The time is right

Muscle & Fitness, June, 2007 by Jim Stoppani

GOOD TIMING

Merely taking protein powder and creatine every day won't make you massive. You need to take these crucial supplements at the right times.

If you're savvy when it comes to supplements, you should keep up on the latest research to help you decide which ones--and how much of them--to take. Choosing the right products and knowing their effective doses will help you reach your goals, but it's just part of the equation when it comes to building a solid supplement program. An even more critical aspect of supplementation is timing. Regardless of how much you take or how effective a mass-building supplement is, if you just haphazardly throw it down your throat at any time of day, you may be wasting your time and money.

Australian researchers tested the effects that supplement timing had on muscle growth, fat loss and strength gains. They had 17 trained male subjects follow a 10-week weight-training program. Eight of the subjects consumed a mixed supplement that contained about 32 grams of protein, 32 grams of glucose and 6 grams of creatine immediately before and after workouts on the four days a week they trained. The other nine subjects consumed the same supplement before breakfast and before bed on the four days a week they trained. Each supplement dose in this group was taken at least five hours before or after their workouts.

The researchers found that the subjects who took the supplement immediately before and after workouts showed an increase in muscle mass 87% greater than the other group, burned 3% more bodyfat, and increased their strengths in the bench press, squat and deadlift by 36%, 27% and 25%, respectively, more than the group taking the supplement before breakfast and before bed.

These results suggest that protein shakes and creatine supplements are far more effective (by almost 90% in regard to muscle growth) when taken at specific times--immediately before and after workouts. These same supplements taken at the same dose but at different times of day may be far less effective. Therefore, the timing of your supplements appears to be even more important than the dose, at least for protein shakes and creatine. Be sure to take each of these before and after workouts. As for other supplements, you can count on M&F to keep you informed on proper timing and dosage for optimal results.

M&F Senior Science Editor JIM STOPPANI, PHD

BY JIM STOPPANI, PHD