Protein Intake Calculator for Muscle Gain (Daily + Per Meal)

Enter your bodyweight and goal for a daily protein target and a per-meal amount. For building muscle, the calculator uses 1.6 g/kg (0.7 g/lb) as the core target and 2.2 g/kg (1 g/lb) as the upper end. A 180 lb (82 kg) lifter needs about 130–180 g daily, or roughly 33 g per meal.

How do you use the protein intake calculator?

Enter your bodyweight and choose a goal: build muscle, maintain while lifting, or lose fat while keeping muscle. You’ll get a daily range, a target, and an amount for 3, 4, or 5 meals.

1. Choose build muscle for 1.6–2.2 g/kg/day, maintain for 1.4–2.0 g/kg/day, or lose fat for 2.3–3.1 g/kg/day.
2. Use 1.6 g/kg as the build or maintain target, and 2.3 g/kg for fat loss.
3. Divide your target by your meal count; use 0.4–0.55 g/kg per meal as a check.

The 1.6 g/kg target is where extra protein stopped adding muscle in the largest meta-analysis, and fits both build and maintain ranges (Morton et al., 2018). For fat loss, entering body-fat percentage applies the range to lean mass: everything that isn’t fat. The higher range comes from studies of lean lifters and scales with leanness and calorie-deficit severity (Helms et al., 2014). If you carry more body fat while building, entering your goal weight is a practical shortcut. See all our calculators.

How much protein do you need per day to build muscle?

Aim for about 1.6 g/kg (0.7 g/lb) daily. In the largest meta-analysis, muscle gains plateaued at 1.62 g/kg, with an upper confidence limit of 2.2 g/kg; the International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends 1.4–2.0 g/kg for exercising people (Morton et al., 2018, ISSN position stand).

The analysis covered 49 randomized trials and 1,863 people training with weights. Protein’s effect was real but modest: supplementation added about 0.30 kg of fat-free mass on average. Training provides the stimulus; protein supports it. Read how much protein to build muscle, and what the research agrees on.

The RDA of 0.8 g/kg is a general-health minimum, not a muscle-building target. It’s about 50 g for someone weighing 140 lb (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health). The familiar “1 g per pound” is 2.2 g/kg, the useful range’s upper end.

• 1.6 g/kg = 0.73 g/lb
• 2.2 g/kg = 1.0 g/lb

How should you split protein across meals?

Aim for about 0.4 g/kg in each of at least four meals, adding up to 1.6 g/kg daily. For a 180 lb (82 kg) lifter, that’s about 33 g per meal. The “30 g is all you can absorb” rule is outdated: larger doses still work, though less efficiently per gram.

Targets use daily multipliers from Morton et al., 2018, the per-meal target from Schoenfeld and Aragon, 2018, and the RDA from Harvard’s Nutrition Source. Values are rounded to the nearest gram.

A meal-by-meal target can reveal a common pattern: little protein at breakfast, then a large dinner. The evidence on whether the anabolic window is real puts timing in perspective.

• The ISSN suggests 20–40 g, or 0.25 g/kg, every 3–4 hours; dairy, meat, eggs, and soy provide leucine without supplements (ISSN position stand).
• In 36 young men, 100 g after exercise produced a greater, longer-lasting muscle-building response than 25 g, lasting more than 12 hours (Trommelen et al., 2023).
• Fix a protein-light breakfast and oversized dinner before worrying about precise timing.

Does your protein target change when cutting or getting older?

Yes. Lean lifters dieting may need more protein to retain muscle, while older lifters should pay attention to the amount in each meal.

Cutting

The 2.3–3.1 g/kg fat-loss range applies to lean mass when you enter body-fat percentage. It comes from studies of lean, trained people in a calorie deficit; needs rise with leanness and deficit severity (Helms et al., 2014). The high end is less critical if you carry more body fat.

Over 60

Try for around 0.4 g/kg per meal rather than relying on one large dinner. In a single-meal study, muscle protein synthesis plateaued at about 0.40 g/kg in older men averaging 71, versus 0.24 g/kg in young men averaging 22 (Moore et al., 2015). For a 165 lb (75 kg) lifter, that’s about 30 g per meal; see building muscle after 50.

What do the numbers look like for real bodyweights?

Multiply weight in kg by 1.6 for the core target and 2.2 for the upper end. That’s about 110–150 g daily at 150 lb (68 kg), 130–180 g at 180 lb (82 kg), and 145–200 g at 200 lb (91 kg). Divide by four for a per-meal target; convert pounds with lb ÷ 2.2.

• A 150 lb woman building muscle needs about 110 g daily, up to 150 g; her RDA minimum is 54 g.
• 100 g equals 1.6 g/kg up to about 62.5 kg (138 lb); heavier women should aim higher.
• The same per-kilogram logic applies to women and men; bodyweight changes the total.

Is more protein always better?

No. Returns are small above 1.6 g/kg, and extra protein beyond about 2.2 g/kg doesn’t add muscle. Intakes over 3.0 g/kg may benefit body composition in trained people, perhaps through fullness or less fat gain rather than more muscle (ISSN position stand).

If protein crowds out carbohydrates that fuel training, it can work against progress. Once you hit your target, focus on food that supports hard training. If you have kidney disease or follow a medical diet, follow your doctor’s advice.

What if you hit your protein and still don't grow?

Then protein isn’t your bottleneck, and more won’t help. If you’ve reached 1.6 g/kg across three or four meals for a couple of months without gaining, review your training, calories, sleep, and stress.

• Your weekly sets per muscle may be too low, or too far from failure.
• You may be eating at maintenance and expecting growth, or gaining too quickly and adding mostly fat.
• Sleep and stress can also get in the way.

Use why you’re not gaining muscle, ranked to check common causes, and the bulking calorie calculator to set a starting intake. If you hit your protein target at each meal and still aren’t growing, check whether protein, or something else, is your real bottleneck.

FAQ

How do I calculate how much protein I need?

Convert your weight to kilograms (pounds ÷ 2.2) and multiply by 1.6 for a muscle-building target or 2.2 for the upper end. A 180 lb lifter is about 82 kg, or 131–180 g daily. Divide that target by your meal count and aim for about 0.4 g/kg in at least four meals.

How much protein does a 150 pound woman need?

To build muscle, aim for about 110 g daily (1.6 g/kg at 68 kg), up to 150 g at the high end. That’s roughly 27 g in each of four meals. The RDA for the same woman is about 54 g, a general-health minimum rather than a muscle-building target.

Is 100g of protein a day enough for a woman?

For many women, yes. 100 g equals 1.6 g/kg for anyone weighing up to about 62.5 kg (138 lb), near the point where extra protein stopped adding muscle in the largest meta-analysis (Morton et al., 2018). Heavier women building muscle should aim higher and spread protein across meals.

What is the best protein for 70 year olds?

Dairy, eggs, meat, fish, and soy are all high-quality options; the amount per meal matters more than the source. Older men needed about 0.40 g/kg in a single meal to fully stimulate muscle building, versus 0.24 g/kg in young men (Moore et al., 2015). For a 165 lb (75 kg) person, that’s about 30 g per meal.