Hello Everyone,

I know this has been gone over and over again but I keep getting mixed reviews . .

I have been on a schedule of 1 protein shake in the morning ( 45g protein) with some strawberries and water. I then get home and take another protein shake ( 28g protein ) an hour before working out. Afterwards I don't know if I should take my recovery drink or my protein drink. Here is a link to both of them . .

Protein Shake : Mass XXX Protein

Recovery drink : I can't find it but will update later tonight once I'm home. . .

The question I have is what should I do? I'm trying to gain mass. I have a VERY high metabolism and am doing the P90X classic routine. So, What do you think I should do? Should I do the recovery drink + the protein shake like 30 minutes after and only with 2 scoops instead of the 4 that give u 50g of protein?

Really it depends on what you want to do. It obviously seems like you are trying to bulk up so you can never go wrong with protein until you hit protein poisoning that is. No idea on how big of a person you are now so I couldn't say. It would also depend on the work out you are doing. I would say on days where you do a lot of lifting. Arms/shoulders/triceps, chest/back, legs/back, or anything like that you can do your protein drink. On your more cardio days like plyo,yoga,cardio etc then you can use your recovery drink.

Really it just depends on goals. If you want bulk just go with what I said. If you want to lean up a lot go with more of the recovery drink then the protein all the time.

Bear

p.s. Sorry just reread and yeah I would just stick with what I said for pure mass. Also don't forget to stretch a lot to allow more bloodflow and increase your body's response to the workouts.

bear, i'm going to disagree with a little.

you should almost ALWAYS take your recovery drink after a workout, regardless if its cardio or resistance. you need the recovery drink for the carbs. carbs are used to replenish your glycogen (energy) stores after a strenous workout(cardio or resitance). the protein and other nutrients hitch a ride on the carbs to reach the muscles, getting to it quicker.

your recovery drink should be as close to a 4:1 carb to protein ratio as you can. it doesnt matter where you get the drink from. you can use the P90X one if you like, or if on a budget, chocolate milk. what i would do is mix whey protein with water, non-fat plain yogurt, and a variety of higher carb fruit, to try to achieve that 4:1 ratio.

if you're trying to gain mass, i would suggest taking an additional protein shake just before you sleep, both to feed the muscles while you sleep, and minimize the time in which your body is in a catabolic state (breaking down).

Well, I'll be going home tonight and doing my plyo and taking my recovery drink after. I'll see what the ratio is and post it up here. I am going with the 4:1 (Carb:protein) ratio for my recovery drink.I wake up and drink my 4 scoops of Mass XXX, I get home at 4:30pm, drink my 3 scoops of protein shake (Mass XXX) and wait for one hour (or until my stomach settles). I then do my workout and drink the recovery shake right after and end up finishing at around 7:20PM. I will then take my 2 scoop protein shake 30 minutes before sleep at 11PM. I eat regularly throughout the day, in between shakes.

What do you think?

What is your total protein intake? To really bulk up you just need around what I said.. take your weight. Divide it by 2 .. Then convert that to grams and add 10% of your weight number. For example if I weigh 230 lbs.. I will eat around 138 grams of protein per day give or take.. How close are you to that mark? How sore are you? Even if you work really hard if you take in enough protein it lessens the amount of soreness by a huge amount since it repairs your muscles a lot faster.

This allows for better recovery and faster bulking. All that other stuff is for energy and burning fat. Protein is what your muscles are made of and need to perform. Yeah they need the carbs/fats for energy but protein is what they need to be enhanced. I wouldn't go too much over that mark 20% add to the base maybe at most. Anymore and you are pushing it.

Bear

p.s. I am no doctor no nutritionist. I just know what I have read over and over and what worked for me. Also coco your body can use protein to restore the glycogen just as easily as it can use carbs. Also I figure his protein drink has a good bit of carbs in it since it is a bulking drink. I haven't seen the ratio so can't be sure.