How much protein do you need a day if you train?

If you train regularly, aim for 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilo of body weight a day. For someone who weighs 80 kg, that's roughly 130 to 175 grams. The standard recommendation for non-athletes is 0.8 g per kilo, but that's designed to prevent deficiency, not to support muscle growth.

Where you fall in that range

• Around 1.6 g/kg — you train 3–4 times a week and want to maintain or slowly build muscle. For most people, this is plenty.
• Around 2 g/kg — you're losing weight while training. In a deficit your body is more willing to break down muscle, and more protein helps protect it.
• Up to 2.2 g/kg — intense strength training, almost daily. Beyond that, the benefit is minimal.

If you're carrying a lot of extra weight, calculate from your target weight, not your current one. Otherwise you'll end up with an unrealistically high number.

Timing matters almost as much as the total

Your body makes the best use of protein when it gets it in portions. Eat 20 g at breakfast and 110 g at dinner and some of it goes to waste. It's better to have 25 to 40 grams in each main meal and a bit less in snacks.

That's why every meal in our protein package has protein in it, not just lunch.

What 150 g of protein looks like in normal food

• Breakfast: 3-egg omelette with cheese — about 30 g
• Snack: 200 g Greek yoghurt with walnuts — about 20 g
• Lunch: 150 g chicken with quinoa and salad — about 45 g
• Snack: 150 g cottage cheese or a tin of tuna — about 20 g
• Dinner: 150 g fish or beef with vegetables — about 35 g

That's about 150 g in total, without a single shake.

Do you need protein shakes?

Not really. A shake is handy when you can't get to a meal, or after training when you have no appetite, but it isn't better or faster than food. If your meals give you enough, a shake is just an extra expense.

Is a lot of protein bad for your kidneys?

In healthy people, intakes up to around 2.2 g/kg haven't shown kidney damage in research. If you already have kidney problems, agree on your protein intake with your doctor.

Protein isn't enough on its own

Without enough calories and carbs, your body burns protein for fuel instead of building it into muscle. If you train seriously, your total intake has to keep up with what you burn. That's exactly why our protein package has 2,400 kcal, and for those who find that too much there's the 1,900 kcal men's package.

We covered what to eat around the workout itself in what to eat before and after training.