when to drink protein shake??

badboyeee

Senior member
Nov 12, 2001
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when is the best time to drink a protein shake?? how often?? and how much protein do i need a day?? i jus started to work out lifting weights... im 175lbs
 

amnesiac

Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
15,781
1
71
Drink it within 30 minutes of finishing your workout. That's when your body's metabolism is highest and most ready to accept the protein for muscle rebuilding.
 

slycat

Diamond Member
Jul 18, 2001
5,656
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upon waking up
45min after workout
before sleeping

hardcore:
every 3-4hrs in the am, set alarm clock and drinks by bedside. only if ur working out hard.

in between meals.
when u have to skip a meal.

*all assuming ur pretty hardcore and you want to stay in +ve N balance most of the time and
you are working out hard.
 

SagaLore

Elite Member
Dec 18, 2001
24,036
21
81
Drink it first thing in the morning. It takes approx. 2 hours to break down complex proteins in the digestive system, much quicker if it's free-form amino acids. That way you'll have the amino acids stored in your body for the day so your muscles can use them for rebuild right after the workout. Drink your shake even on off days, since that's when they're rebuildiing the most. If you're 175 lbs, and just started working out, you don't need much. If your container says 1 to 2 scoops, just use 1/2 a scoop for the first couple of months. When you start to see some progress, up it to the full scoop.
 

TheNinja

Lifer
Jan 22, 2003
12,207
1
0
Originally posted by: slycat
upon waking up
45min after workout
before sleeping

hardcore:
every 3-4hrs in the am, set alarm clock and drinks by bedside. only if ur working out hard.

in between meals.
when u have to skip a meal.

*all assuming ur pretty hardcore and you want to stay in +ve N balance most of the time and
you are working out hard.

I agree with SlyCat in all cases. You need protein in the morning and especially at night. You body is reparing itself while you sleep and you need the building blocks for your body to use.

Most lifters will tell you that you need 1 gram of protein for every pound of body weight (some will tell you to be careful for your kidneys too, too much protein is hard on them), now to me that is a hard thing to do I weight 185-190 and probably take in 150-180 grams of protein depending on meals

Example:
protein shake (30 g)
bagel with fat free cream cheese (10g?)
Huge burrito (50 g)
protein shake (30g)
workout
post workout drink (I usually just take carbo/glutamine/creatine now)
evening meal (30-40g)
protein shake before bed (30g)
 

badboyeee

Senior member
Nov 12, 2001
664
0
0
wow thanks for the quick responses.. thats why i love this place... im planning to build my upper body and try to work each muscle group there 1-2 times a week...
 

badboyeee

Senior member
Nov 12, 2001
664
0
0
i have pure whey protein stack from champion nutrition.. it has 23g of protein, i usually mix it with skim milk so that adds like 15g more... hows this shake??? i just copied my friend and bought it
 

slikmunks

Diamond Member
Apr 18, 2001
3,490
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u kno.... i think i might want to get back to protein shakes... but lately i've been eating protien packed sandwiches... i take like 2/3 a pack of sandwich meat (hilshire farms, 98 or 99% fat free) which is like 25g of protein.... and put it in orowheat oatnut bread (another 8g of protein) with a little mayo... tastes MUCH better than a protein shake, comes with 33 g of protein, some carbs, and some fiber too.... i've been eating these like 3-4 times a day :p
 

theNEOone

Diamond Member
Apr 22, 2001
5,745
4
81
Originally posted by: slycat
upon waking up
45min after workout
before sleeping

hardcore:
every 3-4hrs in the am, set alarm clock and drinks by bedside. only if ur working out hard.

in between meals.
when u have to skip a meal.

*all assuming ur pretty hardcore and you want to stay in +ve N balance most of the time and
you are working out hard.



i'd say yes to everything except change the "45 minutes after working out" to "within 45 minutes after working out." ever get that hungry-as-all-hell sensation towards the end of your workout? that's ur body saying "gimme water, atp, and PROTEIN." best thing is to drink some simple carbs during your workout session (gatorade for example) and follow that up w/ a nice big protein shake right after. i always carry protein bars w/ me, or a bottle filled w/ protein powder. my foot doesn't step outside the gym w/o my teeth first sinking into a proteinplus bar.
 

TheNinja

Lifer
Jan 22, 2003
12,207
1
0
Originally posted by: slikmunks
u kno.... i think i might want to get back to protein shakes... but lately i've been eating protien packed sandwiches... i take like 2/3 a pack of sandwich meat (hilshire farms, 98 or 99% fat free) which is like 25g of protein.... and put it in orowheat oatnut bread (another 8g of protein) with a little mayo... tastes MUCH better than a protein shake, comes with 33 g of protein, some carbs, and some fiber too.... i've been eating these like 3-4 times a day :p

Ya, I'd rather eat food too, but I have two main issues with that. Cost and Calories. Well now that I think about it I could use the extra calories trying to bulk up, but if you want to have the more slim ripped look I prefer to go less calories and high protein. But the fiber would probably be good for anyone on a high protein diet.

About the brand (remember this is my opinion but I have read a lot and have tried numerous brands), it seems that most brands work about the same and it is personal preference a lot of the time (assuming they are all the same type e.g. whey protein). Go for middle of the road price wise IMO. Also look at the number of servings in a container, the amount of protein per serving, and then all the extras like cholesterol, sat.fat, carbs(if you don't want them). I go for the 10lb bag of Optimum Nutrition which seems to be favored by a few people here. If you have 3 full servings a day it'll last you 60 days and for around $55 shipped it is less that a buck a day (which i can find and link if anyone is interested, or search this forum for "whey").
 

slikmunks

Diamond Member
Apr 18, 2001
3,490
0
0
Originally posted by: Staley8
Originally posted by: slikmunks
u kno.... i think i might want to get back to protein shakes... but lately i've been eating protien packed sandwiches... i take like 2/3 a pack of sandwich meat (hilshire farms, 98 or 99% fat free) which is like 25g of protein.... and put it in orowheat oatnut bread (another 8g of protein) with a little mayo... tastes MUCH better than a protein shake, comes with 33 g of protein, some carbs, and some fiber too.... i've been eating these like 3-4 times a day :p

Ya, I'd rather eat food too, but I have two main issues with that. Cost and Calories. Well now that I think about it I could use the extra calories trying to bulk up, but if you want to have the more slim ripped look I prefer to go less calories and high protein. But the fiber would probably be good for anyone on a high protein diet.

About the brand (remember this is my opinion but I have read a lot and have tried numerous brands), it seems that most brands work about the same and it is personal preference a lot of the time (assuming they are all the same type e.g. whey protein). Go for middle of the road price wise IMO. Also look at the number of servings in a container, the amount of protein per serving, and then all the extras like cholesterol, sat.fat, carbs(if you don't want them). I go for the 10lb bag of Optimum Nutrition which seems to be favored by a few people here. If you have 3 full servings a day it'll last you 60 days and for around $55 shipped it is less that a buck a day (which i can find and link if anyone is interested, or search this forum for "whey").

true, very true. I have the benefit of going to school with all my groceries paid for (thanks mom & dad), as for calories... on top of working out, i play basketball for 4 hours or so a day, so i'm not worried too much about caloric intake, that and i am trying to bulk up while slimming down so i'm just eating a lot... on top of those sandwiches i eat like 2-3 other small meals during the day, so.... yeah, i get my food in rite now... :)

as for protein, there's this place in riverside, ca that my friend goes to and buys.... i forgot which brand, but he buys like a 10 lb bag of protein for like 40 bucks or something like that... it's an insanely good deal... and it's good protien too, that guy's been taking it for a year or two, the fugger is huge!
 

Spamela

Diamond Member
Oct 30, 2000
3,859
0
76
all you need to know you'll find here.

trust me on this (click my sig to see what the T-shake can do for you).