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Protein requirements
How much protein per day according to your sports profile. Essential for recovery and muscle mass.
Why proteins are a priority
Proteins provide the building blocks (amino acids) for muscle recovery, tissue synthesis and many biological functions (enzymes, hormones, immunity). They also have a strong satiety effect and a high metabolic cost (thermal effect = 25-30% of kcal ingested, compared to 6-8% for carbohydrates).
Needs by profile — ISSN / IOC benchmarks
- Sedentary: 0.8 g/kg/day (ANSES, FAO).
- Recreational athlete: 1.2-1.6 g/kg.
- Endurance (5+ h/week): 1.4-1.7 g/kg.
- Strength / weightlifting: 1.6-2.2 g/kg.
- Muscle gain (intermediate): 1.6-2.0 g/kg.
- Dry: 2.0-2.4 g/kg (maximum muscle preservation).
Bodyweight or lean mass?
If your body fat rate is normal (15-25% in men, 22-32% in women), calculating the total weight is accurate. If you have a significant amount of excess fat mass (>30% M / >35% F), rely instead on lean mass — otherwise you will overestimate your needs.
Distribution over the day
Muscle synthesis is capped per dose: approximately 25-40 g of protein per dose is optimal. Beyond that, the surplus is used as energy or stored. Distributing your proteins into 3-5 doses (morning, noon, post-session, evening) maximizes anabolism.
Protein sources
Animals (full amino profile)
- Eggs: 6 g per whole egg
- Chicken breast: 25 g per 100 g
- Lean beef: 25-28 g per 100 g
- Fish (salmon, tuna): 22-25 g per 100 g
- Greek yogurt: 8-10 g per 100 g
- Whey: 22-25 g per 30 g dose
Vegetables (to be combined for complete profile)
- Tofu: 12-15 g per 100 g
- Cooked lentils: 9 g per 100 g
- Chickpeas: 8-9 g per 100 g
- Tempeh: 19 g per 100 g
- Seitan: 25 g per 100 g
Received ideas
"Too much protein damages the kidneys": false in a healthy subject. Several meta-analyses (Devries 2018) show that a high intake (up to 3 g/kg) does not alter kidney function. Caution in subjects with pre-existing renal disease.
"You need an anabolic window of 30 minutes post-session": nuanced. The window is wider (3-5 hours post-session) if you ate in the 3 hours before training. Important especially for athletes doing several sessions per day.
Questions fréquentes
Yes, provided you distribute: 4-5 doses of 40-50 g each. This is the typical intake of a 90 kg bodybuilder. With a mix of meats, eggs, dairy and whey, it's not extreme — just organized.
Food first. Whey is a practical supplement for intakes that are difficult to cover with solid foods (post-session, travel). Not essential if you eat a variety of meals 4-5 times a day.
Achievable with 1.8-2.2 g/kg but requires more planning. Combine legumes + grains for the full amino profile, and aim for a little more headroom (+10-15%) to compensate for the slightly lower digestibility of plant proteins.
20-40 g dans les 2 h suivant la séance maximisent la synthèse protéique. Combiné à des glucides (1:1 ou 1:2), on accélère aussi la recharge en glycogène. Mais le total quotidien reste prioritaire sur le timing.