How to Time Protein Intake for Optimal Strength Gains
Many in the fitness world recommend doing your workouts in the morning on an empty stomach if your goal is weight loss. True, bodybuilders who are interested in muscle growth often need to trim a little body fat, especially during the cutting phase of their program and even more so if they have been following a dirty bulking diet for an extended period of time. (See my recent blog: Clean vs Dirty bulking) However, the question of what's the right amount of protein intake and of proper "protein timing" for maximum muscle gain is probably more crucial.
Protein Turnover
You may already know that muscle tissue is made of protein and that protein is made of amino acids. I'll talk about the essential amino acids, good sources of protein, and daily protein intake later in the blog. First, I'll answer the question of when to have your protein shake!
An article from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), Protein Intake for Optimal Muscle Maintenance, says that the process of protein turnover is increased with resistance training and can stay elevated for up to 48 hours post-workout. This is especially true for those who have recently begun a new resistance training program.
Protein turnover is the continual process of renewal or replacement of the body's protein. When one is healthy, there is a protein balance, meaning that protein breakdown and synthesis are equal. When children are growing or when weightlifters are increasing their muscle mass, the rate of protein synthesis needs to exceed that of protein degradation. The effect of protein turnover is muscle loss if degradation outpaces synthesis. Therefore, it is very important to pay attention to one's protein intake and nutrition so that there is an ample amount of amino acids, the building blocks of protein, available for muscle protein synthesis.
Protein Timing
The ACSM article advises bodybuilders to avoid resistance exercise on an empty stomach. In fact, strength training in a fasting state leads to an increase in protein breakdown making it more difficult for the body to both repair and build muscle. The authors suggest there are several benefits to pre-exercise protein supplementation. Pre-exercise protein supplementation helps to improve body composition by increasing resting energy expenditure up to 48 hours post-exercise.
This matters because it indicates that pre-exercise protein ingestion will not only help increase lean muscle mass but will also help reduce body fat. However, the most important benefits of pre-exercise protein intake may be improved post-workout recovery and muscle hypertrophy (muscle growth). This likely occurs because the body had a head start with getting those essential amino acids to the muscles prior to needing them.
However, protein supplementation post-workout may have a more significant impact on skeletal muscle hypertrophy. The ACSM article references several studies that show that protein ingestion following an intense session of resistance training stimulates muscle protein synthesis for several hours. Conversely, a lack of post-workout protein intake may limit muscle protein synthesis and therefore reduce your progress towards adding lean body mass.
You've probably heard the conventional wisdom that protein intake within an hour of finishing resistance training is essential. Well, the authors suggest that this is true. In fact, they say that post-workout protein intake has the greatest influence on resistance training adaptations. An article published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Adaptations to Endurance and Strength Training, defines these adaptations from strength training as an increase in muscle strength and power, increases in muscle cross-sectional area (size), and improvements in connective tissue health.
Related articles:
Before, During, or After? YES!
An article from the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) on nutrient timing, states that "Nutrient timing incorporates the use of methodical planning and eating whole foods, fortified foods, and dietary supplements. The timing of energy intake and the ratio of certain ingested macronutrients may enhance recovery and tissue repair, augment muscle protein synthesis (MPS), and improve mood states following high-volume or intense exercise." Indeed!
These researchers definitely agree that protein intake after weightlifting is essential. However, they found that the crucial "anabolic window" of one-hour post-workout may actually be as long as two hours: "Post-exercise ingestion (immediately to 2-h post) of high-quality protein sources stimulates robust increases in muscle protein synthesis." They also agree with the ACSM article that pre-workout protein is essential. And, prepare for your head to spin, they recommend adding some protein during your weightlifting sessions if they are intense and last more than an hour or so. Boom!
The authors of the ISSN article discuss hydration and refueling during high-intensity resistance training. Especially for sessions that last longer than an hour, they recommend aggressive carbohydrate refeeding, preferably with a carbohydrate source that has a high glycemic index, like those found in sports drinks and in supplements like Carb by performance Lab. They also recommend the addition of caffeine and protein.
Because carbohydrate delivery may be slower than what's being consumed at a cellular level, adding protein may help increase performance, minimize muscle loss, regulate blood glucose levels, and facilitate glycogen re-synthesis.
In general, during moderate exercise, carbohydrates should be consumed at a rate of about 30 to 60 g/hr. So on your cardio or low-intensity days, 6-12 fluid ounces of 6-8% carbohydrate-electrolyte solution every 10-15 min while exercising is ideal. However, during intense weightlifting, for optimal performance, one should aim for:
carbs: 0.8 g/kg/hr (grams/kilogram of body weight/hour)
caffeine: 3 to 8 mg/kg/hr
protein: 0.2 to 0.4 g/kg/hr
This means that every hour, a 220 pound (100 kg) man should get about:
80 grams of carbohydrates
300 milligrams of caffeine
20 to 40 grams of protein
There are many sports drinks available online and at your local shop or sporting goods store. Talk with a personal trainer or dietitian for help determining what is right for you, considering your goals and what your body needs to stay hydrated and build muscle.
Getting Enough Protein
Most healthy adults can meet their protein needs from their normal dietary protein intake. Many people, especially young men, over-estimate their protein requirements. The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. So a 220-pound person (100 kg) would need 80 grams of protein.
However, besides needing a higher calorie intake, weightlifters also need a higher protein intake. And they need to make sure to get all the essential amino acids. For this reason, a high protein diet is essential in order to build muscle.
Your whole body needs protein, not just your muscles. The proteins of the human body are made from twenty amino acids. Nine of these are considered "essential," meaning that our bodies cannot make them; they MUST be ingested. And this is where animal-based proteins have a slight advantage, logistically. There are animal sources of protein that are "complete," meaning that they have all of the nine essential amino acids. Vegetarians and vegans can also get all the amino acids they need, with a little planning. See my blog The Ripped Vegan for more info.
One of these essential amino acids is leucine. This amino acid can be used by skeletal muscles to give energy during exercise. Eating high protein foods such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and milk will give you enough leucine. It is believed to improve exercise performance, build muscle mass, or help with your post-workout recovery. It increases muscle growth and lean body mass by increasing the production of human growth hormone.
To know if you're getting enough protein, first establish what calorie intake your body needs. Healthline.com has a handy calculator for estimating the number of calories you need for your daily functioning. Remember to stick to a healthy diet containing protein from lean meats, low-fat dairy, eggs and fish as well as complex carbs. You want about half of your calories to come from carbs, the other half should be evenly split between healthy fats and protein.
Per day you should get about:
Protein: 1 - 1.5 grams per pound of body weight (2.2 - 3.3 grams/kg).
Carbs: 2 - 4 grams per pound of body weight (4.4 - 8.8 grams/kg).
Fat: 0.5 grams per pound of body weight (1.1 grams/kg).
A Healthline.com article, Top 13 Lean Protein Foods You Should Eat, suggests:
White-flesh fish: cod, haddock, pollock, flounder, halibut, tilapia and orange roughy.
Plain Greek Yogurt: A 6-ounce serving of Greek yogurt has 15–20 grams of protein!
Beans, Peas and Lentils: They average 8 grams of protein per 1/2-cup (100-gram) cooked serving and are also low in fat and high in fiber.
Skinless, White-Meat Poultry: A 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving of cooked chicken or turkey breast has around 30 grams of protein.
Low-Fat Cottage Cheese: A low-fuss food, a 1/2-cup of low-fat cottage cheese has 13 grams of protein.
Lite Tofu: A 3-ounce serving of lite tofu has 7 grams of protein, including sufficient amounts of all essential amino acids.
Lean Beef: Cuts with “loin” and “round” in the name, such as sirloin, tenderloin, eye of round roast, and round steak.
Low-Fat Milk: An 8-ounce (240-ml) serving of low-fat milk with 1% milkfat has 8 grams of protein.
Pork Loin: Pork tenderloin, the leanest cut, only has 143 calories, but 26 grams of protein.
Frozen Shrimp: Frozen, unbreaded shrimp; a 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving has 21 grams of protein.
Eggs/Egg Whites: Whole eggs (cholesterol and all) have three grams of protein. If you’re looking for something a little lighter, just use the whites. An egg white has a quarter of the calories and half the protein of a whole egg.
Protein shakes are another great way to get enough protein. You can combine whey, egg, and casein throughout the day. Whey protein is a healthy way to add more protein to your diet. It's a quality protein source that is absorbed and utilized efficiently by the human body. This is particularly important for athletes, bodybuilders, or people who need to gain lean body mass and strength while losing fat. Check out these great protein shake recipes.
There are also lots of great protein powders and collagen supplements available online or at your local health and wellness shop. Collagen supplements, especially collagen peptide supplements, are easy to digest and contain all the amino acids necessary for protein building. Check out Amandean's selection of collagen supplements.
Wait, What About Bedtime? Yup!
According to the ISSN article, consuming 30-40 g casein protein prior to sleep can acutely increase muscle protein synthesis and metabolic rate throughout the night without influencing lipolysis, the breakdown of fats and other lipids by hydrolysis to release fatty acids.
So Is There A Bad Time For Protein Intake?
There's not really a baaaaaad time for protein intake. However, there are better times than others. As we've seen, in the morning, pre-workout, during a workout, and post-workout are excellent times to get your bad-self some high-quality protein. However, the early evening may not be one of those optimal times.
Championing Chrononutrition with Protein, the Morning Elixir for Muscle Growth, an article from ScienceDaily, it's better to eat more protein early in the day, at breakfast, as an early snack, or at lunch. This is because by dinner time, the muscles have had time to repair and rebuild. The article suggests that dinner be used as a chance to "top off" the body's energy supplies before going to sleep and getting up to head to the gym the next day.
Unless, of course, your lifestyle requires you to exercise in the evening. Then you'll be wanting that dose of high-quality protein with your post-workout dinner.
Conclusion
Eat/drink protein in the morning
Eat/drink protein before weightlifting/training
Eat/drink protein during very intense weightlifting/training
Eat/drink protein within two hours of finishing weightlifting/training
Eat/drink casein protein before going to bed
If you can't keep all of that straight, just remember what the good folks who wrote the ISSN article say: "Meeting the total daily intake of protein, preferably with evenly spaced protein feedings (approximately every 3 hours during the day), should be viewed as a primary area of emphasis for exercising individuals."
In other words, yes "protein timing" is a thing to pay attention to. However, like most concepts and opinions, one can get too focused on the details and miss the bigger picture. Being consistent with your training program, staying hydrated, eating a well-balanced diet, getting plenty of sleep, and eating/drinking high-quality protein throughout the day are more important than being preoccupied with the exact timing of your protein intake.
