Protein Powder

[Anita_C]

Protein powder for getting stronger after workouts.

Yay or nay?

[Zest]

Hi Anita_C ,

I have started to take some Whey Protein powder in my breakfast and also in my Kefir drink (which I have after I've been to the gym), because I hope that it will help me when I do my strength exercises - and an article that I found helpful in this regard was this one:

healthline.com/nutrition/wh...

However, I would be very interested to see other replies to this post, as I am still learning about it.

Zest

[benwl]

I used to take a whey shake after the gym - just like everyone else seemed to - but when I went vegan and started looking into protein requirments I stopped as there doesn't actually seem to be much evidence that they help (and excess protein can overload the liver)

It might be different if you are trying to build 'bodybuilder' levels of muscles.

I don't have an online link to hand but I recall the Garth Davis book "proteinaholic" as being my initial reference on this.

[Hidden in reply to benwl]

Thanks benwl, thats very interesting so here's a link: proteinaholic.com

Jerry 😊

[miss_m]

This is what I use. If you have a read of the description it does make claims to it being beneficial after a workout. hollandandbarrett.com/shop/... I try to chuck it in to as many recipes as I can!

[Blath]

There hasnt been as much proof i believe of it helping too much unless you are looking to become a body builder as benwl metions. Diet itself will do the same thing, though if you are looking for it to just help your strength your probably better having something like milk or choc milk to replenish your fuel stores quickly in the 15-25 minutes post exercise. In liquid form I believe it is more easily absorbed as it breaks down and is absorbed quicker by the body thus can refuel quicker.

Your best bet may be to look at some medical research on this as some websites can have some great marketing.

[Bazza1234 in reply to Blath]

As a runner I can tell you that there is nothing nicer than a cold glass of chocolate milk after a hard run - it is almost like my body is saying YES YES YES!!!! - a beer is pretty good too but not as good as the chocolate milk

[Rignold Keto]

Biting my tongue hard here not to react strongly to misinformation.

Protein is essential to the body for the maintenance of lean muscle tissue, not just building “bodybuilder type muscles” ( which I assume are somehow a different type of muscle to the ones the rest of us have?).

If you are losing weight through diet and wan to maximise fat loss and minimise lean muscle loss then a higher protein intake is a good thing. It encourages the body to retain the muscle, especially in conjunction with resistance exercise ( not cardio. ). Ideally the food you are eating shouldnsupply your protein needs - lots of shocked, eggs, fish, meat, etc. In practice this is not always practical which is where supplementing your diet with protein shakes can be helpful. I personally have a very high daily protein requirement and it simply is not practical for me to be prepping a couple of fillets of cod mid morning, whereas a shake is very quick and easy.

In terms of timing your protein intake around your workout, there is a 20-40 minute ‘window of Gainz’ immediately after a workout in which the body is scrabbling around to replace the fuel it has lost. If you take your protein in this anabolic window ( and indeed carbs- I aim to have the bulk of my days carbs at this time) it will go directly to refuelling your muscle tissue, or building it depending on the volume of work/food, rather than being laid down as fat stores.

There are a a lot of different protein powders out there. Whey is the best in pure protein terms or beef isolate, but there are also vegan options - sunwarrior is a very good brand. The one thing to be careful of is what the carb content is: some are padded out with high doses of carbs and crud which can throw your days macros right out.

[Anita_C in reply to Rignold]

Thank you so much for replying.

I don’t know a lot about any of this. I play volleyball three times a week and go to the gym and do a mix of cardio and strength training. I’m very skinny and it’s hard for me to gain muscle so I’m trying to get stronger (increase vertical, arm swing, and speed/agility) I drink vegan protein powder with cashew milk or water after my gym day. do you have any tips for that since you seem knowledgeable? Also what is a good pre workout meal or balance between carbs proteins and fats?

Thank you so much

Anita

[suramo Star]

Anita_C

I'd recommend natural proteins rather than protein powders.