How much protein do you actually need each day? Punch in your weight, activity level and goal: we'll give you a personalised range, work out how many tubs of powder you need per month, and recommend the best-value products to hit that target.
Current research points to roughly 1.6–2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day for someone actively building muscle through resistance training. That's about 0.7–1.0g per pound of body weight. Going above 2.2g/kg doesn't appear to add benefit for most people, even competitive lifters.
Total daily protein is by far the most important factor. That said, spreading intake across 3–5 meals of roughly 0.3–0.4g per kg (around 25–40g per meal) appears to maximise muscle protein synthesis across the day better than one or two huge meals.
Absolutely. A serving of chicken, fish or lean beef is 25–35g of protein; Greek yogurt is 15–20g; eggs are 6g each. Powder is just a convenient and very cheap way to fill the gap: most people use it because hitting 150–200g/day from food alone gets expensive and time-consuming.
For healthy adults, high-protein diets up to about 3g/kg have not been shown to harm kidney function. The risk applies mainly to people with pre-existing chronic kidney disease, who should follow advice from their doctor or dietitian.
Because individual responses vary. Body composition, training intensity, age, and how much muscle you're carrying all shift your optimum. The lower end of the range is the floor: go below it and you'll likely under-recover. The upper end is the ceiling beyond which extra protein doesn't add value.