We know a few things about building muscle:
- You need to train hard
- You need to eat protein
- You need to consume more calories than you burn (in most cases)
Seems simple, right? But so much nuance goes into getting these steps to truly work for you.
I need to train hard, but how hard? How many sets and reps should I do? How much weight should I lift? How little is too little, and how much is too much?
(Luckily we answered a lot of questions in a previous article.)
I know I need to eat protein, but how much? Am I eating enough right now? If I need to eat more, how much more? What is the best protein source?
If I need to eat more calories, how many more? Where should I get my calories from? How much is too much?
All of these are common questions, and they are the right questions to ask.
For the purposes of this article, I’d like to focus on what happens immediately after you train hard: the post-workout meal.
How much should you eat? How much protein should you consume? And when is the best time to eat after a workout?
Let’s dive in.
The Basics
For starters, let’s rehash some of what we already went through as well as go over some basic concepts you need to know.
For starters, you need to eat more calories than you burn on a daily basis. You not only burn calories when you train, but you also burn calories as you go through your normal, regular daily life activities. All of this adds up to be your daily energy expenditure, and if you aren’t taking in more energy (aka calories) than you’re burning, you are going to struggle mightily to build muscle. It’s just not optimal.
(Note: In some cases, you can build muscle in a calorie deficit, but this is usually reserved for individuals who are beginners to weight lifting, or are very overweight or obese.)
To build on that, a substantial amount of the calories you consume need to come from protein. The specific amount of grams of protein each person needs varies, so I can’t spit out a magic number for you. I will say one gram per pound of body weight, per day is a great place to start (unless very overweight or obese).
And finally, in regards to basic information, you need to make sure you’re training hard in the gym.
Like, legitimately hard. Probably 1-2 reps away from failure on most sets. If you’re interested in learning more about how much total training volume you should do, check out my article on that topic (because you can’t just pummel your body into oblivion every workout).
In order for your body to grow, it needs a stimulus that forces it to grow. Consistently going through the motions in the weight room is not going to get it done.
And let’s take one more second to talk about that word: consistently.
You need to train consistently — for days, weeks, and months — to build muscle. If you want to maximize your ability to build muscle, then we’re talking years and years of training.
None of this comes easy, so be prepared to work. But this kind of word is SO MUCH DAMN FUN!
Research Evidence
The concept of an “anabolic window” has pretty effectively been disproved. Or, at least the bro-science version of it.
You may have heard that you need to drink a shake or eat food within 30 minutes of your workout in order to build muscle. You may have also heard that if you don’t drink a shake or eat in that time frame, you “missed” your opportunity to grow. That’s what we’re talking about with the anabolic window. And that’s what has been disproved.
There does appear to be a window of time after a workout where eating is going to be optimal, but it’s much less urgent and far more variable based on each person’s individual lifestyle and routine.
What a shocking concept… Every person has different needs (I hope you can feel the sarcasm here).
A 2013 meta-analysis by Dr. Brad Schoenfeld and colleagues refuted “the belief that the timing of protein intake in and around a training session is critical to muscular adaptations.” In reality, muscle protein synthesis is elevated for up to 48 hours after training, meaning we can and should fuel ourselves accordingly over a longer period of time to maximize muscle gains. In short, there is a spike in what we can call our “muscle-building mechanisms” after a workout, which stays elevated for a long period of time.
What’s more, a 2017 study by Schoenfeld found that perhaps the window of time to maximize muscular response can be dependent on both the pre- and post-workout meals. This is a pretty simple and logical concept, so let’s break it down.
In scenario 1, you wake up and work out first thing in the morning. You train without a pre-workout meal, so you’ve been without any calories or protein for approximately 7-8 hours (assuming a good night’s sleep). If this is you, then you probably DO want to get a meal in immediately after training.
In scenario 2, you wake up and have a large breakfast. Within the next 1-2 hours, you go to the gym to train. You’re in a “fed” state while training, so the post-workout meal isn’t as big of an immediate need. Sure, you can benefit from another dose of protein immediately afterwards, but it’s a much less dire situation than scenario 1 when it comes to building muscle.
Coaching Cues
I think we can really pull from the research on this topic, and I think it guides us in a very logical way. Sometimes it’s difficult to interpret how much relevance or weight should be put into research studies. Not in this case, in my opinion.
Start by taking a look at your overall routine. Generally, your day probably flows in some type of consistent manner and you end up hitting the gym at a specific time of day. Evaluate that, and see how it lines up with your eating schedule.
If your workout occurs 4 or more hours after eating a meal, I’d suggest getting some calories in your system as soon afterwards as you can. This can be easily achieved by downing a protein shake. Then, you can head home and put together a more balanced and nutritious meal to add in more calories, protein, etc.
If your workout is within 3-4 hours or less after a meal, I think you can be more relaxed about this process and eat when it’s convenient.
Generally speaking, when building muscle we usually have to eat more frequently simply because we’re eating more daily calories. Eating more frequently is not a requirement. It just makes it more feasible. So chances are if you’re eating enough, this whole timing topic won’t be an issue for you.
Now, in terms of the content of your meal, this is something that’s once again highly variable from person to person. Some general recommendations that should work for most people, though:
- At least 300 calories
- At least 20-30 grams of protein
- Complement the meal with sufficient hydration
These are general recommendations. A 200-pound male and a 120-pound female are going to have WILDLY different needs. But I think if you get those minimum requirements, whoever you are, you’re going to make the most out of your post-workout meal.
More important than the post-workout meal is the content of your entire diet.
- What are you eating each day?
- Are you consuming enough calories?
- Are you consuming enough protein?
- Are you doing it consistently?
These factors are much more important than one singly, solitary meal after your workout.
Think large scale when it comes to your diet and building muscle. And take your lifestyle into consideration when evaluating your post-workout meal.
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If you have any questions about post-workout nutrition and how to build muscle, please feel free to contact me! I’d love to help. And if you’re interested in coaching in order to achieve your goals, check out my coaching page for more details!
Thanks for reading!
CGF