When it comes to getting protein in post-training, most people would agree that it is beneficial – whether it is for muscle growth or recovery. But how much is enough? For a long time, it was believed that you needed no more than ~20g of whey protein post-training. But why? And is this still the case?
Studies examining how much (and what type of) protein we should take post-training come from studies that use isotopes to measure how much ‘new’ protein we are able to make in our muscles after training – this is the whole point of training. Earlier studies showed that there was no added benefit for muscle growth beyond 20g of protein – even if you doubled the intake to 40g (1). This did spawn one myth that should be put to bed.
The myth that your body can’t handle any more than 20g of protein in one go needs to be put straight into the bin and never return.
If you consume more protein than this in one sitting, it is just used for other processes within the body. It might go to a vital organ, it can be used for energy production – it is not just wasted.