TrueProtein.com is an online store that sells all types of protein powders in bulk. You can order by the pound and mix and match to your heart’s content. Today I’ll review the True Protein Whey Protein Concentrate.

I’m focusing on their whey protein concentrate because that is probably the most popular protein supplement available. It’s also the most economical – around $6-7 per pound.

So let’s see what TrueProtein.com is all about…

First, you can get the protein in bulk in food grade bags:

You can get the protein in actual containers, but if you are ordering in bulk and really want to save money, the bags are the way to go.

Each bag is labeled:

I suggest transferring the powder into food containers as soon as you get it. The bags are held shut by cable ties, so they aren’t air tight. Plus, if you leave the bags sitting around, the bag openings can fill with dust and dead bugs that might later fall into your protein powder when you cut the cable tie off!

Just a word of warning there!

Health and Nutrition

Well, there’s not much to say about this. It is whey protein concentrate sold in bulk. Nothing more.

The protein is completely natural until they add flavors and sweeteners at your request. I think the Premium flavors are sweetened with sucralose, and the Natural Premium flavors are sweetened with stevia. But you don’t have to add flavors or sweeteners if you don’t want to.

So health-wise, this stuff should be on par with Optimum Nutrition 100% Natural Whey Gold powder. But you can customize this stuff to make it into whatever kind of supplement you want. (To learn more about that, see my TrueProtein.com review.)

True Protein Taste Test

There are so many flavors available I don’t know if I’ll ever get to try them all! Here are my thoughts on the flavors I tried…

Natural Premium Bananas ‘n Cream – Delicious! This one has a good banana and cream flavor, so it tastes like a dessert – think banana cream pie.

I’ve had banana flavored whey protein before, and I can’t remember the brand, but it definitely wasn’t this good.

Premium Coconut Cream Pie – A pretty good coconut flavor. Not very strong, but noticeable.

It’s more like a creamy vanilla flavor, and if you’re lucky, you’ll taste a hint of coconut at the end of each sip. But then sometimes I did notice a really strong coconut cream pie flavor, which was awesome!

Premium Dutch Chocolate Fudge – This one tastes like plain old chocolate. It also has a hint of artificial flavor which I didn’t care for. It really wasn’t as good as I had hoped, especially because this flavor is rumored to be the best.

Premium Java Mocha – This one smells good and tastes great! It’s a perfect mix of coffee and chocolate flavors. Tastes kind of like the bottles of Starbucks frappacino. I’m really liking this one!!

Natural Premium Strawberries n Cream – This one is bright pink! It looks, smells, and tastes just like the strawberry Nesquik powder I had when I was a kid. So it’s pretty good, but not the most “natural” flavor.

This one is great if you like typical strawberry milk, but if not, I’d stick with the other flavors.

Natural Premium Orange Cream – Well to start with, it has the scent of an orange creamsicle. So that’s awesome!

That’s what it tastes like, too! It’s like a dessert. That’s just plain awesome. No need to go into greater detail. If you like orange creamsicles, you have to try this flavor.

Premium Citrus Limeade – A fancy way of saying “lemon lime.” This has to be the weirdest protein flavor ever! Think of eating a lemon lime milkshake and that’s kind of what this is. Really, it’s a creamy drink with a lemon lime flavor.

The flavor is alright; nothing special, not too terrible. But it’s just so weird!! Taste-wise, I think it’s better than lemon lime Accelerade. And actually, the second week of taking it, I found it oddly refreshing! I guess the taste grows on you.

It got old really fast though! Right after I got used to it, I didn’t feel like drinking it anymore! And I realized the only reason I bought it was because I was thinking I was buying a “cherry limeade” flavor.

I’d avoid this one unless you really like weird flavors.

Your Own Flavor Combinations?

TrueProtein offers quite a few flavors. For example, I think they have coconut, chocolate, and chocolate coconut. Similarly, you could get chocolate, strawberry, and chocolate-covered strawberry.

I chose to buy plain flavors so I could mix and match my own. Like so:

Orange Banana: 1/2 scoop orange, 1/2 scoop banana

Chocolate Covered Strawberries: 2/3 scoop strawberry, 1/3 scoop chocolate

Banana Split: 1 scoop banana, 1/2 scoop chocolate, 1/2 scoop strawberry

This way you aren’t committed to any flavor combos that might not taste as good as they sound.

My final verdict is…

Most of the flavors I tried tasted awesome, and I love how you get to pick the sweeteners and flavorings that are added. True Protein is going to be my #1 source of protein powder from now on.

If you take your protein powder seriously, I highly recommend ordering custom protein powder in bulk from True Protein.

Official website: www.TrueProtein.com

(Use discount code LEO100 to get 5-10% off your order.)

Sometimes a workout program is so hot, you just have to try it out! That was the case with P90X.

P90X has nothing to do with cycling or endurance sports, but it’s extremely popular (perhaps due to the Saturday morning infomercials?) and comes in a 13-DVD set, so I figured there must be something to glean from it. I mean, everywhere you look people are posting their before and after photos, so people are either getting into great shape or greatly improving their Photoshop skills!

I picked up a set of P90X DVDs on eBay (only about $80 that way, instead of $140) back in 2010 and got to work. Here’s what I think…

What is P90X?

P90X is a workout program aimed at the general fitness enthusiast. It’s meant for someone who wants to develop a good looking, lean, and toned body in a short amount of time (90 days.)

That means it’s not meant specifically for athletes who need to do sport-specific training. Sure, even athletes need to shed fat and increase strength, but sport-specific training is usually a better way to do that in the limited training time you have.

The package includes 13 DVDs, a workout chart, and a nutrition guide.

The DVDs are set up in a fitness studio and hosted by Tony Horton, a very charismatic trainer. The videos are a “follow along” style, making it feel like you are part of the class.

The program is based on the concept of “muscle confusion,” which basically means that you are always varying your workouts. The goal is to avoid plateaus (and boredom.)

Why P90X Works for Endurance Athletes

At first glance, P90X looks like a general fitness routine, perhaps with a bodybuilding focus. And it is! But if you actually look into the specifics, you can see there are some benefits for cyclists, triathletes, and other endurance athletes.

Big Focus on Core Strength

The best thing about P90X is that there is a big focus on core strength throughout the program. Core strength is of the utmost importance for all athletes, but endurance athletes seem to ignore this type of training all the time!

Having a core workout program like this laid out for you is a huge benefit, because it means it’s more likely you will actually do the training.

Improve Flexibility and Range of Motion

The better your flexibility and range of motion, the better bike fit you will be able to get. What I mean is, you’ll be able to get into a more aerodynamic position on the bike before noticing any loss of power from your pedaling. And you’ll be a lot more comfortable, even if you get into what looks like an “extreme” position.

That is all “free speed,” kind of like losing body fat.

So definitely check out the P90X Yoga X DVD and try to do it year-round, preferably once a week.

Develop Explosiveness

In cycling, you need explosive power to launch your attacks and put the hurt on the competition. You also need to be able to do this repeatedly over the course of a race. My favorite way to develop this type of power is through plyometrics, and P90X offers a killer plyometrics workout DVD called Plyo X.

You might hate this workout because it’s so tough, but you’ll love it once you see the benefits!

Improve Mental Toughness

Stepping out of your comfort zone is a great way to improve mental toughness, and P90X is probably waaaayy out of your comfort zone!

That yoga workout I mentioned? It’s not time to relax! That is 90 minutes of power yoga! You need serious stamina and mental toughness to complete it!

Same with plyometrics – the workout is probably going to break you down. Keep at it and your mental toughness will shoot through the roof.

Have Some Fun

Most likely, you’re not a pro rider making enough money to live on. So why subject yourself to constant on-bike workouts, never doing anything fun? Especially in the winter when it’s always cold and dark outside?

Face it, pretty much any P90X workout is going to be more fun than riding your trainer alone in the basement!

You Don’t Have to Follow The Program Exactly

This is the real secret to P90X for endurance athletes. You can take the 90 day plan and throw it out the window!

This allows you to get the type of workout you want in the amount of time you have. Skip the bodybuilding-type resistance workouts if you want, and you’re left with an excellent follow-along core training routine. And like I said, the yoga and plyometrics workouts are awesome.

Why P90X Sucks for Endurance Athletes

That all sounds great, but you have to be very careful if you try to add P90X into your current training plan. Here’s what to watch out for if you’re an endurance athlete.

High Volume Plans Require Lots of Time

P90X is a high-volume training plan. They have to pack a lot of training time into 90 days to make sure you’ll see results at the end.

If you follow their plan, it’s just too much to fit in with your cycling or running (not to mention work and family duties.) You won’t have time for it on top of your already scheduled cycling workouts.

You always have to ask yourself, “is this the most efficient way I could be spending my time?” If you want to win bike races, 90 days of off-bike training is probably not the way to go.

High Intensity Plans Require Extra Recovery

P90X is both a high-volume and a high-intensity program. Like I said, they promise results in 90 days, so they hit you with high volume, high intensity, and to top things off, a restricted diet.

These high intensity workouts require lots of extra recovery, which means more time between workouts, less stress in your life, more sleep, more supplements, and/or more professional massages.

Either make room for the added recovery or watch your cycling performance suffer.

My final verdict is…

P90X is not a cycling training program, and you should not buy it in hopes that it alone will improve your cycling performance.

But – it can be adapted into a great off-bike training program! You can use some of the DVDs (especially Yoga X and Plyo X) to supplement your cycling and improve your fitness, flexibility, explosiveness, and range of motion, which then improves your cycling indirectly.

It’s also an easy way to add variety to your off-season training – the follow-along format is a lot more fun and motivating than spending an hour alone in your basement lifting weights!

Official website: www.P90X.com

Training plans for women are a funny topic. When it comes to cycling and other endurance sports, training plans follow the same principles, no matter if you’re a man or woman, young or old.

You probably won’t find a book called “The Female Cyclist’s Training Bible” anytime soon.

And no one really questions this.

But when it comes to getting in shape, losing weight, strength training, lifting weights, or whatever you want to call your off-season training, it’s a completely different story! 90% of what you find when it comes to women’s training is going to say either “women should never train like men” or “don’t train like a man or you’ll get big and bulky and ugly.”

This type of advice is so prevalent that most women are scared to lift anything heavier than a 5lb dumbbell (or worse, a can of soup.)

It makes no sense. Men and women are looking for the same results, but for some reason, their training is not based on the same principles. My only explanation for this is that the general fitness enthusiast is not as smart or determined as you, the endurance athlete.

This is why I was pleased to read the book Visual Impact for Women by Rusty Moore. This training program provides “a workout for the slim, feminine physique.” In other words, it’s about getting hot and toned, not bulky. (I’m pretty that’s what all women outside of bodybuilding competitions are aiming for!)

If you’re not familiar with Rusty, take a look at his website FitnessBlackBook.com, which is great for men and women who want to get a slim and toned physique. (In other words, it covers the stuff you don’t often see here on CoachLevi.com.)

You may remember the name Visual Impact – I reviewed the original Visual Impact course (for men) a few weeks ago. I really liked the program because it was well-written, easy to follow, and most importantly, was based on sound training principles. Naturally, I wanted to take a look at the women’s specific course to see what it was all about.

What Rusty did with the course was genius. The book is based on the same principles and theories behind the men’s version (which is how it should be since we’re all human,) but the actual training program is changed to better suit the specifics of a woman’s training goals.

This book also contains useful chapters addressing unique diet needs of women and other details not covered in the men’s program. I’d say the most important chapter is the first one, which dispels popular myths aimed at women, such as “women can’t get bulky from training.” There is A LOT of misinformation aimed at women going around and this book debunks it.

Let’s go ahead and take a closer look inside the book…

Visual Impact for Women

I can’t possibly talk about all 20 chapters right here, but I’ll review what I feel are the most important parts in the book.

Clueless Personal Trainers

The introduction is pretty funny – it is what Rusty has observed in public gyms with clueless personal trainers working with women, getting it all wrong. You’ve probably seen this yourself!

Myth Busting

Chapter 1 is all about myth busting. Rusty dispels myths like “women can’t get bulky from training” which is common, yet misguided thinking. That might be relatively correct if the women are being compared to guys gaining lots more muscle, but girls do put on muscle, especially in certain areas they might not want it.

Other myths cover topics like meal frequency, cardio workouts, and more. It’s good info, unlike most garbage you find in the mainstream media, and quite possibly the most useful chapter in the book because it will change your way of thinking.

Cardio

I have high standards when it comes to anything “cardio” related, considering that’s very similar to our endurance training, but Rusty has some cool insights on this topic. It’s nice to see a different perspective sometimes.

Rusty talks about how cardio has fallen out of favor to the more intense circuit training which doesn’t take as much time, but any endurance athlete will understand the value of cardio. It’s very important when used strategically, as Rusty points out.

There’s even a 12-week cardio plan included as a bonus. Experienced endurance athletes won’t need this, and would be better served by a sport-specific plan, but those are a lot more complex and can be intimidating if you’re new to the sport.

The Truth About High-Rep and Low-Rep Training

Chapters 3 and 4 cover everything you need to know about high vs low reps, and yes, this all goes against what you’ve heard in the maintream media.

For example, a lot of people equate low reps with getting bulky. But that’s not the whole story, as Rusty points out. He gives you the key to using low rep training to get toned, with virtually no chance of getting bulky. It’s simple and easy to follow advice.

The Importance of Exercise Equipment

Rusty covers your exercise equipment options and explains what you should actually be focusing on. Hint: the type of equipment you use isn’t a big deal.

Similarly, Rusty covers yoga, which he says is not the best way to get slim and lean, but it has other benefits. (And some of these benefits are very helpful to cyclists.)

Proper Diet for Women

The basics of dieting will be the same for men and women, but women do have some unique challenges that are discussed in here. Rusty lays out a formula for a base daily calorie intake and then goes into greater detail on the strategies.

It doesn’t get too detailed, but Rusty does throw in some more advanced concepts. It’s pretty easy to follow the advice, but you might not understand “why” if you aren’t already well-versed in diet and nutrition.

That said, the important concepts that you need to know and understand are well explained.

Determining Your Workout Plan

There are chapters dedicated to each part of your workout plan, including:

• Combining high and low-intensity cardio.
• “Fat-Burning Cardio”
• The Recommended “2 Day Split” Workout Routine
• Gym Routine for Time-Crunched Athletes
• How to Workout in a Home Gym
• Customizing Your Own Plan

By the way, a 229 page “how-to” exercise manual with photos is included to explain the exercises.

How to Lose Muscle Mass on Purpose

What?! I’ve never heard of a book about this before! But it does apply to endurance sports!

It’s not uncommon for men to come into cycling after spending years bulking up for sports like football, and then they want to lose some unneeded muscle mass from their upper body.

Women may have built up extra muscle on their butt, hips, and thighs (all common for some women,) so this strategy could be very useful info. It’s a better strategy than giving up training all together!

Then the book ends with a little summary, and it’s time for you to get started on your workouts. (Printable workout charts are included.)

My final verdict is…

If you’re an endurance athlete, you can pretty much ignore the cardio sections of this book, as you probably have that under control. But the other training advice could be very helpful with your off-season training.

Overall, Visual Impact for Women is filled with great info – stuff you rarely, if ever, see in print. If you are a woman looking to get in shape, do yourself a favor and quit reading Fitness magazine and get this book instead!

Official website: www.VisualImpactForWomen.com

I guess it was only a matter of time before FRS jumped onto the protein bandwagon! Earlier this year they released FRS Healthy Protein. It is virtually the same drink as the FRS Healthy Energy in bottles, but this one contains whey protein.

It’s not that a carb/protein drink is bad, but these days, everyone just has to offer one. I didn’t expect FRS to come out with one, but since they did, I had to see if it was any good. (And at $2.99 for a 12oz bottle, I sure hope it’s good!)

Continue reading to see what’s new and different with FRS Healthy Protein…

Health and Nutrition

The first thing I want to point out is that the FRS Healthy Energy in bottles is a new formula compared to the FRS in cans I reviewed back in 2008. This formula cuts down on the sugar content and uses stevia as a sweetener, replacing the sucralose of old. So that gets a thumbs up from me.

The Healthy Protein formula looks to be about the same basic formula as the Healthy Energy but with the addition of 25g whey protein. This means 190 calories instead of 90, but hey, if you want protein, you have to take in the extra calories.

The one thing that stood out was the carb and sugar content. In the Healthy Protein, there are only 11g carbs and 9g sugar. Yet in the Healthy Energy, you get about 23g carbs and 19g sugar! It makes sense though, because it’s called “energy” and you need carbs for energy.

So to sum that up, FRS Healthy Protein contains more protein and less sugar than FRS Healthy Energy.

Makes sense to me.

FRS Healthy Protein Taste Test

The new Healthy Protein is available in two flavors, Blackberry Acai and Orange Cream.

Here are my thoughts:

Blackberry Acai – This one starts off with a great smell, followed up with an alright taste. Don’t you just hate it when the taste doesn’t live up to the scent? (I’m used to the older FRS that always tasted better than it smelled!)

Taste-wise, I do think you can taste both blackberry and acai. It makes a good combo. Luckily it’s not sour like a lot of real blackberries are.

The thing is, the taste is overpowered by the texture. While it goes down smooth, it leaves a ‘thick’ aftertaste that seems to stick to your mouth and the back of your throat. I’m no stranger to starting my day with whey protein shakes, but I don’t have this texture problem with my Optimum Nutrition or True Protein powder and almond milk mix.

Orange Cream – Much like its Blackberry Acai counterpart, this Orange Cream flavor actually has a pleasant scent to it. It smells like orange juice rather than orange-colored energy drink!

The taste was also much like orange juice. It’s like your regular orange juice from concentrate, but thicker, thanks to the protein.

The texture was less obnoxious in this flavor, but I preferred the taste of the Blackberry Acai. I’ve had enough orange juice in my life and prefer something more exotic when given the chance!

The other comparison I wanted to make was to the “oranges and cream” flavor whey protein powder from True Protein. It turns out, it’s not much of a comparison – that flavor is amazing and totally blows this orange cream FRS out of the water!

Overall, neither of the two FRS flavors were pleasing to the palette.

The Energy Boost

Though “FRS Healthy Protein” makes no mention of “energy” in the name, it is still based on FRS’ energy blend with quercetin and whatnot.

True to its roots, this drink from FRS still provides a nice, all day energy boost. The difference for me is that I felt less of an initial boost. I mean, it’s still a good boost, but not a jittery boost. (I was never a huge caffeine drinker so even the ~38g caffeine in FRS was potent for me.)

I think some of the ‘energy’ is tempered by the protein so it doesn’t hit you as hard. Because even if you’re drinking it on an empty stomach, it’s a high calorie drink, like a small smoothie.

Either that or the reduced sugar content removes some of the initial rush.

My final verdict is…

The drink is OK, but it hasn’t convinced me to buy Healthy Protein rather than Healthy Energy. I can get my protein elsewhere, and I’d rather have the freedom to mix it how I want, rather than the convenience of having it premixed in a bottle. I still like FRS, but I’ll probably stick with the cans (or whatever costs less than $3 per serving) when I need it.

Official website: www.FRS.com

You know what energy bars really bother me? The ones that claim to taste like a candy bar, but when you try them, not only don’t they taste anything like a candy bar, they lack the few benefits that normal energy bars offer.

One such energy bar is the PowerBar Triple Threat. The fact that I found these at Big Lots for $1.50 for a 5-pack box should have clued me in, but I’m a sucker for trying something different, so I had to buy them.

Here’s what PowerBar says about them:

PowerBar Triple Threat Energy bar tastes like a candy bar, but is a great choice for use before or during moderate-intensity exercise and sports, like skating and snowboarding. The nuts, oat bran and 10–11g protein deliver nutritious, long lasting energy and muscle-building power.

That should have been my second clue. The fact they are marketed to skaters and snowboarders means they should not be taken seriously. No offense (because I love ice skating and snowboarding,) but when you hear “skating and snowboarding,” you don’t associate that with athletes serious about their diet and sports nutrition!

Which brings up the topics of health and nutrition…

PowerBar Triple Threat Health and Nutrition

First, peruse the ingredients list…

Ingredients
CHOCOLATEY COATING (SUGAR, FRACTIONATED PALM KERNEL OIL, COCOA, WHEY, NONFAT MILK, SOY LECITHIN, NATURAL VANILLA FLAVOR), CORN SYRUP, CARAMEL (CORN SYRUP, SUGAR, CREAM, WATER, FRUCTOSE, PALM OIL, SOY LECITHIN, SALT, DISODIUM PHOSPHATE, NATURAL FLAVOR, CARRAGEENAN), TRISOURCE™ PROTEIN BLEND (WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE, CALCIUM CASEINATE, SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE), MALTITOL SYRUP, VEGETABLE GLYCERIN, OAT FIBER, SOY CRISPS (SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, TAPIOCA STARCH, SALT), DRY ROASTED PEANUTS, HIGH OLEIC CANOLA OIL, ALKALIZED COCOA, AND LESS THAN 2% OF ALMOND BUTTER, NATURAL FLAVORS, SOY LECITHIN, SALT, PEANUT FLOUR, MINERALS: CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, POTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, FERROUS FUMARATE (IRON), VITAMINS: ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C), VITAMIN B6 HYDROCHLORIDE, RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), THIAMINE MONONITRATE (VITAMIN B1).

The first thing that stands out is “chocolatey.” Is that even a word? Perhaps they meant to say “chocolaty coating,” but even better, they could have stuck with the standard “chocolate coating.”

It doesn’t matter though. This bar is a giant slab of sugar and corn syrup with some protein powder and vitamins mixed in to make it sound healthy in the marketing materials. Nothing more needs to be said.

The Nutrition Facts:

Calories 230
Total Fat 9g
Saturated Fat 4.5g
Sodium 150mg
Potassium 140mg
Total Carbs 30g
Fiber 3g
Sugars 15g
Protein 10g

Going purely on the numbers, the bar doesn’t sound too bad for an energy bar designed for “moderate intensity.” But considering the ingredients, I’m hardly tempted to choose this over a Snickers bar. (Except that for $0.30 each, these might be cheaper than the equivalent size Snickers!)

PowerBar Triple Threat Taste Test

I don’t like to base an entire taste test around one flavor of a product, but when I’m already this disappointed in an energy bar, I don’t mind. Plus, it’s pretty hard to screw up a chocolate/caramel/peanut flavor.

So here are my thoughts:

Chocolate Caramel Fusion – This was kind of like a 3 Musketeers candy bar, but with caramel on top. So it’s a bit like a Milky Way candy bar, but it had that fluffy 3 Musketeers feel to it. I’d prefer it taste like a Snickers, but it’s not bad as is. It’s just not particularly good.

So yes, the bar had a candy bar texture and a moderate candy bar flavor. But it wasn’t as good as a candy bar. (Believe it or not, some energy bars do taste like candy bars for real!)

PowerBar Triple Threat In Use

Wanting to stay true the marketing material, I used these bars as snacks during and after ice “skating” sessions. PowerBar’s marketing team probably meant skateboarding, but these bars did the job of providing me calories without making me sick.

Is that something special? Nope. There are plenty of other energy bars out there that would have made just as good of a snack (tasty and filling) without making me sick.

It really doesn’t take much to launch a product that doesn’t upset stomachs during moderate intensity activity. It’s the bars that work during high intensity activity and the ones that still work during long (12+ hour) moderate to high intensity activities that are impressive.

My final verdict is…

Taking a step back and comparing this bar to other bars, it pretty much tasted like crap. I don’t think I’d buy it again, even on clearance at 30 cents each!

I will stick with PowerBar for their Performance Bar and Energize Bar, but for snacks, I’ll choose other brands like the Dr. Will Bar.

Official website: www.PowerBar.com

Buy online: www.Amazon.com