Answers to Everyday Questions : How many calories should i be eating daily if i am starting to heavy lift to build serious muscle?

How many calories should i be eating daily if i am starting to heavy lift to build serious muscle?

3 Responses to “How many calories should i be eating daily if i am starting to heavy lift to build serious muscle?”

1. Tony said :
   November 20th, 2010 at 1:25 pm

   find out many calories you are eating to stay at your current weight, than add atleast 300 more calories onto that.
   40% of your daily calorie intake should come from protien
   25% of your daily calorie intake should come from complex carbs
   25% of your daily calorie intake should come from healthy fats, such as fatty fish (salmon), dark leafy vegetables, nuts, avacados, seeds, olive oil etc.

   Its not going to matter if your not exactly spot on, just try follow it as closely as possible.

   If you want to gain serious muscle you should check out the ebook ”The Truth About Building Muscle”, you’l be amazed how much that will help you out.
2. Menace said :
   November 20th, 2010 at 2:08 pm

   It is all relative to how much you currently weigh now. The idea is to eat over your body maintenance. If you have a fast metabolism I suggest taking protein supplements.

   You can take a look at Olympic Nutrition http://www.olympicnutrition.net if you have any questions you can always contact them.
3. Berto at PricePlow said :
   November 20th, 2010 at 2:14 pm

   Like the other guys said, everyone is different. You need to find your balance level, then add to it. Protein is especially important. Here’s my strategy:

   Studies have shown that in order to gain lean muscle mass quickly, you need to eat 1g (or more) of protein per pound of bodyweight each and every day. You can use protein shakes at different points during the day, especially post-workout, to make this number. [see source 1 – there are also protein price comparisons on that link]

   You also need to eat enough calories to allow your body to gain weight as well. This should include healthy fats, protein, and clean carbs. Start tracking your calories in http://www.fitday.com and find your maintenance calorie number… then add about 500 calories to that to start gaining weight. See the clean foods list on source 2.

   You can also consider taking creatine. It has been proven to be safe and effective in gaining muscle mass [sources 3 and 4]. Creatine monohydrate is cheap and most pros recommend brands that have Creapure brand creatine on the label – it is the purest form of creatine.

   You need to train intense but train smart! Weight-train 3-4 times per week, cardio can be added as long as one day is devoted completely to rest. Your body will need to repair itself.

   Don’t spend more than an hour in the gym, and lift challenging weights somewhere in the 3-10 repetition range. Doing lifts using compound exercises (bench press, squats, pullups, deadlifts — use perfect form!) and free weights helps best.

   You can research around for more detailed plans as you get into it more. I personally like Hypertrophy-Specific Training (HST) on source 5, as it doesn’t get boring, doesn’t give me symptoms of overtraining, and is based upon a lot of science for growing muscle.