How Much Protein Per Day to Build Muscle

By Joy Jacob · Updated 2026-07-02 · 3 min read

For most people who lift weights and want to build muscle, research suggests a daily protein intake of roughly 1.6 grams per kilogram of bodyweight — about 0.7 grams per pound. That figure is a practical target drawn from the strongest available evidence, not a magic number, and eating more than the upper end offers little extra benefit for muscle growth.

What protein actually does

Muscle is built when your body assembles amino acids into new muscle tissue faster than it breaks tissue down. Training provides the stimulus; protein provides the raw material. Dietary protein supplies the essential amino acids — especially leucine — that switch on muscle protein synthesis. Without enough of it, even excellent training produces disappointing results, because your body simply lacks the building blocks to repair and add tissue.

The number: how many grams per day

The most-cited target comes from a large meta-analysis by Morton and colleagues, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Pooling many resistance-training studies, it found that protein intakes above roughly 1.6 g/kg of bodyweight per day produced no further gains in muscle and strength for the average person. That works out to about 0.7 grams per pound.

The International Society of Sports Nutrition reaches a similar conclusion, recommending a daily range of about 1.4 to 2.0 g/kg for building and maintaining muscle in active people. The upper end — around 2.2 g/kg — is sometimes used by lean individuals dieting hard, because higher protein helps preserve muscle when calories are low. For a 75 kg (165 lb) lifter, 1.6 g/kg lands near 120 grams a day.

Does timing per meal matter?

Total daily protein matters most, but distribution helps. Many researchers suggest spreading intake across three or four meals of roughly 0.4 g/kg each — often 25 to 40 grams of quality protein — rather than eating almost all of it at dinner. Each serving of that size tends to maximally stimulate muscle protein synthesis for most adults. If you want a deeper look at whether the moment you eat protein really matters, see our piece on protein timing and the anabolic window.

Where to get it

Whole foods should do most of the work. Strong, well-absorbed sources include:

• Chicken, turkey, lean beef, pork, and fish
• Eggs and dairy such as Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and milk
• Plant options like tofu, tempeh, lentils, beans, and edamame

Animal sources are "complete," containing all essential amino acids in useful amounts. Plant eaters can absolutely hit their targets by combining varied sources and eating a bit more total protein to cover the lower leucine content of some foods.

Do you need protein shakes?

No. A shake is food in a convenient form, useful when you are busy or struggle to eat enough whole protein — not a requirement. Whey and other powders are effective and cheap per gram, but a chicken breast and a tub of yogurt do the same job. Choose shakes for convenience, not because you believe real food is inferior.

Protein, fat loss, and the bigger picture

Protein earns its keep during dieting, too. A higher intake helps you hold onto muscle in a calorie deficit and keeps you fuller between meals. If your goal is a leaner physique rather than raw size, pair your protein target with the strategies in our guide on how to lose fat, not muscle. And if you are weighing supplements, creatine monohydrate is one of the few with strong evidence behind it — though protein comes first.