When to use protein

Flab2fitfi

I've finally trackes done some vegan and gluten free protein but would like some advice when to use it.

I train at the gym 3 days of the week and then do C25k on another 2 days. Once of the reasons I got it that my calorie burn from exercise can be over 700 some days.

I'm probably going to add it to a smoothie but should I do it before or after a workout?

Flab2fitfi

bump

BOLO4Hagtha

You can use it as both.

EvanKeel

I don't know that it matters much unless you're doing a lot of endurance training. I say do what feels best for your body. I much prefer to workout fasted, so if it were me, I'd take the smoothie after.

Curious to see what other say.

AnisaMG

I put my protein powder in my smoothie that eat at breakfast - after my workout. I don't take it so much as a recovery drink, but because I don't get alot of protein in from food.

IronPlayground

Timing is not a big issue if you are getting sufficient amounts of protein throughout the day.

However, if this is something you want to do, then I would suggest after your workout.

Flab2fitfi

Thanks - that makes it much easier to have after my workout. I'll have rice porridge before gym and then a smoothie with protein after.

Thanks everyone for their advice - just hope the stuff tastes ok.

Jacwhite22

you should use it whenever you can not meet your macros through the day. Time of day/before or after workout doesn't really matter

geekyjock76

Some protein sources will continue to feed muscle tissue amino acids longer than others. Whey-based protein generally feeds for 90 minutes to 2 hours; Egg-based up to 4 hours; and casein-based (or milk protein isolate which contains whey and casein) supplies amino saturation for up to 7 hours. Again, depending on the protein, there in reality is often overlapping or a constant feed of amino acids so you shouldn't worry about when you consume a protein shake. At this stage, I would not worry about taking it prior or immediately after working out as you'll benefit from either. There is some research, however, that suggests one time period benefits muscle growth/fat loss more than the other but that's a different topic altogether.

geekyjock76

Thanks - that makes it much easier to have after my workout. I'll have rice porridge before gym and then a smoothie with protein after.

Thanks everyone for their advice - just hope the stuff tastes ok.

FYI, Vegan protein powder will taste significant different from other sources as well as possessing varying levels of texture and mixibility. For instance, many rice protein powders are very chalky in both taste and texture and do not mix well in just water and a spoon and requires a blender and lots of fruit and other ingredients to mask or minimize the taste. I've tried Sunwarrior, Vega, and a few other brands and I've had one or all three issues mentioned above with every plant-based power I've had. Perfect Fit protein supposedly has a much better taste, thickness and texture as for as rice proteins go. You can check them out and they sell individual packets which give 15g protein.

Flab2fitfi

Thanks - that makes it much easier to have after my workout. I'll have rice porridge before gym and then a smoothie with protein after.

Thanks everyone for their advice - just hope the stuff tastes ok.

FYI, Vegan protein powder will taste significant different from other sources as well as possessing varying levels of texture and mixibility. For instance, many rice protein powders are very chalky in both taste and texture and do not mix well in just water and a spoon and requires a blender and lots of fruit and other ingredients to mask or minimize the taste. I've tried Sunwarrior, Vega, and a few other brands and I've had one or all three issues mentioned above with every plant-based power I've had. Perfect Fit protein supposedly has a much better taste, thickness and texture as for as rice proteins go. You can check them out and they sell individual packets which give 15g protein.

Thank you - I will look into the others. I was going to chuck it into my coconut milk fruit smoothie that i make in the morning so should hopefully disguise the taste. I did not know you could get samples as there are a few different ones and some very pricey and also have looked at pea protein as I cant have soya either.

LittleButMightyOne

Some say before AND after, but DEFINITELY after. If you don't feed your muscles within about 30 minutes of a workout, your body may begin to catabolize the muscle.

If you do mostly cardio, your after-workout meal or shake should be mostly carbs. Mostly strength training and it should be mostly protein. If you do both cardio and strength training you need a mix of carbs and protein. The best carbs to use are high glycemic index, which means they can be more rapidly used by the body. Think a banana or a baked potato; and glucose and dextrose are the highest on the glycemic index scale if you have a sweetener or supplement containing them as a sweetener.

This is also the time to take any supplements like glutamine or creatine, esp. if you are weight training.

Hope this helps!

LittleButMightyOne

And one more thing. I read an article about whether to eat in the morning before your workout by an exercise physiologist in a fitness magazine recently, and she said that if you work out under an hour a meal beforehand is not strictly necessary. If you work out extremely intensely and/or over an hour, it is.

epmck11

Some say before AND after, but DEFINITELY after. If you don't feed your muscles within about 30 minutes of a workout, your body may begin to catabolize the muscle.

^^^Ignore this^^^

This is old 'bro-science' that supplement companies use to push their products and then people keep parroting it like there's any actual science behind it. As long as you get the required amount of protein your body needs per day, it doesn't matter when you consume it. There is no 30 minute window where your body will start catabolizing muscle. If you want to drink a protein shake after lifting, then go for it, but if you'd rather go home and make a protein rich meal that won't be done for a couple hours, then you'll be fine. Don't worry about nutrient timing, just worry about getting all your nutrients.

Determinednoob

Some say before AND after, but DEFINITELY after. If you don't feed your muscles within about 30 minutes of a workout, your body may begin to catabolize the muscle.

^^^Ignore this^^^

This is old 'bro-science' that supplement companies use to push their products and then people keep parroting it like there's any actual science behind it. As long as you get the required amount of protein your body needs per day, it doesn't matter when you consume it. There is no 30 minute window where your body will start catabolizing muscle. If you want to drink a protein shake after lifting, then go for it, but if you'd rather go home and make a protein rich meal that won't be done for a couple hours, then you'll be fine. Don't worry about nutrient timing, just worry about getting all your nutrients.

^^
and do not ignore this