Leucine-enriched essential amino acid and carbohydrate ingestion following resistance exercise enhances mTOR signaling and protein synthesis in human muscle.

Taking leucine, a building block found in protein, tells your muscles to start making more protein, helping them grow and repair.

After resistance training, consuming a drink containing leucine-enriched amino acids and carbohydrates leads to a measurable increase in a specific molecular marker linked to the start of muscle protein synthesis, compared to training without the drink.

In young men who do not regularly lift weights, performing resistance exercise increases muscle protein synthesis by about 41% two hours after the workout. Consuming leucine-enriched amino acids and carbohydrates after the exercise increases synthesis by an additional 145% compared to baseline, indicating a combined effect greater than either intervention alone.

If young men who don’t usually lift weights drink a special protein-and-sugar shake one hour after working out, their muscles build protein much faster—nearly triple the rate—than if they just worked out alone, probably because the shake turns on key muscle-building signals in their cells.

After working out, drinking a special protein and sugar shake helps your muscles start building more efficiently by turning on key signals inside your muscle cells, better than just working out alone.

If young men who don't usually work out drink a special protein-and-sugar shake about an hour after lifting weights, their muscles build protein much faster—nearly triple the rate—compared to just working out without the shake.