Huberman Lab

How to Lose Fat & Gain Muscle With Nutrition | Alan Aragon

2978 snips
Jul 7, 2025
Guest
Alan Aragon
In this engaging discussion, Alan Aragon, a renowned nutrition and fitness expert, shares his insights on optimizing protein intake for muscle growth. He debunks the 30-gram protein myth and challenges traditional views on post-exercise nutrition timing. Alan addresses hot topics like the merits of fasted training, the truth about seed oils, and the use of artificial sweeteners. He provides actionable strategies for body recomposition and highlights the importance of personalized nutrition, making complex topics accessible for anyone looking to enhance their health.
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Protein Dose for Muscle Synthesis

  • Protein muscle synthesis plateaus around 0.2 to 0.25 grams per pound per meal.
  • Muscle protein synthesis is greater up to roughly 50 grams post-exercise but varies with training volume.
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Protein Timing and Intake Myths Busted: How Much and When to Eat for Muscle Growth

You can maximize muscle protein synthesis by consuming about 0.4 to 0.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per meal, which translates roughly to 0.2 to 0.25 grams per pound. This means the old "30-gram per meal" protein rule is outdated—higher amounts can increase muscle protein synthesis especially after intense resistance training.

Total daily protein intake (~1.7 g/kg or ~0.7 g/lb) matters far more than timing relative to your workout. Protein timing within a narrow "anabolic window" post-exercise is not critical if your daily protein target is met.

Eating protein pre-exercise or post-exercise yields similar results in muscle growth, and muscle protein synthesis response can last 48-72 hours after training, extending the anabolic period beyond just a couple of hours.

In short:

  • Focus on total daily protein intake.
  • Aim for about a quarter gram per pound per meal.
  • Don't stress about timing immediately after training.
  • You can consume protein distributed flexibly across meals or even in larger doses occasionally without issue.
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Focus on Daily Protein Intake

  • Prioritize total daily protein intake around 0.7 grams per pound.
  • Timing protein near exercise matters less if daily intake is met, even with pre-exercise meals.
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