Start with your body weight and goal
Enter your body weight in kilograms or pounds, then choose Cut, Maintain, or Gain. The calculator converts pounds to kilograms before applying a daily protein range. It shows both ends of that range, a midpoint, and an example split across four meals.
The training-experience field is optional context. Choosing a newer or more advanced lifting background does not change the formula. This is a general planning tool for adults who train, not a measurement of your individual protein needs.
How much protein should you eat per day?
For resistance training, body weight provides a practical starting point for estimating daily protein. Brolic uses these planning bands:
| Selected goal | Protein per day |
|---|---|
| Maintain | 1.6–2.0 g/kg |
| Gain | 1.6–2.0 g/kg |
| Cut | 1.8–2.2 g/kg |
The ISSN position stand discusses a broader 1.4–2.0 g/kg daily range for most exercising people. A meta-analysis by Morton and colleagues found that average muscle-gain benefits from additional protein levelled off around 1.6 g/kg during resistance training. That group estimate does not identify an exact target for every person.
Research during energy restriction provides a reason to consider protein alongside training when trying to retain lean mass. Brolic’s higher cut band is a simplified planning choice, not a finding that one exact range guarantees muscle retention. These numbers also do not establish a personalized target for pregnancy, medical nutrition needs, or people outside the tool’s intended adult training context.
What does the calculator give an 80 kg lifter?
With Maintain selected, the arithmetic is:
80 × 1.6 = 128 g · 80 × 2.0 = 160 g
The displayed range is 128–160 g per day. Its midpoint is 144 g; dividing that midpoint across four meals gives 36 g per meal.
Choosing Cut for the same body weight changes the range to 144–176 g and the midpoint to 160 g. Selecting Gain uses the same protein band as Maintain; this calculator does not set a calorie surplus.
For a pounds example, 200 lb converts to about 90.7 kg. With Cut selected, the displayed range is approximately 163–200 g per day. Results are rounded to whole grams, so small unit-conversion differences can affect the last digit.
Use the meal split as an example
The four-meal figure is the midpoint divided by four. It does not mean every meal must contain exactly that much protein, or that four meals are required. A 144 g midpoint would instead divide into 48 g across three meals or roughly 29 g across five.
Record what your usual meals contribute before treating the result as a new shopping list. Look at serving sizes and total daily grams. The protein-to-calorie ratio guide can help compare labels, while the daily total shows how much protein you actually recorded.
Keep protein beside your food intake and training record. A protein number alone cannot show whether a routine, calorie intake, or recovery pattern fits your goals.
Common questions
Should I enter current weight or goal weight?
This calculator applies its band to the body weight you enter. It does not calculate adjusted weight or lean body mass. A clinician or dietitian may choose a different basis for an individual plan; entering a goal weight does not automatically make that basis appropriate.
Why is the midpoint highlighted?
It makes the meal-split arithmetic easy to follow. It is not more accurate than the displayed range and is not a requirement to hit to the gram each day.
Does training experience change the result?
No. Experience is recorded as context, while body weight and the selected goal determine the range. The calculator does not infer your training volume from that selection.
Do protein supplements count toward the total?
Yes. Log their labelled protein in the same daily total as protein from meals. This calculator does not require supplements or compare products.
Why does the GLP-1 calculator use a different range?
It addresses a different planning context using the 2025 joint nutrition advisory and an explicit current- or goal-weight choice. Neither tool replaces an individual target provided by your care team.
Sources & method
Written by the Brolic team. These references explain the evidence and assumptions; this page does not replace individualized professional advice.
- Morton et al. — Protein supplementation and resistance-training adaptations — A meta-analysis of protein intake and muscle and strength changes in healthy adults.
- ISSN position stand — Protein and exercise — Context for daily protein intake in healthy, exercising people.
- Longland et al. — Higher protein during an energy deficit and intense exercise — A trial under specific exercise and calorie-restriction conditions; it does not establish this calculator’s exact bands.