Whey or Casein for late night pre-bedtime workout?

[horc00]

I used to work out in the evenings, but recently, due to work and family reasons, I’ve changed my routine to working out just before bedtime.

So here’s the thing. I understand whey is important immediately after workout for that protein boost. I also understand casein is important for slow release of protein overnight as the body repairs.

So which should I prioritise if I workout just before bedtime?

Would it be too much protein if I take both?

 

[wufabufa]

The thermic effect of protein before bedtime always disrupts my sleep since my body temp gets too high. And if sleeping is when your body recovers and repairs itself does it make sense to mess that up in favor of satisfying the mythical "anabolic window"? That's a lot less important than overall getting enough protein/calories throughout the day. If you've eaten enough throughout the day and before your workout then you probably don't need either powder right before bed. If you're doing fasted workouts then yeah, timing that protein directly afterwards is a good idea.

I would prioritize sleep personally. But you can do whatever you like. Try one or both proteins for a while and if you notice the quality of your sleep diminishing then back off. For muscle protein synthesis to kick off you really only need 3-4g of leucine. Might be smart just to supplement with that before bed instead of 2 full scoops of whey/casein.

 

[Blake_UK]

I used to work out in the evenings, but recently, due to work and family reasons, I’ve changed my routine to working out just before bedtime.

So here’s the thing. I understand whey is important immediately after workout for that protein boost. I also understand casein is important for slow release of protein overnight as the body repairs.

So which should I prioritise if I workout just before bedtime?

Would it be too much protein if I take both?

In general a mix of different proteins (isolate, whey, casien) is the best post-workout shake so the body is absorbing protein consistently. If you are working out before bed then yes having a scoop of whey and a scoop of casein together is probably best but it's marginal tbh. Remember as well that milk contains casien so another option is just to have your whey with 300ml of milk.

In reality the most important thing is to get a good amount of protein (1g/lb BW) daily and make sure at least half of that comes from real food. As long as you are doing that it doesn't really matter tbh as timings are secondary to overall nutrient intake. If you have the money then buy both but if you don't then standard whey is perfectly fine.

 

[horc00]

@wufabufa @Blake_UK

Thanks for the replies guys.

Just did a google check and found out milk contains about 80% casein protein. Didn't know that. Since I've already got whey on hand, I'll just stick to the whey powder with milk.

 

[TeTe]

Casein is supposed to be better at night but I still do whey shakes with milk before bed since I leave the gym at 5:30 anyway. I always eat as soon as I get home so I don't really care about whether or not the protein I take at night is fast releasing or not.

 

[Zanderlini]

In general a mix of different proteins (isolate, whey, casien) is the best post-workout shake so the body is absorbing protein consistently. If you are working out before bed then yes having a scoop of whey and a scoop of casein together is probably best but it's marginal tbh. Remember as well that milk contains casien so another option is just to have your whey with 300ml of milk.

In reality the most important thing is to get a good amount of protein (1g/lb BW) daily and make sure at least half of that comes from real food. As long as you are doing that it doesn't really matter tbh as timings are secondary to overall nutrient intake. If you have the money then buy both but if you don't then standard whey is perfectly fine.

I think you meant to say eggs contain casein, whey is from milk. Other then that I agree with the mix of different proteins. I like the 1/3 whey 2/3 casein before bed.

 

[1rawdog]

I think you meant to say eggs contain casein, whey is from milk. ...

Uh, not sure what you are trying to say here. Please reword or explain? Regarding Casein it seems you are either confused or something isn't translating to the written word well.

 

[wufabufa]

I think you meant to say eggs contain casein, whey is from milk. Other then that I agree with the mix of different proteins. I like the 1/3 whey 2/3 casein before bed.

Eggs don't contain casein. It's still a milk protein.

 

[Zanderlini]

Eggs don't contain casein. It's still a milk protein.

had to check, you're right. Apparently both whey and casein are milk proteins. Shit I always thought casein came from eggs.

 

[Zanderlini]

Uh, not sure what you are trying to say here. Please reword or explain? Regarding Casein it seems you are either confused or something isn't translating to the written word well.

Been lifting on and off for 20 years and apparently I'm still a retard, I always thought casein was egg protein. Been wrong for 20 years.

 

[1rawdog]

Been lifting on and off for 20 years and apparently I'm still a retard, I always thought casein was egg protein. Been wrong for 20 years.

Wow, refreshing honesty on Sherdog. Although you are not a retard as far as I can tell from your posts. You were probably influenced by those people (retards?) who lump eggs into the dairy category. Blame society.

 

[wufabufa]

had to check, you're right. Apparently both whey and casein are milk proteins. Shit I always thought casein came from eggs.

Yeah I get confused from time to time as well. When people start talking about slow digesting protein I immediately think of eggs and then I start hearing casein get thrown into the conversation too so it's easy to get mixed up.