20 percent of muscle building is done in the gym and 80 percent is done in the kitchen. The most important time to get proper nutrition is within a couple hours from the end of your workout. However, the next 24 hours is also quite important.
You got up the motivation to go to the gym, you spent time getting ready for it, you drove to and from, in addition to putting in a lot of effort at the gym. You spend a lot of time and energy on every single workout, so you need to make sure you get the most out of it.
The way you get the most out of your workout is by providing your body with the proper nutrition after exercising.
Although it's also important to eat plenty of good carbs, fats, and vegetables, this article is going to focus on protein.
Don't toss the yolk
In a recent study researchers found that eating whole eggs rather than eating egg whites, helped to build muscle a lot better.
We show that the ingestion of whole eggs immediately after resistance exercise resulted in greater stimulation of myofibrillar protein synthesis than did the ingestion of egg whites, despite being matched for protein content in young men. Our data indicate that the ingestion of nutrient- and protein-dense foods differentially stimulates muscle anabolism compared with protein-dense foods. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03117127.
In addition to this study, in the past, I've read another study that showed athletes who ate at least three whole eggs each day built about twice as much muscle as those to didn't consume any eggs.
If you're trying to build muscle, eating eggs is a key to doing that. Don't throw out the yolk to only eat the egg whites! You need the whole egg!
Multiple sources of protein
Protein is critical for your body to repair and build muscle. Based on what I've learned, for the first 24 hours after your workout, you want your body to always be digesting protein. The thing is various sources of protein digest at different rates. If you eat only chicken or only eggs, you're not only limiting yourself in terms of the vitamins and nutrients your body will receive, but you're also minimizing your protein digestion window.
You want to eat a wide variety of fast-digesting proteins and slower-digesting proteins. Get some of your protein from eggs, and get some from meats, but don't neglect other sources. Obtain some of your protein from vegetables like broccoli, others from beans and legumes, and even more from nuts and seeds.
Fast digesting protein: Whey
Slower digesting: Lean meats like chicken, turkey, and Tuna
Slowest: Steak, whole eggs, cottage cheese
In my many years of being in and around gyms, I've seen a lot of people making mistakes when it comes to protein. The most common mistake is that they limit themselves just to one or two sources of protein. I can't tell you how often people trying to build muscle would consume nothing but whey and chicken for their protein.
Don't do this to yourself. You'll be healthier and you'll gain more muscle if you eat a wide variety of foods containing protein. Limiting yourself to one or two sources will limit your vitamins, minerals, and your body's muscle-building window.
Note: I'm not a researcher, dietician, or doctor. I'm just a dude who has accumulated a lot of knowledge in this area over the years. Don't take this as professional medical advice or iron-clad research. Do your own research and listen to your body.