DON'T DROP THE BOMB

Could a 100g post-workout protein-bomb actually work?New science has just overturned the standard advice on protein with some surprising results for post-workout nutrition

- Matt Ray

The conventional wisdom, that there's a hard limit on the amount of protein your body can absorb in one sitting, has taken a significant hit from a new study that has multiple nutrition experts reevaluating the picture of post-workout nutrition. But what does this mean for your own performance diet?

Most people stepping into a gym in 2024 to add muscle will have heard the advice that there's an upper limit to the amount of protein your body can absorb in one sitting (usually around 30-40g). But a study published in Cell Reports Medicine in December 2023 appears to have sunk that rule by showing that a 100g 'protein bomb' consumed after a heavy workout resulted in a greater and more prolonged anabolic, muscle-building response (more than 12 hours) when compared to 25g of protein.

The study's authors used isotope amino acid tracers within their post-workout 'protein bombs' to track how they were absorbed into new muscle protein, through muscle protein synthesis. This created a new understanding that the size and duration of the muscle-building response to consuming protein is not restricted, and has previously been underestimated in humans. It's the first time such a large intake of post-workout protein has been studied, and this technique used.