By Jay KT
Protein is a hot topic today, and for good reason. We hear constantly that we need more protein to build muscle, preserve lean mass and support healthy aging. But how much do we actually need? Where should we begin? And at what point does the pursuit of more protein stop providing meaningful benefit?
Those questions matter because protein should never be considered in isolation. Exercise and nutrition work together to preserve muscle and physical function. Muscle is metabolically active tissue that helps us move, manage fuel and maintain our ability to perform the activities of daily living. Preserving it, and, when appropriate, building more of it, is one of the smartest investments we can make in long-term health.
Resistance training gives muscle a reason to adapt. Dietary protein supplies the amino acids needed for repair and growth. But there is no single protein number that is right for everyone. Age, activity level, body composition, total calorie intake, nutritional status, training goals and medical conditions all matter.
Key Takeaways
- Protein needs are individual. Age, activity level, body composition, training goals, calorie intake and medical conditions all influence how much protein someone needs.
- Protein and resistance training work together. Protein supplies the amino acids needed for repair and growth, while resistance exercise gives the body a reason to maintain and build muscle.
- Protein becomes increasingly important with age. Preserving muscle, strength and physical function is a key part of healthy aging.
- Total daily protein matters more than chasing a perfect post-workout window. Including meaningful protein sources throughout the day is generally more important than worrying about a strict 30-minute deadline after exercise.
- More protein is not always better. Higher intake can be appropriate for certain athletes or during calorie restriction, but excessive protein does not automatically produce greater muscle gains.
- Think beyond the protein number. Strength, function, body composition, lean mass, energy and recovery provide a more complete picture of whether a nutrition and exercise strategy is working.
How Much Protein Do We Need?
The adult Recommended Dietary Allowance for protein has traditionally been 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. That amount is designed to meet the basic nutritional needs of nearly all healthy adults. It was not developed as a target for maximizing muscle growth or training adaptations.
Newer dietary guidance has increasingly placed greater emphasis on higher protein intake, particularly for active individuals and healthy aging. For many adults, a range around 1.2–1.6 grams per kilogram per day can provide a practical starting framework, with the appropriate amount depending on the individual.
For healthy adults who exercise regularly, sports-nutrition recommendations commonly extend higher, particularly when resistance training or significant calorie restriction is involved.
A major meta-analysis of resistance-training trials found that additional protein produced modest further gains in muscle and strength, with the average relationship between protein intake and gains in fat-free mass leveling off around 1.6 g/kg/day. That does not mean 1.6 is a biological ceiling. It means that beyond a certain point, simply adding more protein does not necessarily produce proportionally greater results.
That distinction is important. More protein is not automatically better protein strategy. For someone who weighs 150 pounds, for example, 1.2–1.6 g/kg works out to approximately 82–109 grams of protein per day. At 180 pounds, it is approximately 98–131 grams.
Remember, those are grams of protein, not grams of food. And even those calculations require context. In someone with obesity, substantial underweight or fluid retention, we may use a reference or adjusted weight rather than automatically basing the calculation on current scale weight. Exercise volume and physical demands can also change protein requirements.
Protein Becomes Especially Important With Age
Protein deserves particular attention as we get older because aging muscle does not always respond as strongly to a small protein serving as younger muscle. This phenomenon is often referred to as anabolic resistance. That is one reason maintaining adequate protein intake becomes increasingly important with age.
But I don’t want people to hear that and conclude that they simply need to consume enormous quantities of protein. A higher protein number alone does not guarantee better function. Adequate calories matter. Progressive resistance exercise matters. Recovery matters. And conditions such as frailty, poor appetite and kidney disease may require an individualized nutritional strategy.
The goal isn’t to win a protein contest. The goal is to preserve the muscle, strength and physical capacity you will need later in life.
Daily Intake Matters More Than a Perfect “Protein Window”
One of the most persistent ideas in fitness is that protein must be consumed within a tiny window immediately after exercise or the opportunity for muscle growth is lost. The reality is more flexible.
For many people, a practical strategy is to include a meaningful source of protein at each main meal rather than consuming very little throughout the day and trying to make up for it at dinner. Breakfast is often where I see the biggest opportunity. And remember, breakfast simply means the meal that breaks your overnight fast. It doesn’t have to occur at a particular clock time.
Protein consumed around exercise can certainly support recovery, but you don’t need to panic if you don’t get a shake down within 30 minutes of your last repetition. Total daily protein intake remains enormously important.
Research has also challenged the idea that the body simply stops using protein after 30 or 40 grams. A controlled study in healthy young men found that a much larger post-exercise protein dose sustained a greater anabolic response over an extended period than a smaller dose. That does not mean everyone should begin eating 100 grams of protein at every meal. It tells us something more useful: human protein metabolism is more nuanced than a simple per-meal cutoff.
What About One Gram Per Pound?
This is where protein advice can become confusing. For someone who strength trains, around one gram of protein per pound of lean body mass can be a reasonable starting point depending on body composition, training demands and goals.
Lean body mass means your total body weight minus body fat. It does not mean muscle alone. For routine muscle building, much of the research bases recommendations on total body weight, often in the general neighborhood of 1.6–2.2 g/kg/day, or roughly 0.7–1.0 gram per pound of total body weight.
For lean, resistance-trained athletes who are dieting, higher protein intake may be useful for preserving muscle during calorie restriction. But there is a major difference between saying that higher protein may be appropriate in a specific circumstance and saying that everyone needs two grams of protein per pound of lean mass.
I would not routinely recommend the latter without a specific reason. My approach is much more practical: Eat for your body, your lean mass, your activity and your goal. Then adjust based on how you respond.
Protein and Women
Women also deserve an individualized conversation around protein rather than simply adopting a target designed around someone else’s physiology or training goals. Body size, lean mass, age, hormonal status, appetite, activity level and the type and intensity of exercise all influence what is appropriate.
For a smaller woman who is beginning resistance training, suddenly forcing very large amounts of protein into every meal may be unnecessary and uncomfortable. Someone with substantially more lean mass or a demanding training schedule may require more.
Start with an appropriate target. Strength train. Monitor how you feel and perform. Then adjust gradually when necessary. Protein should support the body you’re building, not become another nutritional extreme.
Choosing Protein Foods and Supplements
Protein does not have to come from a supplement. Fish, lean meat, eggs, poultry, dairy when tolerated, tofu, tempeh, beans and lentils can all contribute to daily intake. A varied diet also provides micronutrients, fiber and other compounds that matter for health.
Protein powders can be convenient when food alone does not easily meet someone’s needs. Complete proteins provide all nine essential amino acids. Whey is commonly used because of its amino-acid profile and convenience, although it may not be appropriate for someone who cannot tolerate dairy. Egg, beef and appropriately formulated plant proteins can provide alternatives.
Plant protein can absolutely contribute to maintaining and building muscle. The total amount of protein, essential amino-acid content, digestibility, individual tolerance and the quality of the overall diet all matter.
The question shouldn’t simply be, “Which protein powder is best?” The better question is, “What does my entire nutritional pattern look like, and is this product helping me fill a legitimate need?”
BCAAs Do Not Replace Complete Protein
Branched-chain amino acids, leucine, isoleucine and valine, are only three of the nine essential amino acids. While leucine in particular plays an important role in signaling muscle protein synthesis, muscle still requires the other essential amino acids to build new protein.
That means a BCAA supplement should not be treated as nutritionally equivalent to a complete protein source. For someone avoiding dairy, a complete plant protein or, when clinically appropriate, an essential-amino-acid product may offer a more comprehensive option than BCAAs alone.
When Protein Targets Need Medical Adjustment
General protein recommendations are not appropriate for everyone. Kidney disease is an important example. Protein targets may need to be modified according to the stage of kidney disease, nutritional status, dialysis status and other medical considerations.
Frailty, malnutrition and metabolic instability can also change the equation. This is where internet protein advice should end and individualized clinical nutrition should begin.
Protein Is Part of the Strategy, Not the Entire Strategy
For most people, the first step doesn’t need to be complicated. Look at what you currently eat over several typical days. Estimate your protein intake. Determine an appropriate goal based on your body, age, activity and health. Then begin including meaningful protein sources throughout the day.
Pair that with regular resistance training and enough overall nutrition to recover. And don’t evaluate progress solely by the scale. Look at strength. Look at function. Look at body composition. Look at lean mass. Pay attention to energy, recovery and what your body is increasingly capable of doing.
Protein matters tremendously. But more is not always better, and protein by itself does not create strength. The real objective is to give your body enough of the right nutrition, combined with the right stimulus, to preserve the muscle and physical capacity you will need for the decades ahead.
Because when we talk about healthy aging, the question isn’t simply how much protein can you consume? The better question is: What are you doing today to make sure your body remains strong enough to carry you through tomorrow?
About Dr. Michele Sherwood
Dr. Michele Sherwood, DO, is a physician, educator, author, and speaker, and co-founder of the Functional Medical Institute in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Together with her husband, Dr. Mark Sherwood, ND, a traditional naturopathic doctor and clinician, she focuses on personalized, whole-person health with an emphasis on prevention, metabolic health, healthy aging, performance, and longevity. The Sherwoods are also behind the Countdown Method, their health and performance brand offering products designed to support energy, nutrition, movement, recovery, and overall wellness. Through their clinical work, wellness brands, books, podcasts, speaking engagements and educational outreach, the Sherwoods have dedicated their careers to helping people better understand their health and become proactive participants in their long-term wellbeing.
Their new book, Authentic Longevity: Unlocking Lifelong Vitality, The Sherwood Way, combines decades of clinical experience, real patient stories, and actionable science to explore nutrition, movement, sleep, stress, hydration, genetics, peptides, supplements, hormones, and laboratory testing alongside the often-overlooked role of emotional and spiritual health. Authentic Longevity: Unlocking Lifelong Vitality, The Sherwood Way is available HERE. Listen to their weekly podcast HERE.
