Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Battle Ready Fuel Military Whey - Chocolate

8
£24.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Easy-mixing, great tasting protein powder that's easy to get and keep down, but comes at a premium price
Mixes very easily
Great texture/consistency
Great taste (subjective)
More expensive than alternatives
Only two flavours available
Weight: 
450g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

What the road.cc scores mean

Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.

  • Exceptional
  • Excellent
  • Very Good
  • Good
  • Quite good
  • Average
  • Not so good
  • Poor
  • Bad
  • Appalling

Battle Ready Fuel Military Whey is a protein powder available in either chocolate or vanilla flavours. It delivers a decent 23.17g of protein per serving, mixes easily, tastes good and has a very good consistency. This makes it pleasant to drink, and the added enzyme blend means there's no accompanying bloated feeling. However, this does come at a high price – Military Whey is significantly more expensive than powders delivering the same quantity of protein.

A protein drink is a good way of boosting protein intake, and is usually taken immediately after intense rides or gym sessions to start the muscle repair process as soon as possible. In cycling circles there's plenty of debate about whether they're necessary. My personal opinion is that there's a time and a place for them, and I do choose to use them after short races or rides that I have to travel to and from, when it's not convenient to start tucking into a meal.

> Buy this online here

As the name suggests, this protein blend is whey based, which, unlike casein blends, is fast acting, making it ideal for gulping down directly after an event or exercise. Battle Ready Fuel (BRF) says using whey isolate and concentrate allows it to create a product that provides the highest protein hit while not compromising on consistency or flavour.

Before we dig in to whether that's true, I should point out that this is a protein shake and differs from 'recovery' shakes, as it contains very few carbs – less than 2g per serving in fact. Compare that to Torq's Recovery Drink which has 83g of carbs, or a For Goodness Shakes 3:1 with 59g and it's quite a stark difference. This is great if you're dieting or trying to lose weight/fat, but less good for topping up glycogen stores that have been depleted during prolonged exercise. Therefore, this shake is going to be best suited for after short but intense exercise, as previously mentioned, when fat loss is a goal, or as supplementary protein intake alongside a meal.

> How to maximise your recovery and build your fitness

The required two scoops of powder can be mixed with 200ml of either water or milk; I usually opt for water as it's more pleasant when warm in a kit bag. Military Whey is one of the best-mixing powders I've ever used. I used a standard shaker without a filter or one of those metal balls and consistently got a lump-free drink within about five seconds of shaking. Also, the drink doesn't take on a gritty consistency like I've found with SiS Whey Protein powder. It does get slightly thicker than water, but is just as smooth and very easy to drink.

Each serving contains 23.17g protein, 1.4g of fat and 117 calories. That's almost identical to the Named Sport Whey Protein Shake that I tested recently, and the very popular SiS Whey Protein shake mentioned above. This is no coincidence, as the typical adult can absorb about 20-25g of protein in a three to four-hour period, so any more than this in a shake would just go to waste.

One of the main selling features of Military Whey is the DigeZyme blend; these enzymes aim to optimise gut health by aiding digestion and maximising absorption. I was pleased with how well the shake both went down and stayed down, with none of the bloating feeling that can accompany protein shakes, though whether this is down to the DigeZyme mix is hard to know. A closer look at the ingredients indicates that this blend is made up of amylase, protease, cellulase, lactase and lipase. Some of these ingredients are common among other brands – protease, for example, is found in most whey shakes as it breaks down proteins making them easier for the body to absorb.

Value

Military Whey costs £24.99 for 15 servings, which works out at £1.67 per serving. This is more expensive than many similar powders, and there's also currently no discount available if you want to purchase larger quantities.

In comparison, the NamedSport shake comes in at about £1.03 per portion and provides a very similar quantity of protein, though I did prefer the taste and consistency of Military Whey.

The very popular MyProtein Impact Whey is about £1.20p per serving, or less if you buy in bulk (we tested its Whey Protein Plus back in 2015), so is much cheaper, although I do find that it doesn't mix as well and leaves me feeling significantly more bloated.

SiS Whey Protein, mentioned earlier in the review, is also cheaper at £1.21p per serving, but again the consistency and flavour aren't as good in my opinion.

Conclusion

Overall, BRF Military Whey is an excellent product that tastes great, mixes very easily, and provides a good protein hit without bloating or stomach discomfort, but it is also significantly more expensive than the competition. If you don't have a problem with the cheaper alternatives then they are the better value option, but if you have found protein shakes hard to get down or keep down, then give this one a go.

Verdict

Easy mixing, great tasting protein powder that's easy to get and keep down, but comes at a premium price

If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website

road.cc test report

Make and model: Battle Ready Fuel Military Whey - Chocolate

Size tested: 450g / 15 servings

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Battle Ready Fuel says: "Created with a blend of Whey Protein Isolate and Concentrate for the highest protein content and the smoothest texture. This powerful formula is rich and filling, designed to help you refuel post workout and discover performance, beyond limitation."

I found it extremely pleasant to drink, tastes good and did have an excellent consistency. It provides a good hit of protein which is best suited to those not able to eat a proper meal immediately after short intense exercise, but it does come at a premium price.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

BRF lists:

Serving size: 2 scoops (30g)

23.17g protein per serving

117kcal

1.8g carbohydrates

DigeZyme enzyme blend to aid digestion

1.5g fat

15 servings per tub

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

Provides a good hit of protein to start muscles rebuilding as soon as possible, and easy to drink.

Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
9/10

No bloating or stomach discomfort for me.

Rate the product for value:
 
4/10

It's a little more expensive than the very similar SiS whey protein, but I did find it more palatable and easier to mix; it's significantly more expensive than the MYProtein alternative.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Very well.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

No lumps and a very smooth consistency, no grittiness.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Only two flavours available – I like to mix it up.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

It's expensive. As mentioned in the review, it's roughly 25% more expensive than products with a similar protein content.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

It does all the basics well – good protein content, mixes well and tastes good. The consistency and fact that it's easy to digest would make it excellent, but it is more expensive than much of the competition. You also only get two choices of flavour, though this chocolate one was very good.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 23  Height: 6ft  Weight: 74kg

I usually ride: Specialized venge pro 2019  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Under 5 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, mtb,

Jamie has been riding bikes since a tender age but really caught the bug for racing and reviewing whilst studying towards a master's in Mechanical engineering at Swansea University. Having graduated, he decided he really quite liked working with bikes and is now a full-time addition to the road.cc team. When not writing about tech news or working on the Youtube channel, you can still find him racing local crits trying to cling on to his cat 2 licence...and missing every break going...

Add new comment

8 comments

Avatar
KiwiMike | 1 year ago
1 like

Being a nearly-50yo cyclist, and having read Phil Cavell's excellent book The Midlife Cyclist, I'm now working with a trainer twice a week, faffing about with proper weights and stuff. I want to build and retain the few muscle fibres left (they start disappearing once you hit 30 folks) and as a mostly plant-based eater, getting in loads* of protein is an issue for my goals. Basically I need double what my normal diet was giving. So a pea protein shake each day has worked well, with blueberries, banana, a few dates to make it into a meal. 

I'm really liking the Myvegan pea stuff in coffee/walnut. Made with water, it's fine. https://www.myvegan.com/nutrition/pea-protein-isolate/10530136.html

I think the maths on £17RRP for a kilo works out well compared to this stuff.

* not wanting to eat half a chicken a day, basically. 

Avatar
bobrayner | 1 year ago
4 likes

Why on earth would cyclists need so much protein? We're not usually bodybuilders (and the minority who are also bodybuilders surely already get thousands of targeted adds for protein powder and other snake oil).

Cyclists are lean. (Well, most cyclists are lean, I have a mostly cake-based training regime so I'm more lard than muscle). Unless you're an elite sprinter on squats day, or you're on some weirdly restrictive diet of apples and rice, you probably don't need protein supplements.

Avatar
MiserableBastard | 1 year ago
4 likes

WTAF? The average consumer of a western diet already gets more protein than they need, and if you actually think you need a high-protein post-training drink, there's this marvellous stuff called chocolate milk, rather than swigging this over priced bullshit.

Look, there are things that bike riders who aren't qualified subject experts can meaningfully review, but nutrition products are not one of them. The whole area is infested with snake oil and confirmation bias and should be left to proper sports dieticians.

Avatar
jaymack replied to MiserableBastard | 1 year ago
1 like

You're quite right and people should spend £8 or so on Christie Aschwanden's wonderful book 'Good to Go'. As through a debunking of the sports nutrition industry (amongst other things) as you're ever likely to read. Strangely a publication never reviewed on this site...

Avatar
IanMSpencer replied to jaymack | 1 year ago
0 likes

To be fair, don't blame just the sports nutrition industry - the nutrition industry has a lot to answer for. Why for example, do I find that perfectly acceptable cottage cheese with chives is unavailable at my local Sainsbury's but they stock the low fat version which is chock full of sugar? Why are these high sugar variants even sold any more, given that anyone who has a clue knows that the sugar in them is far more damaging than the fat.

A decent public inquiry into modern obseity could do worse than investigating the purveyors of low fat and other processed foods that just happen to be stuffed with sugars, indeed they should investigate why the nutrition industry seems to have precious little understanding of how the body actually processes what people shove in their gobs... it seems that many food companies like to suggest that fats magically simply sneak though the stomach lining untouched into the blood.

And why has the UK allowed the likes of McDonalds to destroy the nation's health? It's hardly personal choice when there is addiction and lack of understanding involved.

<Goes off for a long mutter.>

Avatar
Sriracha replied to IanMSpencer | 1 year ago
1 like

Interesting about the cottage cheese. I guess for shoppers looking for a cottage cheese, no one is even thinking of a "low sugar" version, whereas "low fat" sells, despite the extra sugar which is obviously not advertised in the same font. Cynical, yes.

Avatar
Simon E replied to MiserableBastard | 1 year ago
1 like
MiserableBastard wrote:

The whole area is infested with snake oil and confirmation bias and should be left to proper sports dieticians.

Like this nugget in the review:

"One of the main selling features of Military Whey is the DigeZyme blend; these enzymes aim to optimise gut health by aiding digestion and maximising absorption."

You cannot optimise your gut health by consuming whey powder, not even with added enzymes or even the latest unicorn-based product. As you say, the vast majority of us are better off (in several ways) by eating real food, not this overpriced junk.

Avatar
BBB | 1 year ago
3 likes

Military Grade, you say...

Make sure you check an expiry date first😉

Latest Comments