Hey guys!

I train in the mornings as soon as I get up; should I take a protein shake before I do my routine as well as afterwards? That would mean a protein shake plus complex carbs right before a workout, and then another load of protein and more carbs about an hour after...quite a lot. Advice appreciated.

-Nikki

When you get up.. your body has basically been in a starvation mode for 6-8 hours. So taking a whey shake.. gets you off to a good start.

Taking it after.. debatable. But I would.. immediately after a workout your body will need a quick influx of proteins and aminos. Taking that shake does the trick.

Right after that, you should eat a good breakfast.

The shakes are just there for the quick nutrients.

When you get up.. your body has basically been in a starvation mode for 6-8 hours.

Does that not depend on what the individual ate before bed the previous night, what time they ate it and how long they slept for?

Gastric emptying can take upwards of 7 hours (on occasions more) depending on the food source, so the person isn' t necessarily " starving" at all.

And when people say morning is a catabolic state - hGH pulses occur during the latter stages of sleep (like the last four hours or so) - hGH being anti-catabolic in the sense that is is lipolytic and promotes glycogen storage.

And then there' s the amino pool that resides in your blood stream (and muscle tissue) which can be called upon.

Overall, i personally see morning whey shakes an unnecessary expense and should be saved for post workout recovery for financial reasons.

however, if money is no object and you need the protein, go for it.

ORIGINAL: Robboe

Does that not depend on what the individual ate before bed the previous night, what time they ate it and how long they slept for?

Absolutely. I should have clarified that. I usually get 6 hours of sleep.. (bad monkey but I stay up late playing those damn on-line games).

But for dinner I' ve had slow digesting proteins and about 10pm I' ll have a shake with low-fat milk and some type of casein protein.

So in my case, your comment was right on. It does matter what I ate the previous night, what time, and how long you' ve slept. Thank you for clarifying those points.