How Much Protein Do Triathletes Need To Eat?
Protein is essential for recovery and adaptation, but most triathletes are unsure how much or when to eat it.
Today, we’re going through a topic that generates a heck of a lot of confusion among athletes: protein intake.
If you’ve ever wondered how much protein you actually need to optimise recovery and adaptation, you’re not alone.
Recommendations range wildly, from the government’s Recommended daily allowance of 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight to some prominent figures suggesting up to 3 grams per kilogram.
By the end of this article, you’ll know exactly how much protein you should eat, when to eat, and how to prioritise your intake for maximum benefits.
The science of protein and muscle adaptation
To understand how much protein you need, we first need to understand what protein does in the body—specifically, its role in muscle protein synthesis, or MPS.
MPS is the process by which your body repairs and builds new muscle tissue after exercise. It’s a crucial driver of adaptation, helping you recover from your sessions, build strength and improve endurance capacity.
When you consume protein, your body breaks it down into amino acids, which stimulate MPS.
The key takeaway is that dietary protein is the foundation of recovery and adaptation. Without enough, your body can’t fully repair itself or respond to the stress of training.
However, the amount of protein you need to optimise this process depends on several factors, including your body weight, the type of training you’re doing, and how frequently you exercise.
And while we’re talking about protein today, if you’re interested in knowing what the ideal foods to eat for triathletes are, check out this article on the best diet for triathletes to follow.
How much protein do you really need?
So, let’s address the big issue of the wildly varying protein recommendations you’ve probably seen.
On one end of the spectrum, we have the government’s RDA of 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.
This is the absolute minimum needed to prevent deficiency in sedentary individuals. It’s not even close to sufficient for athletes who are putting their bodies under regular stress.
Conversely, you might have heard claims that athletes need as much as 3 grams of protein per kilogram daily. While there’s some evidence that very high protein intakes aren’t harmful to healthy individuals, the truth is that most endurance athletes don’t need anywhere near this much.
The current consensus among sports nutrition researchers is that consuming between 1.4 and 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day is enough to maximise MPS and support recovery. For a 70-kilogram athlete, this works out to 98 to 154 grams of protein daily.
I usually suggest that if you aren’t doing much training, you can be at the lower end of the spectrum. You should aim for the upper end if you’re vegan, vegetarian, or have a particularly high training load.
The high training load is really interesting, or at least it is if you’re me…
We generally say that dietary protein doesn’t provide much exercise-related energy, and that’s true; it contributes 5-10% of energy during exercise.
And that 5-10% is getting metabolised or burned, so it’s not available to be used in the body for processes like MPS.
If you train more, you’ll burn more protein during exercise, so those with high training volumes will actually consume more protein than those with lower training volumes.
This is why I suggest those with a higher training load aim for the upper end of the range.
To account for this, I could even see around 2.5g of protein per kg of body weight per day, which is just outside the recommended limits.
Is there an upper limit?
This brings us to an interesting development in the research. For years, it was thought that the body could only use a limited amount of protein for MPS at any one time, with estimates of around 20 to 25 grams per meal.
However, newer studies suggest that there’s no strict upper limit for the amount of protein the body can use in the context of post-exercise recovery.
This doesn’t mean you should consume enormous amounts of protein in one go, but it does suggest that having a larger post-workout protein intake isn’t wasteful.
In practical terms, this is good news for athletes who might prefer a larger meal after training or struggle to hit their protein targets through smaller, more frequent meals.
The practical approach: my protein hierarchy
Let’s turn all of this science into a practical strategy you can use. When it comes to protein intake, I like to follow a simple hierarchy that prioritises what matters most.
At the top of the hierarchy is your total daily protein intake.
The most important thing is to ensure you’re hitting that target range of 1.4 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight every day.
This should be your primary focus because if you’re not getting enough protein overall, the finer details—like timing and spacing—won’t matter as much.
Next, I’d place post-exercise protein intake.
After a training session, aim for at least 25 grams of high-quality protein to stimulate MPS and kickstart recovery. This could come from a recovery shake, a chicken breast, a portion of Greek yoghurt, or plant-based options like tofu or a protein bar. Honestly, it doesn’t really matter what you choose.
Finally, consider how you space your protein intake throughout the day.
While total intake is key, some evidence suggests that spreading your protein consumption across three to four meals can further enhance MPS.
This might look like 30 to 40 grams of protein at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with a smaller snack or shake in between.
Other aspects of protein intake—like specific amino acid profiles or the exact timing of meals—are far less important for most endurance athletes. Focus on the big rocks first, and you’ll be well on your way to optimising your recovery and adaptation.
Practical examples of protein intake
Let’s make this even more actionable with an example of how to structure your protein intake across a day.
A 70-kilogram athlete aiming for 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram would have a daily target of 112 grams of protein.
Here’s how that might look:
- Breakfast: A bowl of oats made with milk, topped with Greek yoghurt and a handful of nuts (25g protein).
- Lunch: A chicken wrap with salad (25g protein).
- Post-workout: A recovery shake made with whey protein and a banana (30g protein).
- Snack: Rice cakes and peanut butter - (10g protein)
- Dinner: A portion of rice, tofu and veg (25g protein).
This simple structure ensures you hit your target while spreading your protein intake throughout the day.
The bottom line
Protein intake is one of the most important aspects of an athlete’s diet, but it doesn’t have to be complicated
Focus on the fundamentals: Eat 1.4 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily, prioritise a solid dose of protein after exercise, and spread your intake across your meals.
The key is consistency.
By incorporating these habits into your daily routine, you’ll give your body the tools it needs to recover, adapt, and perform at its best.
And while what you eat after a workout is important, so is fuelling well beforehand because that gives you the energy to actually do your sessions, so check out this article on what to eat before training for triathletes.
