The Rundown on Costco Protein Powder: The Smart Way to Do Whey Protein
December 5, 2011 by Tyler
17 Comments
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If you’ve been buying your protein supplements at a typical nutrition or supplement store, I’m going to do you a favor and let you in on a little secret. The petite 2 pound tub of Hydrolyzed, isolated, denatured, instantized goat milk casein isn’t that special. It’s a waste of money!
The fact is, people are attracted to big words and shiny labels. Supplement companies FEED on this. Some companies that will remain nameless, will take it to the extreme. *cough* Muscletech *cough*. The last time I walked into a GNC I saw a 4 pound tub of protein for 80 bucks. Why is protein so damn expensive? Protein should not be a luxury. If you have extra money you want to waste, go right ahead. But, if you want the same results, but want to do it the smart way, then read on.
Many companies come up with a fancy way of making their whey protein product look better than it really is. Check out this label from a popular brand carried by GNC:
The advanced technological system delivers smaller, micron-sized particles of a key muscle building ingredient with enhanced dissolution and dispersion properties…is its state-of-the-art Tri-Phasic Filtration Technology, which is designed to ensure the ultra-anabolic properties of the whey protein remain intact and the structural integrity of the protein fractions are preserved. Tri-Phase Filtration Technology involves three phases, all performed to enhance the overall purity of the whey protein
Are you kidding me!? It’s powdered milk.
You can get the SAME quality protein for much less if you simply know where to shop. Here’s where quality online retailers and bulk, wholesale stores like Costco come in. Some of the products available at Costco completely outshine the super-marked-up products you’ll find at your local GNC store.
Ok, So What’s So Special About Costco Protein?
I remember the first time I saw protein on sale at Costco. As I was casually browsing the isles, I came across the supplement section (my favorite section). That’s when I saw it. I literally did a double take when I saw the price. An enormous six pound bag of 100% Whey Protein for $35.
I left Costco that day with 30 pounds of protein. The taste for me was great. If you have ever had those Muscle Milk ready-to-drinks, it tastes like that. It also mixes very easily. One downside is that it only comes in two flavors; chocolate and vanilla. But, on the plus side, both actually taste great. Although I’m not a huge fan of chocolate, this was one of the better flavored chocolate flavored proteins I had tasted. I’ve mixed it both in milk and water, and they both taste great.
Now let’s not get this confused. I have only seen this protein powder sold at Costco, but it is NOT Costco brand protein. They 100% Whey Protein available in Costco stores is from CytoSport (the makers of Muscle Milk)
So, How Does it Stack Up Against the Competition?
Let’s compare the Costco 100% Whey Protein from CytoSport to other protein powders. The prices listed below are what you would have to spend if you went to your local GNC.
| Brand | Price | Calories | Protein (grams) | Carbohydrates (grams) | Fats(grams) | Servings |
| CytoSport 100% Whey Protein | $35.99 | 140 | 27 | 3 | 2 | 78 |
| GaspariMyofusion | $49.99 | 147 | 25 | 5 | 3 | 63 |
| Muscletech Nitrotech Hardcore | $59.99 | 130 | 25 | 3 | 1.5 | 27 |
| BSNSyntha 6 | $55.99 | 200 | 22 | 13 | 6 | 30 |
The Proof is in the Protein Pudding Folks
There are higher quality products than 100% Whey Protein. If you are really concerned that you protein isn’t hydrolyzed, isolated, denatured, instantized goat milk casein, go ahead and buy it. No one is stopping you. It’s your money! Most of us do not have trees that grow money. Whether you disagree or not, protein is still protein. The biggest deciding factors should be price and taste. I don’t care if it’s egg protein or casein. If it fits into my macros, I will still use it.
And Here’s How
Here’s one of my favorite whey protein shake recipes.
Post workout/Before bed Shake
6 ice cubes
2 scoops of 100% Whey Protein
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp peanut butter
14 fl oz of milk/water
Blend together in a single serve shake mixer or a blender. Then sit back and enjoy.
Tyler is right. The protein at Costco is the bomb! I’ve tried many other proteins and none work as well or taste as good as this one, which is, of course made by Cytosport as Tyler mentioned. The only problem is: Costco must be getting hip to this. I first bought it a year ago and it was $32.99 for 6 pounds! I went on a friend’s membership and bought 3 bags at that time. I then bought my own membership about six months later (September 2011) and the price had increased to $35.99. Still, it wasn’t a bad price so I bought more. I then stopped working out for about 5 months (worst idea ever, lost all my muscle!) but then started back up at the beginning of this month (April 2012). Costco then charged $39.99! Okay so now I was getting a bit upset, but the protein works so damn well that I HAD to buy it. Finally, I went last weekend (4/14/2012) and they are now charging $45.99 for it! So I am a bit ticked with Costco. This protein is the only reason I bought the membership. But I REFUSE to use any other protein so I either have to let Costco bend me over or search for it online. Anyways, this is more of a rant than anything, but to recap: no protein comes close to this protein, but Costco will make you pay for it. I predict it will be over $50 by the end of this year.
Hahaha…Costco is like a weird drug that shoots off your dopamine levels. I buy so much stuff there that they might as well name is CadeCo. Thanks for the feedback!
Cade, you are cute.
I’m OBSESSED with Costco’s whey protein! (I’m also obsessed with Costco in general.) I’ve tried a lot of different protein shakes and bars and Costco’s is one of my favorites based on flavor but by far the best value for money. I prefer the vanilla flavor over chocolate but my husband loves the chocolate so we have both in our house! We have had Costco’s protein powder in our house for as long as I can remember; it’s the only protein supplement we’ll buy. Tyler, thank you for that recipe- I’m going to try it out tonight after my CrossFit class (I assume you use the chocolate for this as chocolate and peanut butter go much better together than vanilla and PB).
Brittany,
Great stuff. Make sure to notice we provide giveaways on the website every two weeks. The current one is for Costco protein powder. Make sure to get involved there for our 2.47 lbs Costco protein powder giveaway. It is worth about $55, so that should save you some coinage.
Also let us know if there are other things you are interested in seeing for giveaways like equipment or DVDs.
No problem
Nowadays I am doing protein pancakes:
10 egg whites (or one small carton of liquid egg whites)
6 scoops of Costco 100% Whey Vanilla
3 tbsp of cinnamon
oats (Optional)
mix the protein powder and eggwhites in a large bowl until there are no clumps. If you are adding oats, be sure that they are fine enough to hold into the mixture
preheat a pan to medium heat and use your favorite nonstick spay
pour just enough of the mixture to cover the entire bottom of the pan
when the edges begin to harden, start to slide the spatula unter the entire to ensure it doesn’t stick,
add cinnamon before flipping.
It should looks just like a pancake. the trick is to use enough protein powder to ensure the pancake doesn’t have consistency of an omelette.
You can enjoy it plain, howver sprinkling some cinnamon definately adds to the flavor
depending on how you make it, your pancake with have little to no fat, or carbs. With around 50 grams of protein per pancake
Walmart sells the same powder in 2 lb tubs for $15. Costco is not as cheap as they used to be…
Just visited CostCo website, 3:30pm, Monday, May 21, 2012.
This brand was still on the website, but with a statement that it was no longer available. Did not say if it is still available in stores.
As far as the COSTCOs in my area (West Los Angeles), they still have the protein available in stores. I went about 8 days ago. The price is still around $45 though, for the 6 lb bag.
I was wondering if costco still sells protein powder because I can’t seem to find any on their website. Also, do they have a selection of protein powder to choose from or is it just cytosport’s muscle milk?
Yes, COSTCO still sells protein powder. I tried to find some on their website as well, but never had any luck. As far as selection, they only have maybe 2 or 3 types of protein, and I believe they’re all by Cytosport, but don’t quote me on that! As far as flavors, I have only seen vanilla or chocolate. If you want my opinion, avoid the vanilla. It made me want to throw up after about half the bag! But the chocolate is just awesome!
I just went today and it was $52 after tax(CA, San Diego tax)
Though it is still a better buy than the $37 I’ve paid for nutrabolics 2# powder..which I’m not happy about getting taken for my $ like that. -_-
I have a co-worker that swears by the stuff so my wife and I bought a bag of vanilla and a bag of chocolate ($47.99). Don’t like the smell at all (especially vanilla) and don’t care for the taste, either but I can live with it. My question is, besides it being a better value than other brands, what are the true benefits? I’ve read that quicker recovery is one but recovery’s never been a big issue for me. Does is make you stronger? More cut? Because it’s low carbs, is it good for weight loss when combined with cardio?
Good questions Jim.
A lot of the results will depend on your goals and also your body type. Generally speaking protein powder like this has a positive impact because of the protein. This does help to replete glycogen levels for energy, help your muscles heal and build them up. Basically it helps to make you stronger. For most people, those that aren’t naturally lean, this is not the best choice to stay lean. If spikes your insulin levels which means your body will retain and create more fat. This eventually means less energy.
If you are looking to replete glycogen levels I would eat something like sweet potatoes or yams after a workout. They give you the energy you need while not spiking your insulin levels as much. Also the truth is nothing will build muscle as well as the animal protein. The more unprocessed grass-fed animal protein you can eat, the better off you will be. Not only do you get the pros of pure protein, but you also don’t get the negative impacts that come with grain-fed and sugar protein products.
Let me know how it goes!
Thanks for the comments. I’m 5-10/185 and fairly muscular. I’ve lost @20 lbs in the last two months with a combo of cardio 5 days a week and a fairly low carb, low calorie diet and have a goal weight of 175.
My thought was to use this as an occasional meal replacement alternative and also build a little more lean muscle. From your description, doesn’t sound like this product is the best option for that?
Cade is right. protein is a great supplement. However, recently there has been some debate as to whether how effective protein powder is. If you were to stand up to another protein source such as chicken, or steak, It may match in the macro and even micronutrients, on paper it looks great, but time and time again many have shown that solid food will always be better, which I agree. Protein powder is great for ts chose extra 20-100 grams of protein your need for your day, it’s also great for dieting. the protein Will fill you up. As far as muscle growth, solid food will be superior, but using some carbs such AS sweet potato or white rice post workout, following a protein shake is one of the best post workout cocnoctions you can create
What the hell, At 2nd comment read my website link for more information.