Phormula 1 Review: Is This Protein Powder Worth It?

by Joe Costello, CNC | Protein Powders

Phormula 1 review

Phormula 1 is a protein powder that aims to help your muscles get the fast acting protein they need after a hard workout. Protein supplements are a fantastic way of helping you rest assured knowing you are reaping all the rewards of your hard work in the gym. Check out this Phormula 1 review to learn more about it or look through our list list of the top 10 best Whey Protein supplements to learn about the top options on the market.

The Benefits Of Phormula 1

Here are the potential benefits of 1st Phorm Phormula 1

  • Builds lean muscle
  • No bloating
  • Reduced recovery time

What Is Phormula 1?

1st Phorm Phormula 1 is a protein supplement you take after working out to make sure your body gets a fast dosage of protein. These supplements are much easier for your body to digest than protein rich food sources and can help increase the rate at which your muscles get to absorb the proper nutrients they need for growth. Supplementing protein this way can also help decrease your recover time in order to get you back in the weight room as soon as possible.

However, here’s the big problem I have with !st Phorm Phormula 1: it is comprised entirely of whey protein sources…specifically whey protein isolate. Whey protein has been shown to cause a bunch of side effects due to the high amount of lactose, dairy, and soy it naturally contains since it is derived from animals. Plant proteins are far superior to whey proteins both in terms of effectiveness and efficiency.

Your body has a difficult time digesting whey protein because the dairy and lactose interfere with the digestion process, which means most of the protein is probably going to waste. This is why, as a Certified Nutrition Coach, I strictly recommend plant protein sources to my clients.

I personally use VegaTein and strongly recommend it over any whey protein supplement. I get amazing health benefits from it including muscle growth and recovery, and yet I don’t have to worry about side effects because its dairy free, lactose free, and soy free. It’s just the best protein on the market without question…it contains all the right things while leaving out all of the detrimental things (dairy, soy, etc.).

How Does Phormula 1 Work?

Phormula 1 works by utilizing quick absorbing protein from a high quality source. Their claim to fame is their high quality extremely pure whey protein. The easier the protein to digest and absorb, the more facilitated the absorption process by your muscles. This process can increase muscle mass and also decrease your recovery time, which is why the name of the game is digestion and absorption. Therein lies the problem…

I won’t harp on this for much longer, but it’s important to me that my readers understand that protein powders can not produce benefits unless they are properly digested and absorbed. Your body must be able to break down the nutrients in order to utilize them, and whey protein makes this process difficult.

Plant protein sources are far superior when it comes to digestion and absorption, and therefore, it is also far superior when it comes to muscle repair and growth. Better digestion leads to better absorption, which leads to better utilization of the protein, which leads to increased protein synthesis, which leads to better muscle repair and growth.

Phormula 1 Ingredients

The primary Phormula 1 ingredients are:

  • Whey protein isolate
  • Branched chain amino acids
  • L-Valine
  • L-Leucine
  • L-Isoleucine

Whey Protein Blend

Phormula 1 utilizes a protein blend made primarily of pure whey protein isolates. This premium protein source happens to be one of our favorites due to its purity and ability to be absorbed quickly. High quality protein sources are incredibly important to make sure that what your taking is healthy and will actually benefit your muscle growth while decreasing your recovery time.

It is extremely important to pick a protein drink with a high quality and pure protein. Many different companies try to trick consumers into thinking the more sources of protein in their blend, the better. This could not be farther from the truth due to the fact that if they are mixing in protein sources that are not of the same quality, they are only dirtying their blend to reduce cost.

Pure whey protein isolates are best when it comes to whey protein because it is cross flow micro filtrated, and whey protein concentrate is not. When whey protein is cross flow micro filtrated, the purity level is significantly increased, and your protein retention rate improves. However, like I said before, I recommend avoiding all whey proteins…plant proteins are even easier to digest and absorb than whey protein isolates…no cross flow micro filtration required because they are so naturally pure.

Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs)

BCAA is an abbreviation for Branched Chain Amino Acids. These amino acids are crucial for muscle repair and growth as well as reducing recovery time. Amino acids are naturally present in most protein sources. You want to make sure your protein powder is high in amino acids if your hope is that the protein powder speeds up muscle repair. Nothing speeds up muscle repair like branched chain amino acids…they are the building blocks of muscle!

Phormula 1 utilizes 5 grams of additional BCAA into their blend in order to help you optimize your workouts, and see your results as quickly as possible. Many protein supplements do not include a sufficient amount of BCAAs. If this is the case for your favorite blend, make sure you try and find a high quality BCAA supplement in addition to your protein powder of choice.

Nutrition Facts

In one serving of Phormula 1, you can expect to find:

  • Calories: 96
  • Total Fat: 0g
  • Cholesterol: 5mg
  • Sodium: 40mg
  • Total Carbohydrates: 1g
  • Sugars: 0g
  • Protein: 23g

This nutritional information is pretty impressive. It is not often we see one serving of protein contain less than 100 calories while maintaining 0 fat, low levels of carbohydrates and zero sugars. It makes you question exactly how good this product could possibly taste.

When to Take 1st Phorm Phormula 1

Well, at this point in the review, you are probably aware that I don’t recommend taking Phormula 1 ever due to the nature of the protein blend. However, I will provide some guidance with regard to when to take protein powder in general for maximum assimilation, nutrient retention, and optimal muscle repair and growth.

My strategy is to take one serving first thing in the morning in order to make sure I am providing my muscles with the protein they need to recover from the prior day’s workout. After all, if you just slept for 8 hours, it means you consumed no protein. Therefore, taking it first thing in the morning is exactly what your body needs to continue the growth and recovery process.

Secondly, I always take a second serving immediately post workout. Studies have shown that you can get much better results with regard to increasing muscle mass if you consume your protein shake immediately post workout. Some believe that this is due to your body’s anabolic window, which is said to last up to 30 minutes after your workout.

Also, for the best tasting protein shake, I’d recommend mixing it in with some almond milk as opposed to just plain water. If you insist on consuming dairy, regular milk is fine too I suppose, but regardless, protein powder is for sure best tasting when mixed with something other than water.

The Pros

  • Low calories
  • No fat
  • No sugar

The Cons

  • Does not taste that good
  • Expensive
  • Contains milk and soy
  • Contains dairy and lactose
  • Only uses whey proteins (no plant proteins)
  • Difficult to digest and absorb

Is Phormula 1 Worth It? Our Conclusion

Bottom line: I do NOT recommend Phormula 1 due to its use of what I believe to be inefficient protein sources. Phormula 1 is overall a pretty decent product with healthy nutritional information. Although it is a pretty decent powder, I simply can not look past the fact that the primary protein source is whey protein isolate. Like I said, when it comes to whey protein, isolate is the way to go, but I would strongly urge you to consider avoiding whey proteins all together due to the side effects and interference they cause with regard to digestion and absorption.

Certified Nutrition Coach at JNC Enterprises Inc. | Website | + posts

I’m not just a supplement analyst. I’m an extremely qualified one! I am a Certified Nutrition Coach (CNC) and actually received my certification directly from the National Academy of Sports Medicine. I am also a Nutrition & Wellness Consultant, certified by the American Fitness Professionals Association (AFPA).

Hi, I’m Joe Costello CNC

I’m not just a supplement analyst. I’m an extremely qualified one! I am a Certified Nutrition Coach (CNC) and actually received my certification directly from the National Academy of Sports Medicine. I am also a Nutrition & Wellness Consultant, certified by the American Fitness Professionals Association (AFPA).