FAQ: How Much Protein Do I Need to Build Muscle?
Protein is one of the three macronutrients (the others being carbohydrates and fat). While protein contributes to your overall calorie intake, it also provides the amino acids for your body to build muscle. Protein is also important for nutrient transportation, blood pressure regulation, healthy hair, skin, and nails, and more!
If protein is so important, does that mean it should make up most of your diet? Well, no… because your body needs more than just protein. Eating too much protein can lead to missing out on other important nutrients like carbs and fat- both of which are also important for building muscle!
The best way to determine protein needs is based on your body weight in kilograms. So basically divide your weight in pounds by 2.2 and that’s it! From there, most active people need between 1.2-2.0 g/kg body weight. So a 150 pound person would be 68.2 kg and need between 82-137 grams of protein. Elite athletes and strength athletes may need to be on the higher end of this recommendation, while endurance athletes or average active adults might be just fine on the lower end.
Another way to know how much protein your body needs is to focus on getting 20-35 grams of protein at all of your meals and 10-35 grams at snacks. Again, active athletes and those with high overall calorie needs might need to be on the higher end. If you are eating in this protein range for your meals and snacks, you will usually be able to easily reach your overall daily protein needs.
I also recommend a higher protein snack (20-35 grams) before bed to give your muscles some fuel to build with overnight.