Recently saw this article about powerlifter Blaine Sumner who consumes blended up chicken shakes as part of his nutrition plan. I remember seeing that Strongman Derek Poundstone used to do that too. My questions is: what benefit does a chicken shake have over a regular protein shake? Is it better absorption? More natural ingredients? Food allergies? Cost savings? I’m just not sure why you would make a chicken shake if you could get a good whey protein powder at a reasonable price and that tastes a heck of a lot better but maybe I’m missing something.
I would think a chicken shake–albeit strange and probably a lot of work–could be a meal, while a protein powder shake would be a supplement snack. I’ve sometimes lunched on just a tuna shake over the years, like having a bloody mary. Tomato juice/oil packed tuna/some lemon juice/tobacco sauce. No noticeable tuna taste.
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The main difference is the obvious - its food, not a supplement. Blaine has said he does this to consume an entire actual meal’s worth of macros and calories in 3 seconds (he chugs the shakes). He probably eats between 15-20k calories a day, which is hard number to hit if you’re chewing the entire day haha he started the chicken shake to simply get another meal down faster and more conveniently.
Watched a documentary on one of Britain’s top female bodybuilders and she did the same thing, measured everything, threw it into ziplocs on the freezer, then would blend it for her meals, it was just as you said, to allow her to consume more quality calories with less overall effort.
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Pros and cons of chicken shakes:
Pros
-Meticulous control of your macros
-Quick to consume
-Convenient to prepare
Cons
-Pretty much the grossest thing in the universe
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Thanks everyone, this is all great info and makes a lot of sense.
Interesting recipe, though I think you meant Tabasco sauce lol. Might have to try this, I certainly don’t mind a good Bloody Mary
Yeah, tabasco sauce. So much for early morning posting. Writing about it made me have it for lunch. Probably will do that for rest of week.
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I’m totally doing this.
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It’s a great move on his part. Back in the day at first as a joke I told my training partner we were going to have a “steak shake”. I thought it was a cool idea because first of all it rhymed and second of all steak is a great source of protein. Since he didn’t flinch and wanted to give it a try I was stuck. Okay, so I prepared the steak shake simply by throwing in the blender along with other key ingredients a T Bone steak that was left over from the night before…minus the bone of course. And we drank it. It was the worst tasting protein shake I ever made. But one has to experiment now and then.
Watched a documentary on one of Britain’s top female bodybuilders and she did the same thing, measured everything, threw it into ziplocs on the freezer, then would blend it for her meals, it was just as you said, to allow her to consume more quality calories with less overall effort.
I remember seeing that one also… from memory she was doing them all day long
If this chick was a serious bodybuilder she’d mix things up and throw a couple of slices of pizza with some beer and a kebab in the blender PWO
Yeah, she was a brute, it was cool to see.
So just as an update I have been doing a daily chicken shake for a few weeks now and I have to say I have come to enjoy it. The tip about V8 was key, makes it much more palatable and close to a Bloody Mary. It’s been a good way for me to get some missing nutrients and not have to sit down to a meal. Word to the wise: don’t chug this or your stomach will be unhappy. Better to just sip on it. Here is my current recipe in case anyone is interested:
8oz V8 or similar
1/3 cup egg whites
4 oz cooked chicken
1/2 cup spinach
1/2 of an avocado
Splash of hot sauce and pepper
Water as needed
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