Eating for muscle gain

Do you need a calorie surplus?

Not always. Beginners, people returning after a long break and people carrying more body fat can often build muscle while eating roughly at maintenance, or even while losing some fat. This is known as body recomposition, and it works best in the first year or so of proper training.

For people who have been lifting consistently for a while and are reasonably lean, a small surplus makes a clear difference. Building muscle is expensive for the body, and it happens faster when energy is not being rationed.

The key word is small. Eating a few hundred calories above maintenance is usually enough. Eating a thousand extra a day will not build muscle faster, it will just add more fat that you later have to lose. Our guide to bulking without gaining too much fat goes into setting and adjusting the surplus.

Protein, carbs and fat

Protein: aim for 1.6 to 2.2 g per kg of body weight a day. For an 80 kg person, that is about 130 to 175 g. Spread it across three to five meals of 30 to 40 g each, including one within a couple of hours of training.

Carbohydrate: this is what fuels the volume of training that muscle growth needs. Muscle-building programmes often involve lots of sets in the 6 to 15 rep range, which relies heavily on glycogen. Most people gaining muscle do well with around 4 to 6 g per kg on training days, more if they also do a lot of conditioning. See carbohydrates for performance.

Fat: fill the rest of your calories with mostly unsaturated fats from oils, nuts, seeds, avocado and oily fish. Do not drop fat too low, as it supports hormone production and makes calorie targets easier to hit.

Meal timing matters less than totals, but a few habits help. Eat a meal with protein and carbohydrate in the few hours before training so you have fuel for the session, and another afterwards. Keep your last meal of the day protein-rich too. Beyond that, eat at times that suit your routine and appetite.

A sample day for an 80 kg lifter

This is an example of what a muscle-building day can look like, landing somewhere around 2,900 to 3,100 kcal and 180 to 200 g of protein. Your own numbers will depend on your size, activity and how quickly you are gaining.

• Breakfast: porridge made with 80 g oats and milk, a banana, a spoon of peanut butter and a 200 g pot of skyr
• Lunch: a large chicken, rice and roasted vegetable bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and a piece of fruit
• Pre-training: a bagel with honey and a glass of milk
• Post-training dinner: lean beef mince chilli with kidney beans, a large jacket potato and grated cheese
• Evening: Greek yoghurt with berries and a small handful of mixed nuts

If you struggle to eat enough

Some people find eating more is the hardest part. They feel full quickly, forget to eat when busy, or have a naturally small appetite. If that is you, try these in order:

1. Eat four or five times a day rather than three. Smaller, more frequent meals are easier than forcing large ones.
2. Drink some calories. Milk, smoothies made with oats, fruit and yoghurt, or a shake with added oats and peanut butter go down more easily than solid food.
3. Choose denser foods. Granola instead of puffed cereal, dried fruit alongside fresh, olive oil drizzled on meals, whole milk instead of skimmed.
4. Eat slightly less fibre at some meals. High-fibre foods are very filling, which is great for fat loss but less helpful here.
5. Set reminders. Busy people who struggle to gain are often simply missing meals.

Stress, poor sleep and a very active job can all raise your energy needs or suppress appetite. If you have lost your appetite without an obvious reason, or you are losing weight unintentionally, speak to your GP.

Realistic expectations

Muscle gain is slow. A few kilograms of muscle in the first year of good training is a strong result, and progress slows further after that. Anyone promising much more than that, quickly, is usually selling something or counting water and fat as muscle.

Women typically gain muscle more slowly than men in absolute terms, and older adults may need more protein per meal and a little more patience. Neither group should avoid lifting heavy or eating enough. The principles are identical, only the rate of change differs.

Track more than the scales. A monthly waist measurement, photos in the same lighting and a training log showing rising weights and reps tell you whether the extra food is going where you want. If your weight is rising quickly but your lifts are not, you are probably eating more than you need.

Sleep is part of the plan too. Seven to nine hours gives your body time to repair and makes hunger and energy easier to manage. Our guide to sleep for recovery has practical advice.