How much protein you need a day

Targets (per kg of body weight):

• Not training: 0.8–1.0 g/kg.
• Training regularly: 1.4–2.0 g/kg.
• Cutting (keeping muscle): 1.8–2.4 g/kg.
• Over 50: at least 1.2 g/kg.

20–40 g of protein per meal (about 0.3–0.4 g/kg), 3–5 times a day, is the most effective split for muscle. 'You can only absorb 30 g at once' is a myth — more is absorbed, just more slowly.

E.g. 80 kg and gaining: ~140–160 g a day — from food (meat, eggs, cottage cheese, legumes) plus 1–2 protein shakes.