When should you eat protein?

Illustration for the guide: When should you eat protein?

Short answer

Exact timing is secondary; the daily total matters. Spread your daily total over meals that fit your schedule. You do not need to hit a narrow window right after training.

Figures

Daily intake explained muscle growth, timing did not

What the studies show

Schoenfeld, Aragon and Krieger analysed randomised trials on protein timing. Unadjusted, protein around training seemed to help; once total intake was accounted for, the difference disappeared. Daily intake was the strongest predictor of muscle growth.

Large servings are not wasted

In a lab study by Trommelen and colleagues, 100 g of protein after exercise caused a greater and longer response (over 12 hours) than 25 g. This is an acute measurement and says nothing about muscle gain over months. A large serving is therefore not automatically excreted unused.

How to use it

First work out your daily total, about 1.6 g/kg. At 80 kg that is 128 g, or four meals of about 32 g. Whether you eat before or after training is up to your appetite and schedule.

Sources

  • The effect of protein timing on muscle strength and hypertrophy: a meta-analysis. · Schoenfeld · 2013 · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition PubMed DOI Study note
  • The anabolic response to protein ingestion during recovery from exercise has no upper limit in magnitude and duration in vivo in humans. · Trommelen · 2023 · Cell Reports Medicine PubMed DOI
  • Jäger et al. · 2017 · J Int Soc Sports Nutr DOI

    ISSN position: 20–40 g per meal.

  • A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults · Morton RW; Murphy KT; McKellar SR; Schoenfeld BJ; Henselmans M; Helms E; Aragon AA; Devries MC; Banfield L; Krieger JW; Phillips SM · 2018 · British Journal of Sports Medicine PubMed DOI Study note

Summaries by SetCtl, not medical advice.