Quick Answers
The amount of food you need to eat to gain muscle depends on many factors like your age, gender, activity levels, and goals. However, here are some general guidelines:
- Eat 0.5-1g of protein per pound of body weight daily from high protein foods like meats, dairy, eggs, and protein powders.
- Consume a calorie surplus of 300-500 calories per day over your maintenance calories to gain 0.5-1 pound per week.
- Eat plenty of complex carbs like oats, rice, quinoa, fruits, and veggies for energy.
- Include healthy fats like nuts, olive oil, avocado, and fatty fish for hormones and joint health.
- Spread your calories over 4-6 meals spaced 2-3 hours apart for optimal muscle protein synthesis.
How Many Calories Do You Need?
The number of calories you need to eat to gain muscle depends on your maintenance calories. Your maintenance calories is the number of calories your body burns per day with your current activity levels. Once you know your maintenance calories, you can add a calorie surplus to gain muscle.
Use this formula to determine your maintenance calories:
For men: Body weight (lbs) x 15 calories
For women: Body weight (lbs) x 14 calories
For example, a 180 lb man would need around 2700 calories per day to maintain his weight (180 x 15 = 2700 calories).
To gain muscle and strength, add a calorie surplus of 300-500 calories per day over your maintenance level. In this example, the man would aim for 3000-3200 calories daily (a surplus of 300-500 calories over his 2700 maintenance).
This calorie surplus provides your body extra energy to build muscle. Aim to gain 0.5-1 pound per week for steady muscle growth. Gaining more than 1 pound per week may lead to excess body fat gain.
Adjust Your Calorie Intake As Needed
Monitor your rate of weight gain each week and adjust your calories up or down as needed to gain at your target rate. If you gain more than 1 pound per week, reduce your surplus by 100-200 calories per day. If your weight stays stalled, increase your calories by 100-200 per day.
How Much Protein Do You Need?
Getting enough protein is key for building muscle. Protein provides the amino acids your body uses to synthesize new muscle tissue. The general recommendation for protein intake for muscle gain is 0.5-1g per pound of body weight daily.
At 0.5g per pound, a 180 lb man would need around 90g protein daily (180 x 0.5 = 90g). At 1g per pound, he would need 180g protein.
Spread your protein intake evenly throughout the day over 4-6 meals. Your body can utilize about 20-40g of protein per meal for muscle protein synthesis.
Good sources of protein include:
- Lean meats like chicken, beef, pork, and fish
- Eggs and dairy products like milk, yogurt, and cheese
- Legumes like beans, lentils, and peas
- Protein powders like whey and casein supplements
Maximize Muscle Protein Synthesis
Research shows that spreading your protein intake evenly over 4-6 meals optimizes muscle protein synthesis throughout the day. This provides your muscles with a steady supply of amino acids to support growth and recovery.
Aim to eat a meal containing 20-40g protein every 3-4 hours. For example, 3 meals with ~30g protein each plus 2 protein shakes. Consuming protein before or after workouts also helps boost protein synthesis.
How Many Carbs Do You Need?
Carbohydrates provide energy for your body and workouts. For gaining muscle, aim for 2-5g of carbs per pound of body weight daily. At 2g per pound, a 180 lb man would need 360g carbs. At 5g per pound, he would need 900g carbs.
The best sources of carbs are complex carbohydrates like:
- Whole grains like oats, brown rice, quinoa, and whole wheat bread
- Starchy vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, and peas
- Legumes like beans, lentils, and chickpeas
- Fruits like bananas, apples, oranges, and berries
These provide sustained energy and fiber. Limit simple carbs like sugar, candy, soda, and processed snacks which spike blood sugar and provide little nutritional value.
Time Your Carb Intake
Time your carbohydrate intake around your workouts to optimize performance and recovery. Eat a carb-containing meal or snack 1-2 hours before workouts to fuel your exercises. Then have a carb/protein meal or shake within 45 minutes after training to refuel your glycogen stores.
Include Healthy Fats
Don’t neglect fats in your muscle-building diet. Healthy fats provide essential fatty acids and calories to support muscle gains. Aim for 0.4-0.5g of fat per pound of body weight daily.
Include these healthy fat sources:
- Nuts and nut butters like almonds, walnuts, and natural peanut butter
- Seeds like chia, flax, and hemp
- Oils like extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, and coconut oil
- Avocados
- Fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines
Fats help maintain testosterone levels, aid joint health, and provide calories. But limit saturated fats from greasy, fried, and processed foods which can negatively impact health.
Meal Frequency and Timing
In addition to your macronutrient targets, the frequency and timing of your meals is important for muscle growth.
Studies show that eating every 2-3 hours helps maximize muscle protein synthesis compared to fewer, larger meals. Aim for 4-6 meals spaced evenly throughout the day.
Here is a sample meal plan to gain muscle:
| Meal | Time | Foods |
|---|---|---|
| Meal 1 | 8:00 AM | Oatmeal, eggs, fruit |
| Meal 2 | 11:00 AM | Rice, chicken, veggies |
| Meal 3 | 2:00 PM | Sweet potato, beef, salad |
| Meal 4 | 5:00 PM | Protein shake |
| Meal 5 | 7:30 PM | Fish, quinoa, asparagus |
| Meal 6 | 10:00 PM | Cottage cheese, nuts |
Focus on eating a pre-workout meal 1-2 hours before training and a post-workout meal within 45 minutes after training. The pre-workout meal provides fuel for your exercises while the post-workout meal helps kickstart the recovery process.
Sample Gaining Diet
Here is an example one-day bulking diet plan for a 180 lb man trying to gain muscle:
| Meal | Food | Protein | Carbs | Fat | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meal 1 | Oats, whey protein, banana, peanut butter | 40g | 50g | 12g | 600 |
| Meal 2 | Chicken breast, brown rice, broccoli | 35g | 40g | 5g | 550 |
| Meal 3 | Lean beef, sweet potato, spinach | 30g | 45g | 5g | 500 |
| Meal 4 | Protein shake | 25g | 10g | 5g | 250 |
| Meal 5 | Salmon, quinoa, asparagus | 35g | 50g | 10g | 550 |
| Meal 6 | Greek yogurt, mixed nuts | 15g | 15g | 10g | 300 |
| Totals | 180g | 210g | 47g | 2750 |
This provides a moderate calorie surplus of ~300 calories over his estimated maintenance of 2450 calories, along with 180g protein, 210g carbs, and 47g fat.
Tips for Gaining
Here are some important tips to consider when trying to gain muscle:
- Lift weights consistently using a structured program focusing on progressive overload.
- Aim to gain 0.5-1 pound per week for steady muscle growth. Adjust calories based on your rate of weight gain.
- Drink plenty of water and get enough sleep to aid muscle recovery.
- Supplement with creatine and protein powders to help build muscle.
- Minimize added sugars, refined carbs, and saturated fats which provide empty calories.
- Be patient – muscle takes time to build. Stick with your program for at least 12 weeks to see noticeable gains.
Maintain Realistic Expectations
Gaining muscle requires commitment and consistency. Set realistic goals for muscle gain over specific periods of time, like gaining 10 pounds over 16 weeks. Stay patient if the scale doesn’t budge some weeks – look for longer term trends.
Potential Issues to Avoid
Here are some potential issues to watch out for when trying to gain muscle:
- Gaining too fast – More than 1 pound per week often leads to extra fat gain. This gives you a puffy look and requires long cuts to lean back out.
- Not lifting heavy – You need progressive overload and challenging weights to maximize muscle growth.
- Overeating protein – Excess protein over your daily needs just turns into fat. Stick to your protein goals.
- Binge eating – Don’t go crazy on junk food. Unhealthy binges pack on fat.
- Low energy – Chronic under-eating leads to low energy, poor workouts, and lean gains. Follow a structured nutrition plan.
- Poor sleep habits – Good sleep is crucial for recovery and muscle growth. Prioritize 7-9 hours nightly.
Conclusion
Gaining muscle requires a calorie surplus, sufficient protein intake, strength training, and patience. Most men can aim for 300-500 extra calories per day over maintenance needs along with 0.5-1g of protein per pound of body weight. Spread this over 4-6 evenly spaced meals daily with a focus on whole foods. Allow for gradual muscle gains of 0.5-1 pound per week and adjust your nutrition based on progress.
