Whey Protein Shake -
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How Fast Does Protein Powder Work?
How fast does protein powder work? That's a very commonly seen question. I believe the answer has 2 parts.
The first part of the answer assumes that the person asking the question wants to know how fast will protein powder be absorbed.
Note that whey protein is a high quality protein that is designed to be absorbed very quickly by the body. Whey protein can be further broken down as hydrolyzed protein, whey protein isolate, whey protein concentrate, and casein protein.
Hydrolyzed whey protein is the purest of all three. But it is absorbed very quickly by the body. That means if you take only hydrolyzed protein, be prepared to consume this protein powder throughout the day. Otherwise, the body finds itself lacking protein at certain times of the day.
Whey isolate and concentrate comes right after hydrolyzed protein, with isolates being the higher quality protein. They take slightly longer time to be absorbed by the body.
Casein protein breaks down very slow and it may take several hours to digest.
Some experts recommend a protein blend that contains all three types of protein. That will give the body a steady supply of protein between meals and protein levels will remain more constant throughout the day. In fact, many modern protein powders come in blends and they are rarely just hydrolyzed, isolates, concentrate or casein.
The second part of the question assumes that the person asking the question wants to know how fast will he or she see results after drinking protein shakes.
If you are doing everything right, then you should see your muscles growing right before your eyes within 2 to 3 weeks. By doing everything right, here is what I mean:
1) Exercise at least 30 to 60 minutes 3 to 4 times a week. If you are hardcore, try 5 times a week. Note that 5 workouts a week with an hour duration is a lot of time spent on exercising. Anything more than that tend to be excessive, leaving not enough time for muscles to grow and recover.
2) Proper nutrition. This is the hardest part to get right. Even if you workout a proper nutrition plan that is customized for you, it's still hard to follow through. Professional sports people have qualified nutritionists to plan and cook their meals for them. Unfortunately, that is not the case with the man on the street. So you may need to learn to prepare your own meals to get the calories, protein and everything else in order.
3) Adequate rest. A lifestyle that is too stressful can affect your overall health and prevent muscle growth. So make sure you get enough rest. No partying for straight nights and then wake up early in the morning to go to work. That will just create havoc to your body. Get at least 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night.
Here is a more detailed article on how fast whey protein powder works.
