To recover, do you need protein before or after sport?

Consuming protein powder is a ritual for many athletes and bodybuilding enthusiasts.

While everyone agrees that these products promote muscle building, consumers don't always agree on the best time to take their protein shaker.

While most athletes stick to post-exercise consumption, others take their protein powder before their workout.

What's the best option for better recovery? When should you take your whey shaker? It's hard to give a categorical answer, given all the factors involved. So we invite you to take another look at the basics of sports nutrition and (re)discover our nutrition tips.

What is the link between protein and muscle recovery?

Numerous studies underline the fact that your protein intake influences your recovery from sporting activity. The body recovers from the traumas caused by training and adapts by repairing micro-injuries to muscles. In particular, it uses proteins and amino acids to repair these micro-injuries. A deficiency or insufficient intake of protein is therefore detrimental to your ability to recover.

Beyond your muscle-building objectives, supplementation is essential to help you recover more quickly. Improved recovery enables athletes and body-builders to follow their training program to the letter. This means they can multiply their sessions and gain in strength and endurance with complete peace of mind.

However, for muscle recovery, the body will mainly use these precious proteins after a workout. As we often say, this whole process is based on training and physical activity. Without sufficiently intense stimulation, the body will not be able to adapt muscle fibers to exercise and perform better in the future. Post-exercise supplementation therefore seems more logical. That's why it's generally recommended to take protein post-exercise. However, as you will discover, this may depend on the type of sport you practice.

Endurance and strength sports: how to take your protein shaker?

Endurance sports enthusiasts(running, cycling, soccer...) and strength sports enthusiasts (weightlifting, bodybuilding, fitness, crossfit...) have different objectives. For the former, the aim is to improve recovery and build endurance, without necessarily gaining mass. For the latter, the aim is to build mass, in particular to increase strength and power.

These objectives require them to approach supplementation differently. For endurance sports, 1.3/1.6 grams of protein per kg per day (total protein, including food) is usually sufficient, with an occasional protein intake of 20/25 g post-workout.

On the other hand, in a strength sport, where the aim is to build muscle mass, you need to maximize your protein intake until you're approaching 2 grams per day per kg of protein. In this case, it's a question of having a consistent protein intake, even outside the famous anabolic window.

Fitness enthusiasts, runners and joggers should consume these 20-25 grams of protein immediately after their workout. As we mentioned earlier, the aim is to provide the body with valuable amino acids when it needs them most. The aim is to ensure that damaged muscles are repaired in the best possible conditions. All this to ensure faster, more effective recovery.

Muscle-builders don't necessarily have to wait until the end of their workouts to reach for their whey shaker. For these athletes, studies have shown that the timing of protein powder consumption makes no major difference. The most important thing is "simply" to reach 2 g/kg/day of protein, spread out over the day.

Moreover, the body is not capable of assimilating more than around thirty grams of protein per intake. Athletes who need to supplement with more than 25g of protein should therefore take another shaker, at a different time of day. Usually, this second protein powder intake can be taken at breakfast, as a snack, after the last meal of the day or a few hours before training. All this is to supplement your protein intake. They should not be consumed during training, for reasons of digestibility.

Which protein powders are right for post-workout consumption?

The protein powders on the market have different compositions and therefore different properties. For post-workout supplementation, you'll need to choose a rapidly assimilated product, which provides more protein than a standard food.

In this category, whey protein is undoubtedly the best option. Remember that this protein powder is highly bioavailable. This means that the body can rapidly absorb the essential amino acids (EAA) and branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) it contains.

Whey also has one of the best amino acid profiles in the world. In fact, BCAAs and more generally EAAs are naturally highly concentrated per 100g of protein, unlike vegetable proteins, which need to be enriched with BCAAs and/or EAAs to reach these levels. It is these BCAAs (leucine, isoleucine, valine) that are most involved in muscle metabolism, alongside the other important amino acids.

Whey isolates are also highly pure. The raw powder contains over 80-85% protein, with low carbohydrate content and virtually no fat or lactose. Consumed without carbohydrates, this dietary supplement has been designed to meet your protein needs, without the need to absorb large volumes of food and many calories. This supplement has been formulated for easy digestion, provided you opt for an additive-free whey.

Our advice: hydration and carbohydrate intake also influence muscle recovery. To help you recover, remember to drink enough water and make yourself an invigorating high-protein drink. This drink should contain 60% protein and 30% carbohydrates in around 200ml of liquid (water, plant milk, milk) to dissolve the whey.

Some people wonder whether they should consume whey before going to sleep... According to the composition of the various protein powders, before sleep it is often advisable to consume a slow-assimilating protein, such as casein. However, you can slow down the assimilation of whey. To do so, simply add a carbohydrate source to your shaker or accompany it with a food bowl. By taking whey as a snack after your last meal of the day, you can enjoy all its benefits while you sleep.

In fact, sleep is particularly conducive to muscle rebuilding and weight gain. The body secretes a number of recovery-promoting hormones while you sleep. If you provide sufficient protein, you'll be able to fully recover from your training and maximize its beneficial effects.

Which protein powders should I use before training? During exercise?

Except in very specific high-level situations, there is no point in consuming protein before training.

That said, it is worth consuming proteins for endurance efforts lasting more than 5/6 hours. Long-distance runners, for example, use these products alongside carbohydrates, of course, to vary their energy intake and, above all, to protect their muscles and limit muscular degradation over such long efforts.

In such cases, we recommend taking 20/25 g of protein every 5/6 hours of exercise, adapted to the athlete's habits and tolerance.

In conclusion

Generally speaking, post-exercise supplementation is the best way to boost muscle recovery. The idea is simple: to provide the body with the nutrients it needs to recover from the "traumas" and stimuli experienced after training. However, this applies above all to endurance sports. For power sports, although this is also true, the timing of the shaker is less important.

The fact remains that taking protein powder should not become a constraint, but a pleasure, associated with a state of well-being. If you already have a well-established routine, you don't necessarily need to change your habits, especially if you're into bodybuilding.

In all cases, whatever your sport, we encourage you to eat a higher protein diet (within the limit of 1.6 g/kg/d for an endurance athlete and 2 g/kg/d for an athlete looking to build muscle mass). Even if supplementation is very important, prepare your meals in such a way as to maximize protein intake with your normal diet. Your protein powder intake should be integrated into a healthy lifestyle, with a varied and balanced diet. It may be worth weighing your food, over a short period of time, to measure the precise carbohydrate and protein intake of your current diet. This will give you a good indication of your basal intake and enable you to adapt supplementation correctly, to maximize its beneficial effects.

On the same subject :

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• How do I take whey?