Kelsey HigginsonSports Nutrition Coach and Founder at Clutch Day Coaching

You don’t need 300 g’s of protein a day

17 May 2025 · 1 min

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In this short video, the presenter recounts an athlete who was consuming 300 g of protein daily, mostly from protein powder, in an attempt to maximize muscle growth. The speaker argues that such a high intake is unnecessary and wasteful, both financially and physiologically. He explains that roughly 150 g of protein per day is sufficient for most people aiming to gain muscle and support recovery, and that any protein beyond that is typically converted into carbohydrates for energy. The presenter recommends a practical approach: obtain about 30 g of protein from powder and fulfill the remaining ~120 g through whole foods, warning viewers not to buy into the hype that 200–300 g per day is required for muscle gains.

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I know an athlete who was eating 300 grams of protein every day, and most of that was coming from protein powder. He's probably wasting his time and his money, and here's why. His goal ultimately was obviously to gain muscle. He was trying to put on muscle, he was trying to get bigger. Yes, protein helps with that, but you don't need that much. That kid at most needed about 150 grams of protein to gain muscle and to be able to have his body recover well. The rest of it, his body was just converting into carbs to use his energy anyway. So it's wasting his time and it's wasting his money. I'd probably tell him 150 grams of protein is the goal. Have 30 of that come from protein powder, the rest of it come from real foods. Protein does not have to be that hard to hit. Don't buy into the hype that you have to have 200 to 300 grams per day to see muscle gains.