In 1910s, Eugen Sandow, widely considered to be the first modern bodybuilder in the western hemisphere, advocated the use of dietary supplements to control and enhance muscle growth. Mainly the “unknown” secret that body builders were using was a a simple high calorie diet with the main food group being a form of meat like chicken, beef, or pork. Later, bodybuilder Earle Liederman advocated the use of "beef juice" or "beef extract" as a way to enhance muscle recovery. In general, however misguided, people understood that tonics, or certain drinks had beneficial effects on the human body. In the 1930’s however, these tonics and supposid muscle enhancers saw a dramatic increase in their effects. Scientist had created anabolic steroids. The dull and lifeless world of body building began to create some buzz as athletes were able to start growing to sizes never seen before at the time. Athletes and competitors would often use any means necessary to gain any advantage when training. As a the use of tonics and steroids would grow in popularity amongst competitors, so too would the use of a protein powder in the american diet in the second half of the twentieth century.

In 1950s with recreational and competitive bodybuilding becoming increasingly popular, Irvin P. Johnson began to market egg-based protein powders specifically at bodybuilders and strength athletes. Marketing works! Johnson’s success enticed others like Bob Hoffman to start investing into nutritional supplements. From then on, athletes were sold a protein dense formula that was either egg, or whey based. From time to time, Bob Hoffman himself would mix and stir the drinks then bottle them up and deliver them to clients.


In modern times there are entire lines of protein targeted for people looking for a meal replacement, or to add in addition to their diet in order to achieve  maximum results. The mindset of these athletes that have the desire to push their bodies to the extreme inadvertently pushed the research and development of protein powder. Throughout the second half of the twentieth century, protein powders would experience a vast change in nutritional value, ingredient content, and promotional marketing.

Through time and the study of anatomy, scientist have been able to adequately determine what the nutritional needs of the average adult needs nutritionally on a daily basis. A division of study that began to emerge before the new millennium was the study of kinesiology, or the way the body interacts with the muscles that move it. The average adult needs 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram, or 0.8 grams of protein per 2.2 pounds of body weight per day. Strength training athletes need about 1.4 to 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram, of body weight per day. However these are just recommendations, the modern day strong-man, and physique athletes diet differ greatly from the suggested amount. Endurance athletes were recommended consume about 1.2 to 1.4 grams of protein per kilogram, of body weight per day. The amount of food that needs to be consumed in order to gain weight the way these athletes would like is only recommended if you are in fact burning the amount of calories you consume. Not only that, It would take some time for your body to regulate the amount of food you'd be consuming. Otherwise the caloric imbalance would cause you to gain weight as fat, not as muscle. Your body is obviously a living organism, and like any living organism has the ability to adapt to their environment. When your consume large quantities of food your body tells itself, time to grow and store this surplus. Strength, size, and endurance of muscle are built by the overload principle. This entails lifting increasingly heavy weights or increasing the volume of work over time. Combined with a caloric surplus, muscle and strength are increased over time. Nobody on the planet utilizes this concept quite like the men who compete in the Strong Man Competitions. While in need of easy access to to a high desnity protein source, Bob Hoffman is credited with produceing and marketing the first real Protein shake, made from a manufactured protein powder.