In reply to Philo22: I used to compete as a bodybuilder. I used to guzzle about 4 shakes and 6 chicken breasts per day!! way to much for a climber! Glad i put a stop to that! the best time to take a shake is within half an hour of training and before bed.
without enough protein and calories your body enters a catabolic state. this is where your bodys reserves are used for energy and injury repair. a terrible state to be in when you are training to become stronger and fitter. you will go backwards or make no improvments
When you get enough protein and calories you enter an anabolic state, which is ideal for making inprovments from training.
You should use the guide of between 1.5 and 2g of protein per pound of body weight. for a 10 stone man this would be 210-280g protein per day. If you can get this from 'normal' food then great, but a protein shake after training or before bed will make this much easier and cheaper.
You shouldnt forget your other nutrients as these are just as important for heath muscle growth. you shouldnt be loosing weight if you are trying to gain strength, if you are, increase the calories. it takes a bit of trail an error, but if you are gaining about 1 pound a week, thats good.
diet is more important than the training in becoming a better athlete.
Hope that helps!