Question:
I would like to gain
more weight and muscle mass. I work out 2-3 days a week
at school. My weight training class is 1.5 hours long in
the morning and I pretty much tire myself out. I bought
a protein powder that has 55 grams per serving. How
much protein should I take and when?
Answer:
You're on the right track
by taking a protein supplement, especially judging by how
long your workouts are!
The first thing you need to
know is that you'll get much better results by cutting back
on your actual training time to no more than an hour (45
minutes is better).
I realize that your class
is an hour and a half but if you lift hard for that long,
you're not going to get any results as your body will be
too busy trying to recover from all that to build any muscle.
Use the other time to warm-up,
cool-down and stretch out.
-------
The absolute best time for
you take your protein is immediately after your workout.
This is the time when your body is primed for muscle growth
and will thrive on the extra protein you give it.
Take the full 55 g serving
right after. What I do is take an empty vitamin bottle (or
some other bottle, put the serving in there dry and bring
it with me. Right after the workout, fill it with water
and drink it.
The other best time to take
protein is first thing in the morning, immediately upon
waking. Your body has just been fasting for 8 hours and
needs a kick start of protein. This will help wake you up
too! Take a half-serving in the morning.
Finally, take another half-serving
right before you go to sleep to have some protein available
for nighttime muscle repair.
Another trick that I like
to use is to premix some before I go to sleep and leave
it right beside my bed. If I happen to wake up in the middle
of the night, I drink it to give my body a shot of protein.
If I don't wake up, I'll just drink it in the morning.
You can take protein every
day but if you're on a budget, I would recommend in the
morning and after workouts only. This will give you the
most bang for your buck.
Click
here to read an excellent article on protein. The
first part of the article deals with protein for fat loss
but the second and third parts will tell you in great detail
when and how to take it as well as where you can get it
dirt cheap online.
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