AGoodleyUK

Hello guys,

So as the title suggests, anyone using whey protein shakes after their rides?

My goal is to get stronger (obviously) and have faster recovery times. For the record, I plan to do 45 miles a day for my training.

canam73

You should really just try it for yourself for a couple weeks and see if it helps.

Some people find it to be magic, for others it has little effect. I think it is going to depend a lot on how much protein your regular diet contains and how muscle intensive your rides are.

I keep some on hand and use it that way, but I find I do just as well on my recovery if I am simply consistent with my training and eating habits the latter of which are already fairly high protein.

digger531

Most supplements are more about marketing hype than results. That being said, if you can not get enough protein through real food choices a protein supplement could be useful but a multiple protein, like casein and whey, tend to be more beneficial. Again, natural, whole food choices are far superior to any protein supplement.

Looigi

Whey is good. It's what left of milk when you take out the sugars (mainly lactose) and fats. This is a natural process that happens when milk ferments and is exploited in cheese making, the curds are separated to make cheese and contain much of the fats and sugars. (Remember little Miss Muffet eating her curds and whey?)

I'll add some whey powder to the milk in my breakfast cereal, or into a kefir, soymilk after ride shake to increase the protein content. Kefir and yogurt are themselves fermented milk products in which the whey has not be separated so do contain significant amounts of whey protein.

Coachtj Cormier

For most they are just a waste of money. That said if you're using them as meal replacement maybe.
If you're eating a normal western type diet you're probably getting more then enough PRO. Most guidelines point to .8-1.8 gm/Kg body weight. To make it easier 1gm/lb/Bw works.
Unless you're working (hard) 3-4 hrs a day its' a waste.
You're better off getting your PRO from natural sources too.
Way to much crap in those drinks!

beatlebee 

If you calculate grams of protein per $, whey can be very effective. I prefer solid food most of the time though as it is more filling.

zandoval 

I personally find that my recovery times are shorter if I have a scoop 30 minutes before a ride or within 10 minuets after a ride...

Unfortunately I can only ride every other day as my recovery time is long - But if it were not for the Whey I would probably have to wait two days in between rides...

Also - I have a terrible time controlling my weight - I use a scoop of 100% whey protein in my coffee to curb my AM hunger - By providing 24 grams of protein at 130 calories its better for me than two boiled eggs and toast...

(I use Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Natural 100% Whey bought off the internet - Its Aspartame free and that's real important for me as I am allergic to it)

rumrunn6

I used them to gain muscle mass. It's more about your training regime and rest periods than anything else. but you have to consume protein to gain muscle mass. a liquified form can be useful.

Dudelsack

No whey, Jose.

wolfchild

I have used them before but I realized that it was a waste of money, so I stopped using them. I now prefer to get all my protein from real foods. My favourite post-workout drink is plain milk. Protein powders are full of artificial sweeteners and additives, plus all the manufacturing and processing that it goes through, I wonder if human body can even absorb all the amino acids from protein powders.. It's easy to get enough protein from normal food.

Carbonfiberboy 

I haven't eaten meat regularly in 40 years, so I supplement with either whey or casein/whey mix. My rule is that if you feel fine, you're fine. If your legs hurt on the bike, but otherwise you feel OK, you aren't getting enough protein. If you lack energy, HR lagging etc., you are either overdoing it or you aren't getting enough carbs.

If you plan on riding every day, you should have a 4:1 to 2:1 carb/whey recovery drink immediately after riding, with ~.5g carb/lb. body weight or .8g/kg. You may need to supplement with protein throughout the day or you may not. Depends on your diet. If you're not lactose intolerant, chocolate milk is pretty close to that recovery drink ratio, as is ordinary milk with extra sugar stirred in. Either way. Read the label and figure it out.

canam73

Not all of them. I use a product from NOW Foods that has no sweeteners or flavorings of any kind. As to our bodies ability to absorb whey protein in moderate doses, well either you believe in the scientific method or you don't.

And I use it sparingly, as an actual supplement to other sources. Not a perfect solution, but it isn't a perfect world.

late

Don't get really cheap whey. It doesn't digest well. This has good bang for the buck.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Looigi

It's milk protein. What's the difference between cheap and expensive whey that makes the expensive stuff easier to digest? And isn't the cheap stuff easy enough to digest? How easy does it need to be?

canam73

I believe the product he linked is the one I use. Not because it digests better, I just don't like the taste of artificial sweeteners and like having it unflavored so I can mix it in to pretty much anything.

But I have at times used the walmart stuff or similar and never had a digestibility problem.

late

First, that's not the expensive stuff. There's at least 3 steps higher.
As you get cheaper, there's more fat.

Second, try it. See what you think. I don't think some of it digests at all.

Third, this has none of the crap most protein powders have. They do that
to make money.

Fourth, ain't my religion. I also have NOW pea protein, and my breakfast shake is half pea protein,
and half whey.

Fifth, somebody said it's a waste of money. Run the numbers, the whey I use is not expensive
compared to other high quality protein sources.

Sixth, it's handy to have around. I don't use it after cycling. I need it for breakfast,
it's kind of a family tradition. Only other time I use it is before or after a gym workout.
Never both, and more often than not I'll do something else. I had a noodle bowl for lunch
today, and that just wasn't enough protein for an arm day. So I made a shake.
I take Land o Lakes hot cocoa mix and cut it 50/50 with pure unsweetened cocoa (Droste is good).
That cuts the sugar in half. I put in that and a scoop of whey into some skim milk.

sirupate

I have a protein shake after my Sunday morning spin class as a "recovery" drink. After my Tuesday and Thursday evening spin classes, I just go home and eat dinner which always includes protein (meat usually). I also usually have a daily protein shake for my breakfast, at least on weekdays. How much does it help? I'm not sure, but I probably won't stop doing it as long as I am physically active.

caloso

Make sure to open the windows after ingesting all that whey.

MEversbergII

Sometimes use it as a meal replacement. I get mine from True Nutrition.

M.

Dave Cutter

Isn't most whey (dairy food by-products) used in animal feed? Wouldn't it maybe be a better idea to eat actual complete foods... instead of food by-products? If muscles at any cost is the objective... wouldn't chemical/medical solutions be more effective?

muzpuf

I drink Guinness for my recovery drink

late

You need Lactaid.

Carbonfiberboy 

Neither comment is correct. Whey protein contains no lactose. There are no intestinal oddities from taking either whey or casein protein. Not so for pea and bean proteins, particularly soy.

late

Protein is protein.

Chemical/medical? Did you just say performance drugs are a better choice than milk protein?

Really?

Dave Cutter

My point exactly! Protein is protein, chemical is chemical, powders are powders! Why screw with nutritious meals.... or even highly processed freeze dried milk fat... when a person could jump right into performance drugs. After all the desired results are big muscles.... not health.