protein and exercise

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ericalouise77
ericalouise77 Posts: 8
in Fitness and Exercise
When is the best time to eat protein rich foods, before or after a workout?

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  • jodymaro1
    jodymaro1 Posts: 63 Member
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    I find my protein shake is much better 30-60 minutes before I train. I have much more energy and stamina. I used to take it after to feed my muscles, but like I said, I think it's best before for a better performance. Then go home and eat dinner which has protein in it too. Pack on the protein! :P
  • Tribonian
    Tribonian Posts: 39 Member
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    Most of the literature I've seen recommends after workout- "recovery" proteins within 15-30 minutes of completing a strenuous workout. See e.g.:

    http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/what-eat-before-during-after-exercise?page=2
    http://www.runnersworld.com/nutrition-runners/post-run-recovery-starts-protein
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
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    There has never been evidence that shows the existence of a "30 minute post workout anabolic window" in which it's important to get protein into your system immediately . Although you hear people refer to it all the time, it just plain doesn't exist. There is evidence however that shows that muscle synthesis is elevated for a 24 our period after weight lifting, so it's best to just go home and eat a real meal and stop worrying about protein timing because it's insignificant for 99% of the population (The 1% being serious bodybuilders at very low body fat levels preparing for shows).
  • Shawshankcan
    Shawshankcan Posts: 900 Member
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    There has never been evidence that shows the existence of a "30 minute post workout anabolic window" in which it's important to get protein into your system immediately . Although you hear people refer to it all the time, it just plain doesn't exist. There is evidence however that shows that muscle synthesis is elevated for a 24 our period after weight lifting, so it's best to just go home and eat a real meal and stop worrying about protein timing because it's insignificant for 99% of the population (The 1% being serious bodybuilders at very low body fat levels preparing for shows).

    For a minute, I thought you were going to go bro science on us.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
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    There has never been evidence that shows the existence of a "30 minute post workout anabolic window" in which it's important to get protein into your system immediately . Although you hear people refer to it all the time, it just plain doesn't exist. There is evidence however that shows that muscle synthesis is elevated for a 24 our period after weight lifting, so it's best to just go home and eat a real meal and stop worrying about protein timing because it's insignificant for 99% of the population (The 1% being serious bodybuilders at very low body fat levels preparing for shows).

    For a minute, I thought you were going to go bro science on us.

    Nope, I prefer to stick to actual science lol
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    This very recent article goes over all the relevant research in detail:

    http://www.jissn.com/content/pdf/1550-2783-10-53.pdf

    "With respect to hypertrophy, total protein intake was the strongest predictor
    of ES magnitude. These results refute the commonly held belief that the timing of protein intake in and
    around a training session is critical to muscular adaptations and indicate that consuming adequate protein in combination
    with resistance exercise is the key factor for maximizing muscle protein accretion."

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