# Drinking protein shake while working out



## sjf (May 8, 2004)

I work out early in the morning mainly because it the only time when I'm free. I was thinking perhaps I can drink some protein shakes while I work out. I have a pretty solid stomach so I definately won't feel heavy or sick from having heavy liquid in my me.

I was wondering if there are any adverse effect to doing this?


----------



## Johnnny (May 8, 2004)

Well the whole point of meal replacements & whey protein shakes is so that your muscles can almost immediately absorb the whey protein into the muscles right after a workout when protein, especially whey protein is essential. You need it right after a workout. In my opinion, drinking them during a workout is useless. If you've eaten a good solid meal consisting of 20-30grams of protein 30grams of complex carbs & had some citrus fruit an hour before training along with some water before your meal, than you'll be fine until after your workout.

To me, drinking them during a workout is just wasting money & the protein. No offense or criticism intended.


----------



## Yanick (May 9, 2004)

i drink a protein/maltodextrin shake during my workouts when i'm trying to really bulk, i just find it helps me add calories.  It gives you immediate energy during the workout as i have found, you have tons of aminos in your blood as soon as your workout is finished.


----------



## KataMaStEr (May 9, 2004)

If your choice is to drink it during workout or not to drink at all then go ahead and drink it throughout your workout.  Personally I would drink it after and/or before.


----------



## Johnnny (May 9, 2004)

KataMaStEr I agree. Personally I don't find whey shakes give you that much energy compared to eating 2 red potatoes or 35grams of oatmeal with 20-30 grams of protein 1hr prior to a workout.

A shake won't even last you an entire workout anyway. I drink mine in less than 5 mins. Shakes shouldn't replace food in my mind. I see little guys around 160-170lbs trying to get big/strong & constantly complaining about how hard it is. I ask them what their diet is & they say they have 3 or 4 whey shakes a day with only 2 or 3 meals a day. This is just not enough food.

What did big guys do back in the day when there was no whey protein or meal replacement drinks? They ate a sh!tload of food to get big & stay big.

Best time to have a shake is 1st thing in the morning with oatmeal & beef as your body's been without protein all night & it will absorb right away & right after a workout.


----------



## sjf (May 9, 2004)

These are good points. I tend to agree. However, keep in mind that my motivation for drinking protein while working out is to make sure that the protein is delievered to the needed sites as soon as possible. I'd imagine it takes at least 30 minutes for the body to absorb the protein in the shakes.

So basically, rather than for energy, I drink the protein shakes during work out to prevent catabolism. What do you guys think?


----------



## plouffe (May 9, 2004)

You'd be better off drinkin' on something like gaterade during your workout. Before you workout drink a scoop of whey, to prevent catabolism. Along with your pre-workout whey shake you can take BCAA's, Aminos, HMB, and/or Glutamine to prevent catabolism.


----------



## stencil (May 9, 2004)

I drink this new crazy stuff called "water" while I'm working out.  I find it keeps me hydrated, and they even give it to me free at the gym!


----------



## sjf (May 9, 2004)

Your sarcasm is wonderfully refreshing, educational, and on topic.


----------



## Johnnny (May 9, 2004)

All I can say is what would you do if protein shakes & supplements didn't exist?

I bet you'd eat a sh!tload of good food every day right?


----------



## LAM (May 9, 2004)

> _*Originally posted by sjf *_
> These are good points. I tend to agree. However, keep in mind that my motivation for drinking protein while working out is to make sure that the protein is delievered to the needed sites as soon as possible. I'd imagine it takes at least 30 minutes for the body to absorb the protein in the shakes.
> 
> So basically, rather than for energy, I drink the protein shakes during work out to prevent catabolism. What do you guys think?



it takes about 20 minutes for the AA's in whey protein(s) to hit the bloodstream.  you would be better off consuming the shake directly upon waking then hitting the gym.  the additon of 10  grams of BCAA's and 10 grams of L-Glutamine wouldn't hurt either...

what else is in the shake ? you need some simple sugars in there as well.  when the body is in a hypoglyemic state (like it is when you wake up) it will use whatever is available for energy...


----------



## Johnnny (May 9, 2004)

Shake is best after a work out & first thing in the morning with your beef & oatmeal.


----------



## V Player (May 9, 2004)

> _*Originally posted by sjf *_
> However, keep in mind that my motivation for drinking protein while working out is to make sure that the protein is delievered to the needed sites as soon as possible.


True, but you're shooting yourself in the foot. Drinking it while working out only causes your stomach to send in blood to digest that protein because protein is food. Its not like water or an energy drink. 

Do what you want, no one can stop you. But too many successful people, trainers, and BBrs will agree that that is not the way to do it. If you want to do your thing in the face of success, thats your business. But you're not accomplising anything. 


> _*Originally posted by stencil *_I drink this new crazy stuff called "water" while I'm working out. I find it keeps me hydrated, and they even give it to me free at the gym!


Its the only thing to drink while working out. If you need an energy drink while working out, all that means is that you didnt get the proper nutrients in your system before you hit the weights. That means your diet is off. Thats basic science right there folks.


> _*Originally posted by plouffe *_
> Before you workout drink a scoop of whey, to prevent catabolism.


This makes sense.


> _*Originally posted by johnny *_ Personally I don't find whey shakes give you that much energy compared to eating 2 red potatoes or 35grams of oatmeal with 20-30 grams of protein 1hr prior to a workout.


Preach it, brother johnny!!!! This is the gospel right here folks!


> _*Originally posted by johnny *_Well the whole point of meal replacements & whey protein shakes is so that your muscles can almost immediately absorb the whey protein into the muscles right after a workout when protein, especially whey protein is essential. You need it right after a workout. In my opinion, drinking them during a workout is useless.


RIGHT ON BROTHER J!!!!!.....Folks, its not rocket science. Like johnny points out, whey was designed for a specific purpose. Why use it for anything else???? What are you hoping to achieve??? If you want to be a guinea pig for some new way to use a supplement, thats cool. But why??? Why spend your money on "research" when others have already done it for you? Stuff like this completely baffles me.


----------



## Johnnny (May 9, 2004)

Exactly what he said. You'd be wasting your $$$$$ if you drink it during your workout.


----------



## sjf (May 9, 2004)

It's like I'm committing heresy by even suggesting the idea.... I asked because I wasn't sure. Now that the verdict seems to be pretty clear, the shake will be had after the works. Thanks guys.


----------



## LAM (May 9, 2004)

whey protein was not originally intended for a specific purpose in bodybuilding...it was a "waste" product from the dairy industry.

drinking whey during a workout is surely not a "waste" but there are much better ways to optimize it's use.  if you READ the original post you would see that sjf works out early in the morning.  not everyone can eat and wait a full hour for protein and complex carbs to be digested before training.

for sjf the consumption of whey and some glucose based sugars, and a small serving of complex carbs would be the best way for him to get some nutrtion in before he hits the gym...


----------



## Johnnny (May 9, 2004)

I know ppl that have to train early in the morning & I've done it to. I eat my morning beef & oatmeal I wait 30mins to leave for the gym. By the time I get to the gym & am on the first machine of that workout it will be an hour & my food has been absorbed.


----------



## LAM (May 9, 2004)

I've been using whey protein and maltodextrin at my 4:30 am workouts off and on for almost 8 years...


----------



## OceanDude (May 9, 2004)

I am a big believer in trying to keep the muscles in a nitrogen retension state as often as you can. I put on 16 lbs of muscle in 16 weeks past age 45 doing nothing but regulating insulin naturally, keeping my muscles in a state of positive nitrogen retenion and doing high volume progrressive resistance training. I took a slow protein in the mornings (low fat cottege cheese). Went to the gym about 30 minute later and popped ultra high quality aminos during workout (about 16 grams) and followed up with a post workout meal designed to boost my insulin (pasta and insulin booster suppliments in conjunction with Creatine) and flood it with fast protein (whey shake). Each of my 5-6 meals thereafter I would ingest a slower natural protein (more cottage cheese, eggs, leans meats etc.), sometimes a multi-species protein and complex slow carbs. At bed time I would ingest another cup of slow protein (cottage cheese).

Seems to have worked for me.

-OD


----------



## Monolith (May 9, 2004)

I can't believe no one's linked to this yet:

http://www.avantlabs.com/magmain.php?issueID=5&pageID=66


----------



## Johnnny (May 9, 2004)

I don't know about you OceanDude but I've found even low fat cottage cheese makes you soft compared to lean ground beef, steak, skinless boneless chicken breasts, & pollack fish.

I was eating low fat cottage cheese twice a day for a month, & I found I gained some body fat from it. I know it was that because I hadn't changed anything else in my diet or training & as soon as I stopped eating the low fat cottage cheese in about 2 weeks the fat I gained went away.

The only dairy products I have are 2 glasses of skim milk with my whey shakes in the morning & after my workout.


----------



## OceanDude (May 9, 2004)

Johnnny, I admit my muscle texture could be harder. But this is more of an age and genetic thing for me I think than it due to the type of protein. I am actually very pleased with my strength to size ratio though and think strength is more important for me than is hardness since I do not compete. But there is nothing funnier for me than to watch a huge muscular guy 30 lbs bigger than me drop his jaw when I ask him to leave the plates on the leg press machine when he is done and then add 4 more to warm up.  We all have our natural strengths is all I am saying.

But you need to remember something about protein. The body has to use it or excrete it within a few hours. It can not store it and it does not really want to convert it to fat or burn it since it is biologically inefficient to do so. So, it is very important in my way of thinking to mix it up with some slow absorption proteins that sit in the gut for a while before they are broken down. I think of it like a trickle charge and caesin forms of protein can be amazing in this area since they release slowly but over a long period of time. Whey isolate in a manner of speaking is like a fast food protein. Its ultra potent but short lived like a flash in the pan. This is why I really prefer to use multi-species forms to cover my bases.

-OD


----------



## V Player (May 9, 2004)

> _*Originally posted by sjf *_
> It's like I'm committing heresy by even suggesting the idea.... I asked because I wasn't sure.


No no no brother.... nothing of the sort. Dont take us the wrong way. Its awfully hard to convey tone and intent on the written word. You have my apologies if thats how I sounded.


> _*Originally posted by LAM *_whey protein was not originally intended for a specific purpose in bodybuilding....


LOL, True...but thats not exactly what I meant. Oh man...LOL, its awfully hard to get very specific while typing and not have it be a long assed and laborously readable post. I hope you understood my intent, though. 


> _*Originally posted by LAM *_drinking whey during a workout is surely not a "waste" but there are much better ways to optimize it's use.....


This is actually a better way to put it, yes. Thank you. Guess I just jumped on a soap box, lol. My bad.


> _*Originally posted by LAM *_if you READ the original post you would see that sjf works out early in the morning. not everyone can eat and wait a full hour for protein and complex carbs to be digested before training


True once again. Im guilty of skimming to "the good parts". Once again, my bad. I apologize.


> _*Originally posted by LAM *_for sjf the consumption of whey and some glucose based sugars, and a small serving of complex carbs would be the best way for him to get some nutrtion in before he hits the gym...


This is absolutely correct. Thank you for pointing that out. Once again, guilty of not reading everything. My bad.


----------



## Johnnny (May 9, 2004)

Oh well, for me I want to be lean with size & strength.


----------

