Having enough protein in your diet is essential for building muscle. Knowing just how much is enough can be a little tricky for some people so I’ve decided to set the record straight in this article.
Listening to the average Joe or your doctor about how much protein you need in your diet is simply not going to cut it for the bodybuilder. We need more than the average person simply because our muscle tissue is constantly being ripped up and repaired.
How High is a High Protein Diet?
The best method of calculating just how much protein is enough for a ‘high protein diet‘ is with the following formula.
Lean Mass Weight (Kg) x 2.75 = Daily Protein Requirement
(By the way you simply divide pounds by 2.2 to get the equivalent in Kilograms. So 150 pounds is 68.18 Kg)
OK, you first need to know your total body weight and your body fat percentage. If you don’t know your body fat percentage I’ve included calculator in the sidebar to help you. Take a few measurements quickly and stick them into the boxes and hit ‘calculate.’
So now you know your body fat percentage. Multiply this percentage by your total body weight to determine the amount of fat you are carrying. Now simply subtract this from your total body weight to ascertain your lean mass weight.
Take this figure and multiply it 2.75 to give you your ideal protein intake per day in grams.
Example
A man weighs 150 pounds with 15% body fat.
- 150 / 2.2 = 68.18 Kg
- 15% x 68.18 = 10.23 Kg
- 68.18 – 10.23 = 57.95 Kg – Lean body mass in Kg
- 57.95 x 2.75 = 159.36
So, therefore our 150 lb, 15% body fat man should be shooting for 159 grams of protein in his daily diet.
Simple when you know how 
My moderately low carb diet philosophy (which I will be writing about in later articles) will allow anyone to easily reach this ‘high protein diet‘ requirement. Use this knowledge in conjunction with the optimum hypertrophic rep range and the the law of progressive overload to maximize muscle growth.
Happy lifting everyone!
Related posts:
- Quick High Protein Muscle Recipe – Proats!
- How Long Does It Take To Get Six-Pack Abs? ANSWERED!
- Muscle Recipe – Proast! High-Protein French Toast
- Top 30 Foods That Build Muscle
- Are Excess Calories Really Required To Build Muscle?
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The Muscle Hacker is Mark McManus, a 28 year old guy committed to helping others build the type of body they desire. Mark is a naturally skinny guy who overcame the hardgainer's curse through years of research and personal experience. Whether you want to build new slabs of muscle or drop your body fat percentage to reveal
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Suppose that 150 lb. dude decided to eat 200g of protein instead of 159g. Would eating more protein impair his workout?
David,
That dude would be just fine on 200 grams of protein. His strength would not be impaired.
Cheers,
Mark
So if I’m hearing you correctly, the 159g is just a minimum goal; it would be difficult to eat “too much” protein. That right?
Well David, I’m not sure if there is such a thing as ‘too much protein’ but there is such a thing as ‘unnecessary protein’. An amount beyond which the protein will not serve any anabolic purpose i.e. the body has gotten all it needs for that.
Mark
Awesome, dude. You answered my question perfectly.
Great site, btw. Lot of good information here. Keep it up!
I am following the M.A.N.S diet, so I don’t have to worry about the calories counting and just aim for high protein and fat diet? My lean body mass is 45kg * 2.75 = 123.75, so I would consume that amount per day? What about the fat? I know M.A.N.S diet is about high protein and fat but the fat should have a minimum requirement like what protein had for bodybuilders to consume per day?
how wud u get all that protein (135.85g for me) in your diet. and is it better to consume before/after/ or at rest days when working out??
You should get the protein after your work out
…. it said i needed like 50 grams…. i dont get it…. I weigh 144lbs (65kg) then my body fat percentage was 7.1 soooo 65 X 7.1 = 46 65-46=19 then 19 X 2.75= 52(52.25 if u wanna get technical) so 52 grams of protein is my ideal amount of protein to consume per day to build muscle right?
I’m 38 yrs old, 6′4″ and two months ago I weighed 375 lbs. I currently weight 325 lbs., and my body fat per your calculator is 31%. Using the calculations you’ve given means that I would need 281g of protein per day. Is this right? Can my organs handle that much? My goal is to get down to 260 and then re-evaluate. I do 40 min. of cardio per day, and about 45 min. of weight training 5 days per week. I do 1 hr of cardio in the middle of the wk to break it up, and 30 min. on Sunday w/ no weights and hit the sauna for 20 min. I want to lose the fat obviously but I would also like to replace it with muscle. I don’t want to look like one of those people that lost alot of weight but have extra skin just falling about. I’m getting about 150-170g of protein per day right now, but I’m afraid to go too high because I don’t want anything clogging up or organ issues. I need some good advice, please if anyone can help. Thanks.
Jay, i recommend you talk to a nutritionist or a doctor and not rely on a website. You are a big fella, and i think you should go have your body fat index measured by a qualified professional instead of an online calculator. Keep up the good work though, 50 lbs. in two months is great.
and Christian
You calculated wrong, you forgot to convert the percentage into a decimal…..it should be 65 X .071=4.6….65-4.6=60.4 X 2.75=163 grams.
hi, very interesting site, but ist actually possible to put on muscle with a low carb intake?
So I followed your steps to calculate how much protein I need to take daily for my size and etc. The results were that I need to take 198.2g of protein daily. Is this so I keep my muscle or is this how much I need to gain more muscle? Shall I consume like 50-75 more grams of protein so I gain more muscle. Please answer.
JT
@JT – 198 is enough to build new muscle
Guys, read The China Study before committing suicide with a high-protein diet.
Short-term gains will only lead to long-term problems!
I am about 17 stone and burning fat at a steady speed and building muscle.
I am currently taking 2 and a half table spoons of protein powder with water, 3/4 times a day.
Is that too much or not enough to get definition and increase strength?