Should I Take Whey Protein Before or After Workout?

When it comes to whey protein, a lot of people do not have much information or correct information about it.
So here I will clear all your doubts like “if you should take whey protein before or after workout” and myths related to Whey Protein and answer the most asked questions in this one post.

Let’s get started.

Should I Take Whey Protein Before or After Workout?

Well, it does not really matter which time you take the whey protein.

To simplify this let’s understand it this way.

Our body needs nutrition to function properly, mainly proteins, Carbohydrates, and Fats are the macronutrients that our body needs every day.

However that’s a different topic altogether, here we will only talk about Whey Protein Powder.

An individual requires an equal amount of protein as his body weight.

i.e. Your weight is 60kg or 132lbs, so you would need 132 grams of protein every day.

 1 gram of protein for per pound of your body weight.

So it doesn’t really matter if you should take the whey protein before or after the workout.

As long you are completing your daily intake of protein, you are good to go. The daily intake of protein shouldn’t be with just a whey protein shake. It should only be a part of it and you should fulfill your nutrition requirement from the good food.

Supplements only work 20% overall. The food you eat, the sleep you take, and the workout you do determine the results in the long term.

Let me make it clear for you, the above-mentioned equation is for the normal person.

People who work 9-5, do not do much physical work or are not into the intense training sessions.

Protein intake for athletes or people who do heavy physical jobs or intense workouts can be different as per their fitness goals.

For them, it can be 2.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Depending on their fitness goals or body requirement.

Which Whey Protein Powder Is Best?

How much whey protein per day is enough for me?

As mentioned above, simply multiply your body weight to “2.2” and you will find your daily protein requirement.

i.e. My weight is 60(kg)x2.2=132 grams of protein. This is your daily requirement.

and if you calculate in pounds or lbs, simply multiply it with “1”.

 i.e. My weight is 132(lbs)x1=132 grams of protein. This is your daily requirement. 

For more clarity, you can use our tool to calculate your macros. You will then know how much protein you would require in a day.

Depending on your weight, you can take 1 Gram protein per kg of body weight. and you can convert it in pounds/lbs as well.

Whey Protein Isolate vs Whey Protein Concentrate, Which One Is Better?

Well, both are good, there is only one main difference between both.

The only difference is in the making of protein, When cottage cheese is separated from the Milk, the remaining fluid is whey.

Whey protein powder is extracted from it by filtration. It is filtered multiple times and lactose, carbs, and fats are extracted from it to make it more beneficial. So whey protein concentrate is created first. However, upon more filtration whey protein isolate was made. So multiple filtrations make the quality better and extract more carbs, lactose, and fats from the whey.

That is the reason whey isolate is expensive than whey concentrate. Due to the making cost. With more filtration quality improves as well.

Whey Isolate is filtered multiple times and it is more refined, it has very low carbs and fat and it digests faster than the whey protein concentrate.

On the other hand, whey protein concentrate is less filtered than whey protein isolate so it has some amount of carbs and fats in it. It also contains lactose in some amount, some people who have lactose intolerance should choose whey protein isolate. As it is lactose-free. However, if you have no issue digesting lactose then you can go with the concentrate.

Both are good if you are taking a whey protein powder, If you are a beginner then whey protein concentrate would be a good choice for you. It is available in less price and would provide good results.

Whey protein concentrate is cheaper than the whey protein isolate because the cost to the company is low to make whey protein concentrate.

Whey protein isolate is mainly used by athletes or people who count every single calory they take. A few extra calories mean a lot to them. It gets digest easily and approximately within 15-20 minutes. Our body absorbs it fast.

Keep in mind, cheaper does not mean bad. Choose wisely!!

How Many Whey Protein Shakes a Day Should I Have?

Whey protein is a helping supplement that helps you complete your protein requirement for each day. As one scoop of whey protein can provide 20g to 28g of protein, depending on the brand and its quality.

So to be on point, if you are a beginner. I would recommend taking 1-2 scoop00s in a day, once when you wake up it is the time when our body needs the most nutrition. and other 30 minutes after workout. You do not necessarily need 2 scoops, you can only take 1 scoop in a day as well. Anytime or after the workout.

When you are a beginner your body is not used to supplements and high protein diets. So always remember to take a maximum of 24-30 grams of protein at once. if you eat more than 30 grams of protein in one meal. You will be wasting your protein as your body is not capable of absorbing all of it.

Our body only absorbs 24-30 grams of protein in one meal. Divide your protein throughout the day to take the most benefits of it.

If you are an intermediate you can take 1.5 scoops at once and you can take it twice a day, as at this moment your body can handle a little more protein and absorb it in your muscles. Some people do take it multiple times in a day and add the protein to their oatmeals and in other recipes.

However, I would suggest you eat real food to complete your protein requirement and do not rely on supplements completely.

For advanced athletes or bodybuilders, you can take 2 scoops at once and 2-3 times a day. Depending on your goals and requirement. On the advanced level, your muscles are mature and require more nutrients than the normal person. And their body is capable of getting more nutrition from the food they eat due to fast metabolism.

Which is the Best Whey Protein Flavor?

There is no best flavor in the protein, the widely available flavor is chocolate, however, you can choose the flavor of your choice, I would suggest taking the raw protein as it is pure and has more protein as compared to the flavored ones. You can add additional flavor, like cocoa powder if you do not like the taste of the raw protein.

Otherwise, any American-based whey protein powder in your preferred flavor would be good. I personally like Chocolate brownies, double rich chocolate. Coffee and in fruity flavors, I like BlueBerry and Strawberry flavors.

How Much Whey Protein is Too Much In a Day?

It totally depends on your fitness level and fitness goals. However for a normal person, one should not go beyond 30 grams of protein per meal. It is the ideal amount to take per meal. As excess protein will be excreted through urine.

So one should divide their protein throughout the day to get the maximum results and this way their body will be able to absob the protein properly.

Can Whey Protein Make You Fat?

As long you are fulfilling your daily requirement, it won’t make you fat and even it will help you burn fat. When you build more muscles your metabolism gets fast and help you lose some extra pounds.

Your body requires energy to digest food so it burns calories from the stored fat.

When we consume protein our body burns 20-25% more calories to digest it. So having high protein meals help you burn fat. It burns very few calories to digest refined carbs, sugary foods, and fats. Probably 3-5% only.

When you are on a high protein diet and do work out regularly, you build muscles. When you have more muscles your metabolism increases and help you digest food faster and does not let your body store fat.

In final words, whey protein does not make you fat and helps you lose fat.

Is Whey Protein Bad for You?

I can understand if your parents do not allow you to have whey protein or your friends talk different things about it as well or make fun of you. However I strongly recommend that everyone should have protein in their diet, and it doesn’t particularly mean by the whey protein powder, but through food.

Most people couldn’t complete their daily requirement of protein through diet, so you can surely include whey protein in your diet. It is not harmful, it is even very beneficial to take whey protein at least once a day because it is a pure source of protein.

Drinking is always easier than taking a meal. it is not easy to eat a lot of meals for people who are not familiar with the proper nutrition or meal prep.

So including whey protein in your diet is not bad for you, and it does not have any side effects. Protein is what we get from food, however, we do not get enough quantity that we need. so to fulfill that, whey protein is a good source.

Is Whey Protein Good For You?

yes, it is extremely healthy to take protein. Protein is a macronutrient that our body needs every day. Most of us fail to take recommended amount of protein.

You can take protein as a meal replacement. It is recommended for everyone, you can get many protein supplements as per age group. However, I would suggest taking protein through high protein foods like eggs, chicken breasts, fish, cottage cheese, soya chunks, etc.

In order to have a healthy lifestyle, one should be eating good quality food which is high in nutrients. Any sort of physical activity that can make you sweat a little at least.

If you are in your 20’s or 30’s then having good food now can help you in your 70’s. As with age muscles gets weak and bones start to get thin. So it is important to have protein in your diet.

Hope this helps, if you have more questions kindly check the FAQ session below or you can ask me in the comment section or contact me directly.

FAQ : Frequently Asked Questions and Answers