Research
Macro partitioning
Post-exercise protein intake of 20–25 g of high-quality protein maximally stimulates muscle protein synthesis in resistance-trained individuals.
After your resistance training session, consume 20–25 grams of high-quality protein (like whey, eggs, or meat). This amount is enough to maximally stimulate muscle growth, and eating more than this does not provide additional muscle-building benefits.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
These data (Moore et al., 2009a) suggest that an optimum quantity of protein to consume to maximally stimulate MPS after resistance exercise appears to be around 20–25 g of high-quality protein.
Why this rating
Based on specific dose-response studies cited (Moore et al., 2009a).
Source
Dietary protein for athletes: From requirements to optimum adaptation
Stuart M. Phillips et al. · Journal of Sports Sciences · 2011
DOI 10.1080/02640414.2011.619204
narrative_reviewCited 500×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Athletes should consume 1.3–1.8 g of protein per kg of body weight per day, distributed across 3–4 meals, to maximize muscle protein synthesis and adaptation.Good
- During energy restriction (weight loss), athletes should increase protein intake to 1.8–2.0 g · kg−1 · day−1 to prevent the loss of lean muscle mass.Good
Related findings · Macro partitioning
- Total daily protein intake of 1.6 g/kg/day is sufficient for maximizing resistance training-induced muscle gains, with an upper confidence interval of 2.2 g/kg/day.Strong
- Resistance exercise training combined with sufficient dietary protein intake acts synergistically to maximize skeletal muscle hypertrophy, with protein intake saturating around 1.6 g/kg/day for general populations and potentially requiring 2.0-2.2 g/kg/day for resistance-trained individuals.Strong
- Trans fats should be completely eliminated from the diet, as they increase LDL cholesterol, decrease HDL cholesterol, and are directly associated with increased coronary risk.Strong
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