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Have you often heard that it is necessary to consume protein every three hours? Nutrimuscle is here to tell you more. Why should you take your protein every three hours?
Why is it better to take your protein every 3 hours?
What is the ideal distribution of protein intake for muscle gain? Should you take a lot of protein infrequently, or is it better to take a little at a time, but very often?
This question is answered by a very good study published in 2012.
Men who regularly practiced weight training had to ingest 80g of Whey Isolate over a 12-hour period after a thigh workout (1).
Three different distributions were tested:
- Method 1: 8 servings of 10g each, spaced 1h30 apart.
- Method 2: 4 servings of 20g each, spaced 3 hours apart.
- Method 3: 2 servings of 40g each, spaced 6 hours apart.
For the 8 highly fractionated servings (method 1), the level of protein synthesis (anabolism) is higher by:
- 32%, compared to the double serving (method 3).
- 19%, compared to the 4 servings (method 2).
While method 1 produces the most anabolism, it unfortunately also induces the most catabolism; the level of protein destruction is higher by:
- 57%, compared to the double serving (method 3).
- 51%, compared to the intermediate serving (method 2).
When looking at the overall balance, the strategy that allows for the most anabolism for the least catabolism remains method 2, with its fractionation into 4 servings of 20g of whey each. This is also the method that weightlifters have instinctively adopted for a long time.
Science therefore confirms what athletes have developed empirically.
