How Long After A Workout Does Protein Make A Difference?

So you go to the gym, get your sweat on, and then get on with your day. Several hours later, you realize that you forgot to drink your protein shake when you were done. Darn it! Now your muscles won’t be able to reap all of the benefits of your workout. Or will they?

Good news: Your muscles actually respond to protein for 24 hours after your workout.

Yes, you read that correctly. As long as you remember to consume your high-quality whey protein within 24 hours of your intense weight training session, you can still see your muscle growth improve quicker than if you completely forgot it.

How is this possible?

It does seem hard to believe, but according to the McMaster University in Canada, it is absolutely possible. They recently completed a study with 15 men around 21 years old. They had these guys consume a protein beverage containing 20 grams of the good stuff prior to a weight-training workout. Upon their return 24 hours later, their muscle-signalling molecules (that’s what actually makes your muscle tissue rebuild) were still on high alert from the protein. Pretty cool, huh?

But there’s a catch.

You actually have to do an intense workout to achieve these benefits. In the study, the subjects only worked out one leg per session in order to observe if the protein still had a positive impact when no weight training was present. And as you would have guessed, only the muscles that got worked out showed the results. Not only that, but the subjects in the study worked out as long as their muscles would possibly let them. However, it didn’t matter what the total weight was that they were lifting, so that’s good news.

So do I still need to drink it right before and after my workout?

Yes, ideally you would consume our ISO XP New Zealand whey protein (which has more than double the amount of protein used in the study, FYI) immediately before and after your workout. After all, that is the best time to get the effects of the protein. However, if you forget – or you just want an extra boost – you can also enjoy our delicious shake many, many hours later and still experience improved muscle growth. We think that’s pretty exciting, and we bet you do, too.