Surely you’ve seen the guys in the gym (typically guys) chugging a protein shake post-workout – a practice called “nutrient timing.” They are making the most of that window of opportunity after they workout to build and repair muscle tissue. If you typically lift weights and then wait a few hours before consuming a good dose of quality protein and your strength gains will likely be blunted over time.
Though many athletes have the post-workout shake routine down pat, the thing they typically need work on is the rest of their diet. If an athlete wants to build or maintain muscle tissue, they can’t just down a protein shake, call it a day and eat whatever they want after that. You see, the ability to ramp up muscle protein synthesis may be at it’s peak immediately post exercise. However, the exercise-induced increase in muscle protein synthesis continues for at least 24 hours into the recovery period if exercise is performed to failure (type II fiber recruitment is critical). What does this mean for the athlete trying to get bigger and stronger or just maintain his or her muscle mass? It means you need to workout hard (preferably with an experienced Strength Coach, I’m lucky, I work with some of the best at CES – these guys bring new meaning to the phrase “train hard”) and your muscle tissue will be sensitive to protein intake throughout the recovery period.
Make the most of your workouts by training specifically for your sport, working out with a Strength Coach (studies show you’ll train harder if you train with a Strength Coach), consume your post-workout shake and utilize the 24-hour period after exercise to make the most of your muscle mass gains by consuming high quality protein at every meal.