Macro partitioning
Ingesting 20-25g of high-quality protein (e.g., whey) post-resistance exercise maximizes muscle protein synthesis (MPS) in healthy young adults, with no additional benefit from consuming 40g or more per meal.
Eat 20-25g of high-quality protein (like whey, eggs, or meat) within a couple of hours after your resistance training session. You do not need to force-feed yourself 40g or more per meal, as your muscle protein synthesis will not increase further, and the excess protein will simply be burned for energy or excreted.
Moore et al. (2009) found that after a bout of unilateral lower-body RE the MPS response plateaued with ingestion of 20 g of protein such that there was no statistically significant benefit toward MPS with the ingestion of 40 g... It appears that 20 g of whey protein (or ~0.25 g protein/kg) is an ample amount of protein to ingest for healthy young men... regardless of training status.
Why this rating
Based on multiple controlled acute studies (Moore, Witard) cited in a comprehensive review.
Source
Nutritional interventions to augment resistance training-induced skeletal muscle hypertrophy
Robert W. Morton et al. · Frontiers in Physiology · 2015
DOI 10.3389/fphys.2015.00245
More from this paper
- Resistance training to the point of contractile failure is the primary driver of hypertrophy, rendering specific load selection (light vs. heavy) less important as long as failure is reached.Good
- Post-exercise carbohydrate co-ingestion provides no additional muscle protein synthesis (MPS) benefit over adequate protein intake alone following resistance exercise.Good
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
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →