Research
Macro partitioning
Protein intakes exceeding 2.0 g/kg/day do not provide additional lean body mass gains in the absence of concurrent resistance training.
Eating more than 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight will not build muscle if you are not lifting weights. Focus on resistance training first; protein alone is insufficient for growth without it.
GoodRefutesHIGH confidence
It has been shown that an increase in protein intake above the average maximum values practically does not lead to an increase in lean body mass without the simultaneous introduction of additional resistance exercises that restores its growth.
Why this rating
Supported by meta-analyses cited in the review.
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
- 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.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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