Many people argue the merits of whether you should have
protein before you workout or after, when in reality the best time is both! The
purpose of having protein before you exercise is to prevent muscle protein
breakdown and to promote muscle protein synthesis. This is fancy talk for
preserving the muscle you already have, and helping to promote the growth of
new muscle tissue.
In addition to consuming some quality protein before you exercise, you should
also consume some after as your muscles are highly receptive to incoming
nutrients after a training session. The purpose of protein after training is to
simply continue the benefits of pre-training protein, to preserve the muscle
you already have and help create new muscle tissue.
That’s the big picture anyway, but let’s dig a little deeper and see more ways
in which protein around our training can improve our results!
Protein Before You Train
Recent research has shown that consuming protein before exercise can decrease,
or at least prevent the increase of, markers of muscle damage (myoglobin,
creatine kinase and myofibrillar protein degradation) more than groups who
consumed just carbohydrates or placebo.
This is one of the key reasons to have protein before you train, as reducing
the damage to the muscles can improve recovery time and cause better
adaptations to training over the long-term.
In addition, protein consumed before training will also flood your blood stream
with amino acids as your body needs them, beginning the process of creating new
muscle while you are training!
Aim to consume about 15 to 40 grams of protein within 30-90 minutes before training, depending on
your size and needs. This can be consumed either in a shake or a mixed meal,
again depending on what best fits your needs.
Protein After You Train
While most people know they should have some protein after they exercise, they
often believe that they must have a shake or meal immediately after finishing
their last set. The fact is if you consumed an adequate amount of quality
protein within 30-90 minutes before you started exercising, then there is no need
for immediate consumption. In reality as long as some quality protein is
consumed within an hour after cessation of training, you are golden.
On the flip side of that, waiting too long can compromise the beneficial
adaptations to training, and decrease your results. So while you don’t have to
slam down a shake immediately after training, it wouldn’t be in your best
interest to wait for 3 hours either.
A perfect example of the importance of having protein around your training was
a recent 10 week trial where the researchers had subjects consume a
protein/carbohydrate mixture before and after training, and another group
consume that same mixture at the two points in the day furthest from the
training.
The group that surrounded their training with the protein/carbohydrate mixture
had greater gains in lean mass and strength, while also losing some body fat to
boot (the other group actually gained some fat). This clearly indicates that
surrounding your training with adequate amounts of high-quality protein (and
carbohydrates) will maximize results, even if your total intake for the day is
the same.
Aim to consume about 15 to 40 grams of protein within 60 minutes after training, again depending on
your size and needs. Whether this is consumed as a shake or a solid meal is
solely dependent on what best fits your needs.
The take home point is that it is a good idea to surround your training, both
before and after, with high quality protein to maximize the benefits of
exercise. This will minimize protein breakdown, and maximize your ability to
build or maintain lean muscle mass.
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