Got a PM from choon hon, I thought I should post it out here since it would benefit anyone who wanted to ask the same questions.
QUOTE
Hey, from what you said i need whey protein for pre and post workout? Any recommendations on which brand that is good?
One question though, im 170 cm but im only 60kg, dont i need to gain weight as well?
Sorry if i'm asking silly questions as i'm still a beginner .
Below was my reply, do correct me if there are inaccurate points, or where it needs reinforcement.
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First, as a beginner, you need to understand the basics of nutrition. It's always important to have a very good diet. Supplementation is used only when the diet cannot be improve anymore due to time constraints.
Now, the reason why most people want to have a post-workout shake is to stop the breaking down of muscles.
A good post workout shake should consist of quick digesting sources of carbohydrates and protein.
In ready made products, the carb sources usually are various types of sugar (e.g. glucose polymer), and a blend of several sources of protein (e.g. whey concentrate, whey isolate, and casein).
The reason why whey protein is used is because it is quickly digested. Why I said use pre-workout instead is because even with its quick digestion rate, it may not be quick enough. The carbs can also give you enough sustained energy throughout the workout.
And I mentioned protein blend is because a blend contains several sources of whey, usually isolate and concentrate, the former being quicker digesting, and the latter being slower. So it's a continuously sustained supply of protein.
To answer your question, "Any recommendations on which brand that is good?" There is no one answer to your question, as it is dependent on your own needs as per your daily diet. There are many brands selling different formulations to help you achieve your goals.
For example, it can be a protein blend 2 hours before your workout. Then after your workout you consume some amino acids and glucose polymer. As you can see there's no one perfect answer. That's why you need a solid diet and training plan first, then evaluate problems within the plan, tweak it, and only use supplements where necessary, else you'll just be wasting your money.
After determining your goals, and composing a workout and diet plan, then ask for advice on weeding out problems. From there, you can also evaluate what supplements you really need.
To your question "One question though, im 170 cm but im only 60kg, dont i need to gain weight as well?"
In terms of health, 60 kg for 170cm is a healthy weight, you don't really need to gain.
However, if you wish to be bigger due to personal preferences, what you can do is two things:
(i) focus on long term, slow muscle mass growth, with no fat gains. this is achieved through a very good quality diet, and adequate weight training.
or
(ii) focus on quick muscle mass growth, with some considerable amounts of fat gains (related to high calorie surplus and non-stringent food choice), or some fat gains (related to high calorie surplus but highly stringent food choice).