How much protein do you need per day?
Enter your weight, your goal and how much you move. You get a range in grams per day, and then what it costs to get part of that from powder.
Your daily target
144 g
The research gives a range of 128 to 160 grams a day, which is 1.6 to 2 grams per kilo of body weight.
You get the rest from food. Powder is a supplement and not a replacement.
What that costs per day
Nutricost Casein Protein Powder
3 shakes a dayCheapest per gram of protein
$1.22
per day · $36.60 per month
Muscle Milk Protein Powder
2 shakes a day
$1.33
per day · $39.90 per month
Equate Whey Protein Powder
3 shakes a day
$2.20
per day · $66.00 per month
Goliath Labs Whey Protein Powder [ Bucket] Chocolate Flavor
3 shakes a day
$2.26
per day · $67.80 per month
Ascent 100% Whey Protein Powder
3 shakes a day
$2.44
per day · $73.20 per month
Frequently asked questions
How much protein do I need per day to build muscle?
It depends on your weight, your goal and how often you train. For someone of 80 kilos training two to four times a week the research lands between 128 and 160 grams a day. Work out your own number above.
Is 2g of protein per kg too much?
For a healthy adult who trains that is not an unusual amount. Morton (2018) saw the effect on muscle mass level off around 1.62 grams per kilo, so above 2.2 grams nothing was added in that research. More is mostly just more expensive.
Can I get all my protein from shakes?
You could, and it is rarely a good plan. Powder fills the gap for the grams you do not get from food on a given day. Getting everything from shakes means missing what else food brings, and it costs more per gram of protein than quark or chicken.
How much protein per day when cutting?
In a calorie deficit the need is higher, because you need more protein to hold on to muscle while eating less. Set your goal above to losing fat and the range shifts with it.
Where these numbers come from
Morton (2018) pooled 49 studies with 1863 participants and saw the effect on muscle mass level off around 1.62 grams of protein per kilo per day. In a calorie deficit the need is higher, because you need more protein to hold on to muscle while eating less. Your daily total matters more than how you spread it out.
This is nutrition information and not medical advice. If you have kidney disease, are pregnant or follow a supervised diet, use the amount your doctor or dietitian gives you.