MyPUAJourney Forum

Is it best to take a protein shake right after you work out, or before you go to sleep? Or perhaps both? I think I remember that your muscles actually repair when you sleep so that's when protein is needed most, but if anyone knows for sure that would be great.

I would say that it depends. If you are a skinny guy trying to build up then take it before sleep. If you are a heavy fellow trying to loose pounds then don't take too much or just don't take any.

With my work outs I like to eat a few hours before, but it all depends what kind of exercise you do. If it's a run then I prefer to run on an empty stomach. If I do upper body then it doesn't matter too much. After an intense work out you run the risk of over eating, so remember to control your craves. Water helps with the craving.

A little personal thing on sleeping. I loose about two pounds a night. The whole trick to loosing pounds is to trick your body into thinking that you are eating, so it's always working (metabolism is on)

Yes your body does repair and build when you sleep. Your body hates to fail you so it tries to make up for it when sleeping. Quality of sleep is very important too.

I hope this personal knowledge helps you out.

I've always heard that protein should be taken in about 20 minutes after working out. To me a protein shake seems best at that point. You're giving your body a big hit and the opportunity to use the protein actively.

I've always been against eating or drinking anything highly caloric before sleeping (Shakes fall into that category) as your body is shutting down and as such, the nutrients aren't utilized as effectively. Rest is great for muscles, but wasted calories will just add chunk vs. muscle in my experience. Not sure if that's body dependent tho.

As jack said in most of his responses, you want to take about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight each day. Your body doesnt store protein well, so the idea is to keep a constant supply of protein in your body. You do this by eating protein continuously during the day. So you want to have some protein in every meal. When you supplement with protein is good to have a shake in the morning, one after working out, and one before bed.

It is also important to know the different types of protein. Whey protein is taken after workouts because it is the fastest absorbing protein, meaning that your body will digest it very quickly and it will get to your muscles quickly, which is what you want after your muscles have been stressed. But whey wont stay in your system very long. So when you take protein at times other than after a workout, its best to take a slower absorbing protein like casein. Casein stays in your system much longer (my understanding is that it takes longer to digest, so it gets into your bloodstream little by little over a period of time instead of all at once like whey). So casein is good to take before bed, or in the morning.

The problem is casein protein in my opinion tastes terrible. With whey I can put 2 scoops for 50g of protein into 10oz of milk and have a shake thats still pretty thin. With casein (Im using optimum nutrition brand protein for both of them) 1 scoop for 25g of protein in 10oz of water is pretty thick and kind of gritty tasting. So while casein is better to take, the vast majority of the time I dont take it because I hate it.

A slower absorbing protein that Ive tried that is good is BSN syntha 6. It has several different types of protein in it which all absorb at different rates, so that it stays in your system longer. It's expensive, but its one of the best tasting proteins ive tried.

Great info Jester! i didn't realize the absorbtion rates differed so widely. I'll keep that in mind on my own fitness journey - Thanks!

A protein shake should b taken before and after your workout. Now, if u want to add on more bulk, then also take it right before u go to bed. u should take it before u go 2 bed because while u sleep, ur body breaks down muscle in order to use it for energy, (since sleeping is just like fasting). The protein stops this process and allows u to keep wat u've gained during the day.

Breakfast: protein bar or shake
-snack apple/fruit or some form of carbs
Lunch:carbs= spagetti etc. with protein bar--> at this moment I have consumed like 20 g. protein.
-snack salad
Work out
Dinner: fruits/veg and a ham sandwich (wheat bread)/steak/sub
-sleep=nice and tired so I sleep like a baby

*Drink of choice=water or milk 2%(only a little)

my meal plan is like this
small portions
Remember its all in your mind. Your mind controls your stomach not the other way. That is why they call it a meal bar not a snack bar.