For years, the fitness industry treated the post-workout window like a deadline. Miss it, the story went, and the workout was wasted.
What the evidence shows
Recent reviews show that total daily protein intake explains most of the variance in muscle protein synthesis. Timing has a small, conditional effect, mostly for trained athletes eating at the margins.
A simple plate rule
- ·Include a palm-sized protein source at each meal.
- ·Do not force a shake if you would rather eat food.
- ·Consistency across the week beats perfection on one day.
The week can wait. Your muscles will not.