How much protein do you need after a workout? What should you eat after a workout? Eating before training in the gym

People who want to gain weight need to eat enough protein. This is important not only for gaining muscle mass, but also for losing weight, because muscles are responsible for the quality of the human body. In addition, a lot of energy is spent on their “maintenance”.

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Muscles need a sufficient amount of building material - protein. Otherwise, they will not grow and will even begin to collapse. But if you greatly exceed the required daily intake, you may encounter problems with the functioning of the kidneys and liver. Therefore, it is important to correctly calculate how many grams of protein a particular person needs to consume.

Why do you need protein?

Proteins are necessary for the construction of muscles and other tissues (nails, hair, etc.). In addition, they ensure the metabolic process and are also used as a signal that is transmitted between cells.

Proteins perform the following functions:

catalytic - accelerate processes occurring in the body;
protective - ensure the functioning of the immune system and participate in the creation of antibodies;
structural - they are integral components of the cells of a living organism;
hormonal - hormone proteins help maintain the stability of the hormonal system;
transport - help deliver various substances and components to organs (for example, hemoglobin is responsible for the transport of oxygen);
nutritious - used as a reserve in case of starvation;
contractile - thanks to protein structures, muscles are able to tense and relax.

Protein in the human body is presented in the form of molecules that make up muscle fibers. These molecules are made up of even smaller “building blocks” - amino acids. They are replaceable and irreplaceable. The former (glutamine, alanine, arginine, glycine and others) are produced in the body, but are quickly consumed under increased loads. Essential amino acids (lysine, leucine, valine, isoleucine, etc.) can only be obtained externally through food or sports supplements.

The most protein is found in foods such as meat, fish, eggs, and cottage cheese. In addition, you can use sports nutrition. In particular, protein or gainer, which contains up to 30 g of protein. Individual essential amino acids (leucine, valine and isoleucine) can be obtained by taking a supplement such as BCAA.

If you do not consume enough amino acids, muscle growth will be limited, since there will literally be nothing for fiber to build from. Therefore, to ensure that training to gain muscle mass is not in vain, you must ensure that your body has enough protein.

Both men and women need to consume enough protein. Girls are sometimes afraid to do this and try to minimize the consumption of protein foods. But protein alone cannot build muscle. They break down during training. If there is not enough protein, the muscle fibers will not recover and body quality will be poor.

Daily norm

The daily protein intake will be individual for each person. It depends on weight, level of physical activity and metabolic rate.

It is worth considering the purpose of the training. Many people believe that the amount of protein in the diet should only be monitored when building muscle mass. But when losing weight, the body experiences an even greater need for protein foods. Indeed, in conditions of calorie deficit, muscles begin to break down. You can save them only if you eat enough protein.

It is especially important to increase the share of protein foods during drying. Many people confuse it with regular weight loss. But you can’t compare drying with a diet. During the first, you need to consume as few carbohydrates as possible, and this is a lot of stress for the body. Therefore, only professional athletes should resort to such measures.

In addition, cutting is carried out only after sufficient muscle mass has been gained. As a result, the body should become toned by reducing the percentage of body fat. To avoid losing the muscle gains, athletes have to consume a lot of protein. But it is worth understanding that the drying period should be short. It usually ranges from 2 to 6 weeks in preparation for competitions.

The ratio of nutrients during exercise to achieve a particular goal is presented in the picture.

The required protein intake per day is calculated in grams per 1 kg of weight. Generally accepted approximate standards are:

1 - 1.6 g for an ordinary person who does not engage in sports;
1.6 - 2.2 g for gaining muscle mass;
2.2 - 2.6 g for weight loss;
2.6 - 3.3 g for drying.

Based on this, it is easy to calculate the daily norm for yourself. You just need to multiply your body weight in kilograms by the required amount of protein. For example, a girl weighing 50 kilograms who wants to lose weight needs to consume 110–130 grams per day.

To make it easier to navigate, you can refer to this table. It provides information on the daily protein requirement for gaining muscle mass for different weight categories.

Body weight	Daily protein intake
45–50 kg	90–105
50–55 kg	105–115
55–60 kg	115–126
60–65 kg	126–137
65–70 kg	137–147
70–75 kg	147–158
75–80 kg	158–176
80–85 kg	176–187
85–90 kg	187–198
90–95 kg	198–209
95–100 kg	209–220

Doctors do not recommend consuming more than 3 g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. After all, its excess leads to problems with the liver and kidneys. Therefore, the norm of 3.3 g per kilogram of weight is justified only under severe drying conditions for professional athletes.

How often should you eat protein?

Another important question is how often to consume protein. This determines how well it will be absorbed and how quickly the muscles will receive the necessary nutrition.

The optimal time for admission is considered to be the following periods:

before and after training;
since morning;
at night;
between meals, when it is not possible to eat normally for a long time.

Before and after training, as well as in the morning, you can consume individual amino acids, which are absorbed much faster. At this time, the body needs rapid muscle recovery. To do this, you can take BCAA capsules or whey protein.

Thin people who have difficulty gaining weight can close the anabolic window after training by drinking a serving of mass gainer. This supplement contains not only a large amount of protein, but also carbohydrates, which are necessary to replenish energy reserves.

You need to eat a full meal an hour after class. Meals must contain protein (meat or fish) and complex carbohydrates (rice, buckwheat, durum pasta). You can also add a vegetable salad, as vegetables contain a large amount of fiber, which improves digestion and cleanses the intestines.

You should also take protein between meals to protect your muscles from breakdown and provide them with nutrients for continued growth. In this case, sports nutrition (protein, gainer, creatine, etc.) is suitable. You cannot completely replace regular food with additives. This can be done a maximum of 1 time per day.

During sleep, the body does not receive nutrients, so the muscles begin to experience “hunger.” You can avoid this by taking protein at night. It can be protein or regular low-fat cottage cheese.

You need to plan protein intake 5-6 times a day so that the body is constantly provided with amino acids. Otherwise, the muscles will begin to break down, since they require a lot of energy and burn out first.

And a little about secrets...

The story of one of our readers Alina R.:

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How much protein does the body really need to build muscle? Are there forms of protein that are qualitatively different from others? Is the time at which you consume food important?

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Seriously. I'm often asked how much protein you need to eat to build muscle.
Is 2.2 grams per kilogram of body weight enough? If you eat more, will you get more muscle?
Or should you eat less altogether? Maybe 2.2 grams per kilogram of lean muscle mass? Isn't that too much?
Let's figure it out.
Why does the body need protein to build muscle?
Most likely you know this, I just want to briefly go over the topic so that there is no misunderstanding.
In the body, protein is presented as a molecule that is made up of substances known as amino acids. Think of amino acids as the "building blocks" for proteins—without essential amino acids, the body cannot create protein molecules.
There are different types of proteins in the body that perform different functions, ranging from DNA replication and repair, cellular signaling (for example, insulin is also a protein), to the formation of tissues and other substances such as hair, nails and much more.
Building “muscle protein” (the type of protein molecules that make up our muscles) requires a wide variety of amino acids, some of which can only be obtained from food (called “essential” amino acids).
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When you eat food that contains protein, your body breaks it down into amino acids and then uses those same amino acids to build its own proteins.
If you consume too little protein, your body may become deficient in the amino acids needed for muscle repair and growth, and muscle growth will be impaired.
Even if you don't exercise, your body still needs protein. Every day, cells in the body die and are reborn, a process that requires amino acids.
When you exercise, your body requires even more amino acids to repair and grow muscle fibers. This is why athletes need to eat a high protein diet.
How much should you eat?
400 grams of protein per day? Are you kidding me?
Years ago my progress stalled and I thought the problem was the amount of protein I was consuming.
I asked a retired professional bodybuilder how many grams of protein I should eat daily, and he advised me 4.4 grams per kilogram of body weight.
I was very surprised, this meant that I would have to eat 400 grams of protein daily.
The guy was absolutely sure that 4.4 grams was just what I needed to overcome the plateau that had arisen and resume muscle growth, so I decided to do it.
I stocked up, increased my daily intake to 400 grams per day, and realized how much it sucked. I constantly felt “full” with protein shakes, I was just tired of eating.
I endured...but didn't gain an ounce of new muscle.
Let's return to the present. I've made significant progress since then, however, I haven't consumed more than 2.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight every day for many years (specific numbers will come a little later, don't worry).
The meaning of this little cool story:
If you're having trouble growing muscle, eating more protein isn't always the answer.

You Don't Need to Eat Crazy Amounts of Protein to Build Muscle

Maximizing muscle growth occurs on a simple “high-protein” diet that does not require stuffing yourself with kilograms of meat and dozens of protein shakes.
So, exactly how much protein should you consume to build muscle?
Protein needed by athletes
According to it, consuming 1.3 – 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight is enough to maximize protein synthesis in the body. Scientists also note that the amount of protein needs to be increased as the intensity of training increases and during cutting (calorie restriction).
Types of protein
Not all forms of protein are the same. There are 3 factors you should know:
Different forms of protein settle at different rates

The body accepts some forms of protein better than others.

Different forms of protein have different amounts of essential amino acids needed by your body

Beef protein, for example, is digested relatively quickly, 70%-80% of the amount consumed will be absorbed by the body (numbers vary depending on the study), and this type of protein is also quite high in essential amino acids.
Whey protein is also quickly absorbed, with the body using about 90% of the whey protein ingested. It contains many amino acids, particularly large amounts of leucine.
Egg white is digested more slowly than beef and whey, however, 90% of its amount will be used by the body for its insidious purposes.
It is important to know the "recovery percentage" and absorption rate to meet your daily needs; Specifically for post-workout use, it is better to use whey protein.
If your diet includes plenty of fish, eggs, meat and dairy products, then you will not have any problems meeting your body's protein needs.
Vegans, sorry, you will have some difficulties.
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You may be waiting for me to mention “complete” and “incomplete” proteins. But the emergence of the myth of the “incomplete” protein is only the result of inaccurate research that was refuted several years ago. All protein found in vegetables is “complete”.
However, this does not change the fact that many forms of plant proteins have a poorer amino acid composition, making them not very good sources of protein.
I recommend that vegans eat plenty of grains (quinoa and amaranth are the most popular for high protein content, I believe), beans, and high-protein vegetables like peas, for example. But it is better to refrain from consuming large quantities of soy.
Also, don’t forget that there are special plant-based protein powders for vegans.
Does the timing of protein intake matter?
The last point I want to address is timing your protein intake. Does it matter?
Should you consume protein every 3 hours? Should you eat it before and after training?
- Frequency of consumption does not matter.
You won't fall into a terrible state of catabolism if you don't eat protein every few hours, and you won't increase muscle growth by eating it very often.
If you are comfortable consuming everything in 3 meals, consume it; the body can absorb a large amount of protein taken “at one time.” If you prefer small meals, eat small meals.
(If you want to be even more convinced that meal times can be almost anything, read the article on Other Smart People)
- It's also a good idea to eat protein before bed. Not to prevent their destruction, but to help the body recover.
Lean mass is the total mass of all “lean” components of the body: skeletal muscle, water, bones, etc.
The article was translated specifically for do4a.net

What is the carbohydrate window and how much protein and carbohydrates does the body need after training? Recommendations of the optimal amount of nutrients for rapid muscle growth.

What is the carbohydrate window?

The carbohydrate (or metabolic) window is the time after physical exercise during which the body is most sensitive to incoming proteins and carbohydrates. The energy obtained from the nutrients consumed at this time is spent primarily on muscle recovery and growth.

The carbohydrate window opens immediately after the end of strength training and lasts from 45 minutes to 2-3 hours. In the first phase of the carbohydrate window, sports supplements in the form of whey protein isolate, fast carbohydrates and creatine are recommended, in the second phase - a full meal.

Fast carbs after workout

Strength training stimulates the production of cortisol, lowering testosterone, growth hormone and triggering the breakdown of muscle into amino acids. Taking 1-2 g of BCAAs during training blocks these processes, and taking fast carbohydrates immediately after training reverses them.

Carbohydrates with a high glycemic index dramatically increase insulin levels in the blood, blocking the negative effects of cortisol. Insulin, in turn, opens up the ability of cells to store energy. And since after training the muscles need energy, they begin to actively receive it.

How much protein do you need after a workout?

Although bodybuilders believe that “more protein is better,” this is not supported by science. First, excess protein intake can lower testosterone levels. Secondly, the body simply stops absorbing excess proteins from sports nutrition, excreting them in the urine.

More and more research suggests that immediately after training, 15-25 g of whey protein is enough, which easily covers the need for the most important amino acids. The overall balance of nutrients in the daily diet is more critical, although it should also contain about 1.5-2.5 g of protein per kg of dry body weight.

Should I take a gainer?

A gainer is a mixture of whey protein and fast carbohydrates. Eating a protein-carbohydrate shake like this immediately after a workout causes weight gain—but whether you gain lean muscle or fat will be influenced by the balance of nutrients in a particular brand of product.

Unfortunately, there is no definitive data on how many grams of carbohydrates per kg of body weight you should consume. Figures vary from 0.15 g to 0.6 g or even higher. Probably, everything depends on the characteristics of the athlete’s body (including his body type) and his overall strength training experience.

How many carbohydrates do you need after a workout?

The minimum dose of carbohydrates is 0.15 g per kg of body weight - 10-12 g of fast carbohydrates for an athlete weighing 75 kg. This amount is enough to increase insulin levels and stop catabolic processes. If your goal is rapid weight gain, increase carbohydrates to 30-40 g.

The meal following a strength training session should include a lot of the right carbohydrates, vegetables and various cereals - about 100-150 g. This will help replenish the reserves of glycogen spent during training (carbohydrates stored in the muscles and being the main source of energy for their work).

Proper nutrition for muscles

It is important to note that in most cases, the nutrients consumed before training are much more important than those consumed after it. If you come to the gym feeling hungry, this will minimize the effect of strength training - even if you close the carbohydrate window according to all the rules.

Compliance with the daily calorie intake (at least 2500-2700 kcal for an athlete weighing 70-75 kg) and the correct balance of nutrients (30-35% of calories from fat, 1.5-2.5 g of protein per kg of dry weight and approximately twice as many carbohydrates) are much more important for gain muscle mass than a single cocktail after training.

To close the carbohydrate window immediately after training, you need 15-25 g of whey protein and at least 10-12 g of fast carbohydrates (the figure can increase to 30-40 g). At the same time, carbohydrates are also necessary for those who work to increase their relief and are afraid of gaining fat - however, in a minimal dosage.

A source of fast carbohydrates can be a gainer, 100 ml of any juice or even fruit. One medium banana, for example, contains 30 g of carbohydrates (14 g of which are fast carbohydrates, 3 g of indigestible fiber). Adding 5g of creatine to your shake will also have a positive effect on muscle growth.

Scientific research shows that after training it is necessary to take not just protein, but mixtures containing proteins and carbohydrates with a high glycemic index. The main reason is that fast carbohydrates sharply increase insulin levels, stopping catabolic processes.

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After finishing your workout, your muscles need rest, a recovery period, i.e. time to replenish muscle glycogen. The better this process goes, the more intensely you can practice next time. There are three most important periods when you should fuel your muscles with carbohydrates.

2. Every two hours after training. After finishing your workout, continue to consume carbohydrates every two hours so that you eat at least 100 grams within four hours after training, and 600 grams within 24 hours. This equates to approximately 40-60 grams of carbohydrate per hour within a 24-hour recovery period. However, most women do not require such a large amount of carbohydrates. They can use the several menus presented in Chapters 12-15 to select meals suitable for a post-class snack.

Be careful: High glycemic index foods have one downside. They can cause a rapid, unwanted rise in blood sugar levels. The pancreas responds by releasing insulin to restore balance. Your blood sugar levels then drop significantly and you may feel weak or dizzy. On the other hand, foods with a low glycemic index provide a more consistent source of energy and rarely create such situations. By combining low and high glycemic index foods in your diet, you can keep your blood sugar levels constant between meals. So, the main motto is moderation. Don't overdo it with high-glycemic foods and drinks.

3. Throughout the week. To constantly maintain carbohydrate balance in your body, follow a high-carbohydrate diet for a whole week. One remarkable study of hockey players, whose sport requires both muscle strength and aerobic endurance, found that during the three days between games, a high-carbohydrate diet replenished 45 percent more glycogen than a low-carbohydrate diet. Thus, by regularly charging your body with carbohydrates, you will reliably supply your muscles with valuable glycogen.

But you can also overload your body with energy. In another experiment, athletes consumed increased amounts of carbohydrates for three days in a row, after which they pedaled exercise bikes at maximum intensity - 104% of their V02 max, which demonstrates the body's ability to absorb and metabolize oxygen. The athletes were able to maintain this pace for 6.6 minutes. And after consuming low-carb foods (2.6% carbohydrates), this figure was 3.3 minutes. As you can see, carbohydrates are pure gas for high-intensity activities.