If you lift weights and eat lots of protein, you’ll likely build more muscle and get stronger than if you just do one or the other—because together, they work better than alone.

If you lift weights and eat more protein, you’ll likely build bigger muscles and get stronger than if you just lift weights without eating extra protein.

For women just starting weight training, how much they lift (total volume) matters a lot—but only if they also eat enough protein and calories. It’s the combo that makes a difference.

If you're a young guy who already trains regularly and you spread your protein across either three or five meals a day — as long as the total protein is the same — you'll likely gain about the same amount of muscle and strength either way.

When athletes are trying to lose weight by eating fewer calories, eating more protein (about 2.3 grams per kilogram of body weight) helps them keep more of their muscle compared to eating less protein (about 1 gram per kilogram).

If you're doing a really long, intense workout or two hard sessions in one day, eating carbs might help you lift more—but only if you were hungry or hadn't eaten, not if you're eating the same number of calories from other foods.