• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

  • Fitness
  • Workouts
    • Best Shoulder Workouts
    • Best Chest Workouts
    • Best Leg Workouts
    • Best Leg Exercises
    • Best Biceps Exercises
    • Best Kettlebell Exercises
    • Best Back Workouts
    • Best HIIT Workouts
    • Best Triceps Exercises
    • Best Arm Workouts
  • Reviews
    • Supplements
      • Best Pre-Workout
      • Best BCAAs
      • Best Testosterone Boosters
      • Best Bodybuilding Supplements
      • Best Creatine
      • Best Supplements for Weight Loss
      • Best Multivitamins
      • Best Collagen Supplement
      • Best Probiotic
      • Best Non-Stim Pre-Workout
      • Best Greens Powder
      • Best Magnesium Supplements
    • Protein
      • Best Protein Powder
      • Best Whey Protein
      • Best Protein Powders for Muscle Gain
      • Best Tasting Protein Powder
      • Best Vegan Protein
      • Best Mass Gainer
      • Best Protein Shakes
      • Best Organic Protein Powder
      • Best Pea Protein Powder
      • Best Protein Bars
    • Strength Equipment
      • Best Home Gym Equipment
      • Best Squat Racks
      • Best Barbells
      • Best Weightlifting Belts
      • Best Weight Benches
      • Best Functional Trainers
      • Best Dumbbells
      • Best Adjustable Dumbbells
      • Best Kettlebells
      • Best Resistance Bands
      • Best Trap Bars
    • Cardio Equipment
      • Best Cardio Machines
      • Best Rowing Machines
      • Best Treadmills
      • Best Weighted Vests
      • Concept2 RowErg Review
      • Hydrow Wave Review
      • Best Jump Ropes
  • News
  • Exercise Guides
    • Legs
      • Back Squat
      • Bulgarian Split Squat
      • Goblet Squat
      • Zercher Squat
      • Standing Calf Raise
      • Hack Squat
    • Chest
      • Bench Press
      • Dumbbell Bench Press
      • Close-Grip Bench Press
      • Incline Bench Press
    • Shoulders
      • Overhead Dumbbell Press
      • Lateral Raise
    • Arms
      • Chin-Up
      • Weighted Pull-Up
      • Triceps Pushdown
    • Back
      • Deadlift
      • Trap Bar Deadlift
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Inverted Row
      • Bent-Over Barbell Row
      • Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
      • Pendlay Row
Healthy Eating

Put Down That Steak: You’re Eating Too Much Protein

You've heard the recommendation - eat 1-1.5g of protein per pound of body weight to build muscle. All strength athletes know this. But now, new science says that's too much.

Written by Jeff Barnett Last updated on Oct 24, 2022

How much protein should a strength athlete eat? I’ve heard recommendations ranging from 1-1.5 grams per pound of body weight per day. But that’s a huge range, and putting down that much protein is no easy task. So what’s the ground truth? What is actually required?

How much protein should a strength athlete eat? I’ve heard recommendations ranging from 1-1.5 grams per pound of body weight per day. But that’s a huge range, and putting down that much protein is no easy task. So what’s the ground truth? What is actually required?

Two researchers from the U.K. reviewed the scientific literature to find out and published their findings in this month’s issue of the Strength and Conditioning Journal. Their conclusion: we’ve been eating way more protein than we actually need.

Their review of research shows 0.55 grams per pound of body weight per day is adequate for advanced trainees and 0.77 grams per pound of body weight per day will satisfy novice athletes. If you find this tough to swallow, you’re not alone, but the authors’ review was pretty thorough. They cite five different independent studies for this recommendation.1

The authors describe the importance of essential amino acids (EAAs) in muscle protein synthesis. Ensuring you get plenty of EAAs in conjunction with your protein can almost double the anabolic effect. That’s pretty potent. You can also ensure your protein gets converted to muscle by mixing it with carbohydrate in the time immediately before, during, and after exercise. Finally, eating both fast and slow absorbing proteins contributes to muscle building more than fast proteins alone. The classic example is milk, which contains both whey (fast) and casein (slow). This combination is more potent than a fast absorbing protein like soy.2

Finally, the authors reiterate that even if you consume “unnecessarily high protein intakes” like 1.3 grams per pound of body weight per day, this still isn’t a risk to your kidneys unless you already had kidney disease. I’m glad we’ve finally got that myth behind us.3

So are you ready to put down the steak? I’m not sure I am. But the studies cited show that with the right combination of EAAs, and fast- and slow-absorbing proteins, we really don’t need that mythical one gram per pound per day. Perhaps consistently consuming the right combination of each component can be tricky, and we’ve learned to overcome that through eating more, more, more instead. What do you think?

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

About Jeff Barnett

Jeff Barnett is a CrossFit affiliate owner, mechanical engineer, and former Marine. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. He holds specialty certifications as a CrossFit Mobility Trainer, CrossFit Olympic Lifting Trainer, CrossFit Gymnastics Trainer and is a USA Weightlifting Sports and Performance Coach. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA.

Jeff served as a Marine officer from 2003-2007 and deployed to Fallujah in 2006. After leaving the Marine Corps he co-founded CrossFit Impulse in 2009. His writing focuses on fitness, nutrition, and leadership. Jeff’s writing has appeared in publications as diverse as The New York Times and CrossFit Journal.

Jeff competed in the CrossFit Games Southeast Regionals in 2010 as an individual competitor and 2012 as a team competitor. If you don’t find him training hard or coaching athletes to PRs at CrossFit Impulse, then he’s probably wakeboarding, snowboarding, or eating meat off the bone.

View All Articles

Related Posts

Three packages of whey protein powder on a red background
Best Whey Proteins for Packing on Muscle, Shredding Down, Meal Replacement, and More
Muscular person drinking protein shake in gym
4 BCAA Benefits: Muscle Growth, Better Recovery, and More
Chris Bumstead poses in a hallway with a cinematic-like shot in Spring 2022
Check Out Bodybuilder Chris Bumstead’s 5,000-Calorie Day of Eating Ahead of the 2022 Mr. Olympia
scotcheggs2
Protein Powerhouse: Gluten-Free Mexican Scotch Eggs

Primary Sidebar

Latest Articles

New Year’s Fitness Sales (2025)

XWERKS Motion BCAA Review (2025): A Registered Dietitian’s Honest Thoughts

Assault Fitness AssaultBike Pro X Review (2025): Assault’s Best Bike Yet?

13 Best Exercise Bikes for Home Gyms (2025)

Transparent Labs BCAA Glutamine Review (2025): The Key to Post-Workout Recovery?

Latest Reviews

Element 26 Hybrid Leather Weightlifting Belt

Element 26 Hybrid Leather Weightlifting Belt Review (2025)

Omre NMN + Resveratrol, Lifeforce Peak NMN, and partiQlar NMN on a red background

Best NMN Supplement: Fountain of Youth in a Bottle? (2025)

The Titan Series Adjustable Bench on a red background

Titan Series Adjustable Bench Review (2025)

A photo of the NordicTrack Select-a-Weight Dumbbells on a red background

NordicTrack Adjustable Dumbbell Review (2025): Are These Value Dumbbells Worth It?

woman lifting barbell

Be the smartest person in your gym

The Breaking Muscle newsletter is everything you need to know about strength in a 3 minute read.

I WANT IN!

Breaking Muscle is the fitness world’s preeminent destination for timely, high-quality information on exercise, fitness, health, and nutrition. Our audience encompasses the entire spectrum of the fitness community: consumers, aficionados, fitness professionals, and business owners. We seek to inform, educate and advocate for this community.

  • Reviews
  • Healthy Eating
  • Workouts
  • Fitness
  • News

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS Feed

© 2025 · Breaking Muscle · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy · Affiliate Disclaimer · Accessibility · About