Protein after workout

margieg93
margieg93 Posts: 5
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi there, my goal is to lose weight and lately I have just been having a protein shake (low carb, high protein, low sugar) after every workout. But then I read that I should only have something right after a workout when the goal is to gain muscle, and not after high intensity sessions as it will stop the burn. So I've just been having it after weight training but not after my other workouts - long runs (10km), HIIT... Is this the right thing to do? Or should I keep up with the protein shake right after I work out? My overall consumption of protein over the day is perfectly fine, in fact it's usually a little too much. Thank you :)

Replies

  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    If your eating at a deficit you wont gain muscle anyway. The goal of Protein after a workout is not to bust build muscle but to help repair them and to aid their recovery. Obviously if you are eating in order to gain muscle it will also do this.
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    You should read from more scientific sources.

    Timing is likely irrelevant to you and your goal.
  • margieg93
    margieg93 Posts: 5
    In terms of recovery, do you mean to just stop the pain? I mean, is there any disadvantage to not having protein after a workout if I am generally getting enough protein in my diet? Thanks :)
  • suziecue66
    suziecue66 Posts: 1,312 Member
    The post work out shake after training should have carbs in it along with protein. Not low carb.
  • margieg93
    margieg93 Posts: 5
    But is it necessary to have something post workout? I generally prefer to have a good carb/protein snack before I work out and then go to the gym, come back, shower, and have dinner about an hour later (again low carb).
  • wanttolose40lbs
    wanttolose40lbs Posts: 239 Member
    bump
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    In terms of recovery, do you mean to just stop the pain? I mean, is there any disadvantage to not having protein after a workout if I am generally getting enough protein in my diet? Thanks :)

    No, you'll have protein later anyway.
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    But is it necessary to have something post workout? I generally prefer to have a good carb/protein snack before I work out and then go to the gym, come back, shower, and have dinner about an hour later (again low carb).

    That counts as post workout. If you had a shake it would still be in your stomach when you're eating dinner anyway.

    People that get so caught up in nutrient timing usually forget high school biology.
  • lindsey1979
    lindsey1979 Posts: 2,395 Member
    It's important to have a recovery drink after a hard work out to replace your glycogen stores so that you're body won't unnecessarily catabolize your own lean body mass to replenish them. The protein is to add in recovery/building new mass of lean tissue. The ideal ratio from what I've seen is 4:1 easily digestible carbs:protein. Chocolate milk is the poor man's recovery drink! If you're bulking, put more protein in there (but that doesn't sound like your case). I'll see if I can find some links to recovery drinks.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    I think the idea of a recovery drink is to restore glycogen stores to overly taxed muscles so that during your next workout you can hit it with just as much intensity.

    Thing is for your average joe doing your average workout it probably isn't even necessary. That is hardcore bodybuilding stuff. That said if it is something you enjoy doing as a routinue it won't hurt you as long as you aren't upping your calories higher then you want to by doing it. The idea though is to restore glycogen so really a "recovery drink" is supposed to have much more carb than protein, usually a 4:1 ratio is what I have heard.

    Chances are if you aren't a body builder packing on slabs of muscle your body is perfectly capable of restoring your glycogen levels just by normal eating throughout the day in which case timing doesn't really matter.
  • lindsey1979
    lindsey1979 Posts: 2,395 Member
    I'm not sure it's about bodybuilding only. I've read anywhere you've been engaging in exercise long enough to deplete your glycogen stores --- like after a run would be another example.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    I'm not sure it's about bodybuilding only. I've read anywhere you've been engaging in exercise long enough to deplete your glycogen stores --- like after a run would be another example.

    That is true but unless you have a body-builderish amount of raw muscle on your body your natural eating habits will be sufficient to restore that glycogen before your next workout without the need for some sort of specific loading meal eaten right afterwords.
  • lindsey1979
    lindsey1979 Posts: 2,395 Member
    I don't think it's usually a whole meal -- just 150-200 calories, like a cup of chocolate milk. And I agree that you'll replenish your glycogen stores before your next work out, but I think the idea of the recovery drink is more to take as much advantage as possible of the "after burn" of your workout (especially if significant muscle recovery is expected) and reduce muscle catabolization in order to replenish glycogen. Plus, it helps you avoid binging later. I don't know about you, but if I've had a hard work out where I've depleted my glycogen stores and don't have a recovery drink, I'll be super hungry in the next hour or two -- and I imagine that's because the body is signaling "replenish glycogen NOW!". Now, for keto-adapted folks this likely isn't an issue or is less of an issue, but for non-keto adapted, there is considerable benefit to recovery drinks.
  • margieg93
    margieg93 Posts: 5
    Yeah I usually just come home after a workout, and then eat about 1.5 hours later when I'm hungry. I usually am quite hungry by that point though, although binging isn't really an issue as I eat small meals about every 3 hours. I just don't want to have the extra calories of a protein shake if it's just extra calories which aren't really going to give me any benefit...
  • brimin101
    brimin101 Posts: 31 Member
    Having protein post workout does nothing for your body in terms of recovery, and if it's putting you over your daily macros it's unnecessary. However, if you use it to meet your macros and end up going over you'll be fine.

    Timing is also irrelevant for everyone, even hardcore lifters. Using "broscience" can be a dangerous practice; thinking you NEED protein after your workout or else you'll go catabolic and make no gains or losses. Your gains and losses come from what you're eating per your goal, are you getting enough of fats, carbs, protein to make your goal.

    simply put, if you're obtaining your goal (i.e. losing weight) then keep doing what you're doing, if you aren't make some minor tweaks to get back on track.

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