Protein for Strength and Endurance Training

If you train seriously, the RDA baseline of 0.8 g per kg was not designed with you in mind. The International Society of Sports Nutrition's 2017 position stand on protein and exercise supports 1.2–2.0 g per kg of body weight for strength and endurance athletes — at the top end, more than double the general recommendation.

Why training raises the requirement

Training does two things that increase protein needs. It creates damage that has to be repaired, and it signals adaptation — building the muscle and supporting tissue that makes you stronger or more durable. Both draw on dietary protein.

The RDA answers a narrower question: how much protein prevents deficiency in a healthy adult who is not training. It is a floor, and a well-established one, but it was never intended as a performance target. That distinction is the single most common source of confusion about protein.

For a 68 kg athlete, the range works out as:

1.2 x 68 = 81.6 g/day   (lower end)
2.0 x 68 = 136 g/day    (upper end)

Against the 54.4 g/day RDA baseline for the same person, even the bottom of the athlete range is a meaningful step up. Get your own numbers from the Protein Intake Calculator.

Where in the range you probably belong

The band is wide because the evidence covers a wide population — from endurance runners to strength athletes, in maintenance and in deficit. Some honest signposting:

• Nearer 1.2 g/kg if you train consistently but at moderate volume, and you are eating at or above maintenance.
• Nearer 2.0 g/kg if you are training hard and frequently, in a calorie deficit, or specifically trying to add muscle.
• A deficit is the strongest reason to go high. When total energy is restricted, higher protein helps preserve lean mass — the thing you are usually trying not to lose. If you are working from a target set by the TDEE Calculator, and that target is below maintenance, lean upward.

We are deliberately not giving you a single "optimal" figure. The research supports a range, and why your protein target is a range explains why converting it to one number would be a false precision.

What this guide does not cover

You will find a great deal of confident advice online about protein timing — anabolic windows, grams per meal, doses before bed. We are not repeating those numbers here, because the source we cite for the daily range does not give us citable figures for them, and inventing specifics is exactly what this site exists not to do.

What is well supported is the daily total. Hitting your range consistently across the week matters more than the schedule you hit it on.

Fitting protein into your calories

Protein is one part of a total energy intake, not a free-standing target. Practical sequence:

1. Find your maintenance calories with the TDEE Calculator.
2. Set your protein range from your body weight and training tier.
3. Divide the remaining calories between carbohydrate and fat — the Macro Split Calculator does this from your TDEE.

If you carry notably more muscle than average, it is also worth reading body weight or lean mass, since basing the multiplication on total body weight can overshoot for some builds.

The bottom line

Training raises protein needs well above the RDA — 1.2–2.0 g per kg for strength and endurance athletes. Sit lower in that band for moderate training at maintenance, higher when dieting or training hard. Consistency across the week beats precision on any given day.