Every credible study on hypertrophy and recovery in the last decade lands in the same place: 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, per day, split across 3 to 5 meals. Below that range, you leave gains on the table. Above it, no extra benefit. It is one of the tightest ranges in sports science.

A 80 kg lifter needs 130-175 g daily. That's roughly 30-40 g per meal, four times a day. Not complicated - just consistent.

Best sources per gram

• Chicken breast, turkey breast - lean, cheap, high leucine
• Lean beef and bison - iron and creatine bonus
• Salmon, sardines, mackerel - protein + omega-3s in one shot
• Whole eggs - the gold standard amino acid profile
• Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, skyr - slow-digesting, gut-friendly
• Whey isolate - the fastest way to hit a target when time is tight

Carbs are not the enemy. For a training athlete, they refill muscle glycogen, drive high-intensity output, protect your hormones, and let you recover between sessions. Going low-carb 'to lean out' is a tax on your training quality, and usually a tax you don't need to pay.

Practical targets

• Training days: 3-5 g/kg body weight
• Rest days: 2-3 g/kg body weight
• Fat loss phase: keep training-day carbs high, cut on rest days first
• Peak week / competition: increase progressively - not the day of

Set dietary fat at 0.8-1.2 g/kg minimum. Push below that for more than a few weeks and hormones start to slide - testosterone, thyroid, menstrual cycle regularity for female athletes.

Prioritise omega-3 rich sources: salmon, sardines, walnuts, extra-virgin olive oil, chia and flax. If you don't eat fatty fish twice a week, a 2 g EPA + DHA supplement earns its price.

Micronutrients come from food, not pills. Aim for four colours on the plate every day - leafy greens, berries, peppers, citrus, tomatoes, carrots. Most lifters also under-eat fibre. Target 30-40 g a day for digestion and gut health.

Forget weighing every gram forever. Build every plate with your hands as the ruler:

• 1 palm of protein (chicken, fish, meat, eggs, tofu)
• 1-2 cupped hands of carbs (rice, potato, pasta, oats, fruit)
• 1 fist of vegetables (any colour, any way you'll actually eat them)
• 1 thumb of fat (olive oil, nuts, avocado, cheese)

Build four of those a day. Hit your protein. The rest is noise. This one template covers 90% of what your body needs to train hard, recover, and grow.

• Under-eating protein at breakfast - fix with 3 eggs + Greek yogurt
• Training fasted 'to burn fat' - kills output, doesn't burn more fat over the day
• Zero carbs on lift days - wrecks last-set performance
• Weekend blowouts that erase Mon-Fri - use the 20% rule, not the 200% rule
• Chasing 'clean' instead of chasing enough - clean 1200 kcal is still 1200 kcal