Whey Protein is critical for any athlete doing intense exercise. Whey is supreme over other protein for post-workout due to its fast rate of absorption into the bloodstream to prevent catabolism and aid recovery. I choose Optimum Nutrition for all my whey needs.

I follow ABC bodybuilding's article on the Window of Opportunity. Everyone should read this article and use this formula. This is the best guideline on essential supplementation.

Please keep in mind that it is a guide, not a dogma. Do what feels right and what works for you.

The Window of Opportunity is a post-workout shake that I used when I put on over 30 pounds of muscle within 3 months. My bench went from 215 pounds to 450, body fat from 7% to 3%, and mile time from 6 minutes to 5. It works.

Here're the quick basics, although you definitely must read the article yourself.

After the work out, you should consume .22 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight and 5 grams of carbohydrate (half dextrose, half maltodextrin) per 10 pounds of lean muscle mass for bulking, or 2.5 grams of carbohydrate (half dextrose, half maltodextrin) per 10 pounds of lean muscle mass for cutting.

You should also consume 5-10 grams of creatine, 5-10 grams of glutamine, and a multi-anti-oxidant formula. All this must be done over a 45-60 minute period.

The 45-60 minute sequence is vital:

Step One:

Blend 1/3 protein (experiment to find the exact number for you), 1/3 dextrose (simple sugar), and 1/3 maltodextrin (complex sugar) with enough water (water should be at least 92% of the total mixture). Add 500 mg of sodium per liter of water used.

Shake the ingredients well. Put creatine powder in your mouth (5-10 grams when starting, 2.5-5 grams once body is saturated with creatine) and drink the shake to wash the creatine down. It is better to do this than to mix the creatine in water, as that makes creatine lose its potency.

Drink one half of the shake within 5 minutes of working out. After this 5 minutes, allow an additional 10-15 minutes for the solution to settle in your stomach.

Step 2:

After the solution has dissolved in your stomach for 10-15 minutes, consume 5-10 grams of Glutamine and your multi-vitamin with one gulp of the shake.

Continue to drink the remaining half of the shake for the following 30-45 minute period.

It is vital to drink small sips of your shake for the entire 30-45 minute period. This allows for maximum absorption rate of the nutrients into your body.

Step 3:

Take fish oil with a meal, preferably at breakfast.

Take ZMA on an empty stomach, 30 minutes before you go to sleep.

As a pretty consistent gym-goer (5 or 6 days a week) and someone who spends a lot of time reading, researching and focusing on nutrition I would definitely recommend ON Whey Gold Standard for any lifter or somebody looking to get more protein in their diet. It is also rated the highest on Bodybuilding.com.

I have been using ON Whey for about 2 years now- and my opinion on this is remains the same throughout that time: its a great product at a good price.
I will rate this on what I think sums up a good protein powder (on a scale of 1 - 5, 5 being the highest and 1 the lowest):
Mixability - 4.5 - this product requires a decent amount of mixing, or it will get clumpy in your glass. Same with a shaker bottle.. but all in all it mixes in fine with about 20 seconds of stirring/ shaking.
Taste - 3.5 - definitely NOT my favorite part of this product, but I should mention that I have only tried 2 other protein powders, and one tasted worse. The chocolate is ok - it tastes like a chocolate milkshake with cardboard in it. Stay away from the vanilla.
Price - 5 - in conjunction subscribe & save Amazon offers a pretty good deal. I should rate this as a price to performance ratio- so the score will remain the same.
Effectiveness - this product has worked VERY well for me. I have put on over 40 pounds since using it and I believe it works very well as a supplement to a good diet.
All in all I would give this product a 4.5, but since I cant select that on the star rating I gave it a 5- as the taste is subjective.

I liked the taste better. Not as good as Syntha-6 though. Just used it for month haven't seen any significant results.

After trying the Nitro-Tech Hardcore, I am really glad that I found this product. It seems to have the same effect, but is by far richer in flavour and cheaper in price. Even my girlfriend, who didn't like Nitro-Teck at all, now takes a shake from time to time after her workout.