After your workout, event or game, you should aim for a carbs-to-protein ratio of 2:1 within 15-60 minutes for optimal restoration. Depending on your fitness levels and goals this “post-workout window” can increase up to 3-4 hours.

The more advanced the trainee, the shorter the anabolic window. This would be someone who workouts 4-7 days per week at a high intensity, focused on performance or building lean tissue. This will also depend on if the trainee capitalized on “peri-workout” nutrition.

For the beginner trainee who’s looking to lose weight and working their way up to 5 hours of activity per week could wait up to a maximum of 3-4 hours post workout. This is because they’ll be more focused on learning what to eat and probably just getting used to increasing their meal frequency.

Try playing with a 2:1 ratio of carbs-to-protein post workout and see if you notice the difference during your next workout. In my next post I’ll talk about how much protein you need specifically for you.