Muscle Milk before or after workout

Lori Brown has been writing professionally since 2007. With expertise in whole health living, she writes for health and fitness magazines and websites. Brown is on the AADP as a Health Coach from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and is a Fitness and Success Coach.

Both men and women can use Muscle Milk. Photo Credit Images

If your goal is to lose body fat and gain or maintain lean body mass, there is a good chance you are going to do some protein supplementing, claims John Ritter, personal trainer in Atlanta, on the Creatine Side Effects website. Muscle Milk is a protein powder you mix with with water, or another liquid you prefer, and used as a protein shake. It comes in an assortment of flavors and combines two forms of protein.

A serving of Muscle Milk has 25g of protein and contains a high-quality of protein, both casein and whey, states Ritter. Cow's milk naturally holds 80 percent of casein protein and 20 percent whey, says Travis Van Slooten, founder and editor of Men's Total Fitness. Casein is claimed to be a slow-digesting protein, which helps sustain muscle and aid in protein breakdown throughout your body. The process to attain the proteins increase the amount of "bioactive milk peptides, " which support your immunity and muscle growth, notes Van Slooten.

Due to Muscle Milk's high protein content and combination it may be used as a meal replacement, says Van Slooten. You should take it first thing in the morning, purports Ritter. It will give you a quick shot of protein and a sustained release of protein to carry you through to your next meal, claims Van Slooten.

Directly after you workout, you will need a sufficient amount of protein to sustain your muscles and overall body wellness. Within 30 minutes to an hour after your workout, Ritter recommends drinking Muscle Milk and then a snack around two hours after or two hours before your next meal.

To effectively take advantage of whey and casein proteins, you need to use them at the right time of the day says Van Slooten. Because your body needs to sustain six to eight hours of sleep without food, you need to drink Muscle Milk before bed, notes Ritter. Drinking Muscle Milk before going to sleep can provide slow-releasing proteins so your muscles do not break down while you are sleeping, claims Van Slooten.

Muscle Milk is known for its high fat and calorie content. Certain Muscle Milk powders, such as vanilla crème and chocolate, were tested and contained an unhealthy amount of arsenic, cadmium and lead, reports Colorado's Channel 9 News on a "Consumer Reports" test. It is more than health experts think is advisable, notes Channel 9 News. A balanced diet is better and less expensive way to meet your daily protein requirements, with foods like chicken, milk and eggs.