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How many calories do you need to gain mass

Author: Timko Ilya - master of the whole project and fitness trainer.
2013-08-30

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First of all, I want to clarify that by gaining mass, I mean muscle mass. And if we want to gain muscle mass, it is important not only to consider the number of calories per day but also the amount of protein. This article will cover all of this.

You can easily find out how much energy and protein you need per day. Fill out the table below, and the program will provide you with the necessary numbers. It is very important to indicate your average level of physical activity, as this will directly affect your caloric intake.

Sex	Age	Weight	Height
Level of physical activity: Number of workouts per week:

Before reading further, you need to calculate in the calculator above! Did you fill it out? Now let’s move on. As you can see, you expend this many calories: , and you need to consume this many: . The difference between them is 15%. This means you should consume approximately 15% more than you expend. This is a mandatory condition for gaining mass.

Another mandatory condition for gaining mass is the amount of protein per day. You should have . This is approximately 2 grams of protein per 1 kg of body weight (+ - 0.5 grams). Your muscles are built from protein, so no amount of calories can compensate for a lack of protein. And vice versa as well.

Quite often, people come to me saying: “I train regularly, eat a lot, but my weight isn’t increasing. What should I do?” After calculating their daily protein intake, it turns out to be about 1 gram per 1 kg of body weight. Or even less.

If you've started eating 15% more than you expend, but your weight still isn’t increasing, it makes sense to increase your caloric intake by another 10%. That is, to . If this also does not lead to weight gain (provided that you are consuming the necessary amount of protein), then you need to look for the cause not in your diet.

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Reasons why your weight isn’t increasing, even if you eat a lot.

1. You’re not recovering between workouts. This is the most common reason. If you’re not recovering, you can forget about gaining mass. Either your workouts are too frequent and long, or you're not getting enough sleep and rest.

2. Stress. If you’re under a lot of stress, it leads to increased production of adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones break down our muscles and hinder weight gain. You need to eliminate the source of your stress.

3. Improper training. This means that you have very few basic exercises, which significantly contribute to mass growth. Or your workouts are too intense with light weights. In other words, your training does not match your goals.

Conclusion

The amount of calories and protein consumed daily is the foundation for your mass growth. But without a corresponding lifestyle and training regimen, proper nutrition alone will not be enough. By the way, you can calculate how many calories you consume using the caloric intake calculator.