Among young men who exercise recreationally, reporting protein intake above 2.0 grams per kilogram of body weight per day was linked to larger increases in strength, but differences in muscle mass or fat loss were small and similar regardless of reported protein intake, indicating that self-reported diet data may not capture subtle nutritional impacts on body composition.

For young men who exercise regularly, eating more than 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day does not lead to significantly more muscle gain than eating less than that amount over an 8-week resistance training program.

Among young men who train recreationally, consuming more than 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day is linked to slightly larger strength gains in the deadlift compared to the squat and bench press, indicating that protein intake may affect different exercises differently.

Young men who lift weights for muscle growth and eat more than 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight each day tend to get stronger on average than those who eat less than that amount, based on improvements in their squat, bench press, and deadlift numbers over 8 weeks.

If young guys lift weights hard and do intense workouts while eating less for a month, chugging 2.4 grams of protein per pound of muscle each day helps them gain more muscle and lose more fat than eating half that much protein.

People who lift weights and take creatine either before or after their workout eat about the same amount of protein and calories — so if one group gains more muscle or loses more fat, it’s probably because of the creatine timing, not what they ate.