how much protein a day to gain muscle

For building muscle, most active people do well with around 1.2–2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, as long as they’re also doing resistance training.

Quick Scoop

• General health minimum: about 0.8 g/kg body weight per day (this is the basic RDA, not a “muscle gain” target).

• Solid muscle‑gain range for most lifters: about 1.2–1.6 g/kg per day.

• “Pushing it” for faster gains or hard training: up to about 1.6–2.2 g/kg per day, commonly used in strength and physique circles.

• Above roughly 1.6 g/kg, muscle‑building benefits start to plateau for most people, so more isn’t always better.

• Split into 3–5 meals, aim for ~20–40 g of protein per meal depending on your size and appetite.

Example: If you weigh 75 kg (about 165 lb) and want to gain muscle, a practical target is 90–120 g of protein per day (1.2–1.6 g/kg), going up toward ~150 g (2.0 g/kg) if you’re very lean and training hard.

Fast “forum style” take

If this were a typical fitness forum thread, the answers would look like this:

• The “science‑y” crowd:
  “Aim for about 1.2–1.6 g/kg; beyond that the gains level off, so focus more on consistent training and calories.”

• The “gym bro but not totally wrong” crowd:
  “Shoot for roughly 0.7–1.0 g per pound of body weight (≈1.6–2.2 g/kg) if you’re serious about lifting, you’ll be covered.”

• The cautious health‑pro crowd:
  “Don’t live on shakes; stay in the 1.2–2.0 g/kg range, keep your overall diet balanced, and check with a professional if you go on the high end long term, especially if you have kidney issues.”

How to use this today

1. Find your weight in kg (or divide pounds by 2.2).
2. Multiply by 1.2 for a lower‑end muscle‑gain target.
3. Multiply by 1.6–2.0 for a higher‑end, more aggressive target.
4. Distribute that total across meals and snacks built around lean meats, fish, eggs, dairy, tofu, lentils, beans, and yogurt.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.