Can someone please share some tips on using protein supplements before or after workouts?

At the gym where I work we use Precision Nutrition as our guide for most of these questions. I have had great success with most of their recommendations and you can find more information here: http://www.precisionnutrition.com/products/supplements.

In my case, I have always had the general goal of Muscle Gain, and for this purpose PN recommends one protein/carbohydrate drink immediately before, during, and immediately after the workout. This goes for endurance athletes as well; however, protein supplements should not represent more than 80g of your protein intake, or all of your protein intake.

The most important part of EVERY workout IS YOUR POST MEAL. How you refuel your body will determine just how effective and beneficial that workout was. And refueling your muscles with protein is vital no matter what your goals are! Contact me TODAY for your free workout/consultation and for a further, more detailed answer- How much protein you should consume post workout(varies based on your weight/goals), how quickly after your workout should you eat, etc, etc... 210.313.9175 cell :)

I can give a more specific answer if I know the following:
Length of workout
Type of workout (cardio, strength)
What were the rest periods, weight lifted (heavy/light/medium), number of reps, number of sets
Your personal physique or performance goals
Roughly where you are right now (level of condition and how far you are away from your goal)

Then I can provide more detailed recommendations to your question!

Brandon Schultz, D.C.

As with most nutrition inquiries the answer largely varies from person to person. For obvious reasons a 115 pound, 21 year-old female would not have the same protein requirements as a 235 pound, male body builder. The FDA standard for daily protein consumption based on a 2,000 calorie diet is 50 grams. To be fair that is their recommended intake for all persons over the age of 4 regardless of gender. The biggest factor besides quantitative data would be the type of exercises being performed and for what goals these exercises are being performed.

I know a male bodybuilder weighing roughly 250 pounds who was told by his nutritionist to eat 300 grams of lean protein per day during the last three weeks of his cutting cycle leading up to his competition, accounting for just under half of his daily calorie intake while he was performing 6 hours of cardio a week utilizing only toning sets in his resistance exercises.

For the average gym rat attempting to put on bulk the generic standard for protein is between 1.5-1.8 grams of protein for each pound of body weight you are attempting to achieve. For example, if an 18 year-old, male weighing 150 pounds were attempting to reach 170 pounds he would need to eat between 255 and 306 grams of protein daily. Obviously, he would need to divide that large of an intake throughout the day but a bulk of that should come from pre and post-workout intake, as detailed below.

To answer your question more specifically I would recommend a client such as the one I just described to take in roughly 25 grams of whey, preferably an isolate, 30 minutes before workout and an additional 25 grams of whey isolate post workout along with an additional 25 grams of casein or egg protein for a prolonged anabolic effect. Also, and this is just as important as the protein, I would make sure he would take in 30 grams of quick-digesting carbs pre-wrokout and AT LEAST 60g of quick-digesting carbs post workout to replenish glycogen stores. [See: Krebs Cycle]

Hope this helps!