Protein shakes. It is better before or after training.
People often rely on protein shakes to help with various body composition goals such as building muscle, weight management, exercising, maintaining muscle mass, and simply out of convenience to help them achieve dietary protein goals.Getting enough protein is necessary to achieve many goals regarding body composition. The time to consume a protein shake — before or after a workout — depends on your personal preferences and goals. For some, it comes down to preferences, but for specific purposes, the timing of a protein shake can affect the results. Read on to learn more about when it's best to consume a protein shake.
What is a protein shake?
Protein shakes can be pre-mixed or in powder form. Some contain other nutrients and are fortified with vitamins and minerals, while others are mostly made up of pure protein. Ready-made smoothies are by far the most convenient, but less versatile, while protein powders and cocktail mixes can be supplemented with additives of your choice, including milk, mixed with fruit or with peanut paste.
The popularity of protein shakes lies mainly in their convenience as a way to increase protein intake when it can be difficult to do it with food alone. For those who seek to increase their protein intake for certain purposes, protein shakes will make this task easier, especially if you are not yet used to eating as much protein as you need.
Some people also rely on high-protein diets for the purpose of weight control. This approach is based on the role of protein in maintaining muscle mass during weight loss, which helps prevent some slowing of metabolism that may occur due to reduced calorie intake. Protein also requires more calories to digest than carbohydrates or fats, but this effect (the thermal effect of food) is relatively insignificant in the overall picture of calorie balance and weight management.
Types of protein
Several types of protein are available for protein shakes. Dairy-based proteins are the most common. However, if you are allergic to dairy products, there are several options available, some of which are comparable to dairy-based products.
Whey Protein
Whey protein has a milk base and is well absorbed. It contains essential amino acids and branched chain amino acids (BCAAs), ideal for building and maintaining muscle mass.
Dry whey protein typically contains between 11% and 15% protein, while whey concentrate processed to produce more protein contains between 25% and 89% protein. Whey isolate is an even more concentrated whey protein powder and contains 90% or more protein. Because of this, it is more expensive than anything else.
Casein
Casein protein is another milk protein that is digested more slowly than whey. Thus, casein protein provides a slower release of amino acids over time, which is believed to accelerate muscle growth and repair damaged tissue. Casein protein powder is usually taken in the evening or at night to increase protein synthesis during the night, accelerate muscle recovery and growth.
Pea Protein
Pea protein has a vegetable base, which makes it a good protein powder for those who avoid dairy products or any animal products. Pea protein is just as effective as milk-based protein powder. It is also hypoallergenic, easy to digest and has a mild taste.
You can find pea protein as a separate product or in combination with other vegetable proteins. It contains especially a lot of iron, the amino acid arginine and branched chain amino acids.
Soy protein
Soy protein is another vegan protein powder that is suitable for those who avoid dairy products or animal products altogether. Soy contains all the essential amino acids, including the preferred branched chain amino acids, which are less common in plant proteins.
BCAAs are three essential amino acids (EAA) that are considered essential for building and maintaining muscle mass. These are leucine, isoleucine and valine, and leucine is considered the most important for stimulating protein synthesis.
Cannabis
Hemp protein powder is another plant protein that is unique because it is rich in heart—healthy omega-3 fatty acids and contains an excellent dose of fiber. It is a complete protein containing all the essential amino acids. Hemp contains several vitamins and minerals, which makes it a more functional food than some other protein powders.
Rice
As with pea protein, rice protein can be just as effective as whey protein in maintaining goals such as building muscle and exercising in people who train with weights.
Protein Shake Time
Whether you decide to consume a protein shake before or after a workout depends on your personal preferences and goals. Here are some popular reasons that can affect the time of taking a protein shake.
Get pumped up
If your goal is to build muscle mass, eating a protein shake after a workout can bring the greatest benefit. You can also consume protein before training. Protein intake after exercise increases muscle protein synthesis, which is crucial for building muscle mass.
It is advisable to consume a protein shake after a workout with some easily digestible carbohydrates, which can increase protein absorption by muscles, increase recovery and build new muscle tissue.
Weight Management
Protein is known to increase the feeling of fullness and helps to stay full longer. So, if your goal is to lose weight, it's wise to consume enough protein. However, this may be better achieved using whole foods because calorie and protein intake may not have the same satiety effect as whole foods.
To gain weight, you need to add more calories to your diet. If this may seem difficult to you, as your body adapts to an increase in the amount of food, an easily digested and less satisfying protein source in the form of a cocktail can help you.
Exercise performance
The main advantage of protein shakes for exercise is to accelerate recovery so that you can return to the gym or go to the next workout in a more optimal condition. For this reason, total protein intake is important.
The timing of protein intake for exercise is not as important as total intake. However, the post-workout period may have benefits. A cocktail after a workout can optimize physical performance and speed up recovery processes for both weight training and endurance exercises.
If you exercise before a meal, a pre-workout protein shake, ideally with carbohydrates, can help boost performance by increasing available energy and preventing muscle breakdown due to a lack of amino acids.
Prevent muscle loss
Protein helps prevent the loss of muscle mass, regardless of whether you are aging or experiencing a calorie deficit. Preventing the loss of muscle mass is necessary for healthy aging and maintaining a normal metabolism.
Loss of muscle mass can occur with age and may reduce your ability to remain independent. Maintaining protein intake at a sufficient level throughout the life cycle and above with a nutritional deficiency will reduce the muscle mass that can be lost during this time. The calorie deficit required for fat loss will also reduce your muscle mass if you don't strive to maintain a high protein intake.
Convenience
Convenience is one of the main reasons for consuming protein shakes. Protein shakes are quick to prepare and drink, they can be bought ready-made or quickly mixed with milk to increase protein levels. Some people also don't like to eat after a workout because of hormones that dull the feeling of hunger. Protein shakes can offer a solution for people with this problem.
How much do you need
The ideal protein intake for you will depend on several factors, including your goals, body composition, age, gender, and activity level. You can calculate how much protein you need based on these individual factors.
General recommendations for the average person are advised to consume from 10 to 35% of the total calories from protein. Active adults need more, about 1.2 to 1.7 g per kilogram of body weight every day.
Result
There are several reasons why protein shakes can help you achieve your protein intake goals. When you decide to drink a cocktail depends on your preferences, although there are some benefits that can be obtained by choosing to consume protein after a workout. Protein is only part of the picture when it comes to a healthy diet that supports an active lifestyle.
Keep in mind that nutrient density is crucial for health, and protein shakes usually do not provide enough nutrients and do not contain fiber. Talk to your doctor or nutritionist about whether protein shakes are right for you.
