Energy balance
Consuming protein immediately before resistance training may increase lower body (leg press) strength gains more than consuming it immediately after.
If you are focusing on leg strength, try eating your protein 15 minutes before your workout. This might give you a slight edge in strength gains compared to drinking it after, possibly because it provides fuel for your legs. However, this finding is based on very limited data, so don't stress if you can't make it work.
For the leg press exercise, consuming protein before training increased the RM more than after training (SMD: 0.70; 95% CI: 0.005 to 1.388; I2 = 31%, p = 0.048).
Why this rating
The evidence is rated 'very low' by the authors due to risk of bias, imprecision, and only two observations contributing to the outcome.
Source
Does Protein Ingestion Timing Affect Exercise-Induced Adaptations? A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis
Rafael A. Casuso et al. · Nutrients · 2025
DOI 10.3390/nu17132070
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