Is the “Anabolic Window” Real?
What is the Anabolic Window?
The “Anabolic Window” is believed by many to be a period of time immediately following a workout where protein digestion is REQUIRED in order to optimize muscle growth (1). Simply put, we use to think that the best possible way to make muscle and strength gains was through eating food (particularly protein) as soon as possible after an intense workout. Maybe you’ve tried this before or heard your trainer suggest getting a tasty protein shake no later than 30 minutes after your session. However, scientific research has cleared up this great misconception.
So is there REALLY a greater window of opportunity (anabolic window) for muscle growth?
Cue Muscle Protein Synthesis (MPS)
Simply put, muscle protein synthesis (MPS) is a naturally occurring process in which protein is used to repair muscle damage caused by intense exercise (2). Turns out, what we are really saying when we mention the “anabolic window” is our bodies ability to synthesize protein efficiently – and whether the “half hour window” (following exercise) is really the best time for MPS. Remember that our body is great at making use of protein given the stimulus to resistance training, and the “window” that we thought was believed to be only 30 minutes is in fact closer to a whopping 36 to 48 hours! (Nicholas et al.,2011; Duncan et al.,1995; Phillips et al., 1997). That means that even up to 2 days after an intense workout, our body is still synthesizing proteins and building muscle!
So, How can we maximize muscle growth?
- Continuously eat food containing protein within the next couple days following your workout;
- Allow for 20-40g of protein within your meals every 2-4 hours
- Aim for 1.8g of protein per kg of bodyweight (ie. 139g of protein for someone weighing 77kg or 170lbs);
- Add resistance training at least 3 to 4 times throughout your week;
- Let your muscle groups recover for at least 48 hours until you break them down again;
The Final Piece!
On top of this large window of opportunity, our body has increased MPS upon eating meals containing protein! With this information, we no longer need to fear losing our precious gains if we don’t chug that protein shake when we get back from the gym. Instead, leave room to have consistent eating habits throughout your day allowing the prolonged effects of MPS! Now go out there and make use of that maximized “window”!
Thanks for reading!
Coach Tameer Aldean, Bsc., csep-pt
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References
J. Duncan MacDougall, Martin J. Gibala, Mark A. Tarnopolsky, Jay R. MacDonald, Stephen A. Interisano, and Kevin E. Yarasheski. The Time Course for Elevated Muscle Protein Synthesis Following Heavy Resistance Exercise. Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology. 20(4): 480-486. https://doi.org/10.1139/h95-038
2. Moore, D. R., Tang, J. E., Burd, N. A., Rerecich, T., Tarnopolsky, M. A., & Phillips, S. M. (2009). Differential stimulation of myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic protein synthesis with protein ingestion at rest and after resistance exercise. The Journal of physiology, 587(4), 897-904.
3. Nicholas A. Burd, Daniel W. D. West, Daniel R. Moore, Philip J. Atherton, Aaron W. Staples, Todd Prior, Jason E. Tang, Michael J. Rennie, Steven K. Baker, Stuart M. Phillips, Enhanced Amino Acid Sensitivity of Myofibrillar Protein Synthesis Persists for up to 24 h after Resistance Exercise in Young Men, The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 141, Issue 4, April 2011, Pages 568–573, https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.110.135038
4. Phillips, S. M., Tipton, K. D., Aarsland, A. S. L. E., Wolf, S. E., & Wolfe, R. R. (1997). Mixed muscle protein synthesis and breakdown after resistance exercise in humans. American journal of physiology-endocrinology and metabolism, 273(1), E99-E107
5. Phillips SM. A brief review of critical processes in exercise-induced muscular hypertrophy. Sports Med. 2014;44 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S71-S77. doi:10.1007/s40279-014-0152-3
