Best time for protein powder?

[DoogieT]

Hey, all. Right now I have a glass of water in my shaker cup with one scoopful of protein powder after I'm done weights but before I do cardio. Is this the best time to take it?

Also, I read online that people get bigger when they eat and sleep. Should I take another glass of protein powder before I go to bed, or am I just getting silly and greedy for muscles?

DoogieT

[Pat G]

A quote from a source i do not know:

You don't get big in the gym, you get bigger in the pantry. Train hard and eat smart to maximise strength and muscle growth

As for timing, if i haven't eaten an hour or two before strength training i'll have a shake instead, and then again within an hour afterwards. I don't know how well that would go down prior to cardio training though.

[Waldo]

You are much better off having a little protein in your system all the time than a whole lot at one specific point in time.

This doesn't mean to keep taking it all the time, but be mindful of long gaps and fill them if you can. Even something simple like a glass of milk or handful of nuts can help to fill gaps.

To build muscles you need more than protein powder though. You also need to be in a calorie surplus.

Things basically work along the lines:

1) Eating makes the scale move up or down. To get smaller eat less, to get bigger eat more.

2) Exercise (esp strength training) strongly influences the ratio of fat to muscle gained/lost from 1).

[chairohkey]

Also, I read online that people get bigger when they eat and sleep. Should I take another glass of protein powder before I go to bed, or am I just getting silly and greedy for muscles?

DoogieT

You're right rest and food get you big. Nothing wrong with some protein before bed but you'd have slightly better benefits with some casein protein. You could buy the powder or save some money and just eat some cottage cheese.