Athletes need to pay attention to the three “R’s” after exercise – rehydrate, replenish (muscle glycogen), and repair (damaged proteins). Effective
adaptation to training will occur only if all three R’s are attended to.
• Protein ingestion and resistance exercise both stimulate the process of new muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and are synergistic when protein
consumption follows exercise. In healthy persons, changes in MPS are much greater in their influence over net muscle gain than changes in
muscle protein breakdown (MPB).
• Summation of positive periods of muscle protein balance (i.e., when MPS exceeds MPB) leads to muscle hypertrophy. Consumption of protein in close
temporal proximity, with evidence currently favoring consumption of protein after exercise, leads to greater rates of MPS and greater hypertrophy.
• The exact period of time after exercise during which it would be beneficial to consume protein is not known; however, the anabolic effect of
exercise is long-lasting, but likely diminishes with increasing time post-exercise.
• For the maintenance and building of muscle mass a higher overall daily protein intake (greater than the RDA, which currently stands at 0.8 g
protein/kg body mass/d) in the range of 1.4-1.6 g/kg/d should be consumed.
• Athletes should consume protein as part of each meal to promote optimal protein synthesis following each meal (0.25-0.30 g protein/kg body
mass/meal). Additionally, high-quality proteins, such as milk-based proteins like casein and whey, can spare lean mass losses and can promote
gains in lean mass during periods of intense training or caloric restriction.
• Rapidly digested proteins that contain high proportions of essential amino acids (EAA), of which the key amino acid appears to be leucine, are
more effective in stimulating MPS than other proteins.
• There is no evidence to support a recommendation of necessity for supplements of protein to achieve the goals stated here. Food protein,
particularly high-quality dairy protein, containing all EAA and high leucine may be more effective than other protein sources.