Ive read various sources indicating that yoga should be practised after you wake up on an empty stomach but im also trying to get muscular here and i go to the gym 5-6 times a week, can i drink a protein shake before doing yoga?
Namaste,
It doesn’t work for me!
At the beginning it was OK, then; a few days down the road
my body clearly said to me IT knew better(very unpleasant) when
you really need to be concentrating in your routine.
Namaskar
What would be the purpose in drinking a protein shake before an asana practice? Even looking at it from a weight training paradigm, protein is consumed within 45 minutes of concluding a workout with the idea that the body needs it for repair.
“Getting muscular” and yoga, simply put, have very little in common.
But you may do whatever you’d like. There are no rules. If you discover that your particular body, your particular life, your particular purpose are all suited to having whey protein before asana then who is anyone to say otherwise, eh?
gordon
Well the protein shake is not to aid my practice in any manner, it’s simply because I always drink a protein shake when I wake up and because going to the gym constantly makes my muscles seemingly always sore and it feels nice to drink a protein shake furthermore you’re seemingly a condescending prick because even though I understand your point that the protein should consumed within 45 minutes of working, in order to consume aprox 200 grams of protein a day which is what is recommend for a person of my size to continously gain muscle I have to drink shakes because it would be very difficult and costly for me to eat that much meat/alternatives,does that make sense to you?
I ridicule your notion that getting muscular and yoga have little in common. Im 19 turning 20 very soon and I have never stretched im my life Ive also been weight training on an off for the last 3 years with the last 4 months being the most intense workouts and the fewest days off. In the last 2 weeks I started doing yoga I haven’t skipped a day doing it either and I’ve already noticed tremendous benefits in my weight training including quicker recover time which alone quashes your notion but it also allows me to increase my range of motion in all exercises such as squats, shoulder press and bench press. Besides that I also enjoy all the other benefits of yoga which dont relate to weight trainging so there is no reason why I shouldnt do both. Also both yoga and working out reduce stress so theoretically im more zen then you eh gord?
just one more thing… a majority of the professional UFC fighters (such as GSP) do yoga and strength training because it allows them execute moves that require alot of flexibility such as high head kicks and add power to it. what do you have to say to that?
I understand your dilemma. I have been lifting weights for 20 years and been doing yoga for about 3 1/2 years. Its hard work to mix both but not impossible and they do compliment each other very well. I found that what works best for me is to go to the gym a 6 am on an empty stomach. Do about 1 hr of weights then 1.5 hr of yoga. I’m then free to eat all day. And usually finish the day with another 1/2 of yoga before going to bed.
What time of the day do you do your yoga? What kind of yoga are you doing? Are you doing full on ashtanga or just passive stretching?
How have you been mixing your weight lifting vs yoga so far?
Peter,
sorry you are offended and angry.
I’ve re-read your question as well as my answer. I believe I’ve not been condescending to you at all. You asked a particular question and I answered it directly and within the context of yoga rather than a fleeting opinion of the moment or personal preference.
A rational discourse is welcome. A bickering through anger I’ll not participate in.
gordon
dear op ,
im sure innerathelete was not being a condescending prick ,but only he knows that.
I fail to see how he was,it seems that you asked for opinions on this board but dont like the opinion,carry on as you are ,but it doesnt sound like any yoga to me.
yours in yoga
The only reason how I can see someone else
(charliedharma) not seeing your post condescing is if they know you, you criticized my the timing of my protein shake drinking something you know nothing about because you dont workout.
Im not here to argue tho Im just looking for useful knowledge… which is not found in your apology which to me seemed the [B]exact[/B] same as a drunk driver killing somone then saying “sorry you died.”
But yeah Im sorry for overreacting, I was mainly upset because i simply wanted to know if consuming a protein shake (1.5 scoops EAS pure whey with 300ml water) prior to yoga (which i still havent gotten a concrete answer) would negatively impact my yoga, and would you recommend for it or against keeping in mind that i need to consume at least 200 grams of protein a day.
jlg - I try to do my yoga first thing in the morning but this is not always an option as i have to work early in the mornings, but i work with in a small company that doesnt always have consistent work so on those days and weekends i practice first thing in the morning other i work until 5 go the gym then do yoga around 8 pm. im doing hatha yoga and the stretches are intense and stimulating which makes it sometimes difficult to do after working out. but not to the point where i want to stop.
Im not sure what you mean by your last question but i have not mixed weights in with yoga i separte them completely.
ujay - thanks for you input!
Hi,
I drink a whey protein shake every morning and find it to be a great start to my day, but I must add that I drink it for different reasons than you. I drink it to add to my protein requirements for the day and not to build muscle. I don’t do yoga in the morning, but I cannot see how the consumption of a whey protein shake will be detrimental either to your practice, no matter when you do it.
I do my yoga mainly late afternoons. There have been occassions, where I have felt totally drained of energy due to my work during the day, that I drank a whey protein shake before my yoga and it has given me the necessary energy I needed for that session.
I think it is very much a question of trail and error and experimenting with your combinations and see how it works for you. But manily I like to do yoga on an empty stomach, so I eat very little and very lighty as well on they days that I do my yoga and my last meal or consumption of food is usually about 3 hours before a session.
Hope this helps.
I’d like to add that tika masala might not be the best choice before postures (as I learned last night). I felt so nauseaus and went to bed early! :oops:
haha thanks zo.
so i havent consumed anything including protein shakes before my sessions, but i will now start drinkin whey prior to doing it.
Helle Peter,
You are new to our Yoga forum, and you are welcome to continue on as a member, but you will need to immediately rise to the opportunity by treating yourself, and each of the members here, with dignity and respect; this is required even if you are upset and have assumed that you have been condescended to. So far, you have failed in this by calling a member here a vulgar name on the boards and then continuing onto libel him, which can be a legal issue as your words sit here on a public forum. The above is not open for discussion; and while I hope you stay and contribute here, you will not be missed if this is the best we can expect from you.
As for your request for information about protein shakes and practice: An empty stomach, and an emptied to mostly-emptied intestinal tract, is preferable for most moderate to strenuous classical asana practices, and for most people. These are all generalities, and simply the recommended point for people to [I]begin exploring what suits them best[/I]. As Gordon and Pandara have both offered you before, you will really need to play this by ear for what suits your body and all of your goals, because you have listed a few different goals. If the pre-yoga protein shakes help you recover from the fasting that happens overnight in all of our bodies, then drink them. If anything about the shake negatively impacts your Yoga practice, it would likely only be the timing; you will know if the timing is off if you are belching, nauseous or feel “too full” to do the asana comfortably and to your full ability. If no problem, then there is no problem; and if there is, simply moving it to after will still get you where you want to go on all accounts. As Gordon also offered you, the shakes may still benefit your goal of 200grams, but it will not serve you in a repair capacity if taken outside the benefit window–this is a simple fact.
Again, you seem to be interested in getting your personal system dialed and reaching your goals; you also appear to be aware of your body, so just continue to watch how the shakes treat you. In understanding the protein intake that you are trying to achieve daily, it may serve all of your goals to incorporate Yoga directly into your lifting schedule rather than separating them out–this will help with timing your meals between all of your physical output sessions. Done mindfully, and with respect for your body, your lifting will become more yogic, and you can safely maintain a healthy range of motion and appropriately lengthen (stretched) muscle tissue. It is no fun to be injured, or to be sidelined from the things we love to do, so stay aware of what serves your body, with food, timing, activity and rest.
There are a few other threads on this forum that may interest you; search for [B]weights[/B] to find them. Here is one to get you started.http://www.yogaforums.com/forums/f16/yoga-and-the-strongman-4630.html
Namaste,
Nichole
Yoga is not merely just stretching, the main thing about Yoga is Yama and Niyama, it involves in good manner and how to behave as a person, so if you are still that angry, and specially if you are just doing the stretches just to compliment your gym activities, don’t consider your self doing Yoga, or even yet don’t think that you are actually doing Yoga, just think that you are doing stretching !
Yoga is anything you choose to be.
It’s like martial arts, can be so different, but all stay martial arts
yeah…i haven’t tried protein shakes before but now wold like to try and see…
[QUOTE=Peteryogaz;23421]i simply wanted to know if consuming a protein shake (1.5 scoops EAS pure whey with 300ml water) prior to yoga (which i still havent gotten a concrete answer) would negatively impact my yoga, and would you recommend for it or against keeping in mind that i need to consume at least 200 grams of protein a day.[/QUOTE]
The only thing that comes to mind is practicing sun salutations, twists, etc. with a belly full of protein shake, for me, would become very uncomfortable and take away from the focus. Would drinking the shake after yoga in the morning offer the same benefits, while being refreshing?
Protein shake, what is meant by that ? I mean, if a 2 eggs with milk and honey are made into a shake, and all constituents are organic, and fresh, that is one thing, and shakes made up form various powders quite another.
Edit: 200 grams of proteins ? That’s just insane, unless you are a professional body-builder. But … I think professional body-building is actually insane, so I need not to use “unless”. 
You know how much protein I have daily ? 25-30 grams. From a mostly cereal based vegan diet. I don’t even count them, just made a quick math for your sake. Even when I was going to a gym, I never had more than 80 grams a day. (84 kilos of bodyweight)
How old are you Hubert? 25-30 grams protein a day. I sure hope your puberty is long gone 
[QUOTE=jlg;23690]How old are you Hubert? 25-30 grams protein a day. I sure hope your puberty is long gone :p[/QUOTE]
I believe ‘normal’ is about 1 gram per kilo of weight. I’m 80 kg. But intense bodybuilders will go up to 2 grams per kilo. 30 seems a bit low, but I’m no expert.
There are differing views on protein consumption and the sooner we accept that differing views can co-exist in the same dish, be it our own mind, our family, our class…the more we will be living the open mindedness we too frequently flaunt without subscription.