Quickie about protein...

When is the best time to have protein?  Before or after a work out?

after - it takes longer to digest then carbs.....

Thanks!  I was just trying to figure it out.  So eating protien after a workout takes longer to digest.

Anyone know if it helps you build muscle?

Protein is the building block for repairing muscles.  It does not build muscle on its own.  You need to train the muscles first, then eat protein afterward.  After a workout your body will absorb protein faster because it's trying to rebuild the muscles that become "damaged" by training (good kind of damaged as long as you don't overtrain).

So, yes, protein is essential for building up your muscle.  It is what your body needs to repair itself after training.

Hmm thats good because I really didnt know that..I used to have my protien shake in the morning. Now I know not to..Thanks for asking that question.

Definitely have a source of protein after weight training.  As dggeek pointed out, protein contains the amino acids needed to rebuild muscle and your body is craving it after working the muscles.

so, if you say, have a protein drink before a workout it is essentially pointless? I'm a little confused...

to lose weight and get muscle tone you're going to want to have about equal amounts of protein and carbs throughout the day...but before your workout you'll probably want to have some carbs to give you an extra "energy shot" and then protein after to rebuild muscle and make your body continue to burn calories efficiently. and by carbs i mean things like an apple, a small glass of juice or something really pure that'll give you enough energy to make the most of your workout. if you're sluggish when you hit the treadmill or weights because you haven't had any good sugar/carbs in your system you won't end up working out nearly as long or hard. does this make sense...?

also (i'm taking wayyyy too much space on this), if you really want to repair your muscles after working out you might want to get some l-glutamine powder. it really helps speed up the recovery by supplying additional amino acids to the muscles. this is probably only necessary if you're lifting weights of some sort though...