Does Protein Timing Matter for Muscle Gain?

Introduction

The concept of protein timing is something that has been discussed in the nutrition literature. The idea of protein timing is that you should consume your protein around your workouts to maximise muscle growth and recovery. It does not change how much protein you need. Historically, the belief has been that having some protein powder right after your workout is the most essential for muscle gain. But, how much does this actually matter?

More recently, studies have looked into the idea of protein timing, challenging some of the most common views and clarifying how we should approach the topic. This article will break it down. 

What is Protein Timing?

Protein timing is consuming protein at specific times around your workout, usually right before or immediately after, to promote more muscle protein synthesis. 

Muscle protein synthesis refers to the process your muscles go through to repair and grow after developing microtears during training. This concept suggests that consuming process in this much called ‘anabolic window’ increases the rate of muscle protein synthesis to cause more muscle growth over time. 

This has been a popular belief for many years, with athletes all the way from amateur to pro being encouraged to drink protein shakes straight after training to maximise the anabolic window; however, we are beginning to understand from the research that this may not be important. 

What is the latest research around Protein Timing?

A more recent study (Lak et al, 2024) looked at the impact of protein timing on muscle growth. The research included 40 resistance trained males with an average age of 24, which was divided into two groups. Each group consumed 2g of protein per kg of bodyweight per day, so the same overall amount, with different timings throughout the day. 

• Group 1: Consumed 25g of protein before and 25g immediately after exercise. 

• Group 2: Consumed their protein intake 3 hours before and 3 hours after training. 

Both groups were following the same 8 week training programme, with their body composition and strength markers being monitored to evaluate muscle growth and performance over time.

The results showed that both groups had significant increases in skeletal muscle mass and strength, however there were no significant differences in muscle growth or strength gain between the two groups.

These results ultimately support that the timing of protein does not have a noticeable difference to muscle or strength gain. 

Daily Protein Intake & Dosage

Whilst the timing of protein has been discussed for many years, the study we've presented highlighted a more important factor for muscle gain; the idea of total daily protein intake. 

It is now well understood that instead of focusing on when we take our protein, it is far more important to ensure that you are consuming enough protein. The general recommendation for people looking to build muscle whilst resistance training is 1.6-2 grams of protein per kg of body weight per day.

How much Protein should you have per Day?

Generally when trying to figure out how much protein we should have per day, we should look at factors like body weight, training intensity and fitness goals. Here is a bit of a guide based on your current form, lifestyle and daily activity.

Low Movement/Light Training

• Healthy Weight: 1.2 - 1.8g/kg
• Overweight: 1.6 - 2.2g/kg 

Active Individuals

• Healthy Weight: 1.4 - 2.4g/kg
• Overweight: 1.6 - 2.2g/kg 

You can then get more specific depending on what your goal is.

• If you are of health weight, looking to get leaner, then you should be at the lower end of the range, 
• If you are of healthy weight, looking to gain muscle, you should be at the higher end of the range. 
• If you are overweight, then your goal to lose weight should take priority and so the more important thing is calorie deficit. 

How should you distribute protein throughout the day?

So we have established that the main important factor is protein amount. Whilst you’re here, be sure to take a look at our article on how much protein should you have per day to build muscle.

Distributing your intake throughout the day can be helpful for meeting your daily target, rather than having to rely on larger portions of food to make up the daily total. Having protein rich snacks and meals can also support your body to getting adequate amino acids regularly throughout the day. Please, do not stress over keeping to an exact schedule though. The best approach is to find out what suits your lifestyle so that you can stay consistent with the daily target, rather than worrying about timing.

Conclusion

So, we have established that the concept of protein timing is not important for building more muscle and strength, but the total daily protein intake is. 

Whilst you are here, be sure to check out our range of protein powders, which includes whey protein, casein protein, and plant protein.
If you want to know more about protein, then take a look at our articles what are the benefits of casein protein. 

References

Lak, M., Bagheri, R., Ghobadi, H., Campbell, B., Wong, A., Shahrbaf, A., Shariatzadeh, M., & Dutheil, F. (2024). Timing matters? The effects of two different timing of high protein diets on body composition, muscular performance, and biochemical markers in resistance-trained males. Frontiers in nutrition, 11, 1397090. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1397090