The 2-Minute Habit That Helped Muscles Use More Protein
“Sitting is the new smoking” is a phrase that has made waves in the health and fitness world. And while it is a bit dramatic, the sentiment is still valid in that sitting for long periods is certainly not a good thing.
If you’re reading this, you probably have an active lifestyle, whether it’s in the form of lifting weights, running, playing sports, or something similar. But you still may have a sedentary job where you are seated for most of the day.
One study looked at the impact of sitting on building muscle. Specifically, this study asked whether sitting for long periods made muscles worse at using the protein you eat, and whether short movement breaks could help.
This was a novel study in a way. Most studies like this look only at how sitting affects blood sugar or insulin. This study went a step further and had the participants consume amino acids containing a labeled (tracer) form of phenylalanine. By measuring how much tracer ended up in thigh muscle (vastus lateralis) biopsies, the researchers could tell how much of the meal’s protein went into building new muscle protein.
Twelve healthy, young participants completed three separate conditions in which they consumed two identical liquid meals at breakfast and lunch:
- SIT: sat the whole time
- SQUAT: 15 body-weight squats (chair stand to calf raise) every 30 minutes
- WALK: a 2-minute walk (3.1 mph) every 30 minutes
The researchers found that muscle protein synthesis was higher with the activity breaks. Interestingly, the effect was greater for walking (48% higher) than squats (29% higher). Amino acids in the blood were the same across all conditions, but the activity allowed muscle to use them more effectively.
It seems that breaking up sitting with very short, easy activity may help your muscles use dietary protein more efficiently. Granted, this was a small sample size of 12 people operating under single-day conditions. It’s a promising start, but additional studies need to be conducted for a more definitive result.
This story was originally published by Men’s Fitness on Oct 29, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men’s Fitness as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
