THE TAKEAWAY: Hitting your daily protein goal matters, but spreading it evenly across 3–4 meals maximizes muscle repair through the leucine trigger.

Eating 100 grams of protein in a single sitting doesn't yield the same muscular benefit as distributing it into distinct 30–40 gram feedings. To stimulate Muscle Protein Synthesis (MPS), a meal must contain roughly 2.5 to 3 grams of the essential amino acid leucine. Once this threshold is reached, MPS ramps up for 3–5 hours before returning to baseline. Evening-heavy protein loading leaves your body in a net-negative nitrogen balance for most of the day—aim for a solid anchor of high-quality protein at breakfast to start repair early.