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Physique Global

Importance of Post Workout Meal

Avid gym-goers and bodybuilders know full well that they need to have a post workout meal if they want to capitalize on their muscle gains. Eating within the feeding window of 1 hour after a workout is a must if you want to build muscle. But does this window actually exists or is it all bro science?

The feeding window belief stems from research showing that immediately after a workout, insulin levels spike rapidly for a few hours, priming the body for synthesizing new muscle, limiting exercise-induced muscle loss, and restoring energy levels.
By eating while insulin levels are highs, the body will theoretically maximize the digested nutrients to take advantage of these benefits.

Fortunately, it’s not bro science at all. Multiple studies showed that consuming 20-40 grams of protein within 2 hours following workout indeed significantly increased muscle growth compared to consuming more than 4 hours later.
Along with muscle growth, strength and energy levels increased as well. With all this being said, having a post-workout meal is most definitely a good idea. Having any sort of planned protein consumption can improve your fitness results. Whether you plan to have a post-workout meal or not, just know that, at the end of the day, it wouldn’t hurt!