Research
Macro partitioning
Postexercise protein ingestion (approx. 20g intact protein or 9g essential amino acids) is required to maximize muscle protein synthesis and facilitate muscle repair.
After exercise, consume about 20 grams of high-quality protein (or 9 grams of essential amino acids) to maximize muscle repair. To optimize muscle growth over the whole day, aim to eat this amount 5-6 times daily rather than just once after your workout.
StrongSupportsHIGH confidence
The consumption of ~20 g intact protein, or an equivalent of ~9 g essential amino acids, has been reported to maximize muscle protein-synthesis rates during the first hours of postexercise recovery.
Why this rating
The paper is a comprehensive scholarly review citing multiple controlled trials.
Source
Nutritional Strategies to Promote Postexercise Recovery
Milou Beelen et al. · International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism · 2010
DOI 10.1123/ijsnem.20.6.515
narrative_reviewCited 230×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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