The Study
The effect of protein timing on muscle strength and hypertrophy: a meta-analysis
This study looked at lots of experiments where people lifted weights and drank protein at different times. It found that drinking protein right before or after working out doesn’t make you stronger or bigger than just drinking enough protein during the day — so timing doesn’t matter as much as you thought.
Analysis score
Maximum 100 for a systematic review with meta-analysis.
Where the score came from
It doesn't matter if you drink your protein shake right before or after working out — what matters is how much protein you eat all day.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 567 / 100
Quality score
The highest quality evidence. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses that pool randomized controlled trials, giving the most reliable summary of experimental evidence.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — if you hit your daily protein goal, skipping the post-workout shake won't hurt your gains.
- 2You need at least 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily.
- 3Every extra 0.5 g/kg/day gives about a 0.2 boost in muscle growth.
- 4Timing within 1 hour of workout doesn't help if total protein is the same.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition
Year
2013
Authors
B. Schoenfeld, Alan A Aragon, J. Krieger
Related Content
Claims (6)
If you're lifting weights and want to build muscle, eating at least 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of your body weight every day is the most important thing — and eating even more protein (like 0.5 extra grams per kg) helps you gain a little more muscle on top of that.
If two people eat the same total amount of protein each day, it doesn’t matter whether one drinks a protein shake after the gym and the other drinks it at breakfast—both will gain muscle and strength about the same, but there’s not much research on this yet.
If you're lifting weights and want to build muscle, eating at least 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight every day is the biggest factor that helps — more protein means better results, and when you eat it doesn't matter as much.
Eating protein right before or after your workout doesn't give you extra muscle gains if you're already getting enough protein throughout the day—so you don't need to rush your shake right after lifting.
Whether you're new to lifting weights or have been doing it for years, when you eat your protein around your workout doesn't seem to make a big difference in how strong or muscular you get—but there just aren't many studies on people who already train regularly.
Most of the studies in this review didn’t give the same amount of protein to people in the exercise group and the control group, so it’s probably not when they drank their protein shake that made them grow muscle—it’s just that they ate more protein overall.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.