Simple Strategies to Enhance Anabolism

The anabolic window actually extends for between 24 to 48 hours post-workout. So ensure that you are continually feeding your body with the quality dietary protein for up to 48 hours post-workout, including while you sleep.

When it comes to the enhancement of muscle mass, it is very important to try and keep your body in an anabolic state and minimise catabolism. Let me explain, anabolism is a metabolic process that builds biomolecules while catabolism is a metabolic process which breaks down biomolecules. Simply put, being in an anabolic state allows your body to build up organs and tissue, including muscle, while catabolism breaks down tissue to fuel the body. Anabolic processes produce growth, differentiation of cells and increase in body size.

In this article we are going to look at a number of scientific findings regarding the nutritional regulation of muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and highlight a few nutritional strategies to help maximise muscle protein anabolism when combined with weight training. Common nutritional factors which influence anabolism include timing of protein intake, protein type, protein and leucine quantity intake, and the role of other macronutrients on muscle protein synthesis post exercise.

Redefining the timing of the anabolic window

The anabolic window is a crucial period post exercise where we consume protein and high GI carbohydrates to help shift our body from an exercise-induced catabolic state into a muscle-building anabolic state. Typically it is believed that the anabolic window where this shift occurs optimally is within 30 minutes after you complete your weight training workout. Although the amino acid mediated increase in MPS only lasts for a few hours at most, the contractile activity associated with intense weight training results in increased rates of MPS that is sustained for up to 48 hours in a fasted state. From this we can deduce that supplying the body with amino acids directly after your workout through the ingestion of a fast-digesting protein like whey helps to enhance MPS more than exercise alone.