The current research pointing to 20-40g of protein every 3-5 hours to maximise MPS, I believe as the protein/leucine content spikes MPS to maximum levels.
Waiting 3+ hours allows time to return to base levels, ready to maximally spike MPS again.
My question, what happens if there’s some amount of protein ingested in between 2 meals with 40g protein? For example:
12pm: Meal with 40g protein
2pm: hours later, 20g protein
3pm: Meal with 40g protein Does the 2pm 20g of protein have an effect on MPS levels? Re-raising them, or having no affect what-so-ever?
Does the 2pm meal affect the MPS spike of the 3pm meal, then? Should that reset the count for another 3+ hours or does it not affect levels and the 3 hours between 12pm and 3pm is enough for a maximal response at 3pm?
Similarly, if the 2pm meal was < 20g protein would that change things?
In your example, the 2pm meal would likely do nothing with respect to MPS rates except for potentially blunt the 3pm meal’s MPS response. I don’t know if we have enough information to get that granular about what would happen with >20g (or 10g, or 5g!) compared to 40g at the 2pm meal.
As an aside, I would almost never recommend anyone worry about this. Rather, I would focus on total daily calories first, then total daily protein and fiber intake (vis a vis fruits and veggie intake), then a Grand Canyon-sized gap to nutrient timing.
Interesting. I thought there was a bit more wiggle room. On days after I lift (and I am trying to lift 6 days a week), I bring a protein shake to work to drink between lunch. I have tried to time it around 3 hours between meals, but today for example I probably finished breakfast around 6:20, took my protein shake around 9 (2 hour and 40 minute gap) and ate lunch between 11:30-11:45 (2 hour and 30 minute gap) Long story short I was thinking as long as I waited close to 3 hours I would be good, but it sounds like that is not the case.
Again, we don’t really know things to this level of granularity. Humans are complex biological organisms and there are many confounders. In any event, I wouldn’t recommend worrying about this at all.
Another question would be how to handle the pre-workout snack. Lets say you take a snack a half hour before lifting. Lifting will take you about 1 hour. Traditionally the advice has been to include some protein to mitigate muscle breakdown during the work along with some carb for quick energy during the workout. That said if you are going to take protein immediately after the lift, are you muting the muscle protein synthesis from your post-workout meal with the protein you took in the pre-workout meal?
I think there’s some confusion here, but to be very clear I would give minimal -if any- attention to protein timing outside of personal preference and adherence.
Protein will not help mitigate muscle breakdown during a workout to any demonstrably beneficial effect. I would recommend eating every 3-5 hours, with a pre workout meal falling 1-2 hours before a workout and a post workout meal occurring 3-5 hours after that.