Is it accurate to say that you should consume protein right after working out?

According to Bethan Crouse, a performance nutritionist at Loughborough University, “this is one of those infrequent pieces of TikTok fitness advice with a lot of truth behind it.” But occasionally, it’s taken a little too literally! As they scan out of their gym, you see folks downing protein drinks.

After completing a resistance training exercise, Crouse advises her clients to eat 20–30g of protein within 30–60 minutes. “Working out causes our muscles to break down more quickly,” she claims. “We must eat amino acids in protein to repair or, ideally, enhance them and obtain benefits like greater strength or muscle mass.”

According to Crouse, consuming protein within an hour of doing exercise speeds up muscle protein synthesis, the process by which muscles heal and renew themselves, and reduces muscle protein degradation. It enhances the muscle’s adaptation response to exercise, resulting in increased strength, hypertrophy, and lactate tolerance.

However, Crouse adds that before you start worrying too much about when you eat, it’s better to concentrate on eating three balanced meals throughout the day and selecting healthy snacks if you’re simply a casual gym-goer who works out three or four times a week. “Start with the fundamentals: carbohydrates, protein, and vegetables on your breakfast, lunch, and dinner plates,” she advises.

Furthermore, if you enjoy snacking after working out, a protein shake isn’t the only option. According to Crouse, “a large glass of milk and those chicken satay skewers that you often get in a meal deal have really high protein content.” It’s beneficial to have something like a chocolate milkshake, which has both protein and carbohydrates. Co-ingestion of carbohydrates and protein leads to greater net muscle protein synthesis.”