close

 

Undoubtedly, whey protein powder is among those few health and fitness supplements that every individual, whether a newbie or an elite athlete, can benefit from. It’s not just about whey protein intake; it’s when you take it that matters the most. The timing of whey protein intake plays a crucial role in deciding how quickly you will achieve your fitness goals.

Whether it’s about losing weight, building muscle, or recovering from the training session, each training goals will have a different optimal time for taking whey protein shake. In this article, we will let you through few fundamentals about whey protein, best time to consume protein supplements depends upon your goals and how MyFitFuel Whey Protein products will help you reach your fitness goals in no time.


Basics about Whey Protein

Before we dig further into the topic, here are few things you need to know about whey protein and protein in general –

  • Briefly saying, whey protein is the by-product obtained when making cheese. Whey protein concentrate is obtained when you remove water and casein from this bi-product.
  • Whey protein gets readily absorbed than most of the other sources of protein like soy, casein, etc.
  • Some of the benefits of taking whey protein supplement include – building blocks for muscle growth, stimulating muscle protein synthesis, neutralize muscle breakdown and promote recovery, boosting metabolic process, increase fat loss and controlling body composition.
  • Fast Fact: How much protein is absorbed at one time? According to this study, consuming more than 20 grams of protein post-workout hardly showed any positive outcome on stimulating muscle growth. However, this 20-gram number does not prove right for everyone. Few things like your age, hormones, activity level and muscle mass affects the protein metabolism and absorption of protein in general.
  • Thus, while 20 grams of protein may just be sufficient to trigger protein synthesis levels in the body, it won’t hold true for everyone. Many people will require more protein to see the same results.
  • Lesson learnt: How much protein at one time you should take anyway? Well to be very honest, none of your protein will ever go to waste. It’s just that the meal with high protein will get more time to get digested than a meal with less protein. Follow what’s researched and keep your protein intake around 20-40 gram per meal to obtain best results.
man-with-muscle-and-whey-protein

Best Time to take Whey Protein Shake

Now that you know all the fundamentals about whey protein and its benefits, let’s move on to the core of this article –

Best Time To Take Whey Protein Pre-Workout

Consuming protein shake prior to a training session will initiate the muscle recovery process. So, when you are out there, pumping iron like never before, the protein will be right there in your bloodstream supplying BCAAs and other amino acids to help you recover faster.

The best way to get the max out of your pre –workout nutrition is by taking whey protein shake along with complex carbs like sweet potato or brown rice.

Whey protein will provide you with essential amino while carbohydrates will supply sustained source of energy to fuel your workout. Not only will this combination of whey protein and carb pre-workout increases your performance in the training but also lead to desired changes in body recomposition (read: lose fat build muscle simultaneously).

Best time to take Whey protein Pre-workout – 30-60 minutes before the training session begins.

Best Time To Take Whey Protein Post-Workout

If you are a gym buff like me and almost every other person on this planet earth who goes to a gym, then you would have certainly come across this term before – importance of post-workout whey protein shake. Well, here’s a quick revision.

When you lift, your body uses carbs and protein to generate energy and hence protein synthesis decreases. Moreover, depleted stores of carbs result in lower glycogen levels.

So, after your training session ends, your body is in need of energy to replenish and recover. Naturally, your body tends to absorb nutrients very easily after a workout or long duration of under-consumption.

Whey protein being one of the fast-acting sources of protein is thus an optimal choice. Besides whey protein, you can also add dextrose monohydrate aka fast carbs to replenish the lost glycogen and speed up muscle growth.

Best time to take Whey protein Post-workout – Within 45-60 minutes after workout ends.

Get your free copy of MyFitFuel’s – The Ultimate Bodybuilding Diet ebook – Nutrition guide for Men and Women. Click here to download the free eBook.

Best Time To Take Whey Protein For Weight Gain

Complaining everyone that you are skinny and can’t gain weight won’t do any good. Instead, try this alternative – Follow a good training program and a solid diet plan. More details here – Workout Routine to gain weight at home.

And breakfast being the first meal of the day is the best time you can provide your body with a boost of calories. So, next time when you wake in the morning, “break your fast” by drinking whey protein powder along with your favourite piece of fruit like berries or bananas. This will be your pre-breakfast meal.

Best time to take Whey protein for Weight Gain – First thing in the morning as a pre-breakfast meal.

Best Time To Take Whey Protein For Weight Loss

Certainly, losing weight or keeping bodyweight in check is a difficult task. The situation may get worse if you are of the belief that eating only twice a day will help you lose weight. It does not work that way, my friend.

You can either choose to eat twice a day and still be the fat guy everyone hates or you can drink protein shakes between your meals which will make your feel full and suppress your appetite and hence a fit version of you that girls admire. Make your choice.

Best time to take Whey protein for Weight Loss – Between meals. For instance , if you had your breakfast at 8 in the morning and your next meal is scheduled at 12 in the noon, you can include a whey protein shake around 10 AM or anytime when you feel comfortable. You can also drink protein powder between your afternoon meals to keep protein levels up throughout the day.

Get your free copy of – MyFitFuel’s Dieting for Fat loss – Your ultimate guide to top fat loss diets plus how diet supplements help in weight loss. Click here to download the free eBook.

Best Time To Take Whey Protein Before Bedtime

Eating carbohydrates before bedtime isn’t a great idea, but protein is fine. Usually, athletes and bodybuilders take casein protein before bed due to its anti-catabolic properties and slow digesting rate.

Unlike the other instances of the day where you need a fast digesting protein source like Whey, bedtime requires something that gets digested at a much slower rate and releasing its constituents over several hours throughout the night.

Best time to take casein protein – 30-60 minutes before going to sleep.

Should You Take Whey Protein During A Workout?

One word – NO. There’s no way you are going to take whey protein when working out. Here’s why – Whenever you eat something, your heart pumps extra blood to your stomach so that the food gets digested and energy is obtained. While working out, this might be a matter of concern as the blood is being transported to other parts of the body, it may deprive you of a pump in the targeted muscles and hence less muscle gains.

A pump, as Arnold would say – Blood is rushing into your muscles, your muscles get a really tight feeling, like your skin is going to explode any minute, and it’s really tight – it’s like somebody blowing air into it, into your muscle. It feels fantastic.

Instead of consuming whey protein during a workout, you should choose intra-workout supplements like BCAAs and Glutamine.

Get The Best Results With Our Top-Selling Whey Protein Shakes

MyFitFuel Whey Protein 70

  • 20g of high-quality protein in every serving
  • Our most affordable Whey Protein
  • Increases muscle recovery & metabolic rate
  • Aspartame Free

MyFitFuel Whey Protein 80

  • 25.6 gm protein in every 32 gm serving in Unflavoured
  • 25 gm protein in every 32 gm serving in Swiss Vanilla Flavour
  • 23g of protein in every 32 gm serving in German chocolate Delight Flavour
  • Ultra-pure Imported protein & ideal for lean growth
  • BCAA & Glutamine rich, low in fat & carbs
  • Aspartame Free

MyFitFuel Whey Protein 100

  • 26 gm pure protein per 32gm serving (81.25%).
  • 80:20 ratio of Whey Concentrate & Isolate
  • 5.8 gm BCAA and 4.3 gm Glutamine Rich
  • Aspartame Free

MyFitFuel Calcium Caseinate 90

  • Ideal bedtime slow release casein protein.
  • 28gm protein from fresh milk per 32gm serving
  • 5.7gm BCAA and 5.4gm Glutamine
  • Plays anti-catabolic role minimizing muscle breakdown

Conclusion

So, as you read above, there different timings of whey protein intake based upon your fitness goals. In general, most efficient way to pack on muscle mass and keep hunger away is to eat enough amounts of protein throughout the day. Include protein shake, fish, lean meat, eggs and other natural sources of protein like yogurt to increase your total protein intake.

myfitfuel

Also published on Medium.

Tags : Whey Protein NutritionWhey Protein ShakeWhey Protein Timing
MFF Terminator

The author MFF Terminator