We find the case for pre-workout protein is pretty simple. Research shows that pre-workout protein helps in building more muscle because it spikes plasma amino acid levels (and thus protein synthesis rates) before training (1). Spiked plasma amino acid levels means your muscles have quick access to the materials(amino acids) they need to start building muscle. Your strategy with pre-workout protein is to improve the muscle building process(protein synthesis) that takes place AFTER you finish working out.
Example showing why you want Pre-workout protein
There’s typically going to be some level of muscle building that takes place after a weightlifting session no matter what. Let’s say for situation A you didn’t eat any pre-workout protein and after your workout your body was able to build 10g of protein. In a different workout, situation B, you ate pre-workout protein which led to your body being ble to build 15g of protein. Which situation would you want? Situation B will lead to more lean muscle, more calories burned, and put you at a greater chance to lose more body fat.
How to know if you need more pre-workout protein
You see, when you eat food, it takes your body several hours to fully absorb the nutrients contained within (2). The larger the meal, the longer it takes (research shows that absorption can take anywhere from 2 to 6 or more hours).
This means that if you had eaten a sizable amount of protein(30g or more) an hour or two prior to working out, your plasma (blood) amino acid levels would be quite high come workout time, and protein synthesis rates would be maximally elevated like in situation B. If this you, you don’t need to take any additional protein before working out
On the other hand, if it had been several hours since you last ate protein, and especially if the amount you ate was small (less than 20 grams), your plasma amino acid levels would likely be low come workout time, and you would basically be in situation A from the example. If this is you, you would benefit from pre-workout protein. The remainder has tips for what you can do.
How to get more Pre-workout protein if you need it
The general recommendation is to consume 30 to 40 grams of protein about 1 hour and 30 minutes before training. If you don’t have dairy issues and can eat whey protein, you’ll can get away with eating ~1hour before workout because whey protein is one of the fastest digesting proteins.
Regarding the best types of pre-workout protein, the faster a protein is digested, the more muscle your body can build after the workout(3). And while any form of pre-workout protein will elevate plasma amino acid levels, you’ll get the quickest and greatest elevation from a faster-digesting form that has minimal amounts of fat because fat slows digestion.
Be easy all and crush your workouts.
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(1)Kevin D. Tipton, Tabatha A. Elliott, Melanie G. Cree, Asle A. Aarsland, Arthur P. Sanford, and Robert R. Wolfe, “Stimulation of Net Muscle Protein Synthesis by Whey Protein Ingestion before and after Exercise,” American Journal of Physiology — Endocrinology and Metabolism 292, no. 1 (2007): E71-E76. doi: 10.1152/ajpendo.00166.2006.
(2)Denise M. Surina, Wolfgang Langhans, Ruth Pauli, and Caspar Wenk, “Meal Composition Affects Postprandial Fatty Acid Oxidation,” American Journal of Physiology — Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology 264, no. 6 (1993): R1065–70.
(3)Martial Dangin, Yves Boirie, Clara Garcia-Rodenas, Pierre Gachon, Jacques Fauquant, Philippe Callier, Olivier Ballèvre, and Bernard Beaufrère, “The Digestion Rate of Protein Is an Independent Regulating Factor of Postprandial Protein Retention,” Endocrinology and Metabolism 280, no. 2 (2001): E340-E348.
(4)Yves Boirie, Martial Dangin, Pierre Gachon, Marie-Paule Vasson, Jean-Louis Maubois, and Bernard Beaufrère, “Slow and Fast Dietary Proteins Differently Modulate Postprandial Protein Accretion,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 94, no. 26 (1997): 14930–35.
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