Best Time For a Protein Shake:
Before or After a Workout?
Before or after a workout, supplementing with a protein shake assists the body with muscle growth and recovery. But when is the best time? The most optimal time will depend on your aims as you work towards your personal or performance goals.
What You’ll Learn:
- Why Supplement Alongside Workouts
- Timing vs Goals
- Benefits of a Protein Shake Before a Workout
- Benefits of a Protein Shake After a Workout
- Best Time to Take Protein Shake
- Protein Shakes from EXALT
- Before or After Recap
Why Supplement Alongside Workouts
Protein shakes are a convenient way of providing your body with a protein boost. Protein is an essential macronutrient our bodies require in order to build muscle, and other vital structures.
When you exercise, you cause small tears of damage to your muscles. Therefore, you require protein to rebuild and repair these. How much protein you need per day depends on your exercise level. Those who workout frequently may require more than those who have a less active lifestyle. Whether you have protein shakes before or after your workout depends on a variety of factors.
Timing vs Goals
When to take a protein shake can depend on your goals such as muscle growth, healthy weight loss or ultimately it may come down to personal preference.
Muscle Building
Muscle growth and gain is often top of the list for additional protein intake. Some research suggests that consuming protein before and/or after a workout can help to stimulate muscle protein synthesis, which is how the human body builds new muscle tissue. Consuming a protein shake before a workout may provide a pre-workout energy boost, while consuming post-workout may help to repair and rebuild muscle tissue.
If your primary goal is weight loss, it may be more beneficial to consume a protein shake after a workout. Post-workout, this can help to reduce muscle protein breakdown and support muscular recovery by reducing muscle soreness.
Weight Loss
If your primary goal is weight loss, it may be more beneficial to consume a protein shake after a workout. Post-workout, this can help to reduce muscle protein breakdown and support muscular recovery by reducing muscle soreness.
Individual Needs
The timing of your protein intake can totally depend on your preferences. Or you might already have a routine in place that works really well! It is worth experimenting and seeing what works best for you and your body.
Benefits of a Protein Shake Before a Workout
Protein shake consumption before a workout may offer a few potential benefits, including providing energy and reducing muscle protein breakdown.
Energy Boosting
If consuming 30-60 minutes pre-workout, protein shakes can provide a quick source of energy to get you ready for your session. This can help to fuel your muscles and improve performance during the duration of the exercise.
Our pre-workout energy drinks and powders contain natural caffeine extract to support your energy levels as you exercise. This is due to the way caffeine can support your performance by improving endurance.
Reducing Muscle Protein Breakdown
Consuming protein before a workout can help to reduce muscle protein breakdown, which is the process by which the body breaks down muscle tissue for energy. The result is the preservation of muscle mass and support of muscle recovery.
Benefits of a Protein Shake After a Workout
When considering consuming protein shakes after a workout, some potential benefits include muscle recovery promotion and building muscle mass. Reasons to kickstart post-workout recovery with a protein shake after your workout, include:
Promoting Muscle Recovery
Protein is an essential nutrient for muscle recovery, helping to repair and rebuild muscle tissue. Consuming a protein shake within 0-2 hours after your workout, in the “anabolic window”, may help to support muscle recovery and reduce overall muscle soreness.
Building Muscle Mass
Consuming a protein shake after a workout may help to support muscle growth and development. If your goal is muscle growth, you’ll want to pick an option which provides your optimal daily dosage and higher calories to avoid weight loss.
Best Time to Take Protein Shake
When it comes to optimising protein shake timing, you might want to consider your specific needs and the type of workouts you put your body through. You can make your own protein shakes or harness the convenience of pre-bottled drinks to take with you. Either way, you can make the most of this macronutrient when curating your exercise and recovery plan.
Individual Needs & Preferences
The best time to consume a protein shake depends on your individual goals and needs.
If your goal is to improve energy uptake to carry you through a workout, you may benefit from indulging in a protein shake before the workout.
If your focus is to support muscle recovery and building muscle mass, then it might be more beneficial to consume after.
Type & Intensity of the Workout
Your workout type and intensity can influence the optimal timing of a protein shake. High-intensity workouts deplete glycogen levels, therefore consuming pre-workout could provide you with an energy benefit.
Protein Shakes from EXALT
Make EXALT your go-to partner for your workout. Whether you’re creating your own shakes at home with organic vanilla or cacao protein powders or taking our ready-made fresh protein smoothies with you to the gym, fuel your day with ease.
Support muscle growth and repair with protein shakes before or after your workout. You can use them to have a high protein breakfast to kick off your active day, or you can have them after you return from exercising to bolster your recovery. Either way, you’ll only find natural nutritious ingredients in EXALT drinks.
Fuel your run, row, or gym session no matter your diet. We create our delicious protein shakes using organic whey protein powder or vegan protein powder. That way, you can harness the slow release design of our drinks, even if you follow a plant-based diet. The choice is yours!
Before or After Recap
- When you consume, whether it be before or after working out, is likely to be down to personal preference and your set goals.
- There are different benefits when taking before vs after.
- If you are after an energy kick, then before could be more advantageous.
- If your focus is muscle gain and repair, then after could be more advantageous.
Why EXALT?
We’re passionate about providing macro-complete nutrition to support your active lifestyles combined with sustainability. We have partnered with Ecologi and run a zero-emissions delivery service in London. From cold-pressed juices to breakfast smoothies, add delicious nutrition to your life now.