You’ll build muscle best if you eat around 1.6–2.2 g of protein per kg of bodyweight per day , consistently, alongside progressive strength training.

Core Protein Targets

  • General health: about 0.8 g/kg (too low for muscle gain for most lifters).
  • Muscle gain sweet spot: 1.6–2.2 g/kg per day (0.7–1.0 g per pound).
  • Example: If you weigh 70 kg, aim for roughly 110–150 g protein per day.

This range maximizes muscle protein synthesis for most active people when combined with resistance training.

Simple Daily Examples

For a 70 kg person (goal: ~130 g protein/day):

  • Breakfast: Greek yogurt + oats + nuts (~30 g)
  • Lunch: Chicken breast, rice, veggies (~35 g)
  • Snack: Protein shake (~20–25 g)
  • Dinner: Tofu, lentils, or fish with carbs and veggies (~35–40 g)

Hitting your total across the whole day matters more than any single “perfect” meal.

Timing And Distribution

  • Aim for 3–5 meals/snacks with 20–40 g protein each to support muscle building through the day.
  • A protein-rich meal or shake (around 20–30 g) within a few hours after lifting can help support recovery and gains, but the total daily intake is still the main driver.

Safety And Upper Limits

  • Intakes up to about 2.2 g/kg are widely used by athletes and are generally safe for healthy people with normal kidney function.
  • Going far beyond this doesn’t seem to build more muscle but can add unnecessary calories and make it harder to eat enough carbs and fats.

Mini Forum-Style Take

“Is 1 g per pound of bodyweight necessary?”
Most evidence suggests you’ll build just as much muscle around 0.7–0.9 g per pound, as long as training, sleep, and total calories are on point.

Quick HTML Table: Daily Protein Targets

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Goal</th>
      <th>Protein (g/kg)</th>
      <th>Protein (g/lb)</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Basic health</td>
      <td>0.8 g/kg</td>
      <td>~0.36 g/lb</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Active, maintaining muscle</td>
      <td>1.2–1.6 g/kg</td>
      <td>~0.54–0.72 g/lb</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Maximizing muscle gain</td>
      <td>1.6–2.2 g/kg</td>
      <td>~0.72–1.0 g/lb</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Quick Story Snapshot

Imagine two lifters the same size:

  • Lifter A eats 0.8 g/kg protein and trains hard but often feels sore and stalled.
  • Lifter B eats about 1.8 g/kg, spreads it over 4 meals, and trains similarly. Over a few months, Lifter B typically gains more lean mass and recovers faster, largely because their body has more amino acids available to repair and build muscle tissue.

Other Keys Besides Protein

  • Be in at least a small calorie surplus (or maintenance if you’re newer to training).
  • Lift progressively heavier or do more total work over time.
  • Sleep 7–9 hours and manage stress so your body can actually grow.

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

To give you more tailored numbers, what’s your current bodyweight and how many days per week are you lifting right now?