Research
Macro partitioning
Consuming 4-5 protein boluses per day, with one near training and one before sleep, optimizes muscle protein synthesis without requiring precise peri-workout carbohydrate timing.
Eat 4-5 meals with protein throughout the day. Make sure one of these meals is within 1-2 hours of your workout and another is within 1-2 hours before you go to sleep. You do not need to rush to consume carbohydrates immediately after training; total daily protein and overall meal distribution are more important.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
we recommend consuming four or five protein boluses per day with one consumed near training and one prior to sleep.
Why this rating
Based on acute MPS studies and some longitudinal data, but long-term studies show mixed results on timing vs. total intake.
Source
Nutritional Recommendations for Physique Athletes
Brandon M. Roberts et al. · Journal of Human Kinetics · 2020
DOI 10.2478/hukin-2019-0096
narrative_reviewCited 61×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Creatine supplementation (3-5 g/day maintenance or 20 g/day loading) is safe and effective for increasing lean body mass and high-intensity exercise performance in physique athletes.Strong
- Physique athletes should consume 1.8-2.7 g/kg/day of protein (up to 3.5 g/kg for hunger mitigation) to preserve lean mass and manage satiety during caloric deficits.Good
- Fat intake should be maintained at 10-25% of total calories during contest preparation to allow for adequate carbohydrate intake for performance, avoiding very low fat for long periods.Moderate
Related findings · Macro partitioning
- Total daily protein intake of 1.6 g/kg/day is sufficient for maximizing resistance training-induced muscle gains, with an upper confidence interval of 2.2 g/kg/day.Strong
- Resistance exercise training combined with sufficient dietary protein intake acts synergistically to maximize skeletal muscle hypertrophy, with protein intake saturating around 1.6 g/kg/day for general populations and potentially requiring 2.0-2.2 g/kg/day for resistance-trained individuals.Strong
- Trans fats should be completely eliminated from the diet, as they increase LDL cholesterol, decrease HDL cholesterol, and are directly associated with increased coronary risk.Strong
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