Best time to consume protein TO BUILD MUSCLE

Best time to consume protein TO BUILD MUSCLE

Best time to consume protein to BUILD MUSCLE

 

Dr. Jeethan Bendoor

M.B.B.S.

Private Practitioner, Metabolic and Anti-ageing Enthusiast, Mumbai

Correspondence: E-mail: drbendoor@gmail.com

 

Protein is central to muscle protein synthesis, and therefore, muscle build!

 

If your focus is on building muscle mass for body-sculpting or body building, it is essential to supply adequate protein for muscle build that overwhelms muscle breakdown.

 

In one of my earlier blogs I recommended:

"If you are of healthy weight and active and wish to build muscle, aim for 1.6–2.4 g/kg ideal body weight/day.(1)" The Higher end of the recommendation is definitely for more protein availability for more muscle build.

 

It makes perfect sense to consume protein post-exercise. A time frame known as the "anabolic window" (2).

Earlier, this anabolic window was reported to be about 15 minutes, post-exercise; however, newer research has widened this window to up to 2 hours post-exercise (3).

 

My personal add to this advice — to give muscle at least an hour to take in all the stress that the exercise routine induces, let the body settle down a bit — about 1 hour, and then consume the protein.

 

In addition to the post-exercise protein intake, pre-sleep protein ingestion is also recommended for muscle protein synthesis and muscle build while we sleep.

An intake of up to 40 grams of protein pre-sleep is recommended (4).

 

 

Please note: Please do consult a physician who is well-versed with the physiology/science of muscle, and please do perform routine tests to measure metabolic issues as well as kidney function.

 

 

 

References:

  1. https://examine.com/guides/protein-intake/ Last accessed 24 November 2024.
  2. Lemon PWR, et al. The role of protein and amino acid supplements in the athlete's diet: does type or timing of ingestion matter? Curr Sports Med Rep 2002 Aug;1(4):214-21.
  3. Kirksick CM, et al. International society of sports nutrition position stand: nutrient timing. Int Soc Sports Nutr 2017 Aug 29:14:33. doi: 10.1186/s12970-017-0189-4. eCollection 2017.
  4. Trommelen J, and van Loon LJC. Pre-Sleep Protein Ingestion to Improve the Skeletal Muscle Adaptive Response to Exercise Training. Nutrients. 2016 Nov 28;8(12):763. doi: 10.3390/nu8120763.