How much protein you actually need if you train

Protein is probably the one macronutrient where most people who train genuinely fall short. It's also where changes show up fastest.

The numbers

For a healthy person training regularly, the range in the literature — and the one I use in consultation — is:

• 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilo of body weight per day if the goal is gaining or preserving muscle mass.
• Toward the high end of the range during a calorie deficit: when you're eating less, protein protects the muscle you don't want to lose.
• If you're coming from being sedentary, starting near 1.6 g/kg is already a huge jump from the usual.

For someone at 70 kg, that's 112 to 154 grams a day. Written like that it sounds intimidating. Spread out, it isn't.

What that looks like on the plate

An open-palm portion of protein — a chicken breast, a piece of fish, a steak — lands around 25 to 35 grams. That makes the math simple:

• Breakfast: eggs or Greek yoghurt → 20-30 g
• Lunch: a portion of meat, chicken or fish → 30-40 g
• Snack: yoghurt, tuna or a shake → 20-25 g
• Dinner: another portion of protein → 30-40 g

Four moments with real protein and you're in range without counting anything.

Spread it out, don't stack it

Cramming 120 grams into dinner doesn't work as well as spreading them. The stimulus for building muscle responds better to doses of 25 to 40 grams across the day, every three or four hours.

If you train, having one of those doses relatively close to your session — before or after; the window is far wider than the internet claims — is enough.

Plant sources

You can absolutely hit the target without meat. Just account for two things:

• Plant sources tend to carry less protein per portion with more carbohydrate or fat around it, so portions run bigger.
• It's worth varying them (legumes, soy and its derivatives, grains, nuts) to cover the amino acid profile well across the day.

Tofu, tempeh, edamame, lentils, chickpeas and soy or pea protein powder do the job without trouble.

What protein doesn't do

It isn't magic. Eating more protein than you need doesn't speed anything up, and it doesn't damage the kidneys in healthy people — that's a valid concern only when kidney disease is already diagnosed.

It also doesn't replace training. Protein is the material; the barbell provides the stimulus.

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Want to know your number and how to spread it across the food you already eat? Book a consultation.