When is the best time to eat protein to build muscle?
Bodybuilders and fitness gurus alike know that for muscle growth you need to eat protein. No matter how hard and how often you train, your muscles won’t grow without the amino acids in protein.
Protein is the building block of muscle and there are no other nutrients that can substitute protein for muscle growth. If you want to build and increase muscle mass, it is recommended that you consume 1 gram of protein for every pound of your body weight per day. That’s a lot of protein that many people can’t get through food, and supplements are often needed. If you’re not eating enough protein, then all the muscle building in the gym is just waste. To optimize your muscle growth, what is the best time to eat protein?
How and what kind of protein should you eat to increase muscle growth?
eat protein…
The first thing in the morning. After a good night’s rest, her body is in a catabolic state. This means that since your glycogen stores are low, your body is burning muscle for energy, so just before you brush your teeth, eat a digestible protein like whey protein first thing in the morning so you your muscles don’t wear out or catabolize.
Between meals. This is to keep protein flowing in your bloodstream to fuel your muscles continuously throughout the day, you can take casein protein between meals. Casein protein digests slowly while continuing to release protein into your bloodstream to fuel your muscles between meals, that way your muscles get protein throughout the day.
Before/After a workout at the gym. Eating fast-digesting proteins, such as whey protein before a workout, will promote muscle growth while you exercise. Eating whey and some carbs after your workout will repair the muscles you’ve worked on.
Before going to bed. Building muscle is best when you’re sleeping. And since you will be without food for so many hours, you should stimulate your muscle growth by eating casein protein before bed. As stated above, casein protein is digested slowly and will consistently fuel your muscles for up to 7 hours while you sleep, promoting muscle growth.
So now you know when is the best time to eat protein. Follow these steps and watch your muscles grow the way you want.