Protocol · Eating pattern
Protein intake target (1.6 g/kg/day)
Lean mass and strength gains during resistance training
Evidence type: Randomized trials
The graded dose: Total daily protein of about 1.6 g/kg/day (ISSN working range 1.4 to 2.0 g/kg/day for exercising adults), distributed as about 0.25 to 0.4 g/kg per meal over 3 to 5 meals. Frequency in the evidence: Daily. The grade attaches to this dose; below it, the grade does not apply.
The caveat: No inflated popular claim to disclose; the reverse claim (protein harms healthy kidneys) is addressed in the harm ledger as not supported at studied intakes.
Time cost
0 minutes / week
No session time; meal-planning attention only.
Dollar cost
About $65 / month
Grocery increment only, roughly $30 to $100/mo depending on protein sources chosen (reported estimate). Supplements are optional vehicles, not the protocol. (basis: self-funded (food cost increment))
Every claim, graded
Each outcome this protocol is claimed to deliver carries its own grade and its own kind of evidence. A strong secondary outcome never launders a weak popular claim: the popular claim prints at its own grade, next to the headline.
| Claim | Grade | Evidence | What the data show |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lean mass and strength gains during resistance training | B+ | rctRandomized trials | Morton 2018 (BJSM): 49 trials, 1,863 participants; protein supplementation augmented fat-free mass gains (+0.30 kg) and 1RM strength (+2.49 kg) vs control, with gains plateauing at about 1.62 g/kg/day. The authors note resistance training itself was the far more potent stimulus: this record grades the augmentation, honestly sized. Position range: Jager 2017 (ISSN Position Stand), 1.4 to 2.0 g/kg/day for exercising adults.Morton RW et al., British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2018; Jager R et al. ISSN Position Stand: Protein and Exercise, 2017 |
| Lean mass preservation during weight loss and in older adults | B- | rctRandomized trials | Higher protein (toward 2.4 g/kg/day in one well-known deficit trial) preserved or added lean mass during energy restriction; and the direction is consistent across the deficit literature, anchored on Morton 2018.Longevity Lab Report evidence review, 2026-10-18 (deficit literature; anchor citation Morton RW et al., 2018) |
Dose and response
Clean dose-response with a breakpoint: gains plateau at about 1.62 g/kg/day (95% CI 1.03 to 2.20, Morton 2018). The RDA of 0.8 g/kg/day is the deficiency floor, not an optimum. Decision rule the evidence supports: if intake is already at or above 1.6 g/kg/day, more protein is not the lever; training is.
Equipment that can deliver this dose: None required, Basic home setup.
Harms and cautions
Harms live in this ledger, not inside the grade: the grade is evidence for the claimed outcomes in the studied population.
Medication interactions
No medication classes are flagged in this graded record.
Goal conflicts and timing
No goal conflicts in this record.
Distribution across the day (0.25 to 0.4 g/kg per meal) has supporting evidence; post-workout 'anabolic window' urgency does not, and total daily intake dominates. Pre-sleep protein is a studied minor variant, not a requirement.
Population exclusions and other cautions
High protein intakes in the studied ranges show no kidney harm in healthy adults in trials up to 2 years; this caution applies to users with kidney diseasecaution
Kidney disease and specific metabolic conditions are clinician territory
Source: Longevity Lab Report evidence review, 2026-10-18
Displacement: protein crowding out fiber and producecaution
Diet-quality note
Source: Longevity Lab Report evidence review, 2026-10-18
Can you measure it yourself?
Lean mass and strength gains during resistance training
- Metric
- Intake in g/kg/day (7-day log average); strength anchors as the outcome check
- Method
- Food log plus the resistance record's strength anchors; DEXA for lean mass where available
- Baseline
- Log intake before changing anything; self-estimates are unreliable
- Minimum run
- 6 weeks; retest: Intake weekly; strength every 4 weeks
Noise note: Intake needs 2 weeks of logging to establish a true baseline. Lean mass by DEXA carries about 1 to 2% noise and needs 12 weeks.
Outcomes without a measurement block carry none because no effect is established for them: a self-experiment cannot test a claim the evidence has not made.
Related graded records
- Resistance training, minimum effective dose →
The stimulus this target augments; in the meta-analysis, training itself was the far more potent lever.
- DEXA body composition scan (screening) →
The record's measurement method names DEXA as the lean-mass check where available.
Goals served
Muscle and strength
Derived from outcomes grading B- or better, never hand-assigned.
Experience gate
beginner and up (gated for safety)
Applicability
broad
Applies broadly, across goals and populations.
Grades are research summaries, not medical advice. Decisions about your own stack belong with your clinician.
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Frequently asked questions
What grade does Protein intake target (1.6 g/kg/day) get?
At the studied dose (about 1.6 g of protein per kg of body weight per day), Protein intake target (1.6 g/kg/day) grades B+ for lean mass and strength gains during resistance training, on randomized trials. The grade attaches to that dose; below it, the grade does not apply.
How much time does Protein intake target (1.6 g/kg/day) take each week?
At the graded dose, 0 minutes per week, counted as session time plus standard overhead, travel excluded. Dollar cost: Grocery increment only, roughly $30 to $100/mo depending on protein sources chosen (reported estimate). Supplements are optional vehicles, not the protocol..
Sources
- Morton RW et al. Protein supplementation and resistance training meta-analysis. BJSM, 2018. (2018)
- Jager R et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: protein and exercise. JISSN, 2017. (2017)
Last reviewed October 18, 2026
- 2026-10-18|Initial grading from the 2026-10-18 protocol inventory evidence review.
- 2026-10-18|Update: a source line on this record was truncated in production and has been restored in full. No grade or claim changed.
- 2026-10-18|Update: goal assignments are now recorded for each outcome individually, not only for the record as a whole. No grades, doses, or claims changed.