So you’ve decided to build some muscle. Whether you’re looking to build huge muscles or just wanting some nice tone curves, you’ll need to eat right. The eating strategy I’m about to give you is not designed for gaining weight. It’s designed for building muscle.
“But Mike, What’s the difference?”
An eating strategy designed for gaining weight isn’t focused on minimizing fat gain. So if you want to just gain weight, eat as many calories as you possibly can (5000+ calories per day) and you will definitely gain weight.
But if you want to gain muscle mass while minimizing fat gain, keep reading.
Before we get started, here’s what you should expect while eating for muscle growth.
- You should expect to gain 0.5 – 1 pound per week. If you’re consistently gaining more than 1 pound per week, you’re probably gaining too much fat. Unless you’re new to lifting weights, then you’ll probably gain more than this for the first few weeks.
- You should expect to gain 1 pound of fat for every 1 pound of muscle you gain. “But Mike, I don’t want to gain any fat!” I know you don’t want to gain fat, but that’s just how the “gaining muscle” process works. Just keep in mind you can lose the fat and keep the muscle later.
EATING FOR MUSCLE GAIN
Step 1 – Calories
As I’ve mentioned before, eating the right number of calories on any diet plan is the most important factor to consider. If you eat too many calories you’ll gain too much fat. If you don’t eat enough calories you’ll never build any muscle. So let’s do the math to discover your optimal calorie intake.
First, figure out your Lean Body Mass. To do this math you’ll need your bodyweight and your body fat %. You’ll need to invest in a body fat monitor/scale, calipers, or pay someone at your local gym to get your body fat %. And of coarse, a scale for your bodyweight. Now that you have your bodyweight and body fat % you can figure out your Lean Body Mass (LBM)
The Formula:
(1 – Body Fat % x Bodyweight = Lean Body Mass)
THE EXAMPLE:
150lbs person with 20% body fat.
1 – .20 = .80 x 150 = 120lbs Lean Body Mass
Second, Take your Lean Body Mass x 20.
In our EXAMPLE 120lbs Lean Body Mass x 20 = 2400 calories per day
That’s it. This person should eat 2400 calories per day
“But Mike, that’s way too much math for me”
Ok fine. If you don’t want to do all the math, here’s a list of common bodyweights, body fat %’s, and daily calorie goals.
Bodyweight – 125lbs, body fat – 30%, calorie goal per day – 1750
Bodyweight – 125lbs, body fat – 20%, calorie goal per day – 2000
Bodyweight – 125lbs, body fat – 10%, calorie goal per day – 2250
Bodyweight – 175lbs, body fat – 30%, calorie goal per day – 2450
Bodyweight – 175lbs, body fat – 20%, calorie goal per day – 2800
Bodyweight – 175lbs, body fat – 10%, calorie goal per day – 3150
Bodyweight – 225lbs, body fat – 30%, calorie goal per day – 3150
Bodyweight – 225lbs, body fat – 20%, calorie goal per day – 3600
Bodyweight – 225lbs, body fat – 10%, calorie goal per day – 4050
“But Mike, why does your formula need to be so complicated? Why can’t you just go by body weight instead of lean body mass like everybody else?”
Simple answer, carrying extra pounds of fat does not help you burn more calories. So it doesn’t make sense for someone that carries more body fat to eat more calories.
Step 2 – Macros
Don’t worry. Figuring your calories was the hard part. Tracking your macros will be easy. (with the right app)
Protein – 30% of your calories should come from protein.
Carbs – 45% of your calories should come from carbohydrates.
Fats – 25% of your calories should come from fats
If you’ve been eating to lose body fat, you’ll notice its much easier to hit your diet goals while eating to gain muscle. So enjoy that!
Step 3 – Tracking your Diet
So now that you have your calorie and macro goals, download the My Fitness Pal app (or whatever app you want to use) to track your eating progress. Once downloaded, go into the goal section of the app and enter your calories. Then enter your protein, carb, and fat percentage goal. Now just start entering the foods you eat every day.
TIP: It helps to enter your foods before you eat them. This way you can make some adjustments before you snarf down your entire fat allowance in one meal.
My goal for today is to help you maximize your muscular development while minimizing fat gain. Obviously you’ll need to include a solid strength training program with this diet so check out these articles to help you accomplish that.
Lifting weights for muscular balance
http://www.sarcastictrainer.com/?p=451#more-451
How heavy to go in the weight room?
http://www.sarcastictrainer.com/?p=524#more-524
Should I use free weights or machine weights?
http://www.sarcastictrainer.com/?p=558#more-558
The benefits of weight lifting
http://www.sarcastictrainer.com/?p=362#more-362