Those who practice the gym are well aware of the feeling of discomfort and of "feeling observed" when they drink theirs protein shaker in the audience; in fact, protein powders are a very common way of introducing nutrients into our bodies!
It is more convenient and easier to drink a protein shaker than the nutritional equivalent of egg white or chicken.
Before understanding when it is best to take protein during the day, we need to make a premise:daily protein intake it is more important than timing of intake, so we must always first make sure we are getting the right amount of protein for our goals!
Index
How many daily proteins do our bodies need?
Sports and nutritional medicine answers this question with a rather varied range that goes by 1.2 to 2.2 gr / kg of body weight, but who practices bodybuilding recommends staying at 1.6 g/kg.
But when is it better to take them?
Until recently the hypothesis of anabolic window, according to which taking protein and carbohydrate supplements immediately after training would have benefits for muscle growth.
Today we know that in the immediate future post workout protein intake is not essential, unless you have been fasting for the previous 4 - 5 hours.
Eating a solid meal within an hour of training may also be fine. To help you we have created one nice guide with recipes for CrossFit® employees!
What about pre workout?
There are theories that claim whey right before training would have positive effects on muscle protein synthesis and performance.
During the workout, protein synthesis is suppressed and solid food and proteins have the same effect with the difference that the former is digested much more slowly; the use of proteins in this case can be useful if you come from an overnight fast.
What proteins to take during workouts?
Qualitatively speaking, the most suitable proteins of animal origin are those deriving from the serum of milk; if, however, you want to choose proteins of plant origin, you can opt for those derived from soy or from peas.
But won't protein powder supplements hurt?
The answer to this question is no!
It is very rare to read reports of deaths caused by supplements; it is not the supplement that causes death, but a congenital inability to withstand these protein loads regardless of their origin.
Protein is often thought to be harmful to the liver and kidneys; but in healthy subjects no correlation between liver problems and the intake of protein supplements has yet been demonstrated.
Among other things, we also talked about the effects of expired whey time ago…
Are you still in doubt? See this article on how to orient yourself in the choice of proteins!
In conclusion…
- Its consumption during training in the past has been an overrated strategy.
- There are no concrete advantages in taking whey powder in the pre and post workout, except in special cases.
- The effects are comparable to those of solid food.