Does Protein Powder Work?
Nuance is everything in nutrition. If by asking “does protein powder work”, you are really asking “does protein powder provide a simple, convenient, low calorie method of ingesting 15-30g of high quality protein into my body” then yes, it works.
If you are actually asking “will it make me jacked”, then no, it probably doesn’t work.
Generally the evidence suggests around 1.6g/kg/day of protein intake for strength athletes to maintain or gain lean body mass (1, 2). It has even been reported that bodybuilders consume up to 3.1g/kg/day of protein during competition preparation to maximise muscle retention (3).
If you are trying to aim for somewhere around the 1.6g/kg/day of protein, particularly whilst keeping calories low, protein powder provides a super convenient way to do this. If you are expecting to get jacked because you take protein shakes - unfortunately that’s not how it works! Resistance training provides the stimulus