Research
Macro partitioning
Pre-exercise protein ingestion can sustain elevated amino acid levels into the post-exercise period, rendering immediate post-exercise protein dosing redundant for most trainees.
If you eat a protein-rich meal 1-2 hours before your workout, you do not need to rush to drink a protein shake immediately after. The amino acids from your pre-workout meal will still be circulating and supporting muscle repair for hours after you finish training.
GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
These data indicate that even minimal-to-moderate pre-exercise EAA or high-quality protein taken immediately before resistance training is capable of sustaining amino acid delivery into the post-exercise period.
Why this rating
Supported by acute studies showing sustained amino acid levels post-exercise when pre-exercise protein is consumed.
Source
Nutrient timing revisited: is there a post-exercise anabolic window?
Alan A. Aragon et al. · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2013
DOI 10.1186/1550-2783-10-5
narrative_reviewCited 136×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Immediate post-exercise nutrient timing does not provide a hypertrophic advantage over delayed intake when total daily protein and energy intake are matched.Good
- Post-exercise nutrient timing may be beneficial for individuals training in a fasted state or those with long gaps (>3-4 hours) between their last meal and exercise.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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