The Anabolic Window Is a Lie (Here’s What Actually Builds Muscle)

What is the maximal anabolic dose of protein per meal for the goal of muscle building? [snorts] We boiled it down to first in the order of importance is total daily protein. If you get total daily protein right, the timing of the constituent [music] doses of the total are just a distant secondary concern. Didn't make a difference. If you can give an acrosstheboard recommendation of how much protein people should consume postresistance training, let's just leave cardiovascular training separately for the moment. Post-resistance training, what would that number be? Would it be 20, 30, 50, or 100? Should it scale with body weight? And how long after training should one consume that protein if the goal is muscle protein synthesis >> to maximize MPS? We really haven't seen doses uh beyond uh 50-ish [music] grams. 30 30 30 or so to 50. My colleague Brad Show Choenfeld and I we scoured the literature and we wrote this paper on what is the maximal anabolic dose of protein [music] per meal for the goal of muscle building and we boiled it down to somewhere between 04 to roughly 6 [music] g per kilogram of body weight. And so in freedom units, uh, we're talking 0.2 to 0.25 [music] g per pound. And that is what appears to max out muscle protein. >> 2 to.5 g per2 to 0.25. >> 0.25. Yes. Okay. >> Yeah. So like about a quarter of your body weight and pounds if you're looking at grams of protein to maximize per muscle protein. That's Yes. Per meal. >> Okay. I sorry because I think many people including myself are going to say okay but this is only in the meal post workout. I mean I I wake up in the morning and I try to work out before I eat cuz I like to do that. Sometimes I'll have a little bit of protein but let's assume two conditions just for simplicity. somebody did resistance training in the previous two hours >> or and and they're trying to evaluate how much protein to eat at that meal in order to maximize muscle protein synthesis or they're eating a meal >> separate for on a day they're not resistance [music] training, right? So, and then as just kind of a a generic example of a meal that doesn't follow resistance training in the window of 2 hours or so, how much protein should be consumed at these two different meals? We did a metaanalysis of the existing literature looking at the anabolic window thing and um for the listeners um a metaanalysis is [music] a study of the studies. You collect all of the studies on a given question and then you kind of see you look at you know effect sizes and you sort of see where the evidence leans whether there's an you know a significant or meaningful effect. We collected studies that compared a a protein timing condition where protein was timed within an hour either pre- or post exercise and then the control group of the study would have to have protein a minimum of 2 hours of nutrient neglect on both sides of the training bout. So we collected all the studies that compared these conditions. Essentially we found that as long as total daily protein was about 1.66 66 1.7 g per kilogram of body weight. So about.7 g per pound as long as total daily protein was at that or more then the timing relative to the training bout didn't make a difference. This is important for people to hear because what this translates to in my ears is a very simple takeaway, which is that you don't need to obsess about the post-training anabolic window, especially if you're eating prior to training. >> Yes. >> Because you have nutrients circulating. Now, if you eat your last bite of food at 8:00 p.m. and you wake up at 7 a.m. and you're training at 10:00 a.m., then perhaps by time you finish your leg workout or whatever resistance training workout, you would want to prioritize getting some protein and other nutrients into your system. What you're saying basically, um, it makes it is so logical now that I hear it, uh, which is that you have nutrients circulating in your body and stored in your glycogen and so you're pulling from a reservoir. Fasted doesn't necessarily mean starving. >> First in the order of importance is total daily protein. So there's this hierarchy of importance. If you get total daily protein right, then the timing of the constituent doses of the total are just a [music] distant secondary concern. Is there anything wrong with consuming [music] a high or very high protein meal every once in a while, especially if you're not eating much or consuming much protein throughout the day? And the reason I ask this is for practical reasons. Many people find it difficult to distribute their protein evenly through the day. >> Many people also find it difficult to get enough protein in the middle of the day meals or the morning meals. It can be done and I know people will say, "Well, you have some eggs and some protein." There ways to do it, sure. >> But at least in this country, most people tend to emphasize dinner as their largest meal for better or worse. So, a lot of people stack their protein heavily towards the end of the day. >> Assuming caloric load is appropriate, etc. Is there anything fundamentally wrong or bad about doing that from the perspective [music] of body composition and health? We're talking about the general population, not somebody who's trying to win a physique competition or run a marathon or ultra. [music] >> I would say no. One of my colleagues, Yasin Lock, he took our our pre-post model and he kind of [music] like he ran his own uh randomized control trial version of it, but he wanted to kind of exploit the possibility of further protein neglect on both sides of the training bout. So he compared an immediate pre and [music] post immediate pre and post 25 g of protein sandwiching the resistance training [music] bout with a group that neglected all nutrients for 3 hours on both sides of the resistance training bout. Total daily protein was optimized at around close to a gram per pound, twoish grams per kilogram of body weight. no significant difference, no meaningful difference in muscle size and strength gains [music] at the end of the I believe it was a 10 or 12 week study. >> That's very reassuring to me. I mean, because I have a busy schedule as do many people. Sometimes people don't like to eat immediately after they train. Sometimes [music] you have to shower up and head to dinner after you train or shower up and head to a meeting and you [music] don't have the opportunity to ingest the in the quote unquote anabolic window. So, what I'm hearing through all these answers, correct me if I'm wrong, is that there's tremendous flexibility as to [music] when you consume the protein that we all need, but that the overall protein requirement seems to center somewhere around.7 to 1 g per pound of body weight, somewhere in there total per day. >> If the amount in a given meal is a bit higher than 20 or 30 g, >> you're fine. If it's a bit lower, you're probably fine. But the thing that also I believe needs [music] highlighting that most people don't talk about is distinguishing between what's in circulation versus when one ingests something. [music] Like we'd love to think that we drink 30 g of protein or eat the chicken breast or the piece of steak or have the eggs and suddenly those amino acids are available. [music] >> And it makes so much more rational sense now that you describe it that eating first makes those amino acids available for the [music] muscles a couple hours later. Yeah. >> And we just don't learn about it that way. So, I'm very grateful that you're bringing it up that way. I realize we could probably drill into protein requirements [music] um ad nauseium, but think think about it this way. The way I like to put it is total daily protein is the cake. >> The specific timing of protein relative to the training bout that is the icing on the cake and it's a very thin layer of ice. [music] >> [music]

How much protein do you actually need to build muscle — and does the anabolic window really matter? In this science-based breakdown, Dr. Alan Aragon uncovers what truly drives muscle growth so you can stop overcomplicating your nutrition and focus on what works. Subscribe to RESPIRE for more science-based health tips: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyNaCRf6Aaljcm9ZWARawXw re·spire (verb) – (1) to breathe (2) to recover hope, courage, or strength 🌟🌟🌟 NEW VIDEOS EVERY WEEK 🌟🌟🌟 This video is a condensed and highly edited version of the full 2 hour and 34 minute podcast from @HubermanLab. For more information, watch the full episode and following the podcast. Alan Aragon is a well-known nutrition researcher, educator, and writer with over 25 years of experience in the field. He is recognized as a leading voice in promoting evidence-based information in the fitness industry. Podcast Guest: Alan Aragon Podcast Host: Andrew Huberman YouTube: @HubermanLab Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_1zlead9ZU Fair Use Disclaimer 1. Under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, commenting, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. 2. We do not own the rights to all content. They have, in accordance with fair use, been repurposed with the intent of educating and inspiring others. We must state that in no way, shape or form are we intending to infringe rights of the copyright holder. 3. Content used is strictly for research and education, all under the Fair Use law. #buildmuscle #strength #bodybuilding #protein #proteinpowder #hubermanlab #andrewhuberman #strengthtraining #fitness