What protein after workout?

runswithascript

Started at the gym recently and it was suggested to me I get some sort of protein shake to have shortly after working out. They sell a lot of them at the gym but I don't want to ask them about it in case they have to be biased towards what the gym sell.

Would I be better off grilling two chicken/turkey breasts ( tasty! ) and taking them with me or would it work out just as cheap and/or better protein to go with a shake? If so what shake? Where in Dublin can I get a good price and how much am I looking at paying?

Oh if relevant, the aim of the workout is to tone and gain mass. I'm 5' 11", 175lbs, and I think my BMI is 20. Also, I've only started training.

yomchi

LA3G wrote: »

Started at the gym recently and it was suggested to me I get some sort of protein shake to have shortly after working out. They sell a lot of them at the gym but I don't want to ask them about it in case they have to be biased towards what the gym sell.

Would I be better off grilling two chicken/turkey breasts ( tasty! ) and taking them with me or would it work out just as cheap and/or better protein to go with a shake? If so what shake? Where in Dublin can I get a good price and how much am I looking at paying?

Oh if relevant, the aim of the workout is to tone and gain mass. I'm 5' 11", 175lbs, and I think my BMI is 20. Also, I've only started training.

You're probably better off with a fast acting protein like whey or egg post workout. Also don't neglect your simple carbs post training either. You can get an all in one recovery shake these days that has everything you need in it. Stuff like RAM or Recovery from ON would be ideal.

You might find it hard to tone and gain mass at the same time, both of those objectives are defined by different diets. To gain mass you are generally talking about eating a top heavy calorie diet combined with heavy lifting and little cardio. To tone, your diet would be a bit tighter in terms of calorie intake and you would certainly need to up your cardio work.

You probably mean you want to add more definition to your existing muscle, which in essence is toning as opposed to gaining mass.

Hope that helps.

runswithascript

yomchi wrote: »

You're probably better off with a fast acting protein like whey or egg post workout. Also don't neglect your simple carbs post training either. You can get an all in one recovery shake these days that has everything you need in it. Stuff like RAM or Recovery from ON would be ideal.

Cool, who are ON?

You might find it hard to tone and gain mass at the same time, both of those objectives are defined by different diets.

You probably mean you want to add more definition to your existing muscle, which in essence is toning as opposed to gaining mass.

Maybe I should have said right now I just want to tone, I can always work on mass in the future right?

EileenG

ON is Optimum Nutrition. Since it is now owned by Glanbia, it's technically an Irish company!

Post workout, I'd go for a scoop of whey and a spoon or two of glucose in a shake. This particular combination is excellent for getting the protein to the muscles which you've been working. Chicken breasts take longer to digest, so their are not as effective.

If you are just starting, you get a sort of honeymoon period when you can lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. Make the most of it. Later on, you'll have to choose if you want to cut or bulk.

yomchi

you get a sort of honeymoon period when you can lose fat and gain muscle at the same time

I remember it well

runswithascript

Thanks for the input.

At the gym today they offered me Maximuscle Promax 908g/30 servings for €44.10 but said that I should go with BSN Syntha-6 (1320g) for €53.10 because it uses "matrix whey".

What do you guys think? I'm sure I can get the cheaper online somewhere...

Magic Eight Ball

Check out http://www.myprotein.co.uk/
I personally recommend Optimun Nutrition gold standard whey.

yomchi

LA3G wrote: »

Thanks for the input.

At the gym today they offered me Maximuscle Promax 908g/30 servings for €44.10 but said that I should go with BSN Syntha-6 (1320g) for €53.10 because it uses "matrix whey".

What do you guys think? I'm sure I can get the cheaper online somewhere...

Wafflers! They want you to buy Syntha 6 because it has a larger profit margin!
You can get syntha 6 in any of the good nutrition shops for 39.99. Syntha 6 is probably the best tasting protein powder out there, in my opinion of course, second only to Nectar.

Syntha 6 is simply a combination of a number of different protein sources, different blends of whey and casein proteins, that combination is usually labelled a 'matrix' - don't be bowled over by market jargon though.

mufcboy1999

lads whats this i hear about staying away from soya based protein? iv read it in a couple of mags but they gave it no real explanation and also heard 1 or 2 on about it.

protein supplyments with soya in them?

cheers

yomchi

The whey supplement companies hone in on the fact that soya based products increase estrogen levels. I'm not an expert on this at all so maybe someone can add some substance to it, but I was involved with the sports nutrition industry for a number of years and a manufacturer here in Ireland told me that the whey companies scaremonger about the use of soya products.

Personally I love soya, I'm a huge fan of soya beans and tofu and milk. I've used it for years and never had a problem. I think you would need huge amounts of soya for it to have any effect on estrogen levels.

EileenG

I've never seen any research that backs the idea that soy causes problems.

There was one very public study in New York that suggested that soy reduced testosterone, but if you examined the study properly it was badly flawed. One guy who went into the study with sky high T levels (almost certainly coming off a cycle) and during the study it went down to normal levels. I've no idea why he was left in the study, but his results skewed the whole thing. Everyone else had the same testosterone levels at the end as at the beginning.

bluefinger

don't want to hijack someones thread but can someone explain the importance of protein to me? Have been working out for a good while, lost a few stone, firmed up and am now trying to gain a little muscle mass. thought i'd just get some eggs and meat into my diet but i saw this thread and i'm worried i'm missing an opportunity to make my goals a bit more attainable.

EileenG

Eggs and meat are brilliant. The advantage of whey is that is extremely bioavailable (in other words, the body can use it immediately without a lot of digestion), so it's very good for after a workout, when you've caused micro-damage to your muscles, and they are crying out for some protein to repair them.

For everything else, real food is best.

One of the disadvantages of whey is that you often get hungry soon afterwards, so you can take a meal's worth of protein but don't feel as full as if you ate a meal.

bestie

Try getting some wheatgrass into you, contains chlorophyll, minerals, and vitamins A, B-complex, C, E, and K, protein and 17 amino acids.

bluefinger

EileenG wrote: »

One of the disadvantages of whey is that you often get hungry soon afterwards, so you can take a meal's worth of protein but don't feel as full as if you ate a meal.

That's great thanks, think i'll stick with the original plan so, eggs benedict it is.

El_Dangeroso

I tend to lean towards whey, simply because it's one of the less processed powders out there.

It may very well be in the interests of the whey makers to discredit soy but there's enough evidence to be suspicious of it IMO. Whey is not without it's problems but soy protein contains protease inhibitors that actually reduce your bodies ability to digest proteins. That and it contains high levels of aluminum and increases the body’s requirement for vitamin D.

I'd hedge my bets and pick egg or whey.

yomchi

I think the best bet is to have varied protein supply, they all have wonderful benefits in some shape or form.

I tend not to listen to jargon from nutrition companies who will tell you anything to make you buy their products. For example Tony Quinn will say whey is the devil, simply because his company sells casein based products. Whey companies will highlight casein as an allergen to the gut etc etc.

Keep it natural as possible I would say.