Everyone clings to their post workout protein shake like they are going to catch the plague. They are obviously refreshing after your training and can help your recovery, but how effective are they in untrained individuals?

In this review of literature by SuppVersity we find that although the results were not significant in the subjects. However there is still validity to protein containing supplements around training times.

They study was testing the effects of a  post workout shake containing: 17g whey concentrate, 3g of colostrum and 2g of leucine. Not exactly the optimal post workout concoction. Furthermore the subjects preformed a training session that many would consider sub par. Countermovement jumps, leg press, and leg extensions all done on one leg.

The study did ultimately show an increase overall quad size but a decrease in performance (peak and mean power). It is possible to hypertrophy and get weaker under certain conditions, but one would have to infer this wouldn't happen with untrained individuals. There may be multiple confounding variables to this but structural and mechanical damage from training in these subjects may have caused the increase in "hypertrophy".

As always SuppVersity does a great job concluding the review:

"Enough of the speculations, though. Let's stick to the facts: (1) Very few of you will be in the first four weeks of their resistance training "career", (2) even fewer of you will train only one leg, and I'd hope that (3) none of you plan to train for only the next for weeks only. So, that alone would make me want to repeat the scientists' own suggestion that "more research needs to be done" while telling you to (a) keep the results of this study in mind and file them under "protein is no wonder drug", while (b) keep taking your protein supplements. There's good enough evidence to say that >90% of you are going to benefit in one area or another - and always remember whey is more than a muscle builder"

I encourage you to read the full article

Whey and leucine are just two of the many muscle building supplements at your disposal.