Protein powder is the number one supplement on the market, and each of the numerous supplement companies seems to have one or multiple products.
So, what sets the Athlean-X PRO-30G apart from the rest? Well, Athlean-X himself claims it’s incredibly effective, and it’s got Jeff’s name on it.
We decided to buy the cookies & cream flavor to see what’s what.
About the Athlean-X Supplement Line
As you may (or may not) know, Athlean-X is actually fitness superstar Jeff Cavaliere. He’s famous for his YouTube channel, which has more than 13M subscribers, and he also has a massive Instagram and online following.
He’s mostly famous for helping folks build muscle and get shredded through programs like All American Muscle, Max Size, and Total Beast. He even has some now-famous catchphrases like, “This is robbing you of your gains!”
It wasn’t long before he noticed he could double down and extend his reach into the supplement world. After a few meetings and some development, he released his own supplement line, which includes:
- Vegan premium protein
- Premium protein powder
- Pre-workout
- A stronger pre-workout
- Muscle recovery drink
- Post-workout protein (for women)
- Joint recovery formula
- BCAAs
- Omega-3 fish oil
- And a few stacks of combining two or more of these together
This is a decent range of products, and while some (like the BCAAs) might not be necessary, others are still great options. We did a review on the X-Cite Pre-Workout, and it’s pretty decent — nothing amazing, but it was okay.
Moving over to the protein powder, we’re expecting big things. Before we did the review, we actually went ahead and bought the cookies & cream option to try it first-hand.
A Closer Look at Athlean-X PRO-30G
One thing to note is that PRO-30G is not the only protein powder on their list. They have a vegan option and several ‘recovery’ products that contain a good amount of protein in them.
“… as always, no fillers, no substitutes, and no harmful chemicals.” You’ll see this line all over the website, and it’s actually pretty true. Most of their products contain a lot of allergens.
This protein powder is a blend and contains whey isolate, whey concentrate, and egg white protein powder. Other ingredients include guar gum, xanthan gum, sucralose, and stevia powder.
One bag has around 28 servings and comes in several flavors, including a frosted cinnamon bun, mint chocolate chip, cookies and cream, chocolate salted caramel, and many more. Also, if you add this product to a ‘stack,’ you even get a little discount.
How Does It Work?
How does protein work? Oh boy…(flashbacks to university chemistry labs).
Let’s focus on how protein powder works and why everyone from The Rock to your aunty should take it:
- Protein powder makes it easy to hit your protein mark for the day. Since protein is the only compound that can turn into muscle tissue, we need a good amount of it. We also need it to produce hormones and just live, really.
- Can aid in muscle growth. Using slightly more protein than what the government recommends can help massively with muscle growth. We see this time and time again since essential amino acids are the key to actually making progress.
- Whey protein might aid in fat loss. Well, all protein does, but since whey protein is also low in carbs and fats, it makes it easy to dial up the protein while still keeping calories controlled.
- Protein makes dieting easier. We know that while dieting, you might get hungry, and the addition of protein might make you feel fuller. As a bonus (see above), it’ll help you with fat loss and muscle growth.
(Oh, and before you ask, no — protein typically won’t wreck your kidneys unless they have pre-existing issues.)
Athlean-X PRO-30G Ingredients
This is going to be a very short list…
Protein Powder Blend
This list is usually a lot longer than just one product. But since Jeff Cavaliere opted for a blend rather than a single protein source, we can look at each part of that blend and find out what’s what.
The blend contains the following:
Whey Isolate
Isolate, as the name suggests, is an isolated version of a regular whey protein. This process refines and tweaks protein concentrate to give us a better product that yields a higher bioavailability, fewer carbs, and fewer fats.
This is the protein option that digests the best. It also tends to digest a tad faster. Thus, you can see this as the ‘rapid release’ option of the three options in the blend.
Whey Concentrate
This is good ‘ol whey. Made from a byproduct of the cheesemaking process, whey has been used by fitness enthusiasts for decades to increase the amount of protein they take in daily.
Egg White Protein
As the name states, this is simply egg white protein powder. It’s easy to digest and contains all the amino acids you need for muscle growth. By having another protein source in the blend, you also ensure that you get a full range of amino acids, and lots of them!
(Whey is already complete, but more is better, right?)
Other Factors
Per serving, you get 30 grams of protein, 150 calories, and only 1.5 and 3 grams of fat and carbs, respectively.
How to Take Athlean-X PRO-30G
* Please note that protein powder isn’t taken only at a certain time of the day.
But here are some options to consider.
- Pre/post workout: Eating easily digestible foods around the workout is optimal, seeing as you won’t be chundering while you squat. Since protein powder does digest super well, it’s a good idea to take it around your workout.
- Adding it to food: Adding protein powder to oats or smoothies is a great way to increase the daily protein you take in.
- Meal replacement: If you’re the type of person who gets way too busy to sit down to eat, a protein shake is a somewhat okay option to have on the go.
- Healthy snack: While a protein powder drink on its own might not decrease hunger, adding it to some fat-free yogurt or cottage cheese makes for a very healthy snack.
Again, you don’t have to take the protein around your workout, and you don’t need to drink it each day. It’s simply powdered food.
Athlean-X PRO-30G Side Effects
Let’s look at what we experienced. For one, we mixed it with milk, and it mixed incredibly easily, meaning no chunks. It’s also one of the best-tasting proteins we’ve ever tried, which is definitely saying something.
As far as sides, not a single one. That said, there are some people who’d want to look out for all whey protein powders, seeing as they might:
- Cause bloating in those who cannot digest milk
- Contain gums, which some have an affinity to
- Be bad for those with kidney issues (protein is not harmful to the kidneys unless you have pre-existing issues)
Other than that, there are no real reports of side effects from drinking protein powder.
Where Can You Buy Athlean-X PRO-30G?
The best place to purchase it is probably on the Athlean-X website. But you can also find it on Amazon.
5 PRO-30G Pros
1. Muscle-Building Blocks
As the fitness industry has probably taught you well enough by now, protein is the building block of muscle mass. Protein consists of amino acids, which will allow the muscle to grow.
We need 9 of these called essential amino acids, all of which are located within this blend. Various studies have proven that protein (overall) and whey protein have been linked to increased muscle mass.
However, unlike bro science would make you believe, you don’t need a protein powder, and you don’t need to take it around your workout for it to work. Protein powder is simply powdered food, and you can take it any time of the day.
2. Can Lead to Fat Loss
Food leading to fat loss? No?! Yes.
Protein is really a magical compound and has been linked to fat loss in a study published by Dr. Jose Antonio. The study gave two sets of people the same amount of carbs and fats, but it gave one group almost 3 times the amount of protein.
This means that even if you eat way more lean protein than what you think you need, you won’t gain fat (as long as you train, etc.). Also, make sure the protein is lean; those fats add up quickly…
Also, it shouldn’t cause kidney issues unless you have pre-existing ones.
3. Makes Life Easy
And here, we have the biggest benefit of a protein powder — utility. Like an everyday watch, protein powder can be used daily. It can be taken anywhere, it can be used in any environment, and you can get it down in ETA 10 seconds.
Powders are a lot easier to get down than a hunk of chicken. They don’t need to be cooked. You can use them when you’re cutting or bulking. There are literally no downsides to using a protein powder compared to food.
They even taste great. Hell, people are writing entire recipe books about how to incorporate protein powder into your daily life!
4. Low in Additives
Sometimes, we’ll come across protein powders that have a bunch of amino acids or other ingredients (like creatine HCl) added to them to ‘make them better,’ but this is almost never the case.
I’ve actually written articles on how companies will use marketing to sell you something you don’t need, and this is a prime example. Pixie dusting or claiming outrageous things are so common in the fitness industry we barely notice them.
This protein is low in additives, luckily. Seeing as there are no added chemicals or ‘boosters,’ it’s pretty natural, which is what you want from your protein.
5. Can Help Dieting
This goes hand in hand with the snacking mentioned earlier, but protein powders are excellent for dieters who want to try recipes with the addition of extra protein. You get various flavors and even neutral ones to use in savory dishes.
This particular one tastes good, and you’d be able to use it in almost every single recipe you can think of. For us, protein oats are always going to be a winner!
Are There Any Cons?
To be honest, not really. Some people cannot digest it. However, that’s the problem of those who are lactose intolerant.
There is one thing, however… the price.
This product is one of the most expensive options you’re going to be able to find — anywhere — and for no good reason. The protein blend isn’t something amazing or groundbreaking. There are no fantastic ingredients within, and there’s certainly nothing about it to make the price worth it.
This product is, therefore, really only reserved for those who have a huge liking for Jeff. There’s no logical reason for buying this, not a single one.
Even when you consider all the nice ingredients included in the product, the amazing formulation, and all the benefits a protein powder brings, it ain’t worth the price. There are better options online.
What Other Reviews Are Saying
As always, we’ll be looking at Reddit to find reviews on this product.
Reddit Review One:
“I’ve tried them before. I was a fan of the pre-workout for sure. It has great flavor/pump and is transparent about its ingredients. Protein had good flavor, I had the chocolate flavor. However, it is a bit pricey for the amount you use as the serving size is 2 scoops per serving rather than one condensed scoop of other brands. The post-workout was good and definitely helped me feel like I recovered faster.
However, given the nature of amino acids/size of the scoop, It was harder to mix. Also keep in mind that while it is a great brand, price per quantity makes it a bit pricier as it has 22 servings per container. I wouldn’t buy the whole stack, the post-workout/pre-workout possibly but for protein I prefer a different brand. Currently, I use iso100.”
Sean Nal’s Take:
Before the name was PRO-30G, it was called Athlean-X Protein Powder: X-LR8 and Sean Nalewanyj wrote this about it:
“This is a post-workout protein where Jeff is charging 60 dollars per bag for 22 servings. That’s nearly 3 dollars per serving.”
For some contrast, you can consider buying Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein Powder for less than $2 per serving, which is 20% cheaper.
Or, if you don’t like Optimum Nutrition, you could go with Dymatize ISO100 Hydrolyzed Protein Powder at just a little more per serving (but still less than $3). That is more than Athlean-X PRO30G ($2 per serving). You are correct. However, Dymatize designed an isolate. Isolate protein is the best, and you simply cannot get any better than this — ever.
“At that price point, there must be something really special about this protein powder.”
But there isn’t.
There is no reason for this protein to cost that much. Sure, it tastes great, and it has a sizable amount of protein per serving, but not nearly enough to justify the price.
Plenty of reviews online (all of them, actually) complain that the prices are way too high — for all of his products. This means we’re not alone in thinking there should be adjustments regarding the process they use to make their products or adjustments in their pricing. One is certainly needed.
Is Athlean-X PRO-30G Worth it?
Not in a million years. Athlean-X PRO-30G Protein Powder is one of the worst protein powders I have ever come across, purely because it’s way overpriced.
Look at these stats:
- Extremely high in protein
- Low on carbs, fats, and calories
- Several great tasting options
- Amazing taste and mixability
Good, right? Wrong!
With a price of $2 per serving, there are several (hundreds) options online that would do you far better. Hell, at this price, I’d rather just chow down on more food and wake up earlier to fit in more meals.
The really disappointing thing is that there’s nothing in this protein to make the price worth it — no secret ingredient, no perfect protein blend, no perfect creation process, nothing like that.
This is a product I would walk miles to avoid. Sure, there are some who are massive fans of Jeff, and they would want to support him. However, there’s just no logical reason to use this.
We tried it, and while it tastes great and mixes better than any other option we have tried recently, it still does not justify that price point.
Rating: 2.0 out of 5