Timing Your Protein Intake

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Protein is one of the most important nutrients for trainers, especially those who are training hard. By properly targeting your protein intake, you can greatly improve the results you will get from your training. The best times to take extra protein are:

• First thing in the morning (immediately upon waking): This breaks the fast with an instant shot of amino acids. Your body is in a catabolic (muscle wasting) state upon waking. You can reverse this with a protein drink.
• Immediately after a workout: At this time your body is starting to rebuild and recover from the workout. Giving it protein will prevent it from breaking down your own muscle to rebuild with.
• About an hour after a workout: Your body has calmed down from the workout and is ready to rebuild seriously. Give it the building blocks to work with.
• Right before going to sleep: Sleep is the time when your body rejuvenates itself. Some protein before sleep will give it something to work with.
• In the middle of the night (if you wake up during the night): Have a premixed protein drink sitting right beside your bed, ready to drink. This will break the fast in half and give your body something to build with instead of muscle tissue. This is especially useful if you sleep for a long time.

You can also take protein with meals if you didn't get enough from the food or in between meals just to keep your body supplied.