Can We Take Protein Shake Before Workout – Whether your primary goal is fat loss, fitness, or muscle building, you’re going to learn the best time to take protein and other tips to optimize your results.
Read on to learn everything you need to know about protein timing and other questions you didn’t even know you had.
Can We Take Protein Shake Before Workout
When you exercise, the wear and tear from the movements causes microtrauma to the muscle fibers. Since your muscles are mostly protein, your body relies on available amino acids and protein to repair small muscle tears.
Should You Drink A Protein Shake Before Or After Workout?
Microtrauma increases your body’s protein requirements after exercise. If you exercise regularly, this means that your protein needs will always increase compared to people who do not exercise[*].
Your body can repair itself by using stored amino acids, but this method is less effective than drinking protein shakes or eating protein-rich foods[*].
And finally, due to limited amino acid stores, insufficient protein intake leads to incomplete recovery (from all exercise) and reduced muscle growth (especially from weight training).
Over time, insufficient protein intake can lead to the loss of hard-earned lean muscle mass, and muscle loss is bad news for your health and well-being[*][*].
The Pros And Cons Of Drinking A Protein Shake After A Workout
Simply put, exercising without enough protein can be harmful and have the opposite effect. decreased physical fitness and loss of lean muscle mass.
But beyond the basics of supply and demand, optimizing your protein intake can improve your results even more.
In fact, not all proteins are created equal. Along with your overall intake, the type and amount of amino acids (the building blocks that make up dietary protein) affect your results.
The more essential amino acids (EAAs), branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and leucine in a protein source, the more it boosts your recovery and muscle protein synthesis[*].
When Is The Best Time To Take Protein?
(Of all the protein powders, whey protein has the most EAAs, BCAAs and leucine, so we recommend it for people who exercise [*].)
Now, let’s dive into a much more controversial area: the best time to eat protein, according to research.
As for the longer answer, we’ll start by looking at some facts and myths about protein timing.
For example, you may have heard that after lifting weights you only have 30 minutes to consume a protein shake or your gains will be compromised.
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While some studies partially support this idea, none are particularly strong[*]. Many suffer from inconsistencies or other issues.
After all, people who make strong claims about a post-exercise anabolic window are not doing so based on scientific evidence. That doesn’t automatically make them false, but they don’t have a valid argument either.
Here’s our approach at Levels. for anabolism (muscle growth), it doesn’t hurt to drink a protein shake within 30-60 minutes of lifting weights, but don’t stress if you accidentally leave your shake at home.
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Your body can store glucose for energy in the form of glycogen. Unless you have recently exercised or followed a very low carb diet, about 600 grams of glycogen are stored in your muscles and liver[*][*].
Some people add carbs to their protein shakes to replace glycogen lost during exercise, but is it necessary? And if so, when?
Also, if you need a quick glycogen boost, a mix of protein and carbs works faster than carbs alone[*].
For quick glycogen replenishment, try a 4-to-1 ratio of simple carbohydrates to protein. For example, a 400-calorie blend of 20 grams of whey protein and 80 grams of dates, strawberries, or oats (blended with a blender).
Drinking Protein Shakes After Exercise For Weight Loss
On the other hand, there are times when it may be best not to replenish glycogen immediately after a boost.
Research shows that you can burn more fat by avoiding carbs and maintaining a glycogen-depleted state after exercise, and this practice does not appear to decrease muscle protein synthesis[*][*][*][*].
So if your goal is to lose fat (or just want to stay lean), HIIT to lift weights or deplete glycogen, then eating protein instead of carbs post-workout can improve your results.
Some studies even show that post-exercise carbohydrates make no difference in muscle protein synthesis, or that low glycogen does not reduce muscle protein synthesis[*][*].
When Is The Best Time To Drink A Protein Shake?
If carbohydrates increase or increase muscle protein synthesis, their effect is probably due to increased insulin levels or decreased protein oxidation; the second is protein oxidation[*][*], which you can also achieve through adequate protein intake.
Otherwise, there’s no need to rush to eat carbs during or after a workout, and waiting to eat carbs will likely increase fat loss without sacrificing muscle growth.
Several studies show that consuming protein before a workout can increase your EPOC, meaning you’ll burn more calories after your workout if you drink a protein shake first[*][*].
One study found a difference of 6 calories (kcal) over 2 hours between the protein and no-protein groups, while another study found an increase of about 80 calories (kcal) 24 hours after pre-exercise weight lifting[*][*]. ].
Should You Drink Your Protein Shake Before Or After Workout?
As you may have noticed, there is no strong evidence that timing protein before or after exercise makes a significant difference in muscle growth, glycogen (most of the time), or EPOC-related calorie burn.
And at least one major study has shown comparable results when it comes to pre- and post-election timing[*].
But the fact that time-course studies of pre- and post-workout protein don’t show much difference doesn’t mean you should completely dismiss the idea of ingesting protein during exercise.
First of all, as the authors of the 2018 Frontiers in Nutrition article noted, there is no practical advantage to delaying protein intake after exercise, only potential disadvantages[*].
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In general, consuming protein during or immediately after exercise is more effective than consuming protein an hour or more after exercise[*].
And endurance athletes, listen up. A meta-analysis of 11 studies found that consuming protein and carbohydrates immediately before exercise increased performance by 9% compared to carbohydrates alone[*]. You don’t need protein and carbs before every workout, but the evidence shows that it’s a competition-winning strategy.
Now that you’ve narrowed down your search, here are some common sense tips: If you’re an athlete, fitness enthusiast, or looking to build muscle by lifting weights (how else), try the preview! – versus post-exercise protein timing.
At best, studies measure the average response of large groups of people who are not you. If you want the ultimate personal insight into protein timing, measure your own response in terms of performance, fat loss, or muscle building.
Best Time To Drink Protein Shakes. Nike.com
You may not be able to control every variable, but you can still get a pretty good idea of what works for your body.
Beyond the minimum required for survival, which is the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of protein, eating extra protein each day can improve your results[*].
And surprisingly, even if you eat more protein than your body can convert into muscle, it can still reduce protein breakdown in your muscles[*].
When it comes to building muscle, “net muscle protein synthesis” refers to the results you get, specifically your gains.
Healthy Pre Workout Smoothie
Eating plenty of extra protein increases your overall muscle growth throughout the day by reducing muscle protein breakdown[*]. Think of it as increasing your profitability by reducing losses.
Liquid protein shakes like whey protein are an affordable way to ensure you’re getting enough protein to support your goals. This is also a great way to try to increase your protein intake.
And if you’re worried about consuming too much protein, know that a high daily protein intake shouldn’t be a problem unless you’re dehydrated or have kidney problems [*].
For men and women post-workout, we recommend a protein shake containing 40 grams or more of whey protein to build lean muscle or recover from intense exercise.
Best Time To Drink A Protein Shake
When it comes to daily protein intake for muscle, strength, or heavy training, we recommend starting with 25-30% of calories from protein and then going up from there if you feel you need to fine tune it.
Therefore, if you are eating 2,500 calories per day, we recommend 160-190 grams of total protein per day to build muscle mass.
The frequency of protein shakes you consume is secondary to your overall protein intake when it comes to exercise.
Basically, you can only use one whey shake on lifting days (after training) or 2-3 shakes per day to make sure you are getting enough protein.
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As we covered earlier, getting extra protein during or after a workout, getting high-quality protein, and getting enough protein are the keys to good results.
But what about strategic timing of protein intake at other times? Could this make a difference in your fitness, recovery or muscle building?
One study found that among currently trained men following a strength training program, a program of consuming protein every 3 hours outperformed 1.5 or 6 hour intervals[*].
Basically, this means that eating protein at the right time and frequency can benefit your strength training results.
Drinking A Protein Shake Before Or After A Workout
In contrast, another recent study found that timing protein throughout the day may not have any beneficial effects in overweight people.
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