protein shake on rest days

Timing Your Protein Supplements – When to use whey and casein

If you take your protein supplement at the wrong time, chances are, you don’t get the full benefits of it, and a good part of the protein powder goes to waste. Here is a list of key points in time, when protein powder is needed the most, ranked in order of importance.

After your workout

Right after your workout your body needs raw materials to recover and rebuild itself. Consuming the right kind of nutrition after intense training will kick-start the muscle recovery process and put your body in a mode where it can produce muscle building hormones like testosterone, insulin, and growth hormone.

Taking 20-40 grams of protein along with high glycemic index carbs, immediately after the workout will make a drastic change in your physique over time. If you can afford only one protein shake a day this will be the best time to consume it. An hour to two after this protein shake is the time to eat real food (about 30-40 grams of protein and some low glycemic index carbs).

In the morning

When you wake up, your body needs food after the overnight fasting. This will be the right time for a whey protein shake or an amino acid supplement. Protein powder is assimilated faster than whole food and will get to your muscles faster. About an hour later it’s time for a real food breakfast and another 30-40 grams of protein.

Before you go to bed

By consuming a “slow” digested protein like casein, you give your muscles a steady stream of “building blocks” trough the night.This is the way the muscles will stay in anabolic state during the longer fasting period. Remember, you don’t want to consume carbs before bed, because the body stores them as fat when there is no energy expenditure.

Between meals

Consuming protein between two meals helps your body to stay anabolic all day, especially if you have long periods of time in between meals. Because whey protein powder is easily digested, you won’t be full all the time and you will feel more hungry when the time for a meal comes.


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2 Comments

  1. Johnny
  2. Douglas Grainger

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