Protein Shakes and Post Work-out Nutrition

A lot of you guys have asked me about protein shakes.  Are they ok?  When should I drink them?  Are they ok to drink in place of a meal?  Well this topic gets super complex and slightly confusing, but I’m going to try my best to break this down caveman style.

Protein shakes can be a great tool for improving performance and recovery, but they are just that a tool.  One to be used in the right situation and at the right time.  Protein shakes, in my opinion, should only be used after a workout, and should never be used as a meal replacement.  Why? Protein shakes, while they do supply protein supply something else: Insulin.  Just like any other dairy derivative, protein shakes have a fairly high insulin response.  Here’s where that causes a problem, insulin can shut off glucagon production, which is one of the body’s natural responses to the ingestion of delicious little critters (big critters too). The large insulin spike and low glucagon production is exactly what we don’t want from most meals and is why we try not to eat nutrient light carb dense foods.  Using protein shakes as meal replacements can lend itself to the same kind of insulin resistance that high carb neolithic diets can.  Now post workout an increased insulin response can aid recovery and increase performance, BUT only in those who are already insulin sensitive.  Those of you out there who are still struggling with insulin resistance can throw a huge monkey wrench into your progress by consistently continuing to spike your insulin with dairy derivative.

Let’s look at it this way. What is cheaper per pound, a delicious hunk of steak and some yams or a shaker bottle of liquid protein?  For that matter, what’s tastier?  Any of you out there that said the protein shakes are tastier need to a) learn to cook b) get kicked in the shin.

Now here’s where it gets to be kind of a pain in the ass.  If you think you are still struggling with insulin resistance, and are taking some shakes (post work-out only) but are still seeing good progress in performance and leaning out, I would continue on the path you are on and ride it till the wheels fall off.  When you stop progressing we can reassess and see if removing these shakes could do some good.  I say this because all too often people get greedy for progress, and in my opinion if you are consistently progressing towards your goals at a good rate you shouldn’t mess with what you are doing till that method stops working.  Now if you are still struggling with insulin resistance, and you are considering using protein shakes, STOP, and eat something that at one point (to paraphrase Robb Wolf) had eyes, a face, and a mother.

Don’t get me wrong, protein shakes have their place, and can be a damned valuable resource for training if you use them properly.  So here’s a short little guide to starting protein shake use:

1.       Are you as lean as you want to be? Or Are you Insulin sensitive?

2.       Only use them post workout

3.       NEVER USE THEM AS MEAL REPLACEMENTS!!!

4.       Try and mix them with coconut milk (cartons) or water

5.       Try not to add a whole bunch of fruit to it

The large insulin spike and low glucagon production is exactly what we don’t want from most meals and is why we try not to eat nutrient light carb dense foods

Since we are talking about something that is supposed to be used only post-workout we might as well touch on other aspects of post workout nutrition.  Now this will change from workout to workout and from person to person, so you’re going to have to use a little bit of brain power (derived from the consumption of delicious animals) to figure out what works best for you.  These are just a few guidelines that I have found in my studies and work well for most people.

I have found that the tougher the metcon (WODs) the more one will need to refuel from that activity to prepare for your next physical effort.  For Crossfit activities, a great post workout meal is a fairly large hunk of meaty goodness and a nice whack of carbs.  Any ol’ hunk of meat will do, but for the carbs I find that a delicious yam or sweet potato works really well for refueling after particularly taxing efforts.  Also getting in a little caffeine post workout has been shown to help recovery as well, now I don’t think this is necessary but its something you can tinker with to see if it works for you.

Now for post lifting heavy things, I find that refueling with a large whack of protein in the form of dead animal works really well, a little less carbohydrate is needed here, so throwing down some spinach or any other veggie works well.  If you are feeling particularly hungry throw down some fats to quench your ravenous hunger.

The last aspect I will touch on for post workout nutrition is for those of you who are using protein shakes, I recommend eating REAL food (meat and yams) about an hour or so after downing your liquid fuel.  I find that it helps with recovery and is 100% delicious and satiating.

Post questions or arguments to comments.