If you have spent some time in the gym I am sure you have seen numerous lifters with their shaker cups and protein powder. Like clockwork they finish their 44th set of bicep curls and then its straight to the water fountain to mix up their chalky powder with warm fountain water and chug it down. The idea is that there is a short window of “Opportunity” to maximize gainz from the just completed workout session. People will even tell you that if you don’t get X grams of some super fast digesting whey protein source within X amount of minutes (usually 30) then you might as well have just stayed home because you wasted that workout. Sound familiar? I heard it when I first started and fell victim to this mentality.

Where does this come from? Unfortunately the supplement companies have been preying on naive young lifters for decades and making a killing from it. Through amazing Marketing strategies (usually Bodybuilders who use drugs) for the latest trendy Protein Powder promising those 20 inch arms they have led us to believe taking it immediately post workout is the most optimal approach. This actually could be correct in some situations, however the problem arises when we look into individual variability. Each person at the gym has showed up under different circumstances. Some show up fasted, others have recently ate a smaller meal containing protein, while others have not ate in 2 hours. In each case the demand for Post Exercise protein will be different. Let me explain below.

Most regular gym goers training for strength/hypertrophy train for 1-2 hours and have previously consumed some sort of pre workout meal containing protein. On average this meal is most likely consumed 1-2 hours before coming to the gym. So at the end of a long training session it MAY have been 4 hours since any protein has been consumed. Is it wise to consume some type of protein relatively soon at this point? Yes, I would say so. However, this depends on the type of meal which was consumed pre workout. If it was a heavy mixed meal (fats, carbs, protein, fiber) then the level of urgency is much less. In a scenario where the meal was lighter and less mixed or you were training fasted then the urgency to consume protein is inherently higher.

As you can see in a 2013 Meta Analysis the findings around this topic have been inconsistent. The majority of studies finding a major benefit for Immediate post workout protein were done on fasted individuals. What was concluded is the pre workout meal actually has a bigger effect on how big this “window” truly is. Yes it is optimal to have some kind of protein rich meal pre and post workout, but depending on the individual circumstance it may land anywhere form 3-6 hours after your pre workout meal.

So in reality this window really begins after the pre workout meal, not after the last set of the workout. Looking back on when this meal was, how large it was and if it was mixed will dictate when YOUR “window of opportunity” is closing. When you understand this, it becomes clear that people who speak in black and white terms in regards to this topic are extremely irresponsible, given they do not even know the details of your specific situation. This window is also ONLY to maximize MPS (muscle protein synthesis) and anabolism around a workout. Even if for some circumstance you happen to miss this “window” it does not mean the workout was wasted or you royally screwed up. It simply means you were not 100 percent optimal on that particular day in regards to timing.

To touch further, having optimal post workout protein timing should not even be your main concern. The number one thing for any lifter to focus on in regards to protein, is getting enogh total daily protein first. Consuming adequate daily protein over a long period of time will support muscle growth/maintenance and recovery much better than some acute timing of a chalky shake. Most gym goers actually get this backwards. The amount of people who know exactly when they drink their protein shake, yet have no clue how many daily grams they consume is astonishing. Do not be that person.

To recap where priorities should be

• Total daily protein intake. Making sure you are meeting your minimum daily protein intake to support your goals is the Big Rock to focus on. If this is not prioritized the timing of your protein is essentially irrelevant.
• Having a structure between pre/post workout meals that fits your schedule, training preference (IE eating bigger/smaller meal before or fasting), and supports performance/recovery.
• Having a sufficient amount of protein (25 grams) in the pre and post workout meal to optimize MPS.
• Understand that the pre workout meal can act as the “immediate” post workout meal if it is close to the workout and containing sufficient protein.
• In the case above you have no real need to shake up that chalky protein powder in warm fountain water. You can essentially go home, shower and cook a nice meal containing another protein source or go home and blend that shake up so it tastes better.