When to Drink Protein Shakes for Muscle Gain: An Effective and Safe Guide

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There are many reasons to learn when to drink protein shakes for muscle gain. You might have a medical condition where gaining weight is difficult or you might be interested in bulking for the summer months. Regardless, building a healthy amount of muscle is essential to your overall health, and protein shakes are designed to help.

In this guide, we’ll discuss the benefits of protein shakes as well as the most effective times to consume them in order to gain the most muscle possible.

The Four Rules of Gaining Weight

There are four main aspects to gaining weight that you need to consider before buying protein shakes. Although they are designed to help and have been proven to be a great partner to a workout regime, you will need to focus on other areas as well.

Rule #1: Consuming More Calories

Not only are you going to be responsible for consuming more calories than you normally do, but you will also need to eat more calories than you burn on a daily basis. Eating at a deficit is what you would want to do to lose weight, as your body will be burning more fat than what is consumed.

When gaining weight, though, you’re going to need to eat a lot of healthy calories so that your body can take the fat that is created and turn it into muscle. This is why you see athletes consuming large meals throughout the day, as they need to get their calorie counts higher.

This is where protein shakes will come into good use, as they help you to get a lot of extra calories throughout the day without having to eat full meals.

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Rule #2: Refueling Your Body

The simplest way to look at your body is as if it is a car. When you drive from point A to point B, your car is going to consume gas, much like your body consumes energy.

When your car is on empty, you’re going to need to refill it with gas or "food". During the day, it’s important that you are constantly refueling so that your body always has an excess amount of calories.

Expended in the form of energy, if your body is consuming too many calories, it’s going to be much more difficult to pack on muscle. You’ll also find that constantly eating every three hours, at least, will prevent cravings or the sluggishness after eating big meals.

Rule #3: Monitoring Protein Intake

Another fantastic way that protein shakes can help is to make sure that you’re consuming enough protein daily. You’re going to need to develop an eating plan that has a balanced amount of fat, protein, and carbohydrates so that you can safely gain weight, protein being the most important.

Depending on your body weight and type, most people need to consume at least one gram of protein per kilogram of weight.

Eating enough protein has plenty of benefits aside from bulking as well. It will surely help to improve your energy levels and make you feel satiated for longer. In addition, it gives your muscles the nutrition they need to heal quickly after a strenuous workout.

Rule #4: Properly Fueling Workouts

There’s a reason as to why pre- and post-workout drinks are available on the mass market. It’s imperative that you properly fuel yourself before and after you're done working out for multiple reasons. Though the most important is to make sure you’re keeping your muscles healthy.

Pre-workout drinks help to loosen your body and prepare you for your time at the gym. You’ll find that they also give you a lot more energy so you can power through a workout with ease. You might also find that pre-workout beverages can help you with encouraging your muscles to do their best.

With post-workout beverages and treats, their main goal is to help your muscles repair themselves. Protein shakes, for example, are a great post-workout treat to have on hand. They are specifically designed to nourish your muscles so they can rebuild themselves and get leaner and larger.

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When to Drink Protein Shakes for Muscle Gain

Knowing exactly when to consume your protein shakes is important to make sure you’re taking full advantage of the formula. There are a couple of things to consider first, such as the type of protein powder.

The very first thing you should do is read the instructions that come with the specific type of protein powder you’ve chosen. Most powders will tell you when the best times are to make a shake, based on your physical activity. Depending on their ingredients, certain items might be better either before or after your workouts.

If you’re not able to find instructions on the packaging, you can also research the brand you’ve chosen online. By taking the time to read customer testimonials and how they used the protein powder to their advantage can give you a better idea of when you should drink your shake to help with bulking.

After Your Workout

By far, the most popular consensus when it comes to knowing when to drink a protein shake is right after you’re done working out. As the protein in your formula is incredibly valuable to the health and rejuvenation of your muscles, using it as a post-workout treat is your best bet.

As you work out, your muscles are weakened and in order for them to become stronger and larger, they need a lot of nourishment and support. Your protein shake is formulated to repair any broken muscle tissues by offering new amino acids. These amino acids then make their way into your muscles and begin to repair them.

Through the Day

Another option is to consider drinking a few protein shakes throughout the day. As mentioned, it’s important that you keep your protein and calorie levels up, so your body is constantly building muscle and not losing weight. Having at least three protein shakes daily will surely give your body more than enough protein.

Final Thoughts

With all of the protein shakes on the market, you can guarantee they’re quite popular. Knowing when to drink protein shakes for muscle gain is essential for bulking and gaining lean muscle safely and effectively. You’ll quickly achieve your desired physique compared to if you were eating at a deficit.