Nutrient timing is a popular nutritional strategy that involves the consumption of combinations of\r\nnutrientsââ?¬â??primarily protein and carbohydrateââ?¬â??in and around an exercise session. Some have claimed that this\r\napproach can produce dramatic improvements in body composition. It has even been postulated that the\r\ntiming of nutritional consumption may be more important than the absolute daily intake of nutrients. The\r\npost-exercise period is widely considered the most critical part of nutrient timing. Theoretically, consuming the\r\nproper ratio of nutrients during this time not only initiates the rebuilding of damaged muscle tissue and\r\nrestoration of energy reserves, but it does so in a supercompensated fashion that enhances both body\r\ncomposition and exercise performance. Several researchers have made reference to an anabolic ââ?¬Å?window of\r\nopportunityââ?¬Â whereby a limited time exists after training to optimize training-related muscular adaptations.\r\nHowever, the importance - and even the existence - of a post-exercise ââ?¬Ë?windowââ?¬â?¢ can vary according to a\r\nnumber of factors. Not only is nutrient timing research open to question in terms of applicability, but recent\r\nevidence has directly challenged the classical view of the relevance of post-exercise nutritional intake with\r\nrespect to anabolism. Therefore, the purpose of this paper will be twofold: 1) to review the existing literature\r\non the effects of nutrient timing with respect to post-exercise muscular adaptations, and; 2) to draw relevant\r\nconclusions that allow practical, evidence-based nutritional recommendations to be made for maximizing the\r\nanabolic response to exercise.
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