When to drink protein shakes?
 

Ok so i used to just drink one after i worked out...im guessing i need to drink them more? I was reading some site that said one in the morning one after workout and one at night...that sounds good to me i think but dont really know!

Another question, what about my off days? like the weekends and stuff do i still take 3 shakes?

the less shake the better
you drink it after because it gets to muscles quicker
same with morning
night you need casein not whey

This site wouldn't happen to be one that a whey powder company owns??

The reason you're drinking shakes after your workout is to get protein to your muscles quickly so it can do the most good. The protein that the shakes offer can easily be substituted with any other kind of protein in your meals. (chicken, steak, eggs, sausage, prokchops... etc.)

I'm doing the "Abs diet" right now. It was created by one of the top guys at Men's health magazine. He says he likes to drink them right after workout. And that you should stick to Whey not Soy protein drinks.

whey: Just after a workout. Maybe in the morning too, if you want..but eggs are cheaper..


you can get cassein protein drinks, which are meant for drinking before you go to bed.

I've been keeping update to date with John Stone, and he seems to only drink
them after lifting, and before bed (but only on those lifting days.) The rest of the
days he seems to never be using it, and has made ridiculous progress.

During lifting days, he still gets an extra 200 grams of natural protein (ie, not from shakes) and
on off days consumes about 200 grams then. So on most workout days, usually
about 50 more grams than on non-lifting days.

Definitely after lifting. I have read drinking them before you work out is a waste because your body burns the proteins to heal your muscles before the actual muscle and fat.

after it's all said and done, do what works for you. though i'm not sure how long you've been working out, so i'm not really sure how much help that does.

many nutrition guides and weight lifting/training "gurus" feel that you get the best "bang for your buck" if you take it after training. biochemically, your body will do what it needs to do in order to heal and build the muscles... technically, you could eat a bunch of lard and your body would try to take the components of that and use it to make protein. the problems that would arise would be 1. the caloric content of lard and 2. the lack of nitrogen (thus requiring the body to get the nitrogen from elsewhere, which would require amino acids and protein... but i digress). it seems to be best to take a protein shake after the work out because the body can take the components of the shake and use them immediately for muscle repair and growth.


as far as what to do on your off days, it depends on how you live. for me personally, i try to do nutrition bars or shakes every day because it keeps my calorie content low as compared to the way in which i like to consume eggs (a little milk, a little cheese, etc. etc.). for me, protein content wise i'm better off using shakes or bars because i can get a little crazy with other sources of protein content.

if you have good diet discipline, then utilizing other sources of protein (as skier pointed out) is good. if your diet discipline is lacking, or you just like protein shakes, then i would suggest to continue to use them.

just for fullness of info, whey is from eggs, casein is from milk. many people suggest casein at night because the body takes a bit longer to break it down, i.e. it's a bit slower to break down metabolically.

just the opinion of one med student, who likes to work out :)

I for one like a little whey some time in the morning to add protein to my morning diet since I usually eat oatmeal and blueberries for breakfast. I mix with milk in the morning and perhaps some other carbs like babanas and with water post-workout since the milk allows it to metabolize slower. If I do drink any pre-workout, I use milk and make sure to add the carbs, especially before hard cardio.

Just my opinion from what I've read.

There are so many different opinions in the mags on timing of nutrition intake, exercise, etc, that you start to wonder about it all. But one fairly consistent message seems to be that if you're going to have a shake, have it within half hour of finishing your work out.

If you just want to be generally fit and healthy though, I think the important things are a sensible balance of proteins, carbs and fats, plus plenty of water, and a mix of cardio and resistance training.

I agree with skier and Cowman. I don't often use shakes now unless I'm really pressed for time because it's almost definitely better value getting protein from natural sources, and probably better for me.

I take my protein shakes 1 hour before my workout, and immediatly after.

You should eat a slow digestin protein, like cottage cheese, before bed.

If you're lifting seriously, consume at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weigt.

Take a shake after your workout with a high glicemic index carb like dextrose.

After you workout, the body is starving for nutrients. This is a good time for, again, protein and also vitamins. I noticed that the color of my urine is not as yellow when I take a multivitamin and mineral after a workout. I take it's because my body is using more of it. Try to consume most of your protein from real foods. Egg whites are awsome in the morning.