all agree that high-protein diets are key for general health and wellness, overall strength, and better body composition.[11-15] Low-carb vs. low-fat vs. balanced doesn’t matter as much as long as you do what’s best for you and don’t consume too much poison (such as the numerous pesticides, endocrine disruptors, neurotoxins, and rancid oils in our food and water supplies).
One of the questions is, what do you do when you need some extra protein. Chemix Whey Isolate is superb for those who are any of the following:
- Are sensitive (but not horribly intolerant) to dairy
- Want to try a Velositol-containing protein powder that’s still lower in carbs
- Want to support their trusted man, The Guerrilla Chemist
In the second case, the Chocolate Peanut Butter flavor is the go-to. Remember, Velositol adds 2 grams of carbohydrates, so it’s not unheard of to see 5+ grams of carbs in a Velositol-based protein powder. That doesn’t bother us at all, but some who still have great success on ultra-low carb diets will appreciate the small savings.
All Chemix Whey Isolate Flavors Available
If you’re here in the future, there’s a chance there’s more flavors have launched. The entire list is below:
Chemix Whey Isolate can bring big gains thanks to Velositol
We’re excited to see this formula. We’ve seen whey protein — often as a blend — with Nutrition21’s Velositol. But combining a pure whey protein isolate closes a small market gap that recently opened up, so The Guerrilla Chemist has some great things happening here.
Someone who wants to be huge like TGC may want to train twice a day, and if you’re a competitive athlete who’s getting put through the ringer, you’re going to do whatever you can to enhance muscle protein synthesis and make it fast. Yes, we get that glycogen stores generally reload in a day. But not everyone has a full day of rest.
When you want it fast, you want whey protein isolate, and when you want it as effective as possible, you want Velositol. The Guerrilla Chemist made it happen with Chemix Whey Isolate.
Chemix Whey Isolate – Deals and Price Drop Alerts
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Disclosure: PricePlow relies on pricing from stores with which we have a business relationship. We work hard to keep pricing current, but you may find a better offer.
Posts are sponsored in part by the retailers and/or brands listed on this page.
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