Find out what calories you need to actively gain muscle mass and increase strength results in basic exercises. Every athlete should understand that it is impossible to gain weight without properly organized nutrition. No matter how you train, but with a low energy value of the diet and a deficiency of nutrients, muscles will not grow, since there is not enough energy and building materials for this. Today we will tell you how to calculate calories for mass gain.
Now there are still people who believe that fats can be "distilled" into muscles. If you have problems with being overweight, you should first get rid of it. Fatty tissues, under no circumstances can become muscular. At the same time, physical activity is extremely important for losing weight, as it allows you to speed up the metabolism and the lipolysis process.
Basic principles of building the right nutrition program
Now we will tell you how to determine the number of calories required for mass gain, as well as the ratio of all nutrients.
Calorie intake
We have already said that weight gain is only possible with proper training and nutrition. Even the highest quality exercise program and all kinds of sports nutrition will not be able to help you solve the problem in the absence of a balanced diet.
If during the exercise you use up all the energy available in the body, then there will simply be no energy left for the restoration and subsequent growth of muscle fibers. For this reason, for most novice athletes, the question arises - how many calories should be consumed daily for gaining mass?
By the way, very often novice bodybuilders do not progress precisely because of an incorrectly drawn up nutrition program. You can calculate calories for mass gain using several formulas. Now, when considering our example, we use Lyle MacDonald's formula, which is perhaps the simplest.
To determine the maintenance calorie content of your diet, you need to multiply your body weight in kilos by a constant factor. Its indicator depends on gender and metabolic rate:
- Girls with slow metabolic processes - 31.
- Girls with fast metabolic processes - 33.
- Men with a slow metabolism - 33.
- Men with a fast metabolism - 35.
Let's look at the rules for determining the calorie content of a nutrition program using the example of a man whose body weight is 75 kilograms and has a lean physique. Let's also assume that his initial body fat percentage is minimal. Once again, we repeat that if you are overweight, then you first need to get rid of it, and then you can start gaining mass.
So, based on the above formula, the energy value of the diet for our person is 2625 calories (72 kilos multiplied by a factor of 35). This amount of calories must be consumed to maintain your current weight. To gain mass, you must create excess energy. To do this, multiply the calorie maintenance index by a factor of 1.2. In our example, the number of calories needed to gain mass is 3150.
Protein compounds
Determining the energy value of the diet for gaining mass is not enough, since it is important to consume nutrients in a certain proportion. Let's figure out how to calculate these metrics and start with protein compounds. An athlete should consume from 2 to 2.5 grams of the nutrient for every kilogram of body weight. Always start with a lower value, and in our case, the amount of protein compounds will be at least 170 grams, and the maximum is 187. If we talk about calories for weight gain, then the share of protein compounds should account for from 600 to 750 calories. Recall that the calorie content of one gram of protein is 4 calories.
When choosing food products, preference should be given to those that contain a minimum of fat. These include poultry, lean beef, fish, legumes, eggs and dairy products. In this case, one should use not only sources of protein compounds of animal nature, but also plant sources. We mentioned legumes above for a reason. You may also need protein supplements in the future.
At first, you will probably be able to satisfy the body's need for protein and with food. However, as the mass grows, the need for nutrients also increases. At the same time, you can start taking protein supplements from the very beginning, taking them after finishing the workout.
Carbohydrates
Today we have repeatedly recalled about the energy that the body needs to conduct effective workouts and gain mass. To meet the body's energy needs, you need carbohydrates. When you feel tired and apathetic, the main reason for this is a lack of carbohydrates, since the body can quickly receive energy from them, unlike other substances.
During the mass-gaining period, for every kilogram of your body weight, you should consume from 4 to 6 grams of carbohydrates. Thus, in our example, you need to consume from 300 to 450 grams of the nutrient throughout the day. The energy value of the carbohydrate component of the diet will be from 1200 to 1800 calories. Carbohydrates and protein compounds have the same energy value - 4 calories / gram.
You must remember that carbohydrates are usually classified into two groups depending on the rate of their absorption by the body: slow and fast. This is of fundamental importance at the time of choosing products before the start of the lesson and after its completion. Eat slow carbohydrates about 120 minutes before training, and fast carbohydrates 60 minutes before training. After completing the lesson, preference should be given to the fast ones in order to replenish the body's energy reserves in a short time.
Slow carbohydrates are found in cereals and vegetables, and fast carbohydrates are found in fruits, confectionery and various sweets. Since fruits, in addition to carbohydrates, also contain a large amount of micronutrients, they should be used as a source of fast carbohydrates. At the same time, if you urgently need to take fast carbohydrates, and there is nothing else at hand except, for example, a bun, then eat it. But try not to do it that often.
Avoid foods that contain sugar. You should also remove various dummy foods from the diet. For example, mayonnaise or fatty sauces. They do not carry nutritional value, but the caloric content of the diet can dramatically increase, which will lead to a set of fat mass. At the same time, do not deny yourself the use of foods with slow carbohydrates (potatoes, cereals, vegetables). The only important point here is the way they are prepared - simmer or cook, but do not fry.
Fats
In no case should you refuse to eat fat. It is necessary to consume this nutrient in an amount of 1 to 2 grams per kilo of body weight. In our case, this is from 75 to 150 grams. Note that the energy value of one gram of fat is 9 calories. Thus, fat accounts for 675 to 1350 calories of the total energy value of the diet.
Also, you should only eat healthy fats. To do this, you have to give up fast food, pork, butter, etc. You should get your fats from nuts, vegetable oils, and fish. If you are gaining weight, then you can safely eat dairy products of regular fat content. You just have to adhere to a certain energy value of the diet. This is how you can determine the number of calories you need to gain mass, as well as distribute the nutrients in the correct ratio. You also need to monitor your condition and adjust various parameters if necessary. For example, you feel that one gram of carbohydrates is not enough for you because you get tired quickly. In this situation, start consuming two grams of the nutrient for every kilo.
We have now given this example of calculations only so that you understand how this is carried out in practice. When you make similar calculations for your parameters, the results obtained will be only a starting point. As you gain muscle mass, your body fat will also increase. If the amount of fat arrives slowly, then this is normal and this process cannot be completely avoided. However, in cases where fat mass arrives rapidly, the energy value of the nutrition program should be reduced.
How to calculate calories for mass gain, see this video:
