• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The BarBend Logo in white.

BarBend

The Online Home for Strength Sports

  • News
    • CrossFit
    • Strongman
    • Bodybuilding
    • Powerlifting
    • Weightlifting
    • HYROX
  • Reviews
    • Recovery
      • Best Cold Plunges
      • Best Saunas
      • Best Mini-Massage Guns
    • Supplements
      • Best Protein
        • Best Vegan Protein Powders
        • Best Whey Isolate Protein Powders
        • Best Mass Gainer
        • Best Protein Bars
      • Best Pre-Workouts
        • Best Pre-Workout for Women
        • Best Pre-Workouts for Men
        • Best Non-Stim Pre-Workouts
        • Strongest Pre-Workouts
      • Best Creatine
      • Best Electrolyte Supplements
      • Best Greens Powder
      • Best Meal Replacements
      • Best Nitric Oxide Supplements
      • Best Fat Burners
      • Individual Supplement Reviews
    • Cardio Equipment
      • Best Treadmills
      • Best Rowing Machines
      • Best Exercise Bikes
      • Best Ellipticals
      • Best Recumbent Bikes
      • Individual Cardio Equipment Reviews
    • Strength Equipment
      • Best Adjustable Dumbbells
      • Best Dumbbells
      • Best Kettlebells
      • Best Barbells
      • Best Squat Racks
      • Best Weight Benches
      • Best Resistance Bands
      • Best Leg Extension Machines
      • Individual Strength Equipment Reviews
    • Apparel
      • Best Weightlifting Shoes
      • Best Cross Training Shoes
      • Best Running Shoes
      • Best Gym Shorts
    • Fitness Tech
      • Best Running Apps
      • Best Fitness Trackers
      • Best Workout Apps
      • Best Smart Scales
    • Support Gear
      • Best Lifting Straps
      • Best Gym Bags
      • Best Lifting Gloves
      • Best Wrist Wraps
  • Nutrition
    • Diets
      • Carb Cycling
      • Vertical Diet
      • Reverse Dieting
      • Carnivore Diet
      • Ketogenic Diet
      • Intermittent Fasting
      • IIFYM Diet
    • Muscle Gain
      • How to Dirty Bulk
      • Go From Cutting to Bulking
      • Eat These Carbs
      • How to Eat for Muscle
    • Fat Loss
      • Macros for Fat Loss
      • Calorie Deficits
      • Natural Fat Burners
      • Cut 2 Pounds Weekly
    • Supplement Guides
      • Pre-Workout
      • Whey Protein
      • Mass Gainers
      • Greens Powders
      • Creatine
      • BCAAs
    • Daily Protein Needs
    • Pre- and Post-Workout Nutrition
    • Foods With Creatine
    • Bulking Tips
  • Training
    • Exercise Guides
      • Deadlift
      • Bench Press
      • Back Squat
      • Overhead Press
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Shoulder Exercises
      • Chest Exercises
      • Ab Exercises
      • Quad Exercises
      • Biceps Exercises
    • Training Guides
      • Beginner’s Guide to the Gym
      • How to Build Muscle
      • Guide to Muscle Hypertrophy
      • How to Train on a Cut
    • Workouts
      • Back Workouts
      • At-Home Workouts
      • Chest & Back Workouts
      • Full-Body Workout
      • HIIT Workouts
      • Bodybuilding Workouts
      • Farmer’s Carry Workouts
    • Programs
      • 5×5 Program
      • Bodybuilding Programs
      • Push-Up Program
      • Pull-Up Program
      • 5/3/1 Program
      • Powerbuilding Program
      • German Volume Training
      • Build Your Own Program
  • Calculators
    • Protein Intake Calculator
    • Macros Calculator
    • BMR Calculator
    • Squat Calculator
    • Calorie Calculator
  • Community Forum
Home » Best Supplements » Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Vs. Body Fortress Super Advanced Whey Protein — A Pretty Easy Winner

Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Vs. Body Fortress Super Advanced Whey Protein — A Pretty Easy Winner

Written by Nick English
Last updated on November 26th, 2024

We receive free products and receive commissions through our links. See disclosures page.

Optimum Nutrition’s Gold Standard needs no introduction. It’s the most popular protein powder on the market, popular among consumers for being high protein, low-carb, low-fat, inexpensive, and having a great reputation with third party quality testers.

Body Fortress is a little less well-known. Super Advanced Whey can be found in most Walmarts for a very low price, and it has a lot in common with Gold Standard. They have a similar price and similar ingredients, but big differences in nutrition, ingredients, and taste. They’re both thirty bucks for two pounds, so which one is worth your dollar?

Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey

The market's most popular whey lives up to its reputation as a solid all-rounder with a huge variety of flavors to choose from. It includes 24 grams of protein in each round scoop and mixes well with milk or water.

Shop Amazon
Body Fortress Super Whey
Body Fortress Super Whey
Body Fortress Super Whey

Body Fortress Super Advanced Whey is a decent protein powder at a nearly unbelievable price. It comes with a hearty 30g of protein per scoop, a moderate amount of calories, and an impressive BCAA profile.

Shop Amazon

Nutrition

Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard

One scoop provides 24 grams of protein, 3 grams of carbohydrate, and 1 gram of fat for a total of 120 calories. There’s 10 percent of your daily cholesterol and 5 percent of your daily sodium as well.

Body Fortress Super Advanced

One scoop has 30 grams of protein, 8 grams of carbs, and 5 grams of fat, for a significantly higher calorie load of 200 calories. It’s less versatile compared to the low-carb, low-fat Gold Standard; Body Fortress has 25 percent more protein, but more than twice as many carbs and five times more fat. It also has four times as much cholesterol, with 40 percent of the recommended daily intake.

(Check out our full review of Body Fortress Super Advanced Whey here!)

Gold Standard has fewer calories, carbs, and fat, making it a more versatile product and our winner in this category.

Winner: Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard

Gold Standard Whey Vs Body Fortress Whey Protein Comparison

Ingredients

Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard

They have a lot in common: both contain soy lecithin for mixability and they both have the same artificial sweeteners, sucralose and acesulfame potassium.

(Check out our full review of Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey here!)

Gold Standard has whey isolate as its first ingredient, followed by whey concentrate and hydrolysed whey. Besides that and the other ingredients I mentioned, it’s just got natural and artificial flavors and the digestive enzymes Aminogen and Lactase, which may help the protein absorb and minimize digestive issues.

ON Whey Protein

Body Fortress Super Advanced

The first ingredient is the usually cheaper whey concentrate, which is one reason it’s higher in carbs and fat. It also contains maltodextrin, a sweetener made from corn (which would also add to the carb count) and cellulose gum, a thickener and stabilizer.

It’s notable that even though it contains lactose and gum, there are no enzymes to minimize potential digestive discomfort, which may turn away some consumers.

[See our top whey protein picks]

Body Fortress Super Advanced Whey Protein

It’s also worth noting that Body Fortress has a “super recovery blend” with 1.5 grams each of creatine, taurine, and l-glutamine. However, glutamine is likely a fairly ineffective muscle building supplement (most of it gets stored in the gut) and creatine is usually administered in doses of at least three to five grams. But 1.5 grams of taurine may help reduce muscle cramps, so that’s not a bad addition.

So, Body Fortress has some taurine but overall it seems to have lower quality ingredients compared to Gold Standard.

Winner: Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard

Gold Standard Whey Vs Body Fortress Whey Protein Nutrition

Price

Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard

Two pounds costs $30 and provides 29 servings, which comes out to $1.03 per serving or 4.3 cents per gram of protein.

Body Fortress Super Advanced

Two pounds also costs $30, but the serving size is over fifty percent larger. That means that two pounds just provides 18 servings at $1.66 per scoop or 5.5 cents per gram of protein. Gold Standard is the clear winner, here.

Winner: Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard

Taste

Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard

Gold Standard has dozens of different flavors available, which is a plus. I tried the Double Rich Chocolate flavor, which is pleasant and mild; great in milk, but pretty bland with water.

Body Fortress Super Advanced

There are five flavors available: chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, chocolate peanut butter, and cookies n creme. I only tried the chocolate flavor, and it’s notably more cocoa-y compared to Gold Standard, closer to dark chocolate than milk chocolate.

However, I wouldn’t call it enjoyable. It’s more like the earthy, bitter type of cocoa flavor, and what’s more is it sticks to the inside of your mouth when you drink it. I didn’t like it.

Winner: Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard

[Related: Check out our picks for the best Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard flavor!]

Overall Winner: Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard

To me, this wasn’t a very close contest. I thought Gold Standard was cheaper, tastier, has more protein per gram, and is more likely to digest well.

Related Best Protein Powders Content

  • 6 Best Vegan Protein Powders you can buy in 2019 Reviewed
  • The 7 Best Whey Protein Powders for 2019
  • What’s the Difference Between Grass-Fed Whey Vs. Regular Whey?
  • More Protein: How Strength Athletes Can Save Time, Money, & Hassle on Nutrition
  • Whey Versus Casein: Which Is Better for Strength and Muscle Gain?
  • Orgain Organic Protein Plant Based Powder Review — Creamy and Vegan?

Other Great Protein Powders Reviews

  • Pure Protein Natural Whey Protein Review – Rating: 7.6/10
  • BiPro Whey Protein Isolate Review – Rating: 8.4/10
  • Animal Whey Protein Review – Rating: 9.2/10
  • Transparent Labs 100% Grass-Fed Whey Concentrate Review – Rating: 7.9/10
  • Ladder Whey Review
  • Athletic Greens Whey Protein Review – Rating: 7.4/10

About Nick English

Nick is a content producer and journalist with over seven years’ experience reporting on four continents. Since moving to New York City in 2013 he's been writing on health and fitness full time for outlets like BarBend, Men's Health, VICE, and Popular Science.

View All Articles

Primary Sidebar

Latest Reviews

Featured image for the Ironmaster Super Bench Pro V2 Review

Ironmaster Super Bench Pro V2 Review (2025): Our Expert’s New Favorite FID Bench

Titan T3 Power Rack Review

Titan T3 Power Rack Review (2025): An Expert-Approved Rig Beckoning to Budget-Minded Athletes

Our tester works out at the beach in preparation for the Rogue Resistance Bands Review

Rogue Resistance Bands Review (2025): Tested by a Certified Personal Trainer

Barbend tester Jake Herod works out on a Force USA Trainer

Force USA G3 Review (2025): Our Experts Tested This Compact All-In-One Rack for Small Home Gyms

BarBend

BarBend is an independent website. The views expressed on this site may come from individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the view of BarBend or any other organization. BarBend is the Official Media Partner of USA Weightlifting.

  • About Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest

Sections

  • CrossFit
  • Strongman
  • Bodybuilding
  • Powerlifting
  • Weightlifting
  • Reviews
  • Nutrition
  • Training

More

  • BarBend Newsletter
  • BarBend Podcast
  • The Ripped Report
  • 1RM Calculator
  • BMR Calculator
  • Macros Calculator
  • Protein Calculator
  • Squat Calculator

Policies

  • Accessibility
  • Advice Disclaimer
  • Cookies Policy
  • Disclaimers
  • Disclosures
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Copyright © 2025 · BarBend Inc · Sitemap