Does Eating Lean Meat After Lifting Weights Really Help You Grow Muscle?

It’s no secret that the foods you eat after a tough workout can help support your recovery. Carbohydrates like whole-grain bread or bananas, for example, help replenish your depleted energy stores, while high-protein foods aid muscle repair. But if you’ve been lifting weights, you may have heard you should focus on consuming certain types of protein, specifically lean meats, for maximum muscle-building benefits.

“Lean meats” are basically what they sound like: They’re types or cuts of meat that contain less fat. As a result, “they’re more heart-healthy than fattier alternatives like sausage or bacon,” says Anthea Levi, RD, a registered dietitian and founder of ALIVE+WELL Nutrition in New York City. And in addition to being better for your heart, eating lean meat after lifting weights can also support your muscle growth. 

Here, everything you need to know, including the best lean meats to add to your plate after a weight lifting session, plus plant-based options that deliver similar benefits. 

Can Eating Lean Meat After Lifting Weights Help Maximize Gains?

Long story short: Yes, eating lean meat after lifting weights can help your muscles repair and grow. 

We know that eating protein after exercise helps the body recover, and doing so after weight lifting sessions in particular builds muscle. But to better understand the “why,” here’s a quick nutrition recap: Protein is a macronutrient made up of tiny molecules called amino acids. Because protein is present in every part of our cells and tissues—muscles included—it’s often referred to as one of the body’s “building blocks.” It’s regularly recycled in the body, and when we eat foods that contain protein, we help replace protein that’s been broken down, explains the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). 

All this helps explain why protein is so crucial for our bodies after a workout—and there’s science to support it. In one 2022 review, researchers found that meat plays an important role in recovery for athletes after all types of exercise, supporting muscle repair. 

Other studies have identified benefits for strength training. One small 2018 study, for example, noted that beef, chicken, and whey protein all led to significant increases in participants’ lean body mass after an eight-week resistance training program. Researchers observed that participants who ate any of those high-protein foods after weight lifting were able to significantly increase their maximum weights for deadlifts and bench presses compared to the baseline group.

But of all the types of protein you could choose to eat after lifting weights (and there are many!), lean meats are an excellent option because they’re complete proteins, Levi says, “meaning they supply all of the essential amino acids, including those that support muscle recovery and growth.” And, as mentioned above, they deliver those benefits without high levels of saturated fats, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends limiting in your diet to prevent high cholesterol and heart disease.

What’s more, lean proteins are great sources of leucine, an amino acid that supports the muscle-building process, as well as creatine, which replenishes the body’s phosphocreatine stores after weightlifting. 

“Since phosphocreatine helps power the quick, explosive movements of lifting heavy weights, keeping our muscle creatine stores saturated enables us to continually use challenging weights,” says Gabbi Berkow, RD, a sports dietitian and exercise physiologist in New York City. And by using heavier weights over time, we build muscle and get even stronger, she explains.

Lean Meat Foods to Consider After Lifting Weights

A 4-ounce serving of lean meat will provide around 25–30 grams of protein plus leucine to trigger the body’s muscle-building process after a weight lifting session, according to Berkow—and that’s a generally solid amount of protein to aim for after a workout.) Any of these lean meats and seafoods are great choices to eat after lifting weights: 

Ground meats like chicken and turkey should ideally be at least 85 percent lean, Berkow says. Just keep in mind that even if you’re choosing extra-lean cuts, you should still consider how much you’re consuming throughout the day and week, since a diet that’s too heavy on animal products—yes, even the lean kind—can be bad for your health. As a goal, the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest adults aim for a maximum of 26 ounces of poultry, meat, and eggs weekly. 

And remember that eating meat isn’t a requirement: “Other animal-based proteins can be great post-workout meals, too,” Levi says. If you’d prefer to avoid meat or just mix things up, the animal-based proteins below also supply high-quality, complete protein:

With any of these non-meat animal proteins, aim to consume about 30 grams after your weight lifting session, Berkow says. This would be just over 1 cup of Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, or egg whites, approximately. (And remember: Ask your healthcare provider before trying any new supplements like protein powder. If you do decide to try protein powder, it’s smart to find a reputable, high-quality pick listed in the NSF Certified for Sport® directory.)

When you’re fueling up post-weight lifting, don’t forget that carbohydrates are important too: Pair protein with a carb source “to replenish muscle energy stores and ensure the protein you’ve consumed is used for repair rather than be converted to energy to fuel the body,” says Kelly Jones, RD, a sports dietitian to pro athletes and active families.

Plant-Based Foods to Fuel Your Body After Weightlifting

Lean meats may be the obvious protein-packed choices, but there are plenty of ways to get your fill if you don’t eat meat. These plant-based options are also great sources of protein:

“Eating a variety of plant-based proteins will help you get all of the essential amino acids you need throughout the day,” Levi says. For example, she says, you might make a post-workout salad with lentils, walnuts, hemp seeds, and quinoa; or, as Berkow suggests, have 3.5–4 ounces of a soy-based protein like tempeh or tofu. 

A quick word about plant-based protein powders: There are lots of different types out there, which can make shopping confusing. A rice-pea blend is a good vegan alternative, Berkow says, since this combination delivers all nine essential amino acids. Or, if you prefer a single-source plant protein powder, try pea or soy, Jones says.

And whichever type of plant-based protein powder you choose (if you decide to try one after getting the OK from your provider, that is), keep in mind that you’ll probably need more than you would from an animal-based version: “You’ll need a larger serving of a vegan protein powder to get the 2–3 grams of leucine needed to turn on muscle building,” Berkow says, “so be sure to check the nutrition label for the grams of leucine per serving.”

The Takeaway

Eating lean meat after lifting weights can help repair your muscles and trigger growth. These foods (such as chicken, turkey, and pork tenderloin) are complete proteins, which means they contain all the essential amino acids your body needs for recovery. If you don’t eat meat or want to cut back, non-meat animal- or plant-based proteins such as eggs, tempeh, and Greek yogurt can deliver similar results. Finally, remember to pair your protein with carbs after a workout so that body can use that protein for repair rather than energy.