Post: #1

Hi all,

I had a little research in this but didn't find much definitive.

In what time period after working out do muscles actually grow?

And are there particularly active periods in this time frame? E.g. 1-4 hours after?

I want to know when is the optimal times to get the protein and calories in.

I ask as I am trying to transform from skinny fat to having a little lean muscle. I have a kind of petite frame so I don't think I need to pack on that many pounds of muscle to look decent.

I've managed to drop 10 pounds in the past two months and I am lifting three times a week.

Once I get to 15-17% bf I'll try eating a slight surplus.

Thanks for any comments.

Post: #2

If you're relatively new to lifting weights it's up to 48 hrs after a workout.

Space your meals out every 3.5 to 5 hours for maximum protein synthesis.

Post: #3

Thanks.

I feel sore up to 48 hours some times so that makes sense.

Post: #4

They grow when you are at rest. Eat a lot and sleep a lot.

Post: #5

(08-11-2015 01:09 PM)RexImperator Wrote:  If you're relatively new to lifting weights it's up to 48 hrs after a workout.

Space your meals out every 3.5 to 5 hours for maximum protein synthesis.

Is this correct?

I thought a huge part of the new IM craze is that this had been debunked?

Post: #6

(08-11-2015 03:51 PM)RioNomad Wrote:  

(08-11-2015 01:09 PM)RexImperator Wrote:  If you're relatively new to lifting weights it's up to 48 hrs after a workout.

Space your meals out every 3.5 to 5 hours for maximum protein synthesis.

Is this correct?

I thought a huge part of the new IM craze is that this had been debunked?

Actually I do think the old bro wisdom probably encouraged people to eat too often. What I was trying to say was not to eat between meals:

http://www.barbellmedicine.com/nutrition...in-intake/

Quote:Somewhere along the line people started espousing the mantra “eat every two hours to stoke the metabolism” or “so you don’t become catabolic”, with catabolism meaning breaking down– in this case skeletal muscle- to use their constituents elsewhere in the body. Problem with these recommendations with respect to protein intake is that there is a known refractory period to muscle protein synthesis (MPS), which we can think about on a gross level as muscle growth/recovery/building. Every time a large enough dose of protein is ingested, i.e. one that provides enough leucine and EAA’s to push the MPS reaction over the edge, there’s a 3-5 hour refractory period that must transpire before another dose of protein (at a meal/shake/etc) will yield another bout of MPS. This means that if you ate a protein rich breakfast at 8am, then ate again at 10am, the meal at 10 am would contribute nothing to MPS and then, by definition- it would be stored away as energy -either glycogen or fat depending on other variables. Ultimately, we should be waiting longer between protein dosings to optimize our results.

Post: #7

^^^ Seems accurate from my experience. A video I watched from some of the California top amateur bodybuilders states that you don't want to "snack" on protein. Your intake needs to be distinct. 3 meals, 6 meals, whatever. Snack on vegetables and fruits in between meals, maybe a shake here n there for lighter meal days.

I've noticed I get fat when I eat a lot of protein in small increments, or drink too many shakes.