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Adam always has 50g protein both before and after his strength workouts in order to “fuel” his workout, and to maximally exploit his “feeding window” afterwards.

Bob on the other hand follows the advice of Mike Mentzer, taking heed of that muscle growth happens in the hours and days between workouts, rather than during and immediately surrounding them. He also takes note that excess protein intake is not utilised by the body but excreted and that muscle growth is a slow process. He therefore limits his protein intake to the normal standard amount that is recommended, consistent across workout days and rest days, though takes care to break it up into absorbable “doses” with three hours between each portion of protein.

Is there any scientific support for Adam’s approach? And which of the two does the scientific evidence more favour?

Frank
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Both methods are valid but Adam's approach doesn't have as much effects as is often portrayed. Studies have shown carbohydrates and protein consumed shortly after a workout in a 3:1 ratio, respectively, to have a slight positive effect on muscle recovery, but the key word there is 'slight'. Their is strong evidence to suggest that the dominant factor in muscle recovery is total daily intake. This should be maintained on training and not training days alike because muscle recovery takes anywhere from 2-5 day depending on muscle group and training intensity. Also, spreading the protein 'doses' evenly throughout the day has been shown to be beneficial, but again, the effect is minimal and is still far less important that total daily intake.

To answer your question simply, the evidence greatly favours the importance of total daily intake.

Ethan
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  • What is 3:1, is that carbohydrates to protein ratio? And what is the degree more precisely of this key word “slight”? – Frank Oct 23 '23 at 20:24
  • Yes, 3(carbohydrates):1(protein). Usually around 45g carbs and 15g protein. And I can't really be much more precise than slight. Your total daily protein consumption is essential to proper recovery whereas the timing of your protein consumption will have little effect, possibly not even noticeable. – Ethan Oct 24 '23 at 16:28