How much protein you need to build muscle, explained simply: about 0.7 g per lb of body weight per day, how to split it across meals, and when more makes sense.
Most lifters build muscle well on about 0.7 g of protein per lb of body weight per day. For a 180 lb lifter, that is about 125 to 130 g a day. Going up to around 1 g per lb is a reasonable upper target if you are leaner, dieting, or simply want a margin. Spread it over 3 to 5 meals of roughly 20 to 40 g each.
Protein advice ranges from sensible to absurd. You will hear that you need 1 gram per pound, 1.5 grams per pound, or a shake within 30 minutes of training or the session is wasted. Most of that is louder than the evidence behind it.
The research on protein for muscle growth is actually some of the most settled in sports nutrition. Here is what it says, how to turn it into a daily number, and where the honest uncertainty lies.
The best single reference point comes from a 2018 meta-analysis by Morton and colleagues, which pooled 49 studies on protein supplementation during resistance training. Extra protein increased gains in muscle and strength, and the benefit appeared to level off at around 0.7 g per lb of body weight per day. The statistical uncertainty around that number extended up to about 1 g per lb, which is why many coaches use 0.7 as a target and 1 as a generous ceiling.
The International Society of Sports Nutrition's 2017 position stand, by Jäger and colleagues, recommends 0.6 to 0.9 g per lb per day for most people who exercise. The two sources land in the same place.
| Body weight | 0.7 g per lb per day | 1 g per lb per day |
|---|---|---|
| 130 lb | ~90 g | ~130 g |
| 150 lb | ~105 g | ~150 g |
| 180 lb | ~125 g | ~180 g |
| 200 lb | ~140 g | ~200 g |
| 230 lb | ~160 g | ~230 g |
A quick shortcut in pounds: multiply your body weight by 0.7 for a solid target, or by 1.0 for the upper end.
If you carry a lot of body fat, protein targets based on total body weight can come out unrealistically high. A reasonable approach is to use your goal body weight, or a weight closer to your lean mass, instead. A 280 lb lifter aiming for 220 lb could use 220 lb as the base: about 155 g per day at 0.7 g per lb.
This is an approximation, not a precise science. The point is to land in a range you can sustain, not to hit a decimal.
Somewhat, though total daily intake matters most. The ISSN position stand suggests spreading protein across the day, with roughly 20 to 40 g per meal (or about 0.11 g per lb of body weight per meal) every 3 to 4 hours.
A practical day for the 180 lb lifter aiming for 130 g:
| Meal | Example | Protein |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | 3 eggs and Greek yogurt | ~35 g |
| Lunch | Chicken rice bowl | ~40 g |
| Afternoon | Protein shake or cottage cheese | ~25 g |
| Dinner | Salmon, potatoes, vegetables | ~35 g |
| Total | ~135 g |
You do not need to eat on a strict clock. Four reasonable meals with a solid protein source in each will get most people there.
Having a protein-rich meal in the few hours around training is sensible, but the idea that you lose your gains if you miss a 30-minute window is not well supported. If your daily total is on target and meals are spread out, timing is a minor detail.
When you are in a calorie deficit, your body is more likely to break down muscle for energy, and protein helps protect against that. This is one reason many lifters aim toward the higher end, closer to 0.9 to 1 g per lb, while dieting. It is also more filling, which makes a deficit easier to stick to.
When you are eating at or above maintenance, the lower end of the range (around 0.7 g per lb) is usually plenty.
For healthy people, the intakes discussed here are well within what the ISSN considers safe. If you have kidney disease or another medical condition, talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian before raising your intake. This article is general information, not medical advice.
No, and this is the part that gets lost. Protein supports muscle growth; training drives it. In the Morton meta-analysis, extra protein added to the gains from resistance training. It did not replace the training.
Put another way, 150 g of protein a day with a program that never progresses will not do much. The stimulus comes from weightlifting hard enough, often enough, with a load or rep count that keeps creeping up. A 2017 meta-analysis by Schoenfeld and colleagues found more weekly sets were associated with more muscle growth, and that kind of training is what gives the protein something to build.
Sleep belongs in the same conversation. A consensus statement by Watson and colleagues recommends at least 7 hours per night for adults, and short sleep makes both training and recovery harder.
Protein is the half of the equation that Alexandros does not log. It is an iPhone app that works as a personal weightlifting coach you talk to in a chat, and it handles the other half: training progression.
You describe sessions in plain English or tap sets in, rate how hard each set was, and it recommends next session's weights and reps using double progression through a rep range based on your goal. Ask "How has my bench progressed?" and you get a chart from your actual log. Hit your protein target, keep the weightlifting progressing, and the two halves work together.
It is more than most people need, but it is not harmful for healthy individuals. Research suggests benefits level off around 0.7 g per lb. Eating up to 1 g per lb is a reasonable choice if you are dieting or prefer a safety margin.
If you weigh around 140 lb or less, 100 g is close to the 0.7 g per lb target. For heavier lifters, 100 g is likely below the point where most of the benefit is seen, though you will still make progress if your training is good.
No. Shakes are a convenient way to hit your total, but whole foods like meat, fish, eggs, dairy, tofu, and legumes work just as well. Use whatever helps you hit your daily number consistently.
Your body digests and absorbs essentially all the protein you eat. The more useful question is how much per meal best supports muscle building, and the ISSN suggests roughly 20 to 40 g, spread across the day.
