How to properly take protein

Author: Timko Ilya - master of the whole project and fitness trainer.
2012-12-13

Hello. I've already written about how to take protein. Now it's time for gainers. Unlike protein, where the main composition is the protein itself, a gainer is a protein-carbohydrate mixture. Typically, it contains 15%-30% protein and 50%-70% carbohydrates. Gainters are taken for the following purposes:

1. To build muscle mass.
2. To maintain muscle during weight loss.

I am often asked: how much, how, and when to drink protein? I will say right away that there are many opinions on this matter. I do not consider my opinion to be the only correct one. So, let's get started.

How Much to Take?

Physiologists have long established that to grow muscle, a person must consume at least 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. This is the minimum. Ideally, it should be 2 grams (more details here). We will use this as our baseline.

It’s no secret that the food we buy in stores is primarily rich in fats and carbohydrates, but not proteins. Therefore, even with a normal diet, a person may find it challenging to consume enough protein for muscle growth.

Typically, if you weigh 70 kg, you are consuming about 70 grams of protein from your regular food daily. This means you are getting only 50%-66% of the protein you need. Of course, this is a very average value, but we will work from it. In other words, the amount of protein you need to consume daily depends not only on your weight but also on the amount of protein you are getting from your regular food and the protein content in the protein supplement.

For example, if you weigh 70 kg, you should aim to take about 100 grams of a 70% protein supplement each day. If you didn’t know, protein supplements usually contain no more than 90% - 95% protein. On average, they contain around 70% - 75%. Therefore, when you take 100 grams of a 70% protein supplement, you are consuming 70 grams of protein.

If you weigh 100 kg, that would mean you should take about 150 grams per day. Importantly, you should consume the same amount every day, regardless of whether you have a workout or not (more details here). These are all approximate figures.

How and When to Take

Usually, the protein is mixed with water, milk, or juice. The amount of liquid used is up to your preference. The only thing to avoid is boiling water. In hot water, protein denatures and loses some of its properties.

It is best to split your daily dose into two servings, as the body finds it difficult to absorb such a large amount of protein at once. Typically, it is taken between meals. I recommend taking it between breakfast and lunch and right after training. If there is no training on that day, then between breakfast and lunch and before dinner.

In principle, you can split it into as many servings as you like, even ten. However, this may complicate things unnecessarily. You can take it all at once, but there's a chance that some of the protein will simply not be absorbed.

If you want to lose weight and are taking protein specifically for that purpose, you should drink it not as an addition to regular food but instead of it. What does this mean? It means you should replace part of your regular meals with protein. For example, you can take it as a snack between meals or replace dinner or breakfast with protein. This is done to increase your protein intake without increasing your overall calorie consumption. More details can be found in the article How to lose weight with protein.

Conclusions

The most crucial factor is not when you drink it, but how much you drink. If your body lacks protein, it will "take" it from the protein you consume, whether in the morning, at night, before training, or after.

I do not recommend skimping on the protein and drinking less than needed, hoping to "stretch the pleasure." You will not gain any benefits from this. You also shouldn't take more than necessary. While it won't do you any harm, you will just waste part of the product.

Finally, I present to you a review of the best proteins in the article TOP 10 best proteins by price/quality ratio. Alternatively, you can use the selection below, where I chose the best among the affordable ones (in my opinion):

• Dobromil Fit: Whey Protein (74% protein)
• BioTech: Protein Power (78% protein)
• Syntrax Trophix (74% protein)
• Syntrax Whey Shake (77% protein)