Research
Mixed
Resistance exercise increases muscle protein synthesis (MPS) for up to 48 hours, creating a 'window of anabolic opportunity' where the muscle is more sensitive to protein intake.
Your muscles stay sensitive to protein for up to 24 hours after training. You don't need to chug a shake the second you put the weights down, but eating protein within a few hours is beneficial.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
More importantly, the acute resistance exercise-induced increase in MPS, even in the absence of feeding, is sustained for up to 48 h... suggesting that feeding at any time during this 'window of anabolic opportunity' should stimulate a greater muscle protein synthetic response compared with feeding at rest.
Why this rating
Supported by multiple studies cited in the review.
Source
Exercise training and protein metabolism: influences of contraction, protein intake, and sex-based differences
Nicholas A. Burd et al. · Journal of Applied Physiology · 2008
DOI 10.1152/japplphysiol.91351.2008
narrative_reviewCited 390×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Post-exercise protein ingestion is required to shift net protein balance to positive and support muscle hypertrophy, with a window of opportunity extending up to 24 hours after resistance exercise.Good
- Older women exhibit anabolic resistance, showing a reduced capacity for muscle hypertrophy and a smaller increase in MPS in response to resistance exercise and protein feeding compared to young men and women.Moderate
Related findings · Mixed
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