Quick Summary: Protein Shakes Before or After a Workout?
Drinking your protein shake before or after a workout matters less than hitting your total daily protein goal. Research shows both options can help support muscle recovery and growth. But spreading your protein intake across the day is most important for results.
Key Points to Focus on:
• Aim for at least 1.6–2.2g of protein per kg of body weight per day (Roughly 0.8-1g per lb).
• Get a high-quality whey protein isolate and post-workout glucose as quickly as you can after a workout.
• Prioritize total daily protein intake consistently throughout the day.
• Less stress on timing, more focus on consistency, quality, and an adequate amount of protein.
If you’re wondering, “Should I drink a protein shake before or after a workout?” just know that you are not alone.
The short answer is that it’s less about exact timing and more about total daily protein intake and consistency.
While having a high-quality post-workout game plan can help support muscle repair and recovery ... research shows that meeting your overall protein needs throughout the day is the biggest driver of results.
In This Article:
• Why the Idea of “Protein Immediately Post-Workout” Is So Popular
• What Current Science Says About Pre- vs. Post-Workout Protein Timing
• How Much Protein You Should Aim for and When To Eat It Around Training
• Common Misconceptions vs. the Real Truth About Protein Timing
• Practical Next Steps To Apply This in Your Training and Nutrition Plan
The Background: Why People Ask “Before or After?”
We’ve all heard at one point or another that you should drink your protein shake right after you finish lifting. If you’ve heard that, you’ve probably also heard from someone else that you should drink it before.
The origin of this is the so-called “anabolic window,” which is centered around the idea that your muscles are primed for growth only in a narrow timeframe right around your training.
While the post-workout setting does create the opportunity for you to build muscle back more effectively ... the anabolic window is an idea that has a lot more research behind it.
But here’s the thing: new research is showing that the window is not nearly as narrow as once believed. On top of that, total protein intake plays a much larger role.
So, should you drink a protein shake before or after a workout?
The short answer: total daily protein intake and consistency are more important than exact timing. While a high-quality post-workout plan can help support muscle recovery, science shows that meeting your overall protein needs throughout the day is the biggest driver of results (1).
Let’s take a deeper look at what really happens now.
What the Research Really Says
1. Total Protein Intake Matters More Than Timing
When you control for total protein intake, the timing (pre or post) doesn’t significantly affect strength or hypertrophy (1).
This means that while protein timing after your workouts can improve your recovery (especially when using the proper nutrients), the most important thing is to focus on your total protein and calorie intake to fit your goals.
2. The “Window” is Wider Than You Think
The idea that you must slam a protein shake within 30 minutes of your workout? That’s outdated.
While you don’t have to slam a protein shake for recovery right after … In my experience, the faster you can get the right fuel for recovery, the better you can feel.
3. Quality and Spread of Intake Count
Protein quality (especially essential amino acids and leucine content) and distributing protein across meals matter.
The research shows that getting protein consistently throughout the day can help support muscle protein synthesis better than just one large protein meal (1). Muscle protein synthesis is simply the process of repairing and building lean muscle tissue.
How Much Protein Should You Eat Per Day?
Aim for about 1.6–2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily (4). This is roughly 0.8-1g per pound of body weight. For most people, eating 20–40 grams of high-quality protein per meal, spaced every 2–4 hours, is optimal.
Comparing Protein Shakes Before vs After Workouts
Before Workouts
You can get the benefits of providing your muscles with more amino acids, which can help to reduce their breakdown while lifting.
This can be a benefit, yes. But if you're getting enough protein throughout the day, it isn't completely necessary.
After Workouts
This can help to build back the muscle that you broke down while working out.
The faster that you can kickstart that recovery process, the better. This is at least true in my experience from playing hockey in college. It has also served me well just lifting weights to live a healthy lifestyle now.
| Timing | Pros | Cons | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-Workout | May help provide amino acids during training; can help support reduced muscle breakdown if training fasted | Not necessary if you recently ate protein | Early-morning or fasted trainers |
| Post-Workout | Can help support muscle repair and recovery | Less critical if you ate before training | Most people, especially after long breaks |
Fact vs Fiction
Fiction: “If I Don’t Drink My Shake Right After My Workout, I’ll Miss Out on Muscle Growth.”
Fact: The anabolic window is not a 30-minute doom zone. As long as you consume quality protein in the peri-workout period (within a few hours) and your total daily protein is sufficient, you can see results (1, 2).
Fiction: “Pre-Workout Protein Gives a Major Performance Boost for Muscle Gain.”
Fact: Pre-workout protein may have some benefit, especially when no meal is eaten beforehand. At the same time, it doesn’t appear to outperform post-workout when total protein is matched (3).
Fiction: “Timing Is Everything. Drink Your Shake While You’re Still at the Gym To Maximize Your Results.”
Fact: For most people, hitting total daily intake and spreading protein across meals is far more important than obsessing over a 30-minute window (1).
Practical Steps & Implementation
Calculate Your Daily Goal
For someone strength-training regularly, aim for about 1.6 to 2.2 g protein per kg of body weight per day (4).
Plan Your Meals
Try to get at least 20-40 g of high-quality protein per meal. Eating protein every 2-4 hours can help even more.
Pick a Routine That Works for You
If you’re training fasted or haven’t eaten for several hours before your workout, a pre-workout shake (20-30g protein) is sensible. If you had a meal 1-2 hours before, you can focus on just a post-workout shake.
Choose High-Quality Sources
Whey, casein, egg, lean meats, and complete plant-based proteins (if you're a vegan dieter). Look for complete amino acid profiles, but know that there are better times to use different sources. Generally, it's recommended to shoot for rapid-digesting sources of protein after a workout. For meals and snacks, slower-digesting sources of protein will be more ideal.
Be Consistent
The “timing” will serve you best when your overall nutrition, training, sleep, and recovery habits are all aligned.
How 1st Phorm Helps You Do This Right
Whether you are looking to drink a protein shake before or after a workout, we can help.
You see, it all comes down to what will be best for you at the given time, and we have options for all cases.
For immediately before or after training, we offer Phormula-1 and Phormula-1 Clear.
Phormula-1 is a whey protein isolate designed to help support muscle recovery after your workouts.
Phormula-1 Clear is another whey protein isolate we offer. The difference is, it's processed to achieve a lighter, juice-like taste and texture.
Other options we have include Level-1 and Vegan Power Pro.
Level-1 is a whey protein concentrate, meaning it is designed to be digested slowly, like a whole food source.
Vegan Power Pro is a plant-based protein blend with a complete amino acid profile. That means it has all the amino acids the body needs to stimulate muscle repair and growth. For vegan or plant-based dieters, it can serve as a great option!
Also to mention: Phormula-1, Phormula-1 Clear, and Vegan Power Pro come combined with Ignition in our post-workout stacks! That way, you can reap the benefits of a quick-digesting source of protein and carbohydrate before or after your workouts for the best 1-2 punch to help support your training and recovery.
You can shop all of our post-workout stacks and supplements here!
A Quick Recap of What We Covered
Here’s what I want you to walk away with: timing matters, but it’s not everything. Focus on:
• Hitting your daily protein goal.
• Eating complete sources of protein more frequently.
• Find a routine that works for you.
• Do these things consistently.
The rest will take care of itself!
Now, I know we covered a lot today. So if you have any questions or need any help, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We have a full team of NASM Certified Personal Trainers and Nutrition Coaches right here in St. Louis, Missouri.
Just give us a call at 1-800-409-9732 or send us an email at CustomerService@1stPhorm.com. We're available Monday through Friday from 6 AM to 8 PM Central and Saturday & Sunday from 9 AM to 7 PM Central.
We'll be more than happy to help in any way we can!
References:
(1) Schoenfeld BJ, et al. The effect of protein timing on muscle strength and hypertrophy: a meta-analysis. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2013;10:53.
(2) Casuso RA, Goossens L. Does protein ingestion timing affect exercise-induced adaptations? A systematic review with meta-analysis. Nutrients. 2025;17(13):2070.
(3) Wirth K, et al. The role of protein intake and its timing on body composition and muscle function in healthy adults. J Nutr. 2020.
(4) Morton RW, et al. A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training–induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(6):376-384.
