Protein Shake: Do You Take It Before or After Exercise?
- Reading time: 9 min.
A protein shake is a convenient addition to a healthy diet. Just a quick shake and you get a substantial dose of proteins, which your body needs to maintain and build muscle mass. But when is the best time to take a protein shake? Should you take your protein shake before or after exercise, or does it not matter at all? In this blog, we’ll tell you more about the timing of your protein intake, so you know exactly when to enjoy that delicious protein shake!
Is the timing of proteins important?
In the gym, you often hear that you should take a protein shake right after training because it will help you build muscle mass faster. This claim is based on the well-known Anabolic Window. According to this "anabolic window of opportunity," your body is in its most anabolic state up to an hour after your workout. During this time, you should ensure your body gets proteins to stimulate muscle recovery.
However, this is a case of pure ‘bro science’. The story of the Anabolic Window has likely taken on a life of its own, causing many athletes to rush to take a Whey Protein shake immediately after their workout. In practice, however, it is not necessary to consume proteins within an hour after your training.
Muscle protein synthesis remains elevated after a workout for up to 48 hours, with a peak around 2.5 to 3 hours after training. During this entire period, you can nourish your body (and muscles) with proteins from food or supplements. This is much longer than the 30 to 60 minutes commonly believed to be the closing of the Anabolic Window.
Anabolic Window examined
So how did the 'myth' arise that you must take a protein shake so soon after exercising? In the past, several poorly designed studies suggested that athletes who took a protein shake after exercising experienced more muscle growth. However, this had nothing to do with the timing of the protein shake, but more with the total protein intake. The group of athletes without a shake consumed fewer proteins, which led to fewer ‘gains’.
Fortunately, more qualitative research has been conducted in recent years. Several studies have shown that the timing of protein intake is less important than previously thought. For instance, in this study[1], the difference in strength and body composition between two groups was examined. Group 1 consumed a protein shake just before and immediately after training. Group 2 consumed the shake in the morning and evening. The result? No significant difference was found between the two groups. Both made equal progress in muscle mass and strength.
Similarly, in this 16-week study[2] of male strength athletes, no difference in strength and body composition was discovered. In this study, one group of athletes consumed a protein-rich meal immediately after training, while the other group consumed this meal two hours after exercising.
Although proteins are important for muscle growth, the timing of intake seems less crucial. Taking a protein shake before or after exercise does not lead to more gains than taking it at another time of the day.
When to Use a Protein Shake?
If it doesn’t really matter when you consume your proteins, then when should you take your protein shake? Simply put, whenever it’s most convenient for you! Whether that’s right after your workout, as breakfast, or just as a high-protein snack in the afternoon. The key is to make sure you meet your total daily protein needs. How much protein per day was it again? As a strength athlete, you can follow the guideline of 1.6 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. So, if you weigh 85 kilograms and want to build muscle mass, you should consume about 136 to 170 grams of protein daily.
Curious about your specific protein needs? Then use our handy macro requirement calculator! Based on your body weight, age, and other factors, you can easily calculate how much protein you need per day. Try it now and optimize your nutrition for maximum results!
Personally, I prefer to take my protein shake in the morning after waking up or after my strength training. I don’t like a big, heavy breakfast, so I find it better to have a protein shake with oatmeal to provide my body with high-quality proteins and complex carbohydrates. For this, I choose Whey Delicious and Perfect Oats. If I have to choose between taking my protein shake before or after my workout, I prefer to take it after the training. However, the timing doesn’t matter much.
Don’t like the thick texture of a protein shake? Then try Clear Whey Isolate a refreshing protein lemonade packed with healthy nutrients. One serving of Clear Whey Isolate contains a whopping 21 grams of protein, is fat- and sugar-free, low in lactose, and contains only 87 calories per serving. So you can enjoy a refreshing treat after your workout without any unnecessary additives.
Nutrition Around Your Strength Training
Taking a protein shake before or after your workout won’t make much difference to your gains. But what about the rest of your nutrition? Is it worthwhile to optimize your diet around your strength training? To some extent, yes!
Of course, the primary focus should be on your total calorie intake, the amount of protein you need daily, and the distribution of the other macros. Only once you have these basics in place does it make sense to start looking at your pre- and post-workout nutrition.
Before exercising, your body needs a carbohydrate-rich meal. Carbohydrates are the easiest energy source for your body, and during an intense strength training session, you need a lot of energy to perform. About an hour and a half to two hours before your workout, have a meal with complex carbohydrates and some protein.
It’s not recommended to eat a large meal (with a lot of protein) shortly before your workout. Your body will still be digesting the food during your training, which means less energy is available for your muscles to perform. Similarly, it might not be comfortable to take a large protein shake just before your workout. One of the whey protein disadvantages in this case is that proteins are digested more slowly by your body.
After your workout, consume a protein-rich meal. Your post-workout nutrition has several purposes; you want to bring your body out of the catabolic and stressful state of training so it can start recovering and building. You want to stop the breakdown of reserves (and therefore muscle mass). However, eating a post-workout meal because of the Anabolic Window is less important than many people think; the effect of a training stimulus in beginners can last for several days after training and peaks only a day after the workout.
The more advanced you are, the closer these peaks occur to your workout; as you become more advanced, timing your nutrition becomes more important. For this reason, your post-workout meal should always include protein. A tasty protein shake after your workout can be highly recommended, though it could just as well be a meal consisting of rice, vegetables, and fish or meat.
So, Protein Shake Before or After Exercise?
In this article, you’ve learned whether you should take your protein shake before or after exercise. To summarise, we can say that it doesn’t really matter when you take a protein shake. What’s important is your total protein intake throughout the entire day. Whereas the Anabolic Window was once considered crucial for gains, experts now agree that there’s no need to rush to down a shake immediately after your workout.
Do you still prefer taking a protein shake after exercising? Or are you currently following a protein diet and looking for a way to get high protein with low carbs? Then choose one of our protein shakes to provide your body with a good dose of essential amino acids.
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