We all know that engaging in consistent resistance training is the gold standard for muscular strength, endurance and hypertrophy, or increasing the size of our muscle fibers. But a common misconception in the realm of fitness and nutrition is how much protein is truly necessary for those who partake in a weight-training regimen.

Whether you keep your frequency down to two to three days per week of resistance exercise or as many as five to six days, protein is a vital nutrient that our lean tissues depend on to enhance its structure, size, and strength. But how much protein do our bodies need on a daily basis, and is there a threshold that deems to be “too much” if crossed?

The answer to the latter is yes. But in correlation to the former question, each and every individual is unique in the concept of much protein his/her body requires to elicit positive physiological functions. The amount of protein one needs on a daily basis, whether training vigorously or undertaking life’s daily activities, boils down to his/her body weight and intensity of physical activity.

“Normal daily intake of protein is recommended to be about 0.82 grams of protein per kilogram of body mass,” said Dr. Charles Marks, associate professor of Exercise Science at Oakland University. “Some studies suggest that those engaged in intensive exercise training can benefit with an increase in daily protein intake as high as 1.7 grams per kilogram of body mass. It appears that going above a protein intake of about 1.7 grams per kilogram of body mass has little, if any, additional benefit.”

While those who engage in intense, vigorous training may benefit from a higher intake of protein as compared to the average of 0.82 grams per kilogram (not pounds) of body weight, there are still undesirable outcomes of exceeding such a recommendation, especially on a chronic basis.

“Acid/base balance disturbances, insulin level disturbances, and toxic levels of ammonia can be the result of too much protein intake,” Dr. Marks said. “Instances of death are also known to be associated with long-term reliance on meat as the major source of daily calories.”

To a lesser severity, our muscles have a limited storage for protein, and once that capacity is met, excess amino acids (the building blocks of protein, which I’m sure you’ve heard an infinite amount of times in your biology classes) need to go somewhere throughout the body. Whether the excess is being “burned” as fuel for further energy during high-intensity or prolonged exercise, especially in the absence of carbohydrates (but that’s a whole other story) or, believe it or not, converted to fat.

The take-home message here, based on scientific theory, is that high amounts of protein present unintentional and undesirable outcomes in terms of physiological functions. Based on your personal fitness level and intensity of training, do the math and rationally conclude to a protein intake where the pros will undoubtedly outweigh the cons.