It has been well reported that resistance training increases dietary protein requirements. This is based on the accelerated protein turnover that occurs in skeletal muscle during periods of intense exercise. Studies show that during periods of hard resistance training, protein requirements might rise to around 1 gram of protein per pound of lean muscle mass. Resistance training stimulates both protein synthesis and protein catabolism, and it is suggested that increasing dietary protein has a sparing effect on catabolism rates, thus facilitating the accretion of new muscle mass. The timing of the protein is also important, and in this regard it has been shown that consuming protein directly following a resistance training session is effective at decreasing protein catabolism rates. further, it is known that muscle catabolism rates also increase during sleep, and this is in part because dietary input of protein ceases with the last meal, and this creates a negative protein balance as sleep proceeds.
The consumption of protein before bed has therefore been suggested to be a useful muscle building tool. And evidence from the nutritional literature does support this viewpoint. For example, in one study1, researchers recruited healthy young adult men and gave them a resistance training programme for 12 weeks. This resistance training protocol consisted of a warm up, followed by a number of sets of leg, chest, back and shoulder exercises. In weeks 4 and 8, a 1 rep max test was performed in order to assess strength and also adjust the intensity of subsequent training periods. During the 12 weeks, some of the men consumed a liquid protein supplement containing 27.5 grams of protein, 15 grams of carbohydrate and 0.1 grams of fat immediately before bed. Another group consumed a non-caloric placebo immediately before bed. The results of the study showed that after 12 weeks, the muscle strength of the protein group increased significantly (+164 kg) in comparison to the placebo group (+130 kg).
The authors also measured the body composition of the subjects during the study. After 12 weeks the quadriceps cross sectional area of the protein group had increased significantly more than the placebo group. Both type I and type II muscle fibre size increased following the study in both groups, but the protein group experienced a greater increase in type II fibre size compared to the placebo group. Therefore modest protein ingestion before sleep appears to provide body composition and strength improvements in young adult men performing resistance training. It would have been interesting to have a control group who consumed the same protein drink but not before sleep, in order to understand if the timing of the consumption was important. From previous studies, it is likely that the timing of the protein is less important than the actual quantity. Either way, this study provides more evidence that those undergoing resistance training protocols derive more benefit if protein intake is concomitantly increased.
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