Drinking protein shake instead of water at the gym...

AARRRGH

Do any of you know if it is a good idea to drink protein shakes instead of water (or at least, as well as water) while at the gym?

Basically I'm interested in getting protein to my muscles ASAP after working out.

Cheers.

jph100

im no expert but i wudda said that u shud have water during a workout and wait until afterwards to have the protein shake

tribulus

Well whey shakes will be digested and absorbed pretty quickly so even having it as soon as you finish will still be getting the protein asap.

GrayD

Drinking it while does mean it'll absorb fast I suppose since it's already there....

Check out some other products though cos some are more designed for quick absorbtion than others... some matrix products...

rubadub

GrayD wrote: »

Drinking it while does mean it'll absorb fast I suppose since it's already there....

Thats what I figure. People usually say have it immediately after a workout as your muscles need it then. But I figure if you are doing a 1hr workout, and do say your legs first, then they have to wait 45mins before you get your protein to them. If you drink it just before the end then it is already beginning to be digested and truly is there immediately after the workout.

Some say you can only take in so much protein per hour, so that could be another reason to have it just before, during and after a workout. Chicken takes hours to digest (I have seen it when getting sick:eek:), whey is meant to be fast but surely must take some time.

Maybe some gyms would frown upon it though? I just workout at home and regularly have it before, during and after, but I actually like the taste of the shakes, I have them at anytime.

g'em

One thing to bear in mind is that during physical exercise your body isn't much good at digesting/ absorbing/ assimilating anything. In fact it can be quite a bad idea and can lead to cramping and discomfort as your body will shift water away from the muscles and into the GI tract where it's needed for food breakdown.

The difference between getting in your protein during and within 45 minutes after training is so negligible that it's not something that needs worrying over tbh.

GrayD

We used to sell these where I worked. I'm by no means an expert but I learned a few small things.


I'm not quite sure if a straight protein shake is what you need.

These would be taken throughout the day and potentially after training rather than eating potentially bad food to recover energy...
i.e. when your body needs nutrition its good to have the protein as it uses it best.

The ones for during training are things like l-glutamine and creatine and theres some more that are designed to feed the muscles while they are active to push you further... these are things lost by the muscle during heavy training so topping them up makes you go further but they aren't for building the muscle... the extra training will help you build the muscle which in turn the protein helps with later on....

Its a complex topic but nutritionX and Maximuscle I find offer a lot of valuable info on their products so read up with them before buying the products so you get the right stuff.

Nowler

Drink 20g of protein b4 your workout and 40g straight after and drink plenty of water throughout the day, you should never be thirsty.
ON's 100% gold standard whey is the 1 i use, love it.

Hanley

I dunno about anyone else, but trying to drink protein during a workout would make me gag.

brendansmith

Hanley wrote: »

I dunno about anyone else, but trying to drink protein during a workout would make me gag.

HAHAHA that my thinking exactly, surprised everyone else even entertained the idea!

I dont even think you could physically manage to do it!!!

dcRoadie

For what it's worth I use a High 5 sports drink during exercise (mainly cycling). The actual powder to make the drink is 4 parts carb and 1 part protein maybe this would be a good compromise during a long training session??

AARRRGH

Hanley wrote: »

I dunno about anyone else, but trying to drink protein during a workout would make me gag.

I actually love protein shakes! I can feel their goodness going into my body which makes any dodgy taste acceptable

rubadub

brendansmith wrote: »

I dont even think you could physically manage to do it!!!

I have a cast iron stomach TBH, if I can stomach several gallons of booze in one sitting then a bit of protein is like an alkaseltzer!