Should You Time Eating Protein Before or After a Workout

Consuming enough protein is vital to getting the best results possible from your workouts. This essential macronutrient provides the key building blocks (essential amino acids, EAAs) your body requires to stop protein breakdown, kickstart muscle repair and fuel greater gains in size and strength.

But when is the best time to eat protein, before or after exercise?

The answer may not be as clear-cut as you’ve been led to believe…

The Case for Eating Protein Before a Workout?

Eating protein before a workout can offer a number of benefits, particularly for those looking to build muscle.

Having something in your system, even if it’s just a scoop of whey protein or egg white protein, can help avoid feelings of hunger, which could distract you from your workout. It also helps make sure your body has a robust supply of EAAs and BCAAs to stimulate muscle protein synthesis (MPS), combat protein breakdown, and support muscle growth.

Numerous studies have been conducted with pre-workout protein drinks and found that it can support lean mass gains.[1]

What About Fasted Training?

Fasted workouts are a popular strategy for individuals trying to enhance fat loss. The thinking behind this is that if the body doesn’t have a steady supply of carbohydrates in the bloodstream then it will be “forced” to burn fat for fuel, particularly during low-to-mild intensity physical activity (i.e. steady state cardio).

While good in theory, our bodies are incredibly complex. research shows that training in a fasted state will cause the body to burn a higher amount of fat compared to carbohydrate for energy production; however, the body later compensates by burning a higher percentage of carbohydrates for energy than fats (even at rest).[2]

Furthermore, burning fat for energy can only support exercise up to a certain intensity. At that point, carbohydrates (in the form of glycogen) will be oxidized to support the muscles’ increased ATP requirements.[3,4]

Other studies find that having protein before training (even up to 40 grams) doesn’t significantly impede fat oxidation.[5] It may also help prevent unwanted muscle breakdown during dieting phases, too.

Lastly, research shows similar fat loss results whether training in a fed or fasted state, when both groups follow a hypocaloric (calorie restricted diet).[6] Basically, it doesn’t matter whether you have a protein shake, a full meal, or nothing before your workout, if your primary focus is fat loss. But, if you’re training for optimal hypertrophy and training first thing in the morning, you’re better off having a protein shake before your workout or at least sipping on a scoop of Clear Protein or BCAA/EAA during your workout.

The Case for Eating Protein After a Workout

For decades it was believed that if you didn’t have a protein-rich meal, or at the very least a protein shake, immediately after your workout, then you “wasted” your time in the gym as you wouldn’t capitalize on the heightened insulin sensitivity and increased MPS rates in muscle tissue.

This critical time period (0-30 minutes) after a workout was known as the “anabolic window.”

Research has found that consuming protein within the immediate and prolonged post-exercise recovery window can reduce markers of muscle damage, accelerate recovery, and improve lean mass gains.[7]

As was the case with fasted training, the anabolic window theory makes sense.

Intense workouts create microtears in muscle fibers and having protein after training gives the body the raw materials it needs to repair and rebuild. Additionally, resistance training does stimulate protein synthesis, but protein breakdown also occurs, and if you wait long enough after a workout without eating, protein breakdown rates will exceed protein synthesis rates, which would result in muscle loss.

So consuming protein after a workout is important. Now, it’s a question of how “narrow” the anabolic window is. Can you wait 15, 30, or even 60 minutes after a workout to eat and not “waste” your workout?

Research says “YES!”

The anabolic window is not as narrow as once thought. Truth be told, it’s more of an anabolic “barndoor” than a window.[8] Essentially, how soon you need to have your post workout meal depends on a number of factors, including how long your workout was, how intensely you trained, and when you had your last protein-rich real.

So, Is Protein Better Before or After Exercising?

The answer to this question (as you may have guessed) depends on a number of factors, including:

• What time you train
• What type of workout you’re performing
• What does your meal schedule look like throughout the day
• Personal preference (do you like training with food in your system or not)

Research to date both pre workout and post workout protein supplementation can yield similar benefits.

Furthermore, exercise scientists and hypertrophy researchers note that consuming enough protein daily is more important than when it’s consumed.[1]

For instance, you can have your pre workout meal, post workout shake, and pre-bed snack dialed in to the nano-second, but if you’re not getting enough sleep, creating progressive overload in your workouts, or eating the right number of calories to support your goals, then it really doesn’t matter if you have a protein shake before or after your workout. You’re missing the forest for the trees.

In other words, nutrient timing can be important, but it’s not everything.

Now, if you have the “big picture” factors taken care of and are looking to further optimize your routine, then you want to evenly space your protein feedings throughout the day (between 4-6 protein feedings per day, depending on personal schedule and preference) and have a similar amount of protein at each feeding.

How Much Protein Should I Eat Per Day?

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.8 grams (g) per kilogram (kg) of body weight. However, this amount of protein is adequate to preserve basic life functions. It is woefully inadequate for physically active individuals looking to build muscle, gain strength and lose body fat.

Active individuals are recommended to consume between 1.6-2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight. To keep things simple, aim for 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. This is more than sufficient to fuel your lean muscle and strength gaining aspirations.

How To Meet Your Daily Protein Goals

Getting enough protein is essential for overall health, muscle growth, and weight management.

High-quality protein sources to include in your diet are:

• Lean red meat (beef, venison, elk, etc.)
• Seafood (Alaskan salmon, shrimp, mahi mahi, oysters, etc. which also happen to be a good source of omega-3 fatty acids)
• Poultry (chicken, turkey, etc.)
• Eggs/egg whites
• Dairy (Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese, and milk, etc.)
• Plant-based options (beans, legumes, edamame, vegan protein powder)

Is Too Much Protein Bad for You?

There is a common myth that eating a high-protein protein is bad for your health, damaging your liver and kidneys and/or causing osteoporosis.

Thankfully, a considerable body of research shows that these concerns are very much overblown and are not supported by long-term human trials.[9,10,11,12,13,14]

One study, in particular, had healthy, resistance-trained men consume a high protein diet, consisting of ~2.51–3.32 g/kg protein per day for an entire year and found no harmful effects on measures of blood lipids, liver or kidney function.[9]

Another study in resistance-trained men had them follow a daily protein intake of 4.4g/kg (2g/lb) for eight weeks and observed no detrimental effects to kidney function.[12] FYI, 4.4g/kg of bodyweight is roughly FIVE times the RDA for protein intake.

The bottom line is that in otherwise healthy individuals with no pre-existing health conditions, a high-protein diet is safe and may benefit muscle gain and fat loss outcomes.

Takeaway

Consuming protein before or after your workout can be effective. When you consume your protein depends on a number of factors, including how you feel training on a fed vs empty stomach, when you eat in relation to when you workout, and your performance/physique goals.

Generally speaking, if you have a complete meal of carbs, protein and fat 1-2 hours before your workout, then you are fine waiting an hour or so before having a post workout meal or shake. Keep in mind, there’s nothing wrong with having a post workout shake immediately after your workout, but your results may not be orders of magnitude better than if you had that shake an hour later.

Lastly, keep in mind that consuming enough protein (and calories) each day is more important than having protein pre workout or post workout. Nutrient timing is one piece of the puzzle, but it’s not everything.

And, if you’re looking for great-tasting protein powders to help you meet your protein needs, 1UP Nutrition offers a variety of top-rated proteins to fit any diet or palate, including whey protein, egg white protein, clear protein, and vegan protein.

References

1. Schoenfeld BJ, Aragon A, Wilborn C, Urbina SL, Hayward SE, Krieger J. Pre- versus post-exercise protein intake has similar effects on muscular adaptations. PeerJ. 2017 Jan 3;5:e2825. doi: 10.7717/peerj.2825. Erratum in: PeerJ. 2017 Aug 1;5:e2825/correction-1. doi: 10.7717/peerj.2825/correction-1. PMID: 28070459; PMCID: PMC5214805.
2. Paoli, A., Marcolin, G., Zonin, F., Neri, M., Sivieri, A., & Pacelli, Q. F. (2011). Exercising fasting or fed to enhance fat loss? Influence of food intake on respiratory ratio and excess postexercise oxygen consumption after a bout of endurance training. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 21(1), 48–54.
3. Spriet LL. New insights into the interaction of carbohydrate and fat metabolism during exercise. Sports Med. 2014 May;44 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S87-96. doi: 10.1007/s40279-014-0154-1. PMID: 24791920; PMCID: PMC4008806.
4. Achten J, Jeukendrup AE. Optimizing fat oxidation through exercise and diet. Nutrition. 2004 Jul-Aug;20(7-8):716-27. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2004.04.005. PMID: 15212756.
5. Peeters WM, Cook LE, Page O. The effect of pre-exercise protein intake on substrate metabolism, energy expenditure, and energy intake: A dose-response study. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2023;20(1):2275006. doi:10.1080/15502783.2023.2275006
6. Schoenfeld BJ, Aragon AA, Wilborn CD, Krieger JW, Sonmez GT. Body composition changes associated with fasted versus non-fasted aerobic exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2014 Nov 18;11(1):54. doi: 10.1186/s12970-014-0054-7. PMID: 25429252; PMCID: PMC4242477.
7. Jäger R, Kerksick CM, Campbell BI, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: Protein and exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2017;14(1):20. doi:10.1186/s12970-017-0177-8
8. Aragon AA, Schoenfeld BJ. Nutrient timing revisited: Is there a post-exercise anabolic window? Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2013;10(1):5. doi:10.1186/1550-2783-10-5
9. Jose Antonio, Anya Ellerbroek, Tobin Silver, et al., “A High Protein Diet Has No Harmful Effects: A One-Year Crossover Study in Resistance-Trained Males,” Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, vol. 2016, Article ID 9104792, 5 pages, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/9104792.
10. Schwingshackl L, Hoffmann G. (2014) Comparison of High vs. Normal/Low Protein Diets on Renal Function in Subjects without Chronic Kidney Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. PLOS ONE 9(5): e97656. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0097656
11. J. Antonio, A. Ellerbroek, T. Silver et al., “A high protein diet (3.4 g/kg/d) combined with a heavy resistance training program improves body composition in healthy trained men and women—a follow-up investigation,” Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, vol. 12, no. 1, article 39, 2015.
12. Antonio J, Peacock CA, Ellerbroek A, Fromhoff B, Silver T: The effects of consuming a high protein diet (4.4 g/kg/d) on body composition in resistance-trained individuals. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2014, 11:19
13. Devries MC, Sithamparapillai A, Brimble KS, Banfield L, Morton RW, Phillips SM. Changes in Kidney Function Do Not Differ between Healthy Adults Consuming Higher- Compared with Lower- or Normal-Protein Diets: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Nutr. 2018;148(11):1760-1775.
14. F Martin, W., Armstrong, L., & Rodriguez, N. (2005). Dietary Protein Intake and Renal Function. Nutrition & Metabolism(Vol. 2).https://doi.org/10.1186/1743-7075-2-25
15. Cao, J. J. (2017). High Dietary Protein Intake and Protein-Related Acid Load on Bone Health. Current Osteoporosis Reports, 15(6), 571–576. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11914-017-0408-6