Edited by: Danielle Abel

How much protein should athletes be consuming?

It's important to know the difference between strength & speed athletes and aerobic & endurance athletes protein recommendations for the CSCS exam, because you can pretty much guarantee that it will be on the test. 

RDA Recommendation

The RDA recommendation of 0.8g/kg of bodyweight per day is not adequate for athletes. The RDA recommendation is set for the general population, to maintain body tissues within average movement frequencies. 

Your athletes are moving much more frequently than the average population, so they definitely need more than the bare minimum. 

Protein per Kilogram (kg) 

First, you may need to convert kg to lbs, you'll take the number and multiply it by 2.2

• 190lbs x 2.2 = 86kg 

Once you have bodyweight in kg you can multiply by 0.8. In this case 86kg x 0.8g of protein = 68.8g of protein (which is very low!)

• 1 scoop of whey protein powder = 25-30g of protein
• A medium-size chicken breast = 25-30g of protein 

The 68.8g of protein would be 3 meals with the bare minimum amount of protein, which is not enough for athletes. So the RDA recommendation is not enough. 

NSCA Protein Recommendations

In 2024, the NSCA changed their recommendations for protein intake for athletes from 1.4-1.7g/kg of body weight for strength athletes and 1.0-1.6g/kg of body weight for endurance athletes to a single protein range.

• 1.4g/kg of body weight to 1.8g/kg of body weight 

So, we no longer have to know 2 different protein ranges and remember which one applies to which type of athlete. Finally, things are getting simpler instead of getting harder. 

Here's an example of what this could look like:

• Using the 86kg example from above the minimum amount of protein per day would be 120.4g and the maximum would be 154.8g per day 
  • A question you may see on the exam might be if a football player who weighs 86kg is consuming 100g of protein per day, would you recommend the athlete goes up in protein, goes down in protein, or stays the same with their protein?
    • You should recommend that they go up to meet that 120.4-154.8 range

Current research on protein requirements

There is literature supporting that even higher protein intake is required to maximize muscle hypertrophy, higher than what NSCA recommends.

• Schoenfeld & colleagues have shown in their research that > 2.0g of protein per kg of body weight per day is required to optimize muscle hypertrophy.

Practical Application & CSCS Practice Questions

1. A female cross country runner who weighs 115lbs is consuming 95g of protein per day

   1. Should this athlete increase, decrease, or maintain her protein intake?

      1. First, convert her weight in lbs to kg by taking 115 divided by 2.2 = 52.3kg 
      2. Then, determine the minimum and maximum amount of protein intake
      3. In this case, we'll use the new 1.4-1.8g/kg of body weight per day
      4. So the range for her would be 73.2g to 94.1g of protein per day
      5. So, since she is consuming 95g, you should recommend that she slightly decrease her protein to a maximum amount of 94g to allow her to consume more carbohydrates that would help improve her aerobic performance 
2. A male powerlifter who weighs 198lbs is consuming 150g of protein per day
   1. Should this athlete increase, decrease, or maintain her protein intake?
      1. First, convert his weight in lbs to kg by taking 198 divided by 2.2 =  90kg
      2. Then, determine the minimum and maximum amount of protein intake
      3. Once again, we'll use the 1.4-1.8g/kg of body weight per day
      4. So the range for him would be 126g to 162g of protein per day
      5. So, since he is consuming 150g, you should recommend that he maintain his protein intake to continue to promote optimal muscle recovery

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