It’s well-known that people who challenge their bodies with resistance exercises have more muscle than those who only use light weights and easy exercises. And, depending on the diet and other daily activities, these people often have less body fat.Challenging resistance exercises improves your body composition by stimulating muscle protein synthesis pathways and enhancing fat oxidation (burning) for several hours after your exercise session has completed.

Scientific studies have shown us that certain foods can enhance the amount of fat burned for energy several hours after the weight lifting session is over, and increase the amount of muscle synthesized.

Specifically, whey protein has been shown in many different scientific studies to increase muscle protein synthesis when take both before and after heavy resistance exercise. The best time to take whey protein for this effect is within 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after.

Recently, researchers from Michigan State University showed that when a whey protein supplement was taken before a heavy weight lifting session, resting energy expenditure (REE) was significantly elevated for 24 hours compared to a carbohydrate-only supplement.

REE is an important measure of the amount of calories you burn in one day and accounts for about 60-75% of your total daily energy expenditure. Thus, if you have a higher REE, you will burn more calories in the day and store less of them as body fat.

The whey protein supplement delivered important amino acids to muscle tissue during the exercise session which were used to enhance muscle protein synthesis for several hours after the exercises were over.  These amino acids help speed muscle recovery and prevent excessive muscle soreness so you can lift heavy and hard again the next day.

Overall, if you’re looking to increase the amount of calories you burn after resistance exercise, which helps you build more muscle and lose more body fat, whey protein is the right way to fuel your body post-workout. Take whey protein within 30 minutes before and after exercise for the best effect and watch those fat cells run away in fear.