Fueling Endurance: How Smart Protein Intake Powers Performance and How Proteinly Makes It Simple
“Endurance athletes may benefit from protein intakes greater than those currently recommended for the general population.”
— Thomas, D. T., et al., Sports Medicine, 2025
🧬 The Research: What Endurance Athletes Actually Need
A 2025 narrative review published in Sports Medicine by Thomas et al. challenges outdated protein norms and outlines clear, evidence-backed recommendations for endurance athletes.
“Current data support a range of 1.6 to 2.2 g/kg/day for athletes, with endurance athletes trending toward the higher end during intense training blocks or periods of energy restriction.”
— Thomas et al., 2025, Sports Med.
🔍 Key Findings:
-
💪 Recommended Intake:
- Endurance athletes should aim for ~1.6–1.8 g/kg/day, not the RDA of 0.8 g/kg/day.
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🍴 Meal Distribution:
- “A protein dose of approximately 0.4–0.5 g/kg per meal, spaced every 3–4 hours, optimizes muscle protein synthesis.”
- That means 4–5 meals/snacks with quality protein spaced through the day.
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🧘 Higher Needs at Rest or Low-Carb:
- “During periods of carbohydrate restriction, protein needs may increase above 2.0 g/kg/day to offset muscle protein breakdown.”
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⏱ Post-Workout Protein Still Valuable:
- Especially for new athletes or in caloric deficits, “timing protein ingestion after exercise may enhance recovery.”
🧩 What This Means for You
Endurance training stresses your body in different ways than strength training. You’re not just trying to repair muscle — you’re adapting metabolically, improving mitochondrial density, and managing oxidative stress.
Smart protein intake helps you:
- Recover faster
- Maintain lean mass during calorie deficits
- Adapt more effectively to long cardio sessions
- Feel satiated and reduce cravings when training ramps up
📲 Enter: Proteinly — Your Daily Protein Wingman
Proteinly is built to make this level of precision easy. Here’s how it translates the Sports Medicine research into everyday action:
✅ Features that Map to the Science:
| Research Insight | Proteinly Feature |
|---|---|
| ~1.8 g/kg/day target | 🎯 Auto-set daily goals for body weight & training load |
| ~0.5 g/kg per meal (4–5x/day) | ⏱ Reminder intervals to hit optimal synthesis windows |
| Higher protein needed on low-carb days | 📈 Tracking daily goal for carb-restricted or fasted periods |
| Recovery boost post-training | 🔔 Notifications to remain in an anabolic state |
| Real food > supplements | 🥗 Habit tracking to make sticking to goals simple |
🔢 Example: 143 lb Endurance Athlete
Goal: 1.8 g/kg/day = 117 g total
Target per meal: 0.45 g/kg ≈ 30 g/meal
| Meal | Example Food Combo | Protein |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Eggs + Greek yogurt + berries + oats | 30 g |
| Lunch | Chicken + quinoa + mixed greens | 32 g |
| Snack | Protein smoothie (banana + whey + almond milk) | 28 g |
| Dinner | Lentils + sweet potato + tahini dressing | 30 g |
Eating 30g of protein per meal is a perfect world scenario, but with Proteinly we help you stay flexible while still hitting your goals.
🏁 Bottom Line
The Sports Medicine review is clear: endurance athletes need more protein, spaced out smartly, and adapted to training intensity.
Proteinly is the only app designed from the ground up to:
- Help you track based on real science
- Remind you when to eat
- Build short term daily habits
- Build long-term habits that translate to better results
Ready to perform better, recover faster, and make every meal count?
Download Proteinly today and hit your goals with zero guesswork.
🔗 Sources
- Thomas, D. T., et al. (2025). Protein Needs for Endurance Athletes: A Narrative Review. Sports Medicine. PubMed ID: 40117058
- Morton, R. W., et al. (2018). A systematic review of protein timing and its effect on muscular hypertrophy and strength. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.