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If you’re like I used to be, you probably add 1 scoop of whey (and 5g creatine) to water or milk or after training and knock it back.

But…you’d be making a mistake!

1 scoop weighs about 25-30g, which will deliver about 20g protein, depending on the brand. But is 20g enough to fuel the maximum amount of protein synthesis after training? Let’s have a look at some new findings…

HOW MUCH WHEY PROTEIN TO TAKE AFTER A WORKOUT

 

Fresh research [1] has turned up the result that 40g protein will increase levels of protein synthesis more than just 20g.

Hate to say I told you so. I wrote a few years back that 40g protein was my standard advice to everyone for their post-workout shake. And that’s whey protein, guys. Not soy. A study I wrote about concluded that soy protein was no more effective than water when taken after training i.e. it did nothing for protein synthesis levels.

 

So what happened in this study? Weight-trained men were given either 20g or 40g whey protein after a full-body resistance workout.

Protein synthesis levels were elevated much more for the 40g group than the 20g group.

And this effect was the same irrespective of how much muscle (lean body mass) the subjects already had i.e. even those with higher levels of existing muscle mass experienced higher levels of protein synthesis than the smaller guys.

Researchers concluded…

Our data indicate that ingestion of 40g whey protein following whole-body resistance exercise stimulates a greater MPS response than 20g in young resistance-trained men. [MPS = muscle protein synthesis]

Hey, if you like this kinda research and want to get the real truth on what supplements work, which ones don’t, and which ones that are downright dangerous…grab my free MuscleHack Supplement Guide below.

You don’t have to go to your email to click a confirm link; the download will appear immediately after you enter your email. Enjoy! 🙂

 

Keep in mind that you’ll need about 50g actual whey powder to get 40g protein. So after you’ve stimulated growth with my free THT workouts, put ~50g whey into your shaker bottle. I see a lot of guys and girls make that mistake; no whey brand is 100% protein.

And please get your whey from a trusted company. MyProtein has been independently tested to actually contain the amount of protein (and sometimes even more) than it states on the label . Labdoor testing company even recommends them.

Supreme quality and surprisingly cheap. I’ve been using them for a decade now! If you’re in the USA, take a look here. UK and Europe here. Once you switch to MyProtein, you’ll probably never go back to another brand.

 

Now, could even more protein increase protein synthesis levels even higher? Without the research, it’s hard to tell. There obviously is a celing at some point.

I can say for sure that with solid food, even 70g per meal is not too much. In fact, I presented research in the article below that raised some eyebrows showing that 70g protein increased protein synthesis levels and positive nitrogen balance more than 40g.

 

And always remember that when using a diet for shredded abs, getting adequate protein for protein synthesis (and preventing protein breakdown) is even more critical – as I state in no.2 of my recent 5 Unbreakable Rules of Fat Loss article.

Click here to see why 40g protein is better than 20g after training for size gains Share on X

 

Questions? Need help? Ask below or on the forum 🙂

Mark McManus

Reference [1] “The response of muscle protein synthesis following whole-body resistance exercise is greater following 40 g than 20 g of ingested whey protein.” Physiol Rep, 2016 Aug;4(15).