🥩💪🏼 How Much Protein Do You Need When Strength Training?
A client asked me a cracking question this week.
She'd heard me bang on about protein before, knew she "should be eating more," but had no idea how much more. Or where to even start.
So let's sort it, right now. No science degree required.
Step one: find your number
Although it's never an exact science, there are some simple guidelines we can aim for based on the most up to date research available:
🟢 Just starting out? Aim for 1g of protein per kg of bodyweight, per day.
🔴 Been strength training a while? Push towards 2g per kg, per day.
So if you weigh 70kg:
Beginner target: 70g a day
Advanced target: 140g a day
That's it. Weigh yourself in kilos, do the maths, that's your number.
Don't stress about hitting it exactly, rather think of it as a decent target to aim for, and not a bullseye you'll miss and feel bad about.
Why does it matter so much when you train with me?
Here's the part many people don't realise...
Lifting weights doesn't build muscle. It's the signal to build muscle. The actual building happens after our sessions, when you're resting, eating & sleeping.
Protein is the key macronutrient for rebuilding your muscles.
No protein, no repair. You can smash every session with me and still barely progress if the recovery side is missing.
Think of it like this:
💪 Training = you tell your body "get stronger"
🥩 Protein = you give your body the bricks to do it with
😴 Rest = you give it time to build
Skip the protein and you're doing all the hard work of lifting weights for half the reward. No one wants that do they!?
Where do you actually get protein?
If you believe modern packaging, protein can be found everywhere from Chocolate Bars, Cereal Packages, Pizzas and all sorts, but if you can look beyond all that marketing fluff, you'll discover plenty of high quality protein in natural foods such as:
Best sources: chicken, turkey, beef, eggs, fish, yoghurt, dairy
Good plant sources: beans, pulses, lentils, nuts (combine a few to cover your bases)
Struggling with breakfast? That's most people. Overnight oats with a scoop of protein powder, or a couple of eggs, gets you off to a strong start
Watch the "high protein" label trap — in the UK, food only needs 20% of its energy from protein to legally say "high protein." A Mars bar with protein is still a Mars bar. Eggs don't need a marketing team.
Your task: track your next 24 hours
Right, now it's time to get practical:
Weigh yourself in kg (or check your last known weight)
Work out your number using the guide above
Log everything you eat for the next 24 hours (My Fitness Pal or Nutracheck both do the job)
Add up your protein total at the end of the day
See how you stack up against your target
No judgement either way. This isn't about being perfect - it's about knowing where you actually stand, so you can make one small change if you need to.
Consistency (and understanding) wins the race. 🙌
Wanna hear more about protein? Check out this weeks VOFR podcast:
Also available on Spotify / Apple / Amazon Music
Hope it helps!
FRANK
your Personal Trainer / Protein Hunter
