Protein Per Day: How Much for Muscle (1.6-2.2 g/kg)
Informational summary of published research — not medical advice. If you have kidney disease, talk to your doctor before increasing protein.
Quick answer
Protein scales with your bodyweight and goal. The RDA of 0.8 g/kg is a floor, not a target. Active people: 1.2–1.6 g/kg. Building muscle: 1.6–2.2 g/kg (no extra benefit above ~1.6). Dieting to keep muscle: 1.8–2.7 g/kg. Over 65: 1.0–1.2 g/kg+. Multiply your weight in kg (lb ÷ 2.2) by the number for your goal.
Calculate your daily protein target
Enter your weight and goal for a personalized gram range and how many scoops that is.
Daily targets by goal
| Goal | g/kg/day | 70 kg (155 lb) person |
|---|---|---|
| RDA minimum (sedentary) | 0.8 | ~56 g |
| Active / recreational | 1.2–1.6 | ~84–112 g |
| Build muscle (training) | 1.6–2.2 (plateau ~1.6) | ~112–154 g |
| Fat loss, preserve muscle | 1.8–2.7 | ~126–189 g |
| Adults over 65 | 1.0–1.2+ | ~70–84 g |
Sources: RDA — Rand 2003 (PMID 12499330); training plateau ~1.62 g/kg — Morton 2018 (PMID 28698222); athletes/exercise — ISSN 2017 (PMID 28642676); dieting — Longland 2016 (PMID 26817506), Helms 2014 (PMID 24092765); older adults — PROT-AGE 2013 (PMID 23867520), ESPEN 2014 (PMID 24814383).
Per meal: ~0.4 g/kg, spread across the day
Aim for roughly 0.4 g/kg per meal — about 20–40 g of a high-quality protein — across 3–4 meals. Muscle protein synthesis is maximally stimulated around 20–40 g per sitting (the ~2.5–3 g of leucine that triggers it), and eating protein evenly across meals raised 24-hour muscle protein synthesis about 25% versus loading it all at dinner (Mamerow 2014; dose-response Moore 2009). Hitting your total daily target is the priority; even distribution is a useful refinement.
Two myths, corrected. 1) The "anabolic window" is wide, not 30 minutes. A meta-analysis found the small timing effect was explained by those groups just eating more total protein, not by the timing itself (Schoenfeld 2013) — total daily protein matters far more. 2) High protein doesn't hurt healthy kidneys. A meta-analysis of RCTs found no decline in kidney function from higher protein in healthy adults (Devries 2018). The caveat: if you already have kidney disease, protein is often limited — ask your doctor.
We read the shelf: what a scoop actually contains, and how far it gets you
Original research · we read 675 protein-powder labels filed with the NIH (of 17,776 on the market); 673 carried a protein figure per serving. Everything above this point is in grams per kilogram of bodyweight, which is the right way to think about protein and a number no label can carry — so this measures the unit you actually buy and puts the two on the same scale. Both figures were recomputed independently in each half of the read order.
The shelf is well designed, which is not the usual finding here. The median serving is 25 g of protein — the same number in both halves of our sample — and 88.6% of labels clear the 20 g that trials use as a per-meal dose. Only 11.4% fall below it. If you buy a protein powder more or less at random, one scoop is a real per-meal serving.
| Protein per serving | Labels | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 25 g | 207 | 30.8% |
| 20 g | 91 | 13.5% |
| 26 g | 58 | 8.6% |
| 24 g | 57 | 8.5% |
| 30 g | 55 | 8.2% |
Now put that against the daily target, because nobody writes this down. A 75 kg lifter at the studied 1.6 g/kg needs 120 g of protein a day. At the median 25 g serving that is 4.8 scoops — which nobody drinks, and nobody should. So a tub is not a way to hit your target; it is a way to close the gap left by a diet that is already doing most of the work. That is the honest case for powder, and it is also why the cheapest tub that clears 20 g a scoop does the job as well as the expensive one.
Do you even need powder? Whey vs plant
Powder is a convenience — a fast way to hit a gram target — not something with benefits beyond the same protein from food. Whey and other animal proteins produce a somewhat stronger per-gram muscle-building response than most plant proteins, mainly due to higher leucine and digestibility (van Vliet 2015). Plant-protein users can close the gap with slightly larger servings or blends (pea + rice). And there's no extra muscle benefit above ~1.6 g/kg for training (Morton 2018) — the higher 1.8–2.7 range is specifically for dieting, not endless bulking.
Protein powders to hit your target
24 g protein/scoop, Informed Sport tested for banned substances. The reliable default.
22 g from a pea/sprout blend — USDA Organic and NSF Certified for Sport.
30 g ready-to-drink — handy for hitting your target on the go (e.g., GLP-1 users).
See also protein for weight loss and protein for GLP-1 users.
Frequently asked questions
How much protein should I eat per day?
By bodyweight and goal: 0.8 g/kg is the minimum; 1.2–1.6 active; 1.6–2.2 to build muscle (no extra benefit above ~1.6); 1.8–2.7 when dieting to keep muscle; 1.0–1.2+ over 65. Multiply your weight in kg (lb ÷ 2.2) by the goal number.
Is there really an "anabolic window"?
Not the 30-minute version. The small timing benefit in studies was explained by higher total protein, not timing. The window is hours wide — total daily protein matters far more than rushing a post-workout shake.
Does high protein damage your kidneys?
Not in healthy kidneys — a meta-analysis of RCTs found no decline in kidney function from higher protein in healthy adults. The concern applies to people who already have kidney disease; if that's you, ask your doctor first.
How much protein per meal?
~0.4 g/kg (about 20–40 g) across 3–4 meals. MPS maxes around 20–40 g per sitting, and even distribution beat dinner-loading by ~25% in one study — but hitting your daily total matters most.
Do I need powder, and is whey better than plant?
Powder is convenience, not magic — no edge over food. Whey/animal protein builds muscle a bit more efficiently per gram (leucine + digestibility); plant users can compensate with bigger servings or blends.
Related
Sources
- Morton RW, et al. "Protein supplementation and resistance-training gains: meta-analysis." Br J Sports Med. 2018. PMID: 28698222
- Rand WM, et al. "Meta-analysis of nitrogen balance studies (RDA basis)." Am J Clin Nutr. 2003. PMID: 12499330
- Jäger R, et al. "ISSN Position Stand: Protein and Exercise." J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017. PMID: 28642676
- Longland TM, et al. "Higher vs lower protein during an energy deficit." Am J Clin Nutr. 2016. PMID: 26817506
- Helms ER, et al. "Dietary protein during caloric restriction in lean athletes." Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2014. PMID: 24092765
- Bauer J, et al. "PROT-AGE: optimal dietary protein for older adults." J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2013. PMID: 23867520
- Moore DR, et al. "Ingested protein dose response of muscle protein synthesis." Am J Clin Nutr. 2009. PMID: 19056590
- Mamerow MM, et al. "Dietary protein distribution and 24-h muscle protein synthesis." J Nutr. 2014. PMID: 24477298
- Schoenfeld BJ, et al. "The effect of protein timing on muscle strength and hypertrophy." J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2013. PMID: 24299050
- Devries MC, et al. "Changes in Kidney Function Do Not Differ… Higher vs Normal Protein." J Nutr. 2018. PMID: 30383278