Nutrient Timing for Best Recovery During the Max's Muscle Up Challenge

Posted on March 26, 2015

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If you've embarked on Max's Muscle Up Challenge, the chances are you've already heard of the anabolic window. If not, it may surprise you to learn that the effects of nutrients can vary significantly depending on exactly when they enter your body.

The concept of the anabolic window is essentially this: there is an important slice of time following a workout in which your muscles are optimally primed to take on board nutrients for growth and preservation. This is based on a process called muscle protein synthesis (MPS), which is how your body grows new muscle tissue and deals with the constant damage that your muscle cells are exposed to. MPS is not the only bodily process involved in muscle development, but it's the only way your muscles can actually increase their mass of contractile elements.

The breakthrough in identifying the existence of an anabolic window occurred thanks to the remarkable ability to detect MPS as it's actually happening. Over the past 15 years, a huge number of studies have taken advantage of the ability to monitor people's MPS in real time, to find out how it changes in response to exercise and nutrient intake. The results have revealed that when exercise is followed by the right combination of nutrients within a certain period of time, there's a spike in MPS - and therefore a measurable boost in muscle creation and repair.

One way in which the anabolic window has been verified is by measuring nitrogen balance. A positive nitrogen balance means that your nitrogen intake is greater than your loss, and this is associated with periods of muscle growth and tissue repair. A significantly higher nitrogen balance has been found in people consuming protein immediately after training, whereas delaying intake for just a few hours after a workout appears to have a noticeably detrimental effect.

There's still a huge amount of interest in this phenomenon, and new studies are being carried out all the time. For this reason, you're likely to see some debate on the precise timing and mechanics of the anabolic window. Indeed, some studies suggest that the anabolic window may vary depending on your current level of training, or even other personal or genetic factors. In general, however, the anabolic window appears to exist for just one to two hours following a workout. Many people play it safe by consuming supplements immediately after training.

Taking on board the right nutrition will play a critical role in your success during Max's Muscle Up Challenge. Using the professionally formulated Max's supplements as part of your nutrition plan is key, and will be fundamental to your progress throughout the challenge.

For ultimate muscle recovery and quality gains make sure you take advantage of the “Anabolic Window” during the Max’s Muscle Up Challenge to create an anabolic environment for growth.