Research
Macro partitioning
Bodybuilders should consume 1.6–2.2 g of protein per kg of body weight daily, distributed in doses of 0.40–0.55 g/kg per meal across 3–6 meals.
Eat 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein for every kilogram of your body weight each day. Split this total into 3 to 6 meals, aiming for roughly 0.4 to 0.55 grams per kilogram per meal. This ensures you hit the leucine threshold for muscle growth in each feeding without overconsumption.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Bodybuilders should consume a minimum of 1.6 g/kg of protein in the offseason, although targeting closer to 2.2 g/kg may ensure a more consistently optimized response... divide their daily intake of 1.6–2.2 g/kg of protein per day into multiple meals each containing ~0.40–0.55 g/kg
Why this rating
Based on meta-analyses (Morton et al.) and consistent findings across multiple studies on resistance-trained populations.
Source
Nutrition Recommendations for Bodybuilders in the Off-Season: A Narrative Review
Juma Iraki et al. · Sports · 2019
DOI 10.3390/sports7070154
narrative_reviewCited 73×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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- Natural bodybuilders in the off-season should consume a hyper-energetic diet (~10–20% above maintenance) targeting a weight gain of 0.25–0.5% of bodyweight per week, with advanced lifters using a more conservative surplus to minimize fat gain.Moderate
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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