Daily protein requirement for bodybuilders
Translated by Janar Rückenberg
Daily protein requirement is one of the most practical questions for a bodybuilder: how much actually helps you maintain and build muscle, and where does it simply become expensive excess? Here we look at the topic soberly: body weight, calorie intake, training goal, and whether you are building mass or burning fat.
Why does daily protein requirement change at all?
In the first part we covered the ABC of protein: what proteins are, what the body uses them for and how training changes that requirement. One simple truth came through even there. Muscle growth depends on protein, and regular strength training raises protein requirement noticeably.
The standard recommended daily protein intake of 0.8 g per kg is often too little for someone who trains seriously. Dr. Peter Lemon, a well-known protein researcher, has pointed out that for people who train regularly, the minimum daily protein requirement may be at least 1.8 g per kg. That may not be the ceiling yet, especially when we are talking about a bodybuilder who trains hard and wants to build muscle mass.
The optimal amount really is hard to pin down. The body is not a calculator. For some people weight climbs easily, while someone else quickly looks depleted at high training volumes. That is why it is better to talk about reliable starting points rather than one sacred number.
Daily protein requirement by body weight
Bodybuilders have long used a rule of 2.2 g of protein per kg. It is close to the 1.8 g per kg recommendation mentioned earlier, but gives the trainee a small margin. You also need to take into account individual physiology, metabolic rate, training intensity, and whether the goal is adding mass or holding on to muscle while on a diet.
If you add another 0.4 – 0.5 g of protein to the 1.8 g, you arrive at roughly 2.2 g per kg. For many people this is a good starting point. There is one weak spot, though: the higher your body fat percentage, the more calculating by body weight may overestimate your actual requirement. A 100 kg person with a lot of fat mass does not need as much protein as a lean, highly muscular 100 kg athlete.
If your body fat percentage is more or less under control and your training is consistent, 2.2 g per kg still works well as a place to start.
Example 1: a woman with a body weight of 58 kg. Her protein requirement comes to ~ 130 g per day. If she eats 5 – 6 times a day, that means roughly 22 – 26 g of protein per meal.
Example 2: a man with a body weight of 85 kg. His protein requirement comes to ~ 190 g. If he eats 5 – 6 times a day, the protein amount per meal lands at around 32 – 38 g.
Daily protein requirement by calorie intake
Another option is to look at protein as a percentage of total daily energy. For that you first need to know your calorie intake. For maintaining an average body weight, figures such as 2000 – 2100 kcal per day for women and 2700 – 2900 kcal for men are often cited, but in real life it depends on body weight, activity and training.
As a baseline for a bodybuilder, the idea that 30% of total calories could come from protein works well. The split could then look roughly like this: 30% protein, 55% carbohydrates and 15% fat. This is not the only correct scheme, but it gives you a simple framework to adjust from.
Fat-loss example with a woman: 58.5 kg, or 130 pounds. If the goal is to lose fat, a suitable calorie intake might be approx. 1700 kcal per day. 30% of 1700 kcal is 510 kcal. Since 1 g of protein provides 4 kcal, 510 kcal divided by 4 kcal = 127.5 g. So a woman weighing 58 – 59 kg could get 127 – 130 g of protein during a fat-loss phase.
Fat-loss example with a man: 85.5 kg, or 190 pounds. If a suitable daily calorie intake is approx. 2600 kcal per day, then 30% of 2600 kcal is 780 kcal. 780 kcal divided by 4 kcal = 195 g. So a man weighing 85 – 86 kg could get about 195 – 200 g of protein during a fat-loss phase. In the original text this said “woman” at this point, but the calculation itself refers to the man example.
When can a higher protein amount make sense?
Should you use the 2.2 g per kg rule or the 30% of total calories method? In many cases both give surprisingly similar results. Calculating by calorie intake is more flexible, because the goal changes: on a diet, in a mass-building phase and at maintenance, the same split may not suit.
- The goal is to increase quality muscle mass.
- Low-carbohydrate diets are being used and muscle mass has to be preserved.
- The person has carbohydrate sensitivity, i.e. a “carbohydrate sensitive” situation.
To build mass, you have to eat more calories than you burn. For example, if a man weighs 85 kg and needs 3000 kcal per day to maintain his body weight, he can raise his calorie intake to about 3500 kcal per day to add mass. 30% of 3500 kcal is 1050 kcal per day. 1050 divided by four makes 262. At 85 kg, that means about 260 g of protein per day, or roughly 3.1 g of protein per kg of body weight.
Is 3.1 g of protein per kg too much? Honest answer: it’s a large amount. That said, the point isn’t to claim that the more protein you eat, the more muscle you gain. Rather, a higher protein intake in some phases is a way to keep meal composition and the macronutrient ratio under control, especially when you don’t want to get your extra calories mainly from fat or carbohydrates.
Translator’s note: I don’t find the last two paragraphs especially informative, but let me share my own opinion here. I also believe that bodybuilders need higher protein amounts in both the bulking phase and the dieting phase. Rather more, but under no circumstances less. I experienced this firsthand while preparing for my most recent competitions. My protein intake was significantly higher than in the spring, so even up to 3 weeks before the competition I was very dry and massive, exactly the way I had planned to look on stage. So why did the result at the autumn competition end up the way it did? I overdid the diet, and in the last 4 – 5 days before the competition I lost practically 1 kilo a day. It got out of hand. My competition shape was actually already there 3 – 4 weeks before the competition.
Fine, enough of that. As I said, I have found both while dieting and now while bulking that one big mistake of mine in the past was too little protein. My view is this: better a little too much than too little. If you fall short, protein synthesis is disrupted, and with it muscle growth. If there is a surplus, the body can use it for energy, provided, of course, that your carbohydrate intake isn’t sky-high at the same time. Still, you shouldn’t go crazy either, because that would simply be wasteful and expensive. Personally, I consider it necessary to consume approx. 2.2 – 2.5 g of protein per kg in the bulking phase, and in the dieting phase that number goes up to as much as 3.0 g per kg of body weight.
If the extra calories come mainly from carbohydrates or fat, your sixpack can disappear quickly. Bodybuilders know this well. Excess carbohydrates can easily be stored as subcutaneous fat, and with fat it’s even simpler: it goes into storage very conveniently. A high-calorie diet in which 70% of total calories come from carbohydrates may suit a long-distance runner, but for a bodybuilder it is often a poor path.
Daily protein requirement when dieting and restricting carbohydrates
On a low-carbohydrate diet, the role of protein becomes even more important. A baseline split of 55% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 15% fat can be balanced and healthy for many people. If your calorie intake is below maintenance, you can lose fat even with a split like this.
Pre-contest condition is a different matter. Bodybuilders and fitness competitors often use low- or moderate-carbohydrate diets, because simply “eating a bit less” may not be enough for stage condition. When you reduce carbohydrates, you can’t just remove one part of the menu and hope everything else stays the same. The amount of protein and healthy fatty acids has to rise at the same time, especially the protein part.
If carbohydrates and total calories are both very low at once, the result can be a loss of muscle mass. That’s hardly a bodybuilder’s dream, is it? That’s why you have to find a balance when dieting: a calorie deficit has to remain, but not one so large that your training suffers and muscle disappears.
Protein-rich food also has a greater thermic effect. The body spends more energy digesting and processing protein-rich food than it does with fat or carbohydrates. That doesn’t mean protein is some miracle aid, but during fat loss it is a clear practical plus.
Too much protein and carbohydrate sensitivity
Some people react to carbohydrates more strongly than others. The original text used the term “carbohydrate sensitive” for this and “insulin resistant” for reduced insulin sensitivity. If a lot of carbohydrates quickly raises your blood sugar and insulin, losing fat can become harder.
Insulin is an important anabolic hormone. It helps move glucose and other nutrients into cells. But when there is a lot of insulin at once and often, it promotes fat storage and slows the use of fat stores. In such a situation, a smaller share of carbohydrates and a bigger share of protein in the menu can be a sensible solution.
That said, this doesn’t mean a very high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet should be a year-round norm. Most people need a simpler and more sustainable system. A competitive bodybuilder has their own periods, a recreational lifter has their own life. They don’t have to look the same.
How do you set your daily protein requirement?
Start simple. If you train regularly in the gym, you can take 2.2 g per kg as your starting point. If you are dieting or bulking and tracking your calorie intake, also calculate 30% of your total calories and see how close the result comes. If the numbers differ a lot, ask yourself what your goal is: muscle mass, fat loss or maintenance.
Then track your body weight, your look in the mirror, your strength numbers and how you feel for 2 – 3 weeks. If your weight drops too fast and your strength disappears, your calories or protein may be too low. If your weight rises quickly and you start to look soft, the surplus is probably too large. The body gives feedback, but you actually have to look at it.
All in all, there is no single norm that suits everyone. Nutrition depends on training, metabolism, body fat percentage, your goal and which diet a person can tolerate. It’s entirely possible that for a good result, a bodybuilder’s optimum falls in the range of 2.7 – 3.3 g of protein per kg per day. This isn’t an order for everyone, but a sign that with serious training the requirement can be much higher than the usual recommendation.
FAQ
How much protein per day is a good starting point?
If you train regularly and your body fat percentage is under control, 2.2 g per kg is a practical starting point. From there, you can adjust the amount to suit your goal and how your body responds.
Does too much protein make you fat right away?
Any large energy surplus eventually ends up as fat. With protein this usually happens less easily than with fat or carbohydrates, but if your calorie intake is consistently too high, the macro split alone won’t save you.
Do you need to increase protein on a diet?
Often, yes, especially when carbohydrates are reduced and the goal is to preserve muscle mass. On a diet, it’s not just about the number on the scale, but about what that lost weight is made of.
In the third part, we’ll draw some general conclusions and look at whether too much protein is life-threatening.
Author: Janar Rückenberg
Come and train! ArtGym
