Sportsmen and women have long understood the importance of nutrition in sport. Without the right diet, it's impossible to perform at your best during a sporting event.
Whey protein and protein powders in general also support professional athletes and bodybuilding enthusiasts in their quest for muscle development.
However, to progress and optimize your protein supplementation, you need to know when and how often to take your whey. We'd like to give you a few tips on this subject.
Is it necessary to take whey to excel in a sport or in bodybuilding?
This is undoubtedly the first question that comes to mind for anyone interested in bodybuilding or high-level sports. The truth is, including whey in your diet isn't necessary if you manage to meet your protein requirements through a specific diet. In practice, however, it is difficult, if not impossible, to provide a sufficient protein intake with one's daily meals.
When it comes to sports and bodybuilding, the body requires between 1.3 and 2 g/kg/day of protein.
Depending on your dietary protein intake, which you can easily calculate according to the foods you eat, you may still need to supplement your diet with a certain amount of protein. That said, this supplementation will be of secondary importance, as it is essential to include a variety of protein sources in your diet, both animal and vegetable (eggs, legumes, nuts, etc.).
In one of our articles, we take a closer look at the best whey for beginners.
In any case, athletes have a choice of protein powders such as whey, casein or vegetable proteins. Ideally, these dietary supplements will provide essential amino acids, as well as BCAAs.
These will enable the body to synthesize other proteins, the contractile proteins, in the muscle fibers. Of all the products on sale today, whey is one of the best candidates.
Whey protein
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Whey's benefits are numerous, and its composition simple and rich. It contains high levels of essential amino acids and BCAAs, and is highly bioavailable. Whey is currently the best alternative for maximizing progress and promoting mass gain.
As for amino acids, if you know a thing or two about them, don't hesitate to read our article on combining whey and carnitine in shakers.
How much whey protein do I need to progress?
Dosing whey requires a certain degree of precision. If it is insufficient, muscle repair will not be maximal. If you consume more whey than you need, the surplus will not be used, will be oxidized, and may even be transformed into fat. To avoid leaving anything to chance, sportsmen and women need to estimate the amount of protein provided by their meals.
In fact, the quantity of a supplement (protein shaker) depends on dietary intake. It is therefore important for body-building athletes to weigh their food, in order to know how much protein they are getting from their diet. Of course, this doesn't have to be repeated every day, but it is important to do it over a few meals, to get an overall idea of the protein intake of the foods you eat.
With this figure in hand, we'll know more precisely how much protein we still need to provide with whey to reach 1.3 to 2 g/kg/day, depending on our objectives.
Note that rest days can often lead to confusion, as requirements may not be the same. We come back to this point in detail in our article Should you take whey without training?
Overall, an athlete wishing to maintain muscle mass should have an intake of around 1.3 g/kg/day, while a target of 2 g/kg/day will be more consistent with a quest for mass gain. The precise dosage will ultimately depend on the type of whey chosen (whey concentrate, whey isolate, hydrolysate).
Depending on the product, there is more or less protein per 100g of product, so you need to take into account the protein intake per dose, per shaker.
In general, this dose corresponds to 20-25 g, which is the most suitable and recognized post-training dose.
Please note: sports nutrition also places a great deal of importance on calories ingested. Depending on your goal(weight loss, mass gain, or post-workout recovery alone) it's highly advisable to repeat this exercise to calculate your calorie intake, also taking into account all food consumed. We explain this point in our article entitled "Does whey make you fat?".
How do you measure out your whey shaker?
To measure out your whey shaker, you'll need around 200ml of liquid. Pour in the whey, then shake the shaker up and down 3-6 times. Finish mixing with gentle circular movements.
The amount of liquid to use to prepare your whey shaker depends on several factors. In general, it is recommended to use one scoop of whey (1 scoop Protéalpes provides 40g of whey for 25g of protein) for one shaker.
You can adjust the amount of liquid according to your personal preferences to achieve the desired consistency.
Note that the choice of liquid (water or milk) can affect the taste, texture and calorie intake of your shaker. Using water to prepare your protein shaker is the lowest-calorie option, while milk provides additional calories, as well as protein, vitamins and minerals.
How many scoops of whey per day?
It is recommended not to exceed 2 scoops / 2 portions of whey per day.
Note, however, that the amount of whey or number of shakers to take per day depends on the daily intake requirements, which in turn depend on the intensity of training and the athlete's objectives.
Whey should be taken after training, but being a supplement it cannot replace a complete diet or systematically replace a meal.
How many whey shakers should I take to make good progress?
As a general rule, as mentioned above, 1 dose of whey should be diluted in a shaker, i.e. around 25g of protein.
Consuming a shaker only post-workout will do the trick for consumption designed to improve muscle recovery, after an endurance effort for example: a run, a match, a mountain hike...
On the other hand, since the optimal protein intake for mass gain is around 2 g/kg/day of protein, you'll probably need to add several shakers to your diet, depending on your basic food intake.
Indeed, it's advisable to plan several intakes, at different times of the day, as soon as you need to consume more than 25 g of protein supplement. Indeed, the body will no longer absorb amino acids properly beyond a certain threshold.
That's why it's best to spread out your intakes for better assimilation and therefore better results. Spread out your protein powder intakes at different times of the day, at rest, whether in the morning, after training or in the evening before bedtime.
(By the way, do you know if you should take whey before your workout?)
For the same reason, it is not advisable to exceed 2 g/kg/day of protein. The body will no longer use these micronutrients to build muscle. They can be stored as fat, and fragile or hypersensitive people run the risk of acidifying their bodies.
Above 3 g/kg/d, skin problems and digestive disorders may also appear as side effects.
Finally, to vary your intake and successfully adapt a suitable diet over time, don't hesitate to consult our recipes for mass gain shakers.
Finally, whey in itself does not promote weight gain or lean bodybuilding. Athletes and bodybuilders need to follow a suitable training program and a varied, balanced diet.
Without physical effort, the consumption of whey or any other protein powder will not have its beneficial effect on the body.
Read our articles to find out which whey to choose for your dry run, which supplement to select when starting out and which protein powder to take when running. Now you know how much whey to take in a day, find out how to take your whey, when to take your shaker, whether you should take whey before going to bed and why your whey foams.
