protein shakes?

kaitlynnrogers

do i need to drink a protein shake? will it benefit me or no? i run on the treadmill for 35 minutes (plus 5 minute cool down)..i'm about to start the 30 day shred next week..i'm trying to tone up before summer and need help!! if you think i should drink when..when should i? before or after workout? i eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner so will it slow down my process adding on a 300 calorie protein shake?

Lukazetta

do i need to drink a protein shake? will it benefit me or no? i run on the treadmill for 35 minutes (plus 5 minute cool down)..i'm about to start the 30 day shred next week..i'm trying to tone up before summer and need help!! if you think i should drink when..when should i? before or after workout? i eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner so will it slow down my process adding on a 300 calorie protein shake?

Protein shakes are most beneficial after workout. However you have to find out yourself i you need them.

You you should take in protein in grams of your lean body mass. Ex: 100 lb w/ 10% body fat: lean mass of 90lbs = 90g of protein each day to recover. So if you're lacking some protein in your diet, you may want to add a shake at the end of your workout.

If you're on a low carb diet, you may also want to up the protein in your diet (by 10-15%) but other than that you don't need it if you're getting your lean protein intake.

Just FYI: most people take in isolated Whey protein because it's a good source with no extra carbs/sugars etc. Make sure you do your research before buying because there are tons of them in the market.

Good luck!

kaitlynnrogers

will it help me tone up faster?

Cr357

Protein shakes are simply a convenient way to supplement your diet. If your not getting enough protein through whole food sources or spend a lot of time on the go then you could benefit from a shake. If your meeting your needs already then they're not necessary. Also you don't need to have a protein shake post workout, that is a myth. A meal whenever yoiu can get to it will suffice. Protein synthesis will be elevated for at least 24 hours post.

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The postexercise "anabolic window" is a highly misused & abused concept. Preworkout nutrition all but cancels the urgency, unless you're an endurance athlete with multiple glycogen-depleting events in a single day. Getting down to brass tacks, a relatively recent study (Power et al. 2009) showed that a 45g dose of whey protein isolate takes appx 50 minutes to cause blood AA levels to peak. Resulting insulin levels, which peaked at 40 minutes after ingestion, remained at elevations known to max out the inhibition of muscle protein breakdown (15-30 mU/L) for 120 minutes after ingestion. This dose takes 3 hours for insulin & AA levels to return to baseline from the point of ingestion. The inclusion of carbs to this dose would cause AA & insulin levels to peak higher & stay elevated above baseline even longer.

So much for the anabolic peephole & the urgency to down AAs during your weight training workout; they are already seeping into circulation (& will continue to do so after your training bout is done). Even in the event that a preworkout meal is skipped, the anabolic effect of the postworkout meal is increased as a supercompensatory response (Deldicque et al, 2010). Moving on, another recent study (Staples et al, 2010) found that a substantial dose of carbohydrate (50g maltodextrin) added to 25g whey protein was unable to further increase postexercise net muscle protein balance compared to the protein dose without carbs. Again, this is not to say that adding carbs at this point is counterproductive, but it certainly doesn't support the idea that you must get your lightning-fast postexercise carb orgy for optimal results.

To add to this... Why has the majority of longer-term research failed to show any meaningful differences in nutrient timing relative to the resistance training bout? It's likely because the body is smarter than we give it credit for. Most people don't know that as a result of a single training bout, the receptivity of muscle to protein dosing can persist for at least 24 hours: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21289204

Here's what you're not seeming to grasp: the "windows" for taking advantage of nutrient timing are not little peepholes. They're more like bay windows of a mansion. You're ignoring just how long the anabolic effects are of a typical mixed meal. Depending on the size of a meal, it takes a good 1-2 hours for circulating substrate levels to peak, and it takes a good 3-6 hours (or more) for everythng to drop back down to baseline.

You're also ignoring the fact that the anabolic effects of a meal are maxed out at much lower levels than typical meals drive insulin & amino acids up to. Furthermore, you're also ignoring the body's ability of anabolic (& fat-oxidative) supercompensation when forced to work in the absence of fuels. So, metaphorically speaking, our physiology basically has the universe mapped out and you're thinking it needs to be taught addition & subtraction.

Lukazetta

will it help me tone up faster?

By toning I'm guessing you mean lose more body fat and not muscle mass, if so then yes.

A lot of people also focus on doing circuit training or lifting when they tone so a bit more protein is great to recover for each exercise.

And like I said earlier, if you're planning on cutting carbs out (the best way to lose body fat % imo) of your diet to lose more body fat - more protein is recommended in your diet to recover.

You may want to check this thread out that I made:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/534663-guide-properly-lose-body-fat-for-women

It will explain how to cut body fat % without losing too much muscle mass.