Thread: protein shakes.. with water or milk?

i usually mix mine with water cause i'm at the gym and there is nothing around, but it makes me sick to my stomach; however, when i mix it with milk the upset stomach thing goes away.

Only milk for me. Whey with water is friggin nasty. Im not an expert but if your bulking, definitely go with milk for the added calories.

I go with both , lol ... What I do is I get about a cup and a half of skimmed milk and I add 4 ice cubes to that ... I get the extra proteins / calories of the milk and it tastes like a sort of smootie. I love it this way

Ive tried with water only too and Id say its tast like crap too . Nothing beats the milk , especially if its chocolate flavor

well, im not an expert but taking whey protein before a workout should be taken approx. 30-45 min before a workout with water because the whey protein is absorbed quickly and milk takes longer to digest, but definetly milk if your bulking any other time except pre-workout.

try dymatize whey chocolate with water, 2 scoops in 12-16 oz. Really good and without all the sugar.

when i'm home I use milk. at work, water.

edit: except pwo.. only water

Young D - So you take 4 shakes a day on WO days?

I take my PWO shake with water and all the rest with milk.

Emma-Leigh(sp?) is a diet "expert" and was saying you should actually take your PWO shake with milk though

Originally Posted by Arnie's left nu

Young D - So you take 4 shakes a day on WO days?

I take my PWO shake with water and all the rest with milk.

Emma-Leigh(sp?) is a diet "expert" and was saying you should actually take your PWO shake with milk though

yeah man I take 4 shakes right now (on workout days, 2-3 on non-workout days depending if i need a MRP or not)...

I have 1 scoop with my breakfast (my main protein source for the meal is eggs, the whey just bumps it up a bit), 2 scoops before workout with raw oats (staple mass builder!), 2 scoops with a mix of dextrose and maltodextrins PWO, and 1 scoops with my bedtime meal (main protein source is cottage cheese, but again I just use the whey to up the overall protein intake of that meal)

personally I've always used water with my shakes, but I know a lot of people use milk and recently I tried milk with my whey and it tasted real good (much better than with water), so i'm thinking if I should add some milk to my shakes, probably the ones at breakfast and bedtime (I was planning on adding a glass of milk to each of those meals anyway!)

just wanted to know if the experts advised this or not, i'm trying to keep lean whilst adding LBM right now (as i finished cutting about a month ago), i've heard people say 'its a great idea' and i've heard other say adding milk is a 'bad idea', hopefully emma will post soon with some factual info.

If you're cutting, dairy(milk) isnt the best thing. I'm bulking right now and use skim mlk but hey, I drink milk all the time regardless.

Theres so f'ing much conflicting information in regards to BB'ing in general....I just do what works for me

Originally Posted by Arnie's left nu

Theres so f'ing much conflicting information in regards to BB'ing in general....I just do what works for me

exactly. i drink skim milk bulking or cutting.. doesn't seem to be hindering me.


I use milk with my whey to slow down the digestion. ill start buying a micellar protein soon, and only use whey with water pwo... it's just cheaper right now to only buy whey.

I use water, milk and grape juice. Usually pre workout it's grape juice + 1 scoop whey. Post workout I use milk in my shake and for MRP's I use water.

Originally Posted by busyLivin

exactly. i drink skim milk bulking or cutting.. doesn't seem to be hindering me.


I use milk with my whey to slow down the digestion. ill start buying a micellar protein soon, and only use whey with water pwo... it's just cheaper right now to only buy whey.

Yup, thats why i usually drink 1 with milk before bed.

i mix mine with water, always.

I mix my whey with Slim Fast. I can't stand the taste when it's mixed with water, and milk makes me feel sort of sick.

water only for me...

I used to use juice, but now only water with my whey + ground oats.

Skim milk at home, H2O at work.

Why is water/whey better for the PWO shake?

what brand of whey is best, most popular, best tasting?

Originally Posted by ChrisROCK

Why is water/whey better for the PWO shake?

using just water will get it to your muscles faster. milk slows down digestion.

Skim Milk baby

go milk go !

Pre workout (I workout too early to have a real food meal): Fat-free, no-sugar yoghurt + Whey + water

Post workout: Skim milk powder (easier to transport than milk) + whey +/- oats + water

Pre-workout you do not just want whey in isolation - you always want carbohydrates pre-workout, especially if you workout early in the morning. These carbs will act to spare muscle amino acids from being used as fuel for your workouts. The whey will also cause a large insulin spike on it's own... Which means you will get a draining of energy from the blood - which means your workouts will also be sub-par and you will feel crappy.

If you are having it less than 40 min before a workout you want something that is relatively rapidly absorbed - which is why liquids/shakes are better (which is why I have yoghurt). If you can though, you are better off with real food (eg: oats + egg whites) about 1-1.5 hrs prior to your exercise.

If your workouts are going to be long and intense you would also benefit from some fruits (the fructose will help to maintain your blood glucose during longer exercise bouts) and some fats as well (as, after 90 mins of intense exercise, most individuals will have used up their glycogen stores and the fats will help fuel the remainder of their workouts).

Post-workout you also want carbohydrates, so whey alone is not going to be offering the best recovery. There is arguements over which carbs are better - high GI, moderate GI or low GI... Personally, I am a low to moderate GI kinda person... Or at least a nutritionally dense carb person. So I don't agree with malto/dex mixes. Skim milk, thinly rolled oats, high glucose fruits (like banana's, grapes or grape juice), and foods PACKED with nutritional benefits (such as blueberries - for their anti-oxidant powers) are, in my opinion, all good choices for post-workout carbs.

If you are doing a lot of cardio, the fruits and proper electrolyte solutions also become more significant - as does the speed of glycogen replenishment (and, as such the total GI of the meal becomes more significant)...


If you are having it last thing at night I would not have whey full-stop. A good caesin protein powder is a much better option. Or, real food (cottage cheese). The whey is absorbed too rapidly and results in a significant insulin spike on it's own (the amino acids present in the whey trigger insulin) so you are wasting your whey. If you add skim milk the gastric emptying is not delayed to a significant extent, and the majority of the whey will remain in the liquid phase of your stomach contents (meaning it is not trapped in the stomach like the caesin in the milk) and as such it will still be digested pretty rapidly. Adding a liquid fat will also not have much of an effect - as the fat will seperate out in the stomach and you will still not get a huge delay in whey uptake.

So if you HAVE to have whey last thing at night then you would be better off mixing it with whole milk. The fat IN the milk (which is different to fat added to milk) will then have a much more significant effect on gastric emptying and you will get a slower release of the milk and, to a degree, the whey.

Personally though, I would not have milk or whey last thing at night.


I also think milk/dairy (skim of course) can be included in a weight loss plan (dairy is actually POSITIVELY linked with reduced weight, reduced FAT MASS, retension of LEAN BODY MASS and overall better BODY COMPOSITION!!). The only time I would feel it would be ESSENTIAL to take out is in the last few weeks of a competition cut - as it can make some people look 'puffy'.

If you are bulking/adding lean mass - dairy is EXCELLENT!! Just think of what milk is actually designed for! GROWTH... I would always use it (unless lactose intolerant).

Thanks Emma!

i'll milk all the 'whey' then

why the hell does everyone have so much trouble with protein shakes, just throw it down

After a workout I use water so as to reduce my fat intake after the workout. Anything less than 2% milk is for pussies.

However, I often have a snack where I mix it with milk.

Originally Posted by Emma-Leigh

I also think milk/dairy (skim of course) can be included in a weight loss plan (dairy is actually POSITIVELY linked with reduced weight, reduced FAT MASS, retension of LEAN BODY MASS and overall better BODY COMPOSITION!!). The only time I would feel it would be ESSENTIAL to take out is in the last few weeks of a competition cut - as it can make some people look 'puffy'.

If you are bulking/adding lean mass - dairy is EXCELLENT!! Just think of what milk is actually designed for! GROWTH... I would always use it (unless lactose intolerant).

I'm glad to see you are such a strong supporter of milk. I have seen you mention the positive benefits of milk numerous time, and I commend you. Milk is fucking great!

6:30am: Milk w/46g whey

9:00am: water w/46g whey

3:00pm(pre-w.o.): water w/23g whey

7:30pm(post wo): cranberry juice w/69g whey

11:00pm: water w/46 whey

10 scoops/day. No wonder my wallet is so light.