If you have ever finished a workout and sprinted not to the shower, but to your shaker bottle, you have probably met the great protein timing anxiety. If you drink it before your workout, will you train better? Drink it after, and will your muscles thank you? Miss the so-called 30-minute window and has the entire session been reduced to just sweating?
Not quite. Protein powder may have become the default accessory of the strength-training era, but the best time to drink it is less of a cause for concern than gym folklore suggests. The International Society of Sports Nutrition notes that most exercising individuals need roughly 1.4–2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, while its timing stands below total daily protein intake and evenly spaced feedings.
So, when is the best time to drink protein powder?
According to nutritionists, timing matters, but not more than your total daily protein intake, digestion, training routine and whether that shake is helping you fill an actual gap in your diet. For most people who train, after a workout is the most practical time. Not because your muscles slam shut after 30 minutes, but because post-workout is when your body is in repair mode, your appetite may be low and a shake is an easy way to get high-quality protein without cooking an omelette while still sweating.
“One of the biggest myths is that you must consume protein immediately after a workout or it becomes ineffective,” says Nicole Linhares Kedia, sports nutritionist and integrative health coach. “In reality, muscle recovery and protein utilisation happen over several hours and total daily intake is far more important than a strict ‘30-minute anabolic window.’”
That does not mean timing is useless. The International Society of Sports Nutrition suggests around 20–40 grams of high-quality protein (about 0.25 grams per kg of body weight) as a useful protein dose for stimulating muscle protein synthesis. But if you are eating enough protein across the day, your shake does not need to be treated like a medical emergency.
Should you drink protein before a workout?
Not always. In fact, for many people, this is where the trouble begins. “Protein powder before a workout can cause bloating, acidity or sluggishness,” says Neeraja Mehta, integrative wellness coach, functional nutritionist and founder of Evolve With Neeraja Mehta. “When your body is about to train, it shifts blood flow toward your muscles and away from your gut. Digestion basically slows down. So if you are throwing a protein shake in there 20 to 30 minutes before you train, your stomach is being asked to do a job it is not ready for.”
This is especially true if you have acidity, IBS, a sensitive gut or you train first thing in the morning. The mid-workout heaviness, bloating or acid burp may not be a character flaw; it may simply be bad timing.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: vogue.in
