Thread: The History of the Protein Shake

The History of the Protein Shake

For nearly 20 years nutrition shakes have been a vital source of energy, strength and freedom in my life.

From their humble beginnings of the first protein shake (version 1.0) to the advanced nutritional integration that is Full Strength, I’ve been there every step of the way.



As a veteran fitness, nutrition, healthy lifestyle expert, I’ve been outspoken about my passion for this convenient, delicious and nutritious form of "fast-food" with friends, family, pro-athletes, A-list celebrities, and millions of people who’ve experienced the transformative power of nutrition shakes.

In fact, I am committed to a future where the nutrition shake is the most predominant form of fast-food in America. And this is a vision that I believe will change the world.
In the Beginning

Having spent the past two decades (and some) at the forefront of health and fitness, along with my brother, Bill, it’s possible you may know the story.

For those who haven’t followed the health and fitness lifestyle here’s the cliff notes version of my career…

It was the summer of 1990 when my brother, I and a few relatives unloaded an entire semi-truck full of the first “meal-replacement shake,” MET-Rx, into a basement office of a law building we occupied. With this, a new category in nutrition had begun. It was an innovative product that grew into the largest category in nutrition within a decade.

After a few years of propelling MET-Rx, it was time for a new challenge and opportunity. That would come in the name of a company called, EAS, the original creatine company.
In late 1995 EAS would launch the next evolution of the nutrition shake (aka MRP), called Myoplex, which would become the most dominant meal-replacement / nutrition shake in the world, helping EAS to become the most successful performance nutrition company in the world.

What an amazing number of people don’t know is that about a decade ago, EAS changed hands and Bill and I departed. It was an amazing run, much to take great pride in, with millions of lives transformed.
Shaking LIFE UP

I’d like to tell you that everyone “lived happily ever after,” but that’s for the story books. The truth is, while there’s been a lot of great things come from the change and growth, it seems that the fans of EAS have suffered.

The allure of the mass market creates a magnetic pull to mediocrity for many consumer goods, and nutrition shakes proved no exception. All the while more companies rushed in to produce me-too type products marketed in hype and draped in lipstick.

What followed is a general degradation of ingredients and formulation as nutrition shakes became a commodity found on bulk aisles of grocery chains and retail giants like Wal Mart, for a low, low price. Only to be matched by low quality and effectiveness.

As the quality declined so did my enjoyment and satisfaction; I found myself drinking fewer and fewer shakes unable to tolerate what had become a dull, lifeless experience.

I searched for months for another shake I could call my own. I tried everything. A few looked to be well built on paper but tasted like paper. Most were as empty of an experience as they looked to be nutritionally.

Ultimately it wasn’t the taste that drove me away; it was the way I felt after drinking them. Rather than clear and energized, I was actually hungrier and lower in energy. I didn’t feel bright and charged but dull and drained.

It seems that the nutrition shake category had gone the way of Detroit in the 70′s, adopting a "who cares, we can build anything we want and they’ll buy it" attitude. The only reasons anyone continued to buy anything was that the price kept dropping and the newer outlets exposed nutrition shakes to those who didn’t know any different.

But the real price was being paid in health, weight, energy and time. You and I, the real consumers, were the losers.

It Was Born on the Sunset Strip in West L.A.

As devastating as it was for me to lose my most reliable nutrition "secret weapon" and feel the sliding of a brand that I’d all but tattooed on my ass, I was not alone. Countless friends, clients, colleagues and even strangers approached me with similar stories about the decline of their shake.

At the same time I began to realize that not only had the landscape of nutrition shakes changed, but so did my nutritional needs.

Now, in my 40′s, I recognized a common trait shared by many successful men—nutrition is about much more than six-pack abs, bulging biceps, all day training sessions and performance on the field. At some point we all leave the playing field, yet our performance requirements never cease.

Our lives are richer, fuller and more demanding than ever before, requiring more than a hyped-up, "muscle making" protein drink—the standard fare out there.

As is often the case, something great was to come from this.

My inspiration was clear: If there’s no nutrition shake that fuels my mental and physical energy, leaves me feeling strong, free and satisfied for hours and tastes like melted ice cream, then I’ll create one.
The $5 Shake Project

Pulp Fiction inspired… I began developing the “best shake in the world, at any price!” project which quickly earned the title, “The $5 Shake” project…

…., propelled by obsession, relying on my decades of experience in nutrition innovation, I set out on a mission to create the perfect nutrition for my evolving, demanding lifestyle. Something I’d be proud to share with my inner circle.

It wasn’t easy.

I expected it to take three, maybe four months. It took about four times that and more than I care to mention in development costs to achieve that vision. Along the way I cut no corners.

The result is the next-generation in nutrition shakes, a super-food—Full Strength. Beyond the enhanced protein shake to what is more a complete meal, designed to vitally nourish and outperform whole foods.

This isn’t some dime-store nutrition shake, it’s the only one strong and robust enough to be called Full Strength.

Thus the creation of the Full Strength shake was personal. I was being down-right selfish and yet wonderfully on purpose.


When Purpose and Passion Align

A world-renowned ambassador of Transformation and optimal-living, Shawn is a leading visionary and better than twenty year contributor to the field of human performance, training, nutrition and mindset.

A best-selling author, entrepreneur, and respected expert the depth of Shawn’s contributions over the past two decades are impressive and continue to evolve. Unlike so many in the "fitness" field who offer "the way" to a better body, Shawn embraces the whole person, from the inside out and encourages a stronger, fitter, higher energy body and mind in the service of a more vibrant life.

Co-founder of the EAS, which was at the time the largest performance nutrition company in the world, Shawn is author of two break-through bestselling books, Strength for Life: The Fitness Plan for the Best of Your Life, ABSolution: The Practical Guide to Building Your Best Abs.

He has also written hundreds of magazine articles, appeared on over 50 magazine covers and has some of the world’s most photographed abs.

Shawn is the creator of Focus Intensity Training®, a practice which integrates the depth of Eastern traditions with the form and function of strength training; by synchronizing body and mind in a peak focus state, results and enjoyment are improved.

In alignment with his current focus of helping men in "the middle third of life" enjoy freer, clearer, more robust lives; Shawn created the Full Strength Premium Nutrition Shake, a nutrient-rich life performance food clinically proven to cut fat, add precious lean muscle and increase energy.

Shawn and his wife Angie, live in the foothills west of Denver, Colorado with their two children, ages 2 and 6 and usually a herd of deer or elk in their yard.

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