BODYBUILDERS can become obsessed with their diet, often to the point of consuming sports supplements at precise times.

Now a study has found that timing is indeed important. Consuming protein supplements immediately before and after weight training builds more muscle compared with taking them at other times. What’s more, the volunteers in the study only trained at moderate intensity, suggesting that similar gains are within reach even of an average gym user.

Paul Cribb and Alan Hayes of Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia, got eight men to take widely available sports supplements just before and after weight training. A control …