Is the anabolic window real?
Not in any practical sense: total daily protein matters far more than eating within 30 minutes of training.
The window, such as it is, is measured in hours rather than minutes. If you trained fasted first thing in the morning, eat reasonably soon afterwards. Otherwise, hit your daily total and stop thinking about it.
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- Aragon, A.A. & Schoenfeld, B.J. (2013). Nutrient timing revisited: is there a post-exercise anabolic window?. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 10(1). Found no reliable effect of timing independent of total intake.
- Schoenfeld, B.J. et al. (2013). The effect of protein timing on muscle strength and hypertrophy: a meta-analysis. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 10(1). The apparent timing effect disappeared once total protein was controlled for.