Eat 30g of Protein After Training

The half-hour after training is often referred to as “the anabolic window”: a period in which you can optimise your gains through targeted nutrition. Just how to refuel has been cause for debate, both in research papers and among bodybuilding forums.

Can you count on it?

Refuelling after exercise is important. Strength training causes micro-tears in your muscles, which protein helps to repair, resulting in growth. However, experts continue to chew over the prescription.

First, let’s look at timing. According to a review in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, your muscles are primed for protein for longer than you

think. The study concludes that, as long as your preand post-exercise meals are not separated by more than four hours, your muscles will be adequately fuelled. So, if you eat your mid-morning snack at 11am, then hit the (living-room) gym at lunch, you don’t need to return to the fridge until 3pm.

As well an “anabolic window”, the house of gains is also said to have a “protein intake ceiling”: the maximum amount of protein that your body can absorb at one time – hence the 30g rule. Yet this is also inaccurate. A review by the research group examine.com concluded: “Your small intestines are able to absorb and store a large amount of amino acids, ready to be used when your body needs them” – with full-body sessions benefiting from higher doses than arms, chest, or legs day.

The expert update

There’s no magic formula, but a review by body composition experts Brad Schoenfeld and Alan Aragon in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition concluded that, to maximise muscle, a good protein goal is 0.4g–0.55g per kilo of your bodyweight, per meal, four times a day.