Shakes: pre-mix or fresh mix?

[chimewolf]

subject: post workout protien shakes

Question: is it better to have pre-mixed it up before your workout and let it sit untill after your workout or mix it up after your workout?

Possible varitibles (that I can think of anyway): liquid being mixed into, tempratures [leaving in cold car vs leaving in warm locker], how disolved the powder is into the liquid.

This little thought has been buzzing around my head for a few days and I can't come to a clear conclustion.
-CW

[Mdlftr]

I add water and shake it up after a workout and right before I'm going to drink it. Since I'm shaking the container by hand, the protein drink doesn't get all foamy and hard to drink, like it would in a blender. Freshly shaken is more evenly dissolved and works better.


Mix it up right before you drink it.

Mdlftr

[chimewolf]

Originally Posted by Mdlftr

I add water and shake it up after a workout and right before I'm going to drink it. Since I'm shaking the container by hand, the protein drink doesn't get all foamy and hard to drink, like it would in a blender. Freshly shaken is more evenly dissolved and works better.


Mix it up right before you drink it.

Mdlftr

But does it make a diffrence if you pre-mix it up and let it sit in cold car or does something happen [like protien breaks down too far to be useable]?

[Mdlftr]

Originally Posted by chimewolf

But does it make a diffrence if you pre-mix it up and let it sit in cold car or does something happen [like protien breaks down too far to be useable]?

I don't know about that. I know that as a practical matter, if your container's full of liquid, sitting around in your gym bag, it might spill. That's happened to me. I don't think these products bio-degrade from sitting around for a few hours pre mixed. I don't recall any instructions saying that they should be refrigerated if you are not going to drink them right away. Since water is generally easily available, I wait until after I've finished my workout, then I mix up the shake then and drink it as I'm walking out the door of the gym.

Mdlftr

[phoenix]

I always mix it up afterwards. But this is purely practical.

1) I have been on-call in the past and had to leave the gym at a moments notice. (Or if for any reason I don't want to take it) The powder will stay in my gym bag for the next workout without going sour. Which if it was already made up, it can do, fairly quickly if it is warm.

2) It's generally less hassle than making it up beforehand, just two scoops, into the container, without having to wash a blender afterwards or anything.

3) Avoids the need to keep a liquid in a dubious container in a gym bag. The little flip lids on most protein containers don't seem up to too much sloshing of its contents.

As for the science of it. Protein is long strands of amino acids. In order for it be utilised by the body, it has to be broken down into its constituent amino acids before new protein is synthesised. Therefore it makes little difference if the protein is denatured or not. For example Cooking egg white denatures it. Denaturing simply changes the way the long strands are folded and not the breakdown of the protein anyway.
I can't think of a reason not to make them up beforehand, but I would imagine the mixture separates over time and would therefore need to be shaken again before you drink it. Kinda, defeating the point of pre-mixing it.

Having done research into the sports science field, none of the research trials used pre-mixed protein shakes, all done immediately following exercise. As per the manufacters recommendation. Although a housemate of mine used to keep some of his mixed up and in the fridge?

So I guess it doesn't matter?

[inflated]

I like to Drink creatine added to water or juice during a workout, but protein shakes help fill in the gaps throughout the day and the powder added to whole milk is a high protein fairly low carb shake.

[monstermusclebe]

You have a shake both before and after a workout. Your pre-workout shake wants to be consumed about 45 minutes to no more than 90 minutes prior to a workout. When bulking, plenty of carbs as this will fuel your workout.

You then have a shake immediately after the workout, as your muscles are already adapting to the stress that you have just put on them and are hungry for fuel for the repair and growth process. Again, when bulking plenty of carbs is good at this time, as they will provide greater energy for the repair process as well.

[RosettaWood]

It actually depends on the recipe. Some advise you to have the smoothie frozen for a good hour before drinking. Some even recommend preparing it the night before!