How Do I Calculate Macros For Muscle Gain? | Macro Diet Plan for Fast Weight Loss • IIFYM • Calculate Your Macros (2024)

When it comes to general fitness, there are many ways to improve your strength or endurance. But, if you want to build muscle, you need to get specific with your nutrition, workouts, and lifestyle choices to get the best results.

Counting macros is the well-kept secret for maximizing your gains and achieving muscle growth systematically and predictably.

However, if you’re a beginner, counting macros and figuring out all those protein, carbs, and fat numbers may feel like a math test you’d rather skip.

I hear you loud and clear.

When I started on my fitness journey, calculating macros was like solving a puzzle blindfolded.

Even with all the technological tools available today, determining your macros for muscle gain is no walk in the park.

It takes experience and a bit of patience, but trust me, the results are worth it.

The makeup of what you eat and getting your macros right matters just as much as the total calories for muscle gain.

For example:

You could hit your calorie goal by eating just pints of ice cream, but that’s not giving your body what it needs for muscle gain, is it?

What sounds more fun?

Eating the foods you love or eating the foods you hate?

I know which one I’d choose. And with the right macros, you can still enjoy your favorite treats while making progress towards your muscle gain goals.

Don’t worry though, we’ve got a simple macro calculator to take the guesswork out of counting macros for muscle gain.

When working with my clients, I am always well aware of the importance of each macro – carbs, fats, and protein for muscle gain.

After all, counting macros for muscle gain and understanding how to calculate macros is crucial for fueling muscle growth safely and effectively.

Achieving that perfect macro balance to maximize muscle gain is where it’s at. Every component needs to be just right for optimal performance.

Here’s the low-down on the macro trio you need for muscle gain:

This is the building block of lean muscles. If you’re striving to bulk up, make sure to include enough protein for muscle gain in your diet.

It provides the essential amino acids your body needs for repairing and building new muscle tissues after intense training sessions.

But how much protein do you really need to gain muscle?

As per the American College of Sports Medicine ACSM, you should eat 0.5 to 0.8 grams of protein for every pound of your body weight each day to increase lean muscle mass in addition to doing strength training.

These energy-packed macros give you the fuel for pushing through tough workouts – essential for muscle gain.

I remember one particularly grueling leg day at the gym; it was the carbs from my pre-workout meal that powered me through.

Your body breaks down carbs into glucose to power you through and reloads depleted muscle glycogen stores.

Don’t fear healthy fats. While dense in calories, fats are vital for vitamin absorption, hormone production, as well as overall functions that allow muscle gain to happen.

I’ve learned that moderation is key; too much of a good thing can throw off your macro balance.

Skip the alcohol calories though – alcohol provides zero nutrition for muscles.

Still, feeling lost on calculating your macros for muscle growth? Don’t worry; we’ve got your back.

Our user-friendly muscle gain calculator does the math for you if you’re searching for how to calculate my macros for achieving your dream physique.

The first crucial step in setting up the ideal diet and muscle gain plan is calculating your TDEE or Total Daily Energy Expenditure. TDEE is essentially the total number of calories you use each day just to maintain your current weight.

Your TDEE factors in your basal metabolic rate (the calories you burn at rest), your daily activity levels, and any exercise you do. Getting an accurate TDEE is important, as it allows you to customize your calorie intake for optimal muscle gain.

For example, if you’re looking to bulk up, you’ll need to be in a calorie surplus over your TDEE.

But how many calories should I eat to gain muscle in a clean, lean way?

That’s where knowing your TDEE comes in.

Fortunately, now you can easily calculate your TDEE using an online TDEE calculator or calorie calculator to build muscle. All you need to do is input data like your age, height, weight, activity levels, etc. to crunch the numbers. From there, you can increase or decrease your calories from your TDEE baseline depending on your goals.

Many people looking for quality muscle gain will increase their calories by around 200-300 over their TDEE. This puts you in a gentle surplus to facilitate muscle growth, without packing on excessive fat.

But here’s the thing:

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. The ideal calorie and macro intake for you will depend on your unique body, current stats, and rate of muscle gain.

It may take some trial and error to find your perfect numbers.

So, don’t underestimate the importance of calculating your TDEE accurately from the start. It lays the groundwork for building the perfect diet and muscle gain plan for your exact needs and goals.

This is where many people trying to build muscle stumble – not eating enough calories consistently over an extended period.

The hard truth is that you HAVE to create a calorie surplus to facilitate muscle growth. And it’s probably more calories, for a long time consistently.

Here’s an example:

Let’s say you want to pack 10 lbs of quality lean muscle mass. Since most can only gain around 0.25-0.5 lbs of muscle per week, that 10 lb target means eating a surplus for 5-7 months straight!

Miss even a few days here and there, and you’re now looking at closer to 10-14 months of strict surplus eating required.

This commitment is where an estimated 95% of would-be muscle builders fail. Consistently consuming that much extra food day in, and day out for that length of time is extremely difficult.

But if you want maximum muscle growth, there’s no way around it – you need that calorie surplus. The question is, how big of a daily surplus should you go for?

Fortunately, there’s plenty of research available. And it essentially boils down to a relatively simple calorie range:

For optimal muscle gain, while minimizing excess fat storage, you burn between 300 and 500 calories daily surplus over your total daily expenditure.

So if you’ve calculated your TDEE and ideal macros for a lean muscle-building diet, the next step is increasing your calorie intake by 300-500 over maintenance levels.

This puts you in the prime anabolic zone for maximizing muscle growth.

It requires discipline and commitment, but dialing in that 300-500 calorie daily surplus is fundamentally what helps high-quality muscle gain over time.

Use an accurate calorie calculator to first establish your TDEE, then bump your calories into that optimal muscle-building surplus zone. Your future jacked physique will thank you!

First off – focus on protein for muscle gain. Aim for around 1 gram of protein per pound of your total body weight. This gives your body the amino acids needed to repair and build new muscle tissue after tough workouts.

A common question:

How much protein do I need to gain lean muscle mass? There’s your target.

But don’t forget about carb macros either. At the very least, eat 1 gram of carbs per pound to fuel those intense gym sessions.

For optimal muscle growth, you may even need 1.5-2 grams of carbs per pound. We usually start our clients at 1.5 and adjust from there

As for fats, while higher in calories, they play an important role too.

Just make sure you’re getting a minimum of 10 to 15% of your total calories from healthy fat sources if on a lower-fat diet for muscle gain.

The easy way to find your macros for optimal muscle growth is to utilize our handy macro calculator with calories.

This calculator to build muscle has helped thousands of fitness enthusiasts to estimate their starting point.

Just input your stats as accurately as possible, and you’ll instantly get your personal macros target. You can even double-check the numbers with one of the IIFYM coaches in the community.

Then simply track your macros and aim for that surplus – your weight should increase around 0.25-0.5 lbs per week if you’re on point.

The more hands-on approach is to determine your existing maintenance calories by tracking your macros and overall food intake for 4-6 weeks.

Find the calorie intake where your weight is perfectly stable, then add to that 300-500 calorie daily surplus.

This takes a bit more time than method one but could be more precise since there’s less guesswork involved.

Classic bodybuilders split it into two phases:

Bulk: Eat a big calorie surplus while lifting hard to build muscle, accepting some fat gain too.

Cut: Drop calories drastically low and keep lifting intensely to burn off the excess fat.
Why the Traditional Route Isn’t for Everyone

However, this bulk/cut cycle is unrealistic for most people, especially those who are overweight.

Instead, aim for a body recomposition or “lean bulk” – building muscle while minimizing fat gains at the same time through careful planning.

Both muscle gain and fat loss depend on balanced hormones. Eat a nutrient-rich diet, get 7-9 hours of sleep, and train consistently.

Whether you’re pursuing a hardcore bulk, a lean/cutting phase, or a body recomposition, tracking macros is indispensable for your muscle gain goals. Work out your ideal macros for muscle gain and you’ll be unstoppable!

The age-old debate – does flexible dieting work? Restrictive diets that slash carbs or fats for weight loss are proving ineffective long-term.

No surprise there for frustrated dieters!

But what about flexible dieting that focuses on counting macros?

Research shows this balanced approach tends to yield better results compared to strict dieting.

People following flexible macro-based nutrition plans are less likely to feel deprived, have better self-control, lower BMIs, and less psychological stress around food.

Of course, like any dietary approach, macro-counting has its pros and cons to consider:

1. Can be personalized for your exact muscle gain or athletic goals

2. Allows you to objectively compare foods based on their macros

3. Emphasizes nutrient-dense, high-quality food sources over just calories

4. Prevents severely restricting calories or letting them get out of control

5. Leaves flexibility for the occasional indulgence

To maximize the benefits of a flexible, macro-based diet, experts recommend:

1. Build your diet foundation from nutrient-rich whole foods, but you can enjoy your favorite treats too but in moderation.

2. Lift weights consistently – you won’t reshape your body through diet alone.
Don’t obsess over the scale number if you’re gaining muscle while burning fat.
Prioritize getting enough protein for muscle gain.

Whether your goal is muscle gain, fat loss, or a body recomposition, counting macros could be the ideal solution provided if you have the right plan in place.

Want to build lean muscle mass?

Counting and tracking those all-important macros with the help of reliable IIFYM Macro Calculator is key to finding the best diet for muscle gain and weight loss.

At the end of the day, tracking macros and understanding those numbers is crucial for maximizing muscle gain. Our guide has laid out exactly how to calculate the ideal macros for building muscle.

To make your life easier, we highly recommend using our weight loss calculators like TDEE calculator and macro calculator.

Just plug in your details and let it crunch the numbers – you’ll get your custom macro plan personalized for macros for fat loss and muscle gain.

With the right plan in place, you’ll be well on your way to that dream physique!

Not just for bulking up?

No problem! Our calculator can also nail down the perfect macros for weight loss if that’s your goal.

So, what are you waiting for? Calculate your macros with our FREE Macro Calculator or explore our personalized plans to take the next step with IIFYM.

Your journey, our support – let’s make it happen together.