Intra-workout protein and carbs vs carbs alone on muscle gains 💪
Is more protein the answer?
Effect of Intra-Workout Protein-Carbohydrate Co-Ingestion Versus Isocaloric Carbohydrate During Resistance Training on Muscle Fibre Hypertrophy and Oxidative Capacities in Young Men: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Study Details
This new study recruited 17 active men to complete 8-weeks of resistance-training (2 - 4 sessions weekly) under fed conditions 🏋️♂️
During each training session participants consumed either…
1️⃣ Protein (0.17 g/kg) + Carbs (0.50 g/kg)
2️⃣ Carbs only (0.67 g/kg)
Muscle growth and fibre-type composition were assessed pre- and post-intervention 🔍
Key Findings
💪 Resistance training significantly increased whole-body, arm and leg lean mass
📈 Bench-press strength, leg-extension strength, VO₂max and fat-oxidation capacity all improved
However, compared to carbs alone, protein during training produced no additional improvements in…
❌ muscle fibre growth
❌ lean mass
❌ strength
❌ aerobic fitness
❌ fat oxidation
Conclusion
Lack of effects may have been due to total protein intake already being high enough (~1.6 - 1.8 g/kg/day)🥩
These results suggest that when athletes are fed, consume enough daily protein and take protein after training, intra-workout protein appears unlikely to add meaningful benefit ✅
Carbs may still be king for intraworkout.
Reference
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42514376/
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