Total daily protein matters far more than when you eat it — the narrow "anabolic window" after a workout is mostly a myth. That said, spreading your protein across the day does give a small, real benefit for building muscle. So timing isn't useless; it's just a minor lever compared to hitting your total. Here's the honest version.
What matters most: the daily total
If you take one thing away: hit your total daily protein (1.6–2.2g per kg) and you've done 90% of the job, whatever the clock says (how much protein per day, how much protein to build muscle).
The "anabolic window" myth
The idea that you must slam protein within 30 minutes of training is overblown. The "window" is hours wide, not minutes — as long as you eat enough protein across the day, you don't need to sprint to a shaker the second you rack the weights.
The small edge that's real: spreading it out
Your body can only use so much protein for muscle in one sitting, so 3–4 meals of 20–40g beats one giant serving. This is the one timing tweak worth doing — and the easiest win is a protein-rich breakfast, since that's where most people fall short (high-protein breakfast ideas, how to eat more protein).
Practical takeaways
- Prioritise the total. Everything else is secondary.
- Spread it across 3–4 meals.
- Don't stress the post-workout clock — same-day is fine.
- A serving before bed is fine too, but not magic.
Hit your protein, spread it out
forme tracks your protein per meal and per day from a quick scan — so you can see your total land and spread it across the day without doing maths.
The bottom line
Protein timing is a minor lever: nail your daily total first, spread it across 3–4 meals for a small edge, and forget the 30-minute window. This is general information, not medical or dietary advice.