Research
Macro partitioning
Daily protein intake of 1.6-2.2g/kg body weight, distributed across 3-4 meals of ~0.4g/kg, optimizes muscle protein synthesis and training adaptation in football players.
Eat 1.6-2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight every day. Spread this out over 3-4 meals, aiming for about 0.4g/kg per meal. This ensures your muscles get the signal to repair and grow throughout the day, rather than just at dinner. You don't need supplements if you eat real food.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Current data suggest that a protein intake of 1.6 to 2.2g/kg body weight per day improves adaptation to training... The benchmark is that an athlete should consume 3-4 meals containing protein at ~0.4g/kg body weight per meal
Why this rating
Based on expert consensus and general sports nutrition research.
Source
Nutrition and supplementation in football - practical guidelines based on current literature review
Wiktoria Staśkiewicz‐Bartecka · Journal of Education Health and Sport · 2022
DOI 10.12775/jehs.2022.12.10.012
narrative_reviewCited 2×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Elite football players should consume 6-8g of carbohydrates per kg of body weight on match days and 48-72 hours between matches to maximize muscle and liver glycogen stores and prevent performance-depleting fatigue.Moderate
- Post-match carbohydrate intake of ~1g/kg body weight per hour for 4 hours is required to maximize glycogen resynthesis and recovery speed.Moderate
- Dehydration of 2% body weight loss impairs football performance, and players should aim to prevent this loss by consuming 5-7ml/kg of fluid 2-4 hours before the match.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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