Research
Macro partitioning
Athletes should consume 1.4–2.0 g of protein per kg of body weight per day to optimize lean body mass and strength during resistance training.
If you train with weights, aim for 1.4 to 2.0 grams of protein for every kilogram of your body weight each day. This range is the scientific standard for building and keeping muscle while you train hard.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
In accordance with the official position of the ISSN, the recommended protein intake corresponds to values from 1.4 to 2.0 g/kg of body weight per day for individuals performing various special sets of physical exercises.
Why this rating
Based on a review of meta-analyses and official ISSN positions, though it is a review paper rather than a primary RCT.
Source
Protein in the athlete’s diet: rationale for intake levels at different training intensities to maintain lean body mass (a brief review)
I S Zilova et al. · Problems of Nutrition · 2023
DOI 10.33029/0042-8833-2023-92-4-114-124
narrative_reviewCited 1×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Protein intakes exceeding 2.0 g/kg/day do not provide additional lean body mass gains in the absence of concurrent resistance training.Good
- High-protein diets (>2.0 g/kg/day) are safe for healthy, highly qualified athletes, showing no adverse changes in blood biochemistry or bone mineral density.Good
- During caloric restriction, higher protein intake (2.3–3.1 g/kg of fat-free mass) helps preserve lean body mass and reduces fat 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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