📈 HOW MUCH PROTEIN DO YOU NEED TO MAXIMIZE YOUR GAINZ? Let’s talk protein. 📦💪 A 2020 meta-analysis of 105 RCTs [DOI: 10.1093/nutrit/nuaa104] showed that lean body mass (LBM) increases linearly with protein intake up to ~1.3 g/kg/day, but gains flatten out beyond that. Even without lifting, you gain some LBM — but don’t confuse that with functional muscle. Then came the 2022 follow-up [DOI: 10.1186/s40798-022-00508-w], which added a crucial insight: strength only improves if you're lifting. No training, no strength gains — no matter the protein dose. Even with training, strength increases plateau above 1.5 g/kg/day. So, HOW MUCH PROTEIN DO YOU NEED TO MAXIMIZE YOUR GAINZ? 👉 We don’t know… 🔹 I’d estimate that <10% of your gains are protein-related, and rarely (if ever) is protein truly limiting. LIFTING IS THE KEY! 🔹 Using LBM as a proxy for muscle or comparing between studies doesn't (IMO) give a good answer. 🔹 You can argue more protein means more "muscle" based on LBM, but...