How much protein you need per day to build muscle

Most people who lift to build muscle do well with about 0.7 g/lb (1.6 g/kg) of protein a day. In a review of 49 trials, extra protein stopped adding muscle at about that amount, and the upper limit of the estimate was about 1 g/lb (2.2 g/kg), a sensible target when you are losing fat or want a margin. Split your daily amount across three to five meals.

Protein supports the progress you make in training, and the training matters more. In the same review, training alone added about 2.4 lb (1.1 kg) of fat-free mass over about three months on average, and extra protein added about 0.7 lb (0.3 kg) on top of that. So eat enough protein, and keep making your training a little harder with progressive overload. If you are new to lifting, start with a simple plan for your first months.

Your daily target by body weight

Multiply your body weight by your target. The table shows the result for common body weights, with the grams worked out from the kilogram values and rounded:

Body weight	Lower end, 0.54 g/lb (1.2 g/kg)	Usual target, 0.73 g/lb (1.6 g/kg)	Upper target, 1 g/lb (2.2 g/kg)
132 lb (60 kg)	72 g	96 g	132 g
154 lb (70 kg)	84 g	112 g	154 g
176 lb (80 kg)	96 g	128 g	176 g
198 lb (90 kg)	108 g	144 g	198 g
220 lb (100 kg)	120 g	160 g	220 g

The usual target suits most people who lift. The lower end is the bottom of the range that the joint position statement below gives for athletes, and the upper target suits a phase of fat loss, or a margin if you want one.

Where the target comes from

The review behind that answer pooled 49 trials with 1,863 participants who lifted, some with extra protein and some without. In the trials that reported how much protein people ate in total, muscle gains rose with daily protein up to about 0.73 g/lb (1.62 g/kg) and then leveled off. The estimate is uncertain, and its upper limit reached about 1 g/lb (2.2 g/kg), which the authors suggested for people who want to get the most out of their training.

A 2021 analysis of 105 studies found a similar pattern: lean mass rose as protein intake rose, but above about 0.59 g/lb (1.3 g/kg) a day, each extra amount added only about a third as much as it did below that level.

Expert groups give similar ranges:

• The International Society of Sports Nutrition: 0.64 g/lb (1.4 g/kg) to 0.9 g/lb (2 g/kg) a day for most people who exercise, in its position stand.
• The American College of Sports Medicine, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and Dietitians of Canada: 0.55 g/lb (1.2 g/kg) to 0.9 g/lb (2 g/kg) a day for athletes, in their joint position statement.

You may have seen a much lower number, about 0.38 g/lb (0.83 g/kg) a day. That is the reference intake that the European Food Safety Authority and the World Health Organization set for adults in general, an amount that covers the needs of nearly all healthy adults, whether they train or not. It covers basic needs, and the research above shows that people who lift to build muscle do better with about twice as much.

How to split protein across your meals

About 0.18 g/lb (0.4 g/kg) per meal, over at least four meals, reaches the usual target of 0.7 g/lb (1.6 g/kg), and up to 0.25 g/lb (0.55 g/kg) per meal over four meals reaches the upper target of 1 g/lb (2.2 g/kg), as a 2018 review worked out. For three body weights, that looks like this:

Body weight	Per meal, at 0.18 g/lb (0.4 g/kg)	Over four meals
132 lb (60 kg)	about 24 g	about 96 g
176 lb (80 kg)	about 32 g	about 128 g
220 lb (100 kg)	about 40 g	about 160 g

Treat these amounts as a guide, because a larger meal still counts. A common rule says your muscles can use only about 25 to 30 g of protein from one meal, but a 2023 study found that 100 g after a workout produced a larger and longer muscle-building response than 25 g. That study measured the response over the 12 hours after the workout rather than muscle growth over months, so spreading your protein across the day is still a good habit.

Timing within the day matters much less than the daily total. In a meta-analysis of protein timing, the studies that seemed to favor protein right around training mostly gave those groups more protein overall. Once the daily totals were taken into account, the timing made no clear difference.

A note from the coach who reviews our posts:

A common mistake when people increase their protein is overcomplicating everything. They start relying too much on shakes, skipping regular meals, or trying to squeeze most of their protein into one sitting. I tell them to spread protein across their meals, use shakes for convenience, and keep their nutrition consistent even on rest days. Your muscles don’t check the calendar before deciding they need fuel.

When to aim higher: losing fat

When you eat less to lose fat, more protein helps you keep the muscle you have. For lean people who lift and eat less than they burn, a review of the research suggested 1 g/lb (2.3 g/kg) to 1.4 g/lb (3.1 g/kg) of fat-free mass a day, the weight of everything in your body except fat, with the higher end for leaner people and larger deficits.

For a lifter with about 15 percent body fat, that range works out to about 0.9 g/lb (2 g/kg) to 1.2 g/lb (2.6 g/kg) of body weight. The upper target of 1 g/lb (2.2 g/kg) from the start of this post sits inside it, so it is a simple number to use while you lose fat.

Older lifters

Older adults need more protein than younger adults, partly because their muscles respond less to the protein they eat. The PROT-AGE study group recommends at least 0.45 g/lb (1 g/kg) to 0.54 g/lb (1.2 g/kg) a day for people over 65, and at least 0.54 g/lb (1.2 g/kg) for those who exercise.

If you lift in later life, the usual target of 0.7 g/lb (1.6 g/kg) sits above that minimum and is a sensible aim, spread across your meals as described above. The same group names one exception: people with severe kidney disease may need to limit their protein. If you have a medical condition, read the safety section below first.

Plant-based lifters

Plant protein can work as well, at the same daily amount. In a 12-week trial, young men new to lifting, half of them habitual vegans and half omnivores, trained twice a week and ate about 0.7 g/lb (1.6 g/kg) a day. The two groups gained similar amounts of muscle and strength. The vegans reached that amount with the help of soy protein powder, and the omnivores with whey.

If you eat no animal foods, build your meals around protein-rich plant foods such as tofu and lentils, and use a plant protein powder when your meals fall short.

Protein in common foods

Values from the USDA’s FoodData Central database, rounded to whole grams:

Food	Amount	Protein
Chicken breast, meat only, roasted	3.5 oz (100 g)	about 31 g
Firm tofu, made with calcium sulfate	3.5 oz (100 g)	about 17 g
Cottage cheese, 1 percent milk fat	3.5 oz (100 g)	about 12 g
Greek yogurt, plain, low fat	6 oz (170 g)	about 17 g
Lentils, boiled	7 oz (200 g)	about 18 g
Egg, one large	1.75 oz (50 g)	about 6 g
Whole milk	8 fl oz (250 mL)	about 8 g

Is this much protein safe?

For healthy adults, the research so far is reassuring. In a 2018 meta-analysis of 28 trials, kidney function changed no differently in healthy adults on higher-protein diets than in those on lower- or normal-protein diets.

The advice in this post is for healthy adults who train. If you have kidney disease or another medical condition, are pregnant, or have a history of disordered eating, set your protein intake with a doctor or a registered dietitian.

Do you need protein powder?

No. Protein powder is a convenient food: it helps on busy days or when a meal comes up short, and it counts toward your daily total like any other protein. Get most of your protein from meals, and use powder when it is the easier way to close a gap.