MuscleTech Lab Series 100% Whey: Another Exclusive Protein?

MuscleTech has launched a brand new Lab Series exclusive to Bodybuilding.com, the first of which is a protein powder, 100% Whey.

If you’ve been following the supplement news wire lately, you’ve seen quite a flurry from MuscleTech. Since the start of 2016, the supplement manufacturer has been teasing and releasing not only new products, but entirely new “lines” of supplements as well.

Some of these are GNC-only, some are BB.com only, and others are for all distributors. Today, we’re covering the debut entry into the brand new, BB.com exclusive, Lab Series.

So far, MuscleTech has confirmed two products that will debut when the line goes live in just over a week. The first one we’ll cover is the brand new protein powder simply called 100% Whey.

Before we get into the protein breakdown, take a moment to check the best deal and sign up for price drop alerts:

100% Whey Ingredients

So you can probably already guess what’s going to make up the majority of the ingredients in MT’s newest protein simply by the title, but there’s more here that you might think:

• Whey Peptides

  

  100% Whey is a protein blend of whey peptides, two kinds of isolates and concentrate.

  Here’s an interesting ingredient to start with: Whey Peptides. This form of whey is produced by hydrolysis, a chemical-based process that uses enzymes to break whey into its smaller peptide constituents.

  Why’s MuscleTech including peptides first?

  It’s all about insulin and driving those crucial amino acids into your broken down muscles as soon as possible. Research has shown that compared to regular whey protein, hydrolysates generate a much greater insulin response by the body.^[1]

• Whey Isolates

  Notice that we’ve made this ingredient plural. MT’s 100% Whey includes not one, but two types of whey protein isolate: standard and 97% isolate.

  Whey protein isolates (WPI) are a refined form of whey protein concentrate processed to remove all carbs (lactose) and fats from the concentrate powder. They must contain at least 90% protein.^[2]

  So, we know that we’re getting at least 90% protein from the first isolate included and a minimum of 97% protein in the second. But the question is: How much of each are we really getting?

• Whey Protein Concentrate

  

  Here’s only a few of the many protein options MuscleTech offers. But do they really need any more?!

  The last type of whey included is the most basic form: whey protein concentrate (WPC). This is the lowest-quality form, but even then, there are multiple grades of WPC used in products. depends on the grade of whey concentrate used

  WPCs can range anywhere from 35-80% protein, with the remaining percentages composed of carbs (from lactose) and fats.^[2] Ideally, a company would list the quality of their concentrate, such as WPC-80, but we’re not that fortunate.

  What is good though, is that concentrate is making up the smallest portion of the protein content in 100% Whey, so those that suffer GI distress from concentrate-heavy powders should digest this with relative ease.

• The Rest

  The remaining ingredients are like most other powders you’ll find, a mix of various gums, salt, and sweeteners to improve the taste and texture of the protein. The two artificial sweeteners used in 100% Whey are Sucralose and Ace-K, in that order.

  Strangely enough, there are no digestive enzymes included to improve the digestion of protein for those who struggle with lactose.

Macro Breakdown

Each scoop of 100% Whey contains:

• Calories: 130 (25 from fat)
• Protein: 25g
• Carbs: 3g (2g sugar)
• Fats: 2.5g (1.5g saturated fat)

Flavors Available

Here’s yet another protein variation from MT, this is a slower digesting version of whey.

If there’s one thing MuscleTech does right, in addition to releasing new supplement lines every 6 months, is flavoring. Once it goes on sale, MT’s 100% Whey will be sold in both 2-lb and 5-lb tubs in one of three flavors:

• Cookies & Cream
• Delicious Strawberry
• French Vanilla Creme
• Triple Chocolate Brownie

Takeaway: Why, MuscleTech, Why?

So, we have ANOTHER protein powder from MuscleTech.  We have to scratch our heads and wonder why is this even necessary?

MuscleTech already has a Platinum 100% Whey and Platinum 100% ISO Whey protein as part of their Essentials Series. Both of these powders taste great and are still available. Does this mean that those proteins have a problem?? Because we thought they were great and rate them very highly on our best protein powder page.

Maybe this is part of a master marketing plan by MT to flood the market with so many different options that users simply throw their hands in the air and buy whatever they see first. Maybe they needed to get in on the BB.com exclusive game… but didn’t they already do that with True Grit?

We don’t know, but the honest truth is that we’re pretty confused at this point. And if we’re confused yet we write about this stuff every day, we can only imagine what the average consumer thinks when they see all this.

We’ll have to wait and see if this plan works or maybe get some clarification from MuscleTech as to why they’re making endless variations on the same theme.

References

1. Power O, Hallihan A, Jakeman P. Human insulinotropic response to oral ingestion of native and hydrolysed whey protein. Amino Acids. 2009;37(2):333-339. doi:10.1007/s00726-008-0156-0.
2. McDonough FE, et al; “Composition and properties of whey protein concentrates from ultrafiltration”; J Dairy Sci.; 1974; Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4443458