So I’m going to do my best to address an age old question that has plagued weight lifters for years now….how can I build muscle fast/when should I take protein? First of all I’m going to address just why whey protein is so effective.

1. Whey protein isolate, which is the purest form of whey protein, digests very quickly. This means that once you take the protein, it’ll be in your system doing its job in no time.

2. As well as being one of the fastest acting proteins, whey protein isolate is rich in Branched Chain Amino Acids (leucine, isoleucine, and valine). This helps build muscle, increase endurance, and reduces muscle deterioration. These amino acids are also important because they get metabolized directly into your muscles instead of your liver like other amino acids.

I know most of you probably know that whey protein is the way to go for building muscle, but there are so many different theories out there about when and how much to take, so I’m going to tell you what has and hasn’t worked for me personally. I used to just make like a 40 gram protein shake after my workouts and I just wan’t seeing great results. I did some research on it and tried some new techniques and realized the error of my ways. First of all, there’s no way in hell that I could have actually been absorbing 40 grams of protein at once, so a lot of it was going to waste. It’s not that I was taking too much, I was just taking too much all at once. In fact, if you’re really trying to bulk up then some people say you should have a gram of protein for every pound you weight throughout the course of the day. Here’s the protein schedule that’s worked well for me however.

1. Make like a one scoop drink (I usually just down it with half a glass of water) right when you wake up. This will help get your body going and ready to work hard. Your body is craving nutrients and protein when you wake up, so make a drink, but you’ll also need to have a meal with it, these drinks are not meal replacements.

2. About half an hour before your workout is also a good time because it’ll help amp up your workouts. I don’t really like to do this, it’s just a personal choice. I’ll usually have a couple pieces of fruit (such as a banana) before I go the gym to get that energy level up.

3. Shortly after you work out is still the most important time to take protein. It just replaces everything your body needs to start rebuilding muscle and regaining the lost energy in your muscles. If you can take a simple carb at the same time that’s a plus. Carbs and protein supply a blast of insulin, which increases your bodies supply of glycogen and thus glucose. This glucose supplies your body’s active tissue with energy.

Having three servings of protein a day is as far as I hav ever gone, you shouldn’t be getting all of your protein from whey powder alone anyway, so take your drinks in moderation and make protein rich meals. If you don’t have a drink before you workout, then packing in protein before you go to bed is another great way to bulk up, whether it be from powder, or another source.

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