Protein Timing for Maximum Muscle Growth

Protein is an essential building block for muscle growth making it an extremely important macronutrient for athletes and weight-lifters. Some researchers suggest that protein timing has a greater effect on body composition than total daily nutrient consumption.

The goal is to consume protein at an optimal time around a training session to stimulate muscle repair, increase strength and enhance hypertrophy-related adaptations.

It is widely accepted that consuming protein shortly after a workout is optimal for muscle growth and recovery. This notion came about due to the ‘anabolic window’, referring to the short period of muscle repair and recovery after a training session. Until recently, it was believed that the window only lasted for 15-60 minutes, however recent studies have shown that this window expands up to 2 hours post-training. Additionally, consuming protein every 3 to 4 hours during the day stimulates muscle protein synthesis, leading to improved athletic performance and body composition.

It is important to consume high-quality protein sources during this time. While I don’t necessarily recommend ingesting protein powders (more on this another time), your food choices can make a huge impact. Unprocessed proteins such as beans, legumes and vegetables go a long way. If you’re vegan, vegetarian or plant-based and struggling to find clean protein sources I’ve made a free guide called Vegan Sources of Protein which you can access here.

The takeaway?

Consuming protein at least 2 hours after resistance training and every 3-4 hours thereafter have been shown to have the greatest benefits in muscle repair and growth, strength and body composition. But don’t fret if you miss these windows - protein consumed up to 24-48 hours after training also significantly contributes to performance, recovery and composition.