Eating a big protein meal (100g) after working out makes your muscles keep building for longer than a smaller meal (25g), at least for 12 hours.
Scientific Claim
Ingesting 100 grams of protein after resistance exercise results in a greater and more prolonged increase in muscle protein synthesis rates compared to ingesting 25 grams of protein, with effects sustained for at least 12 hours in healthy young men.
Source Excerpt
“We observed a clear dose-dependent pattern in muscle protein synthesis rates when assessed over the entire 12-h postprandial period (100PRO > 25PRO > 0PRO). Only myofibrillar protein synthesis rates based on the plasma L-[1-13C]-leucine precursor differed significantly between all 3 treatments (Figure 4G).”
Evidence from Studies
Supporting Studies
The anabolic response to protein ingestion during recovery from exercise has no upper limit in magnitude and duration in vivo in humans
This RCT directly compared 0g, 25g, and 100g protein doses after resistance exercise in healthy young men. The study measured muscle protein synthesis rates using multiple tracer methods over 12 hours, showing statistically significant dose-dependent increases.