Protein Shakes: How Many Can You Drink a Day?
Protein Shakes. How many can you drink a day?
Drinking one or more protein shakes makes sense if you train regularly and want to build muscle mass. Intense exercise always puts a strain on the body, and a balanced amount of protein shakes can help you shape or maintain the figure you want. Unfortunately, building muscle doesn't happen as quickly as many people would like. Months of training that cost a lot of sweat, patience and energy come before the results. Vital protein in the form of small protein shakes can support you and your body perfectly, both with weight loss and with targeted muscle building. As with many other topics, the right amount is what really matters. So how many, or how few, protein shakes should and may you drink a day? Generally speaking, it's not a good idea to completely change your diet and live exclusively on protein shakes from now on.
What actually is protein?
Trainers at gyms could tell you a thing or two about this: keen athletes keep asking them what the right amount of protein shakes is. Before we get to how many small servings of protein shakes are tolerable and, above all, sensible, we first need to clarify what protein actually is. Protein is a substance made up of amino acids. If the body lacks these vital amino acids, it's practically unable to build muscle. Muscle fibres also wouldn't be able to grow, or to regenerate after damage. This alone shows just how important protein is for the body.
Protein is made up of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen, and it's nitrogen that plays the most important role in repairing and growing muscle fibres. If the body produces enough protein of its own, the organism reaches a balanced nitrogen level. This balanced state is also known as an anabolic state. In this state, the body is able to form new muscle fibres and therefore build muscle. Taking in extra protein means that oxygen, amino acids and other muscle-building substances are delivered to the skeletal muscle fibres. This ensures that, after a demanding day of training, they start growing and repairing the muscles.
Who protein shakes are useful and important for
As a general rule, anyone aiming to build or maintain muscle mass should consume around 1.2 - 1.7 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. A quick calculation illustrates this: for a person weighing 100 kilograms, that means taking in around 120 - 170 grams of protein a day makes sense. This amount should be split into small portions (about 20 g) spread out over the day (every 3 - 5 hours).
Protein shakes are therefore just a supplement
This simple example quickly shows that protein shakes should only ever be seen as a supplement. Your basic diet should consist of healthy fruit and vegetables, wholegrain products, white meat, and plenty of tea and water. Protein shakes are only ever consumed alongside meals and are not a meal in their own right.
So every body has slightly different needs
The example of the person weighing 100 kilograms also shows that every body has slightly different protein shake needs. That's why it's important for you to work out your own needs and then stick to them. If in doubt, you can always ask your trainer for advice.
When should you take protein shakes?
As already mentioned, it's best to have your protein shakes alongside your normal meals. You can start as early as first thing in the morning, having one straight after you get up. This also has the advantage that the healthy nutrients and protein get into your bloodstream faster, so you can start the day right away. Another option is to drink one of your protein shakes just before lunch. This way, you can spread your daily ration of protein shakes out nicely over the day. It's also important, of course, to keep a portion for after training, so your muscles can carry on building straight after you've trained.
Pure enjoyment: delicious protein shakes
As you can see, there's quite a bit to bear in mind when enjoying a protein drink. But if you follow this advice and act accordingly, a protein shake at the stated dose will help you achieve perfect training results. So that the fun of treating yourself and enjoying it isn't lost, the products come in a huge range of tasty varieties. How about banana, strawberry, chocolate or vegan? It's a good idea to keep several different flavours at home, so you can mix things up whenever you fancy a change.
Better to go for Swiss brands
To make sure you get a high-quality protein powder, we recommend going for Swiss brands. If needed, you can always ask your trainer for advice.
Protein drinks as a gift idea
Is buying protein drinks starting to add up over time? Go for affordable protein powders like update Nutrition, or simply get your friends or siblings to treat you to the tastiest flavours. They'll no doubt be just as pleased with an idea that goes down well with you too. Just tell them which protein shake flavours you like best, and let them treat you for your birthday or at Christmas. And your friends are sure to drop by the gym too if those are the protein shakes you wish for.
Cheers!
