How much protein do you guys eat?

[AlexDavis43]

When someone asks about protein intake, especially in the context of TRT, here’s how I’d break it down:

For the average lifter, the general guideline is about 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, which translates to roughly 0.7 to 1 gram per pound. This range is usually enough to cover muscle repair and growth, assuming your training and recovery are on point.

Now, when you’re on TRT, your body is in a more anabolic state than it would be naturally, which means you might be able to utilize protein more efficiently. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to drastically increase your intake beyond the standard recommendations.

In practice, most guys on TRT stick to the same 1.6 to 2.2 g/kg range. If you’re in a heavy training phase or cutting, you might push it closer to the higher end of that range, but it’s not like you suddenly need double the protein just because you’re on TRT. The key is to hit your protein target consistently and focus on overall nutrition, training intensity, and recovery.

So, whether you’re natural or on TRT, the protein requirements are pretty similar. It’s more about fine-tuning based on your specific goals and how your body responds. Keep it within that 1.6 to 2.2 g/kg range, and you’ll be good to go.

This isn't the unpopular opinion thread, but...

Gear, resistance training, and dietary protein are all anabolic stimuli.

The more you do of the others (gear & resistance training), the less protein you need.

Plenty anecdotes of bodybuilders eating high carb at the expense of high protein; ie, less than 1.8 g/kg protein/d.

Worded another way, high protein is much more valuable to those who don't engage in resistance training & use gear.

Disclaimer: my bias is higher protein for most people here including myself.

 

[EnhancedChimpTBK]

I don't think gear should play a role with your protein intake when bulking or cutting . Natural bodybuilders do the same shit we do minus the pinning.

Y'all tend to overcomplicate things sometimes. And fitness influencers need to push out content every week, so they often end up talking about overrated topics with little importance to keep that youtube revenue flowing.

Get most of your protein and other macronutrients from unprocessed, healthy food. Train with intensity and consistency. Recover adequately and you'll grow just fine.

 

[laclark89]

This isn't the unpopular opinion thread, but...

Gear, resistance training, and dietary protein are all anabolic stimuli.

The more you do of the others (gear & resistance training), the less protein you need.

Plenty anecdotes of bodybuilders eating high carb at the expense of high protein; ie, less than 1.8 g/kg protein/d.

Worded another way, high protein is much more valuable to those who don't engage in resistance training & use gear.

Disclaimer: my bias is higher protein for most people here including myself.

Yea for sure, u can also add sleep into your examples. If your not sleeping your not growing. Also hydration even.

I would never go under .8 per pound, John Jewett recommends 1g-1.5g per pound. I like to be around 1.2ish g

 

[malfeasance]

Plenty anecdotes of bodybuilders eating high carb at the expense of high protein; ie, less than 1.8 g/kg protein/d.

Anecdotes are not particularly valuable as evidence.

There are studies on body composition and protein intake, lots of them on obese folks losing fat, and higher protein always wins. What do I mean by always? Just what I said, always. There is no upper limit so far discovered. Body composition following the diet is always better following higher protein, and the higher the protein, the better the body composition, up to the highest protein intake study I could find. There was no study where they raised the protein and found that the benefits stopped after a certain level.

Does that mean that there is no such level? No. I just mean that they have not yet found it, and they have gone pretty high.

Does that matter to guys taking 2 grams of gear and competing in bodybuilding? I don't know, but I would at least pay attention to those studies, because body composition is what bodybuilding is all about.

 

[eery]

Anecdotes are not particularly valuable as evidence.

There are studies on body composition and protein intake, lots of them on obese folks losing fat, and higher protein always wins. What do I mean by always? Just what I said, always. There is no upper limit so far discovered. Body composition following the diet is always better following higher protein, and the higher the protein, the better the body composition, up to the highest protein intake study I could find. There was no study where they raised the protein and found that the benefits stopped after a certain level.

Does that mean that there is no such level? No. I just mean that they have not yet found it, and they have gone pretty high.

Does that matter to guys taking 2 grams of gear and competing in bodybuilding? I don't know, but I would at least pay attention to those studies, because body composition is what bodybuilding is all about.

Theres a big chance the improved body composition is from the participant undereating from the added protein causing higher satiety and eating less, coupled with the increased thermic effect of the protein vs other macros, if you are refering to the studies done by jose antonio with the 3-4.4g/kg protein intakes They only keep food journals in these studies, and thats really unreliable vs a study where they are locked up and given each meal measured out.

I dont think we have seen any additional muscle gain or protein synthesis rates from 1.8-2.2g/kg if i remember right.

Im personally a fan of high protein at 3-4g/kg, but im playing devils advocate here.

 

[laclark89]

Anecdotes are not particularly valuable as evidence.

There are studies on body composition and protein intake, lots of them on obese folks losing fat, and higher protein always wins. What do I mean by always? Just what I said, always. There is no upper limit so far discovered. Body composition following the diet is always better following higher protein, and the higher the protein, the better the body composition, up to the highest protein intake study I could find. There was no study where they raised the protein and found that the benefits stopped after a certain level.

Does that mean that there is no such level? No. I just mean that they have not yet found it, and they have gone pretty high.

Does that matter to guys taking 2 grams of gear and competing in bodybuilding? I don't know, but I would at least pay attention to those studies, because body composition is what bodybuilding is all about.

Ronnie Colman ate 6 meals a day 1 pound of meat each meal. 139g p each 834g p a day that’s 2.5-3g per pound? I think that’s the most i heard of, he said he needed every bit of it to grow. I think I’ve read mac11 talk about pros have a reason for eating 2+g per pound.

Im personally a fan of high protein at 3-4g/kg, but im playing devils advocate here.

holy, I actually experiment for 4 weeks of carnivore diet on a cut with a little veggies, “2 scoops protein, 6 whole eggs, and a lot of beef and chicken every day. Actually had blood work before and after, and it messed my kidneys numbers all up. I’m pretty sure I was under 400g p a day. After the diet I was just fine.

My piss during that diet was horrible, even drinking 1 gal + water worst I’ve ever seen dark foamy when it’s usually light yellow. So it’s possible my kidneys were just taking a beating from burning up all the fat I was loosing