Research
Macro partitioning
Protein intake for endurance and strength-trained athletes should range from 1.2 to 1.7 g/kg/day, which can generally be met through diet alone without supplements.
Aim for 1.2 to 1.7 grams of protein for every kilogram of your body weight each day. You can likely get this from regular foods like meat, fish, eggs, dairy, beans, and nuts without needing protein powders or supplements. Ensure you are also eating enough total calories and carbohydrates to support your training.
WeakSupportsHIGH confidence
Protein recommendations for endurance and strength-trained athletes range from 1.2 to 1.7 g/kg body weight/day (0.5–0.8 g/lb body weight/day). These recommended protein intakes can generally be met through diet alone, without the use of protein or amino acid supplements.
Why this rating
Based on systematic evidence analysis by major sports organizations.
Source
Nutrition and Athletic Performance
Nancy R. Rodriguez et al. · Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise · 2009
DOI 10.1249/mss.0b013e31890eb86
clinical_guidelineCited 1,062×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Athletes should consume 6–10 g/kg/day of carbohydrates to maintain blood glucose and replenish muscle glycogen, with the specific amount depending on total daily energy expenditure and exercise type.Weak
- Fat intake should range from 20% to 35% of total energy intake, and consuming less than 20% of energy from fat does not benefit performance.Weak
- Vitamin and mineral supplements are not needed if an athlete consumes adequate energy from a variety of foods to maintain body weight, but may be appropriate for those with specific deficiencies or dietary restrictions.Weak
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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