By now, everyone is aware that the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) holds strict standards for all nutritional supplements colleges provide to student athletes—and that colleges are equally strict about holding their student athletes accountable for the nutritional supplements they take.

The bad news is that although the NCAA made its rules with the athletes’ best interests in mind, it can be tough to find nutritional supplements that comply with the rules while still supplying student athletes with the right amounts of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats at each meal. The good news is that CytoSport, the company that makes Muscle Milk, has come out with a collegiate version of this highly popular product that is NCAA-compliant.
Now collegiate athletes can meet their nutritional needs safely with the ingredients in both the ready-to-drink (RTD) and powdered versions of NCAA-compliant Muscle Milk Collegiate. Both versions of these products are in complete compliance with the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports standards, contain no banned substances, and meet all NCAA requirements for approved nutritional supplements.

Students Mix It Up
According to blog comments posted in which they compare regular Muscle Milk to its collegiate counterpart, many student athletes prefer to prepare Muscle Milk Collegiate powder using four scoops of powder, rather than the two scoops most people use for the regular variety of Muscle Milk. This allows them to fine-tune the protein-to-carbohydrate ratios as shown below:

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  One two-scoop serving of regular Muscle Milk has 348 calories, 32 grams of protein, 12 grams of carbohydrates, and 7 grams of fat.



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  One four-scoop serving of Muscle Milk Collegiate has 580 calories, 40 grams of protein, 88 grams of carbohydrates, and 7 grams of fat.

A superior source of protein, carbohydrates, and fats, Muscle Milk Collegiate is intended to increase lean mass, prevent overtraining, aid in reducing injury from nutrient deficiency, and increase the delivery of oxygen to working muscles. This calorie replacement drink mix is permissible under NCAA Bylaw 16.5.2.2 for nutritional supplements.

Don’t Earn Your Reputation
College students are notorious for poor eating habits. Fortunately, in addition to complying with NCAA standards, Muscle Milk Collegiate gives student athletes the nutritional support they need in order to perform at peak levels and then recover quickly afterward. And a serving of Muscle Milk Collegiate costs far less than fat-laden fast-food meals that provide little more than empty calories. Plus, Muscle Milk Collegiate RTD, available in Chocolate and Vanilla, meets student athletes’ needs for nutrition that’s tasty, quick, and convenient.
Those who want a greater range of flavors will be glad to know that Muscle Milk Collegiate powder, which comes in a 5.29-pound size, offers more variety—namely, Chocolate Milk, Vanilla Crème, Strawberry Milkshake, Cookies ‘n Crème, and Chocolate Mint Chip flavors.

The Rules
The nutritional products the NCAA has deemed permissible are vitamins and minerals, energy bars, calorie-replacement drinks, and electrolyte-replacement drinks. Though protein powders are not allowed, supplements that contain protein are permissible, provided that no more than 30 percent of their calories come from protein and they do not contain additional ingredients intended to help build muscles.
Among the nutritional ingredients deemed impermissible by the NCAA are amino acids, chrysin, chondroitin, creatine and creatine-creating compounds, ginseng, glucosamine, glycerol, hydroxy-methylbutyrate (HMB), melatonin, and tribulus.
—Julie Crawshaw