I have been told to drink a whey protein shake after working out, I enjoy the shakes, they taste great.

I'm a skinny, yet toned lad, I'm trying to build mass. I've seen weight gainers in stores such as GNC and I've actually ended up buying a few jugs. They taste really bad.

Can I have some opinions as to what type of shake I should be drinking after working out? Something that would help me gain more mass and get rid of my skinniness?

Thanks.

Your body only builds muscle when you sleep.
I take my protein bar before bed. But you can take it earlier than that in case your worried about eating before bed like most people.Personally If I don't eat something before bed I can't sleep and even if I do sleep some, I wake up every single hour.

Protein intake should not exceed 1-1.2 grams per kilogram of body weight (2.2 pounds) Anything above what your body can use gets urinated out, large excessive amounts over time can eventually cause liver and kidney problems.

[This message has been edited by moderator3 (edited 02-22-2002).]

consuming a balance of carbs and protein folowing a workout will help provide a maximum quantity of muscle fiber for your recovering muscles after you work out (or something to that effect). i usually eat a nut mix directly after working out and then a meal with plenty of protein and calories when i get home. as far as whey protein goes, i recommend optimum nutrition's 100% whey protein powder - double chocolate flavor is tasty and has no added sugar, 80 servings of 22g pro for about $30.

While getting enough protein is important, for a hard-gainer, like yourself, carbs are extremely important. I have recently started lifting witha friend that has an incredibly high metabolism and it is terribly hard for him to gain mass. We went to GNC and got him this 10 lb. bag of weight gainer which is mainly carbs (1 serving adds something like 1500 calories) and he has a shake before and after lifting in addition to normal meals and has finally started gaining some mass. It might not be _that_ hard for you, but make sure you are eating something with carbs and protein before lifting and something with a 3:1 ratio g carbs to g protein immediately after. While it is not true that your body only builds muscle in your sleep, that is when it does it most efficiently, since muscle building is just muscle repair. And lifting isnt what makes you gain mass... that is what causes hypertrophy in the muscles. It's the recovery that elicits gains and your muscles need the carbs in order to use the protein. happy Lifting!

Naxis

[This message has been edited by moderator3 (edited 02-22-2002).]

within 15 minutes of end of workout take in
50-75g dextrose + 5g creatine

15-30 minutes after that take
30-50g whey protein (lowest fat, and carb, you can find)

1 hour after that eat a real meal.

yes, i'm sure those wight gainer formulas are helpful - heck, drink three servings of that in a day and you get all the cals you could need (4500 or so).. but, look on the back of the product and see where all of those carbs come from - sugar! i seriously doubt that consuming those products will be particularly beneficial to your health.

Simple carbs is what you _want_ right after a workout, and even before and during (though complex carbs are good before, to burn more slowly), if you are a hard gainer. Sugar for the average person is so bad because the body uses what it can very quickly and stores the rest, making someone of average or slow metabolism fat. The hardgainer can burn that easily, and that's what they want to do. If you provide enough carbs for what the body would normally burn just to maintain and then some to use for building mass... you're helping the cause and will see results. The difference between the gainer shakes and say... candy is that there are also proteins, vitamins, amino acids and other healthful components included. It sounds like a lot, but some poeple need a lot. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif

HEY, TRY THIS.

After your workout, blend a scoop of vanilla protein (22gm) with 1.5 cups of apple juice, 1 tsp of creatine, and 1 tsp of glutamine.

then swig it, baby!