Protein immediately after a work out?

mccbabe1

my zumba instructor said to get protein in within 45 min after workout.. so i go home (2 min drive to gym from my house) and have greek yogurt or protein shake .. whatever.. i dont think you hafta like mix the protein shake in the gym bathroom! that type of immediate.. hahahah

mccbabe1

I usually mix whey protein with almond milk.

Yep..same here I use Unsweetened almond milk (doesn't matter with all the flavored powder in it anyway) but it so much more healthy that way and.... one cup = ONLY..... 30 cal. low low fat and no sugar..... Perfect for shakes

love almond milk now!

NikoM5

Unfortunately with almond milk you lose the benefit of protein. There's some, but not much. Many people who have trouble with cow's milk are allergic (in varying degrees) to the lactose. You can buy lactose free milk at nearly all supermarkets. And FYI, whey protein isolates are practically lactose free. "Isolate" being the key word.

sherryjohnson2012

I usually try to make grilled chicken or pork chops for dinner the night before training, i always make 1 extra for after my workout. after my 1 mile walk 1 hour personal training and another mile walk I head into the locker room and chomp away at my protein! lol

holmesd450

You don't need to get protein within an hour or whatever after a workout. There is NO metabolic window, just get your protein throughout the day and you will be fine.

NikoM5

You don't need to get protein within an hour or whatever after a workout. There is NO metabolic window, just get your protein throughout the day and you will be fine.

Exactly. Myself and others have stated this multiple times in this thread but it keeps getting diluted with all the people jumping in saying "I get my protein within 45 min blah blah blah.

So as holmesd450, myself, and multiple others have stated, there is absolutely no need to rush your protein intake after training. just make sure you're getting enough everyday.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19478342?dopt=Abstract

WendyTerry420

I usually eat my dinner after I workout. In fact, sometimes I cook dinner after my workout, then eat.

Eat when you are hungry and when it's convenient. There have already been plenty of studies showing that nutrient timing is a myth.

Mighty_Rabite

I wouldn't sweat it, at best this is a myth created and studies influenced by the supplement industry. After your workout your muscles will be most likely using the protein that you ate earlier in the day or the day before. Its nuts to think that all the protein you take will be processed and into your bloodstream and muscles within half an hours time.

This.

I make sure (especially on resistance days) I have eaten plenty of protein up to the workout. I'd already eaten 134g today before my workout. It takes a couple of hours for the body to break protein down and get it into the bloodstream. I think it's important to follow a workout with some protein, but I think it helps just as much, and perhaps even more so, to prime it with some protein a couple of hours before workout. Today I did this using whey protein plus Greek yogurt, Greek pudding if you will.

One thing I heard is that the body is a lot smarter than we give it credit for - considering all the processes that go on in the body, I'm willing to trust that thought!

CarrieStL

Can't believe how many people opt to drink the protein over eat it, post workout. I keep raw almonds in my car at all times. If I can't get home to get some decent protein in- almonds do the trick for me. I also try to intake within 10 min of my workout, per my trainer. If able to get home, I do hardboiled egg whites often with an apple or smthg.

3dogsrunning

Can't believe how many people opt to drink the protein over eat it, post workout. I keep raw almonds in my car at all times. If I can't get home to get some decent protein in- almonds do the trick for me. I also try to intake within 10 min of my workout, per my trainer. If able to get home, I do hardboiled egg whites often with an apple or smthg.

I include almonds and eggs/egg whites in my diet, but to get the equivilent of one scoop of protein powder (110 calories, 22 grams protein), I would have to eat 460 calories of almonds or 8 egg whites. Nuts tend to be my fat source as opposed to protein.

Again, I'm not worried about timing.

Mighty_Rabite

So...so much misinformed advice here.

First, the study showing the highest benefit of protein within 30 minutes after a workout had more methodology flaws than Sally Struthers' diet. The sample size was pathetic, and the demographic layout was incredibly poor. All bodies react differently. However, there was a more recent study done showing the window of benefit to be more like 24 hours (which makes more sense anyway if you really think about it). I'll see if I can find it.

This would make perfect sense, since the body's base metabolism has been shown to be elevated for as long as 24-48 hours after an intense strength training session.

CarrieStL

Can't believe how many people opt to drink the protein over eat it, post workout. I keep raw almonds in my car at all times. If I can't get home to get some decent protein in- almonds do the trick for me. I also try to intake within 10 min of my workout, per my trainer. If able to get home, I do hardboiled egg whites often with an apple or smthg.

I include almonds and eggs/egg whites in my diet, but to get the equivilent of one scoop of protein powder (110 calories, 22 grams protein), I would have to eat 460 calories of almonds or 8 egg whites. Nuts tend to be my fat source as opposed to protein.

Again, I'm not worried about timing.

Just curious- what powder do you use? I tend to avoid them as high in calories and sugar. I saw one o another friend's diary from Trader Joe's and reasonable. That has been my true aversion to shakes and powders- cals, sugar, and labels I don't understand. I tend to eat clean.

geekyjock76

As many wise persons on here have stated, there is no preferred time window in which protein should be consumed post-workout. Just concentrate on meeting your calorie and macro needs throughout the day. Because I eat so frequently, amino acids are constantly being circulated due to an overlapping of absorbing proteins from previous meals.

I mainly use protein powder to create delicious desserts that function as lighter meals. Sure, I could have a more common meal without the powder, but I like my protein treats.

3dogsrunning

Can't believe how many people opt to drink the protein over eat it, post workout. I keep raw almonds in my car at all times. If I can't get home to get some decent protein in- almonds do the trick for me. I also try to intake within 10 min of my workout, per my trainer. If able to get home, I do hardboiled egg whites often with an apple or smthg.

I include almonds and eggs/egg whites in my diet, but to get the equivilent of one scoop of protein powder (110 calories, 22 grams protein), I would have to eat 460 calories of almonds or 8 egg whites. Nuts tend to be my fat source as opposed to protein.

Again, I'm not worried about timing.

Just curious- what powder do you use? I tend to avoid them as high in calories and sugar. I saw one o another friend's diary from Trader Joe's and reasonable. That has been my true aversion to shakes and powders- cals, sugar, and labels I don't understand. I tend to eat clean.

My favorite is vanilla Advanced Genetics (not the two scoops as recommended, which would be 44 grams of protein). Its a Canadian brand, not sure how available it is elsewhere. My second is Optimum Nutrition which is pretty widely available. 120 calories per scoop, 22 grams protein, 1 gram of sugar (as per MFP, too lazy to go upstairs and check label so might be off). They have tons of flavors too.

CarrieStL

Can't believe how many people opt to drink the protein over eat it, post workout. I keep raw almonds in my car at all times. If I can't get home to get some decent protein in- almonds do the trick for me. I also try to intake within 10 min of my workout, per my trainer. If able to get home, I do hardboiled egg whites often with an apple or smthg.

I include almonds and eggs/egg whites in my diet, but to get the equivilent of one scoop of protein powder (110 calories, 22 grams protein), I would have to eat 460 calories of almonds or 8 egg whites. Nuts tend to be my fat source as opposed to protein.

Again, I'm not worried about timing.

Just curious- what powder do you use? I tend to avoid them as high in calories and sugar. I saw one o another friend's diary from Trader Joe's and reasonable. That has been my true aversion to shakes and powders- cals, sugar, and labels I don't understand. I tend to eat clean.

My favorite is vanilla Advanced Genetics (not the two scoops as recommended, which would be 44 grams of protein). Its a Canadian brand, not sure how available it is elsewhere. My second is Optimum Nutrition which is pretty widely available. 120 calories per scoop, 22 grams protein, 1 gram of sugar (as per MFP, too lazy to go upstairs and check label so might be off). They have tons of flavors too.

Thanks- will look into it!

Interesting by Men's Health suggests 20 grams of protein (10 before and 10 after a workout). THey give food suggestions for those who prefer to eat their protein along with the correlating calories and serving sizes: http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/protein-packed-snacks/

Sarauk2sf

The are two reasons you may have a PWO drink/meal.

One is for recovery (muscle soreness) and milk (including chocolate milk) is very good for this - however, the window is quite long (as in a few hours).

The other is for muscle building and the short post workout window is a complete myth. Its more like 24 hours. Hit your macros for the day and you will be good.

Actually, there is a third..you are hungry.

needernt

After workout blood still being pumped to muscles and your digestion system is not ready for food. It will takes about 30 minute for body to be ready for digesting food after intense exercise. So it is beter to wait till you rich home for a meal or protein shake.

zaph0d

Does anyone have experience with this? Why directly after working out and not 20-30 minutes later? I could probably utilize google, and I may end up doing so, but I'd like to hear from some of you guys on the matter...thanks

Yes, it means your trainer is a bro

AntWrig

Why directly after working out and not 20-30 minutes later?

If your trainer didn't/couldn't explain to you why directly after, you need to find a new trainer. The reason you should drink it directly after is because this is the time in which your muscles are broken down, your metabolic system is raging, and your body is trying to decide what to burn. If you drink the protein right away, if will help prevent the breakdown of your muscle and speed up the recovery process. If you don't have enough protein in your system, your body may decide "I am too lazy to search for fat, I'll just burn whatever I can to recover quicker" then you lose a big percentage of all the work you just did.

edit: I must also agree with stonerdude. I am not a milk advocate and despise that the stuff is so easily trusted by the health and wellness community. Among may problems with milk and dairy products, they are full of anti-nutrients that break down cells and destroy nutrients in your body. Obviously, this is not good and consuming any dairy should be at least extremely limited if not cut out completely.

Nonsense.

Hitting your daily macros are more important than nutrient timing. I sometimes don't eat 2-3 hours AFTER I workout and my muscles have not fallen off.

Lift_hard_eat_big

My favorite post workout protein source is a King Sized Snickers :-)