But First, Let Me Take A Swolfie
Alex Cain investigates the anabolic window and importance of post-workout protein
Exciting news - we've got our inaugural guest post! Myth-busting of broscience is a practice that is near and dear to my heart, and a good friend did an assignment on the anabolic window with respect to recreational athletes for a nutrition course, which he just so happened to get 100% for. I thought it would be interesting and relevant to my subscribers, as I’m sure most of us have heard that if we don’t chug a carton of chocolate milk within 3.7 seconds of completing our workout, our hard earned gains go poof. Is there any truth to that? How panicked exactly do we need to be when shaking up our post-workout whey? Can we even take our swolfie first? Alex has kindly allowed me to reproduce his paper here (lightly edited purely for formatting and because gifs), so I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Does eating protein immediately post workout lead to quicker recovery for recreational athletes?
There is a commonly held belief in some fitness communities that consuming protein right after a workout is crucial to taking advantage of the nutritional benefits of protein to aid with muscle recovery and repair. Protein is one of the three essential macronutrients that make up a healthy diet. This is because of the amino acids the body can synthesize from it, which it uses to build all the proteins used in processes within the body, including muscle repair. But does consuming protein immediately post workout offer any benefit to recreational athletes?
Those who argue that protein should be consumed within this short timeframe, commonly referred to as the anabolic window, believe that it may even be more important than the quantity or ratio of the macronutrient. They claim that during this window, the muscle will be more sensitive to the ingestion of protein. Further, it has been hypothesized that if the damage done to muscles is caused by a lack of needed nutrients and proteins during physical exertion rather than mechanical damage, that immediate protein consumption would be able to speed up the recovery process. However, despite solid reasoning, there is far more evidence arguing against any noticeable benefit caused by the timing of protein consumption.
It has been found that even in situations where there is a benefit to consuming protein within the anabolic window, this benefit can completely vanish when the amount of total protein intake of each participant was able to be controlled. This would suggest that it is not when the protein is consumed that has an impact on the rate of muscle recovery, but that the body is consuming an adequate amount of protein to meet all the needs placed on it by the exercise performed. During an analysis of 20 studies performed on protein consumption and timing, it was determined that it was more likely the increase in protein consumption rather than its timing that led to any of the positive effects noted.
To maximize muscle recovery there should be more importance placed on the quality of the protein being consumed rather than when it occurs. During an experiment where participants were to consume either a milk protein blend of rapid digesting soluble proteins and slow digesting casein protein or just the casein protein, those who consumed the milk protein noted improved muscle endurance and reduced muscle fatigue.
Ultimately, none of the studies were able to conclusively prove that consuming protein post workout would provide any sort of recovery benefit. Instead, the focus should be placed on ensuring that enough protein is being consumed and that it is of appropriate quality. If the body receives all the amino acids it requires to produce proteins, it will be able to do its job efficiently.
— Alex Cain, 2018.
