Protein Powder and Me

Protein Powder's Do I need them?

The amount of marketing around protein supplementation can make it really hard to figure out whether or not protein supplementation is vital to improvements at the gym or not. Let's trim the fat and see why they're so popular.

The science

You've seen everyone chugging those shaker bottles post work out at the gym religiously for years! You've gotta get that shake down within an hour of leaving the gym right?! And for years we've had multiple studies showing that consumption of protein within post work-out anabolic window to promote more muscle growth and repair. A more recent study has called into question the size of that window and it appears to be far bigger than originally thought. This changes the necessity of having your shaker bottle in tow it would seem.

Diving deeper into the science

Earlier studies on protein didn't always take into consideration the overall protein consumption of participants in a 24 hour period. Meaning that if we introduced a protein supplement to someone who is protein deficient; they're going to see a measurable improvement in growth. If that same individual however gets enough protein through out the day (about 1.3 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight) the shakes improvements on muscular growth were minimal at best. This most recent study took this particular variable into consideration specifically and can be found below.

So what does that mean?

Marketing by protein manufacturers has done a good job drilling into fitness enthusiast heads that their protein shakers at the gym are vital but in reality... not so much. Track your daily protein intake and confirm if it's adequate. If you're not able to obtain adequate protein consumption through your dietary habits then; discussion of supplementation should come into play. You don't need to feel pressured to chug that shake immediately post work-out, you've got time.

Don't fall for the marketing, cook your food; take control of your diet.

https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/anabolic-window#anabolic-workout