Myoplex is a protein shake and meal replacement associated with the Body for Life program, and originally recommended by Bill Philips. It is meant to give you a large dose of protein, but also include carbs and fat so that it is a rounded meal. It is manufactured by EAS, which has undergone ownership changes in recent years, so let’s see if it’s still the same product, and what people are saying about it.
Overview
Myoplex not only comes in powdered form, but also in ready to drink shakes, nutrition bars, and other products. It originally gained popularity because it was a suggested adjunct to the Body for Life program which advocates eating 6 times a day. Since most people don’t have the means or the time to prepare 6 meals each day, this was said to be able to fill in for one to two of those meals daily so that your body always had a constant supply of protein and nutrients.
The Claim
Myoplex claims that it helps to rebuild the muscle that you break down during intensive lifting sessions. If you’re following the body for life program, you’re supposed to give it all that you’ve got for the last set of reps. This should be tearing up your muscles, and the rebuilding process is what makes them grow, get leaner, and give you the look you’re going for.
The Hype
A lot of the hype for Myoplex has died down, but in the heyday of Body for Life it was one of the premiere products in the market. Bill Philips sold his interests in EAS and the Body for Life program and started the Transformation, which advocates using other supplements as part of an overall process of well-being.
The Cost
You can get a 12 pack of ready to drink Myoplex for $39, which breaks down to $3.25 per serving. If you’d rather mix it yourself you can get 20 servings in powder form for $50 or $2.50 a serving. So you save a few bucks, but you miss out on the convenience of a pre-mixed drink.
The Commitment
It was suggested that you should drink a Myoplex within 30 minutes of working out. However, recently it has been suggested that you should drink protein shakes 30 minutes before you workout, so that it has time to work its way through your body, giving your muscles the fuel they need in the moment that you are doing the lifting. You will have to do your own research to find out when the best time is to drink a protein shake.
Aside from that, your only commitment would be following a sensible eating plan when you’re not drinking the shakes. They are not designed to replace all of your meals, and they are not a diet shake. If you just drink Myoplex and don’t work out intensively, you will likely gain weight.
Evaluation
When evaluating Myoplex you have to size it up not only against competing products, but also against doing nothing at all, often considered the placebo. The best way to test against a placebo is to workout intensively for a few weeks, and measure your progress. Then try supplementing with Myoplex for two weeks and see if there is a difference. In our personal testing it did seems to make our muscles harder and more defined than by working out alone, although there was no scientific analysis, and this was just the way we felt, which can also be chalked up to the placebo effect, because we fully believed at the time that it would do something.
There is a lot of debate as to how much protein your body needs when you are exercising at intense levels. Many of the body builders and fitness models out there eat over 100 grams or protein and they calculate to the gram how much they need each day, and they make sure to consume that much. But for the average individual that is far too much protein and will be very taxing on the liver. If you are training your body at these extensive levels, you will definitely want to give it the food it needs to recover properly, so this is something to look into if that is your goal.
Final Myoplex Review
Myoplex is getting our Try rating, but only if you are following an intensive weight lifting program, like the one suggested with the Body for Life system. If you are just doing light exercise, it’s too much protein. It’s best to find a calculator, or ask your personal trainer or a nutritionist how much protein you need each day for the workout program you are doing or planning to do. You don’t want to take in more protein than your body can use up, because this can cause complications and lead to things like gallstones.
They do have different versions of Myoplex, including a light version that is geared towards those that want to lose weight, and not pack on so much muscle. Check out their product line to see if they have something that fits your strategy.
Our Recommendation
The landscape of protein and meal replacement shakes is always evolving. Just a few years ago Myoplex seemed like it was better than all of the other whey protein options. These days there are some really great alternatives, so you shouldn’t feel like this is the only option you have. Look at what’s out there and size them up according to your own personal weight loss and fitness goals.
You should use only half of package ( 22 grams) as each serving.It is harsh on liver and kidney.Drinking A lot of water and liquid help.Over all there are better supplements out there.
EAS, and yes it Myoplex line of protein supplements, were discontinued in June 2018 by its parent company Abbott, Industries. As of Summer 2020 Anno Domini, rumors allude to Mr. Bill Philips returning his Myoplex Original protein product to retail market yet nothing has been confirmed to date. The Myoplex Original product was absolutely superb and I was greatly saddened to read of its product line being shut down by Abbott. There has been no product to replace it. Mind you, Myoplex Original is best suited for those who work out four or five days a week with each session lasting one to two hours (i.e. near gym rat status). This is because it packs 42 grams of protein and thus best used by those who tax their systems. It’s original formula contained a small quantity of Boron to assist in body development. Sadly, the Boron ingredient was removed from its formula after consumer groups complained the Boron was causing harm to consumers. There was never overwhelming evidence proving such and even the consumer groups admitted one must have consumed three Myoplex Original (formulas) per day in order to broach toxicity. Three plus protein drinks per day? Someone needs to learn how to cook… 😉
I’ll have to try it
Please be very cautious of the product if yo have food allergies. It contains soy, and pea protein and the label is not clearly marked. The only allergy information pointed out on label is
“CONTAINS MILK INGREDIENTS”
My son drank and entire box and had to be rushed to emergency as he went into anaphylactic shock. The company did a poor job with the labeling and it needs to be addressed.
Pea Protein is know to cause allergic reactions to people who are allergic to peanuts, they are in the same family of legumes.
Myoplex is one of the very best whey protein products on the market. It has very pure, natural ingredients, it doesn’t induce the kind of bloating you can get with these products, and it delivers some great results. The draw back for this great service? The price, obviously. This stuff is expensive. Now perhaps you can afford to be spending this kind of money on supplements. Chances are though, you can’t. So what do you do? Use a cheaper brand? Sure, you could do that, or you could do what it took me years to realise- you could accept that you don’t need this stuff to build muscle.
I’ve had family members use this in the past and I wouldn’t say that they didn’t get the results they wanted but they also didn’t get results they didn’t want either. Like many programs similar to this you need to be highly motivated in order for this to ultimately effectively. If just drink it as is, it won’t do anything for you. I can tell you that right now. Why? Because that’s exactly what I did in the past. As for replacing meals, I wouldn’t say it’s a good idea to heavily rely on these. Maybe use to it to replace 1-2 of your 6 meals, but not all of them.
When you tested Myoplex, how intensively or often did you work out? Did you notice any other differences/changes? Just curious. Did you keep a day-to-day diary? If not, maybe it’s something you’d consider if you ever try a different supplement in the future. I for one would definitely be interested in reading it.