Eating protein after working out doesn't change most amino acid levels in your muscles, but it does increase the levels of branched-chain amino acids like leucine, especially with bigger protein meals.

Eating protein after working out doesn't change most amino acid levels in your muscles - only the branched-chain amino acids like leucine increase with bigger protein meals.

Eating a big protein meal (100g) after working out keeps your blood amino acid levels high for the whole 12 hours, while a smaller meal (25g) only keeps them high for the first 5 hours.

Eating protein after working out doesn't change how fast your muscles break down protein - it just helps build more muscle without affecting the breakdown process.

When you eat a big protein meal (100g) after working out, your muscles absorb more of that protein for building than when you eat a smaller meal (25g) - about 13% of the big meal gets used for muscle building.

When you eat a big protein meal (100g) after working out, your body releases more protein building blocks into your blood than when you eat a smaller meal (25g) - about 53g vs 16g over 12 hours.