Nutrient timing is a sports dieting concept that incorporates time as the missing dimension in superior muscular development. This concept represents a change over the previous school of thought that focused on protein loading without emphasizing the synchronicity between eating and exercising.

Proper nutrient timing takes into account two dimensions that directly correlate to performance: 1) the consumption of the substrates

Substrate (biochemistry)

In biochemistry, a substrate is a molecule upon which an enzyme acts. Enzymes catalyze chemical reactions involving the substrate. In the case of a single substrate, the substrate binds with the enzyme active site, and an enzyme-substrate complex is formed. The substrate is transformed into one or...

 in ideal proportions and 2) the timing between exogenous

Exogenous

Exogenous refers to an action or object coming from outside a system. It is the opposite of endogenous, something generated from within the system....

fueling and exercise. When the right substrates are present at the ideal times, the result is superior performance and growth.

Further reading

Benardot, D. (2006) Advanced sports nutrition. Human Kinetics.

Ivy, J. and Portman, R. (2004) Nutrient timing. Basic Health Publications.