Will drinking protein during your workout help you achieve better results?

Many gym-goers do everything they can to get the absolute most out of every workout. It’s common practice to drink sports drinks to maintain energy levels. This naturally raises a question that many gym-goers ask themselves: what if you add a scoop of protein to your shaker along with your usual carbohydrates? Will a protein shake consumed right during your workout really help you perform better and increase your endurance?

There’s a lot of “guaranteed” advice circulating on this topic within the fitness community. However, the latest scientific findings suggest that consuming protein right in the middle of a workout doesn’t have the miraculous effect that’s been claimed for many years.

Where did this popular myth come from?

In the past, when researchers compared athletes who drank only a carbohydrate drink during endurance training with those who drank a beverage containing both carbohydrates and protein, the latter group often managed to exercise about three and a half minutes longer (in tests to complete exhaustion). The conclusion seemed airtight: protein during training improves performance.

But there’s one huge catch.

When researchers examined the data more closely in a comprehensive analysis of 30 studies, they found that the protein-enriched drinks had a higher overall caloric content in the original tests. Once the researchers adjusted for calories in both test groups—so that the protein drink had exactly the same number of calories as the pure carbohydrate drink—the protein’s advantage suddenly vanished completely!

This clearly shows that it wasn’t some miraculous effect of protein itself that helped athletes last longer. It was, plain and simple, the extra calories.

What does your body really need during exercise?

During a strenuous, long workout, your body needs fast fuel to help maintain stable blood sugar levels and conserve muscle glycogen stores. Carbohydrates do this job most effectively and quickly. While protein can theoretically provide a small amount of energy, a high-quality complex carbohydrate does a far better job of fulfilling this primary and most important task.

So when does it make sense to address nutrition right during your workout? Here are a few basic rules:

• Workouts under 60 minutes: If you ate before your workout, plain water (possibly supplemented with electrolytes) will be more than enough.
• Workouts lasting 60–90 minutes: Here, it’s worth reaching for some energy. The goal should be roughly 30 to 60 grams of fast-absorbing carbohydrates per hour.
• Save protein for another time: With protein, it’s not so much about the exact timing in the middle of a set as it is about the total amount you consume throughout the day to support muscle growth and subsequent recovery.

What should you drink during an intense workout?

If you’re facing a long workout and need to maintain peak performance, we recommend reaching for a high-quality source of fast-acting carbohydrates and essential amino acids (EAAs), which will protect your muscles without weighing down your stomach—unlike traditional, heavy protein shakes.

Don't overcomplicate things

Does this mean you shouldn’t add protein to your intra-workout drink at all? If it works for you, doesn’t upset your stomach, and helps you meet your daily macros, by all means, keep doing it. But don’t expect it to immediately improve your athletic performance at the gym.

You’ll appreciate the extra calories during your workout most if your session is extremely long, you started exercising while undernourished, or you have another strenuous physical activity coming up later that same day.

How can you make your life easier while ensuring quality?

Ensuring immediate energy during a long workout and subsequent post-workout recovery are key to results. Trying to get nutrients from solid food in the middle of a hard workout is, of course, pointless—it would put a huge strain on your digestive system. But your muscles are crying out for nutrients.

The solution is logical and straightforward—you need to supply your body with building blocks and energy in the purest and most easily digestible form. For a quick energy boost during longer workouts, reach for proven intra-workout carbohydrates (e.g., cyclic dextrin). And after your workout? That’s when the absolute first aid comes into play: a top-quality whey isolate or concentrate. Gently processed whey reaches your muscles in a flash, immediately kickstarting growth while keeping your digestive system calm.

Simply mix one scoop with water, and you can be sure your muscles will get exactly what they need after a workout. Don’t let a lack of building blocks hold you back—make the smartest use of every gram of protein!