Building muscle requires consuming the right amount of calories to support muscle growth and athletic performance. To gain muscle mass, you need to eat more calories than you burn, but how many calories should you eat? The answer varies depending on factors such as your body weight, daily calorie burn, and protein intake.
Fitpaa, a fitness app, suggests consuming 20 calories per pound of body weight daily to safely and effectively gain muscle. For example, a person weighing 150 pounds would need to consume 3,000 calories per day. To gain weight and build muscle, you should aim for an additional 500 extra calories per day, which can be achieved by eating foods like lean meats, carbohydrates, and foods high in calories.
Protein is essential for building muscle, so it’s recommended to consume 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight daily. Along with a surplus of calories, doing exercises that stimulate muscle growth and strength can support muscle recovery and promote lean muscle development and size.
Measuring muscle gain can be done by tracking body fat percentage, muscle mass, and strength gains. The safest way to gain lean muscle and minimize fat accumulation is by targeting muscle gain this way, ensuring an increase in lean muscle without worrying about potential muscle loss.
In summary, to build muscle and improve athletic performance, you need to consume the right amount of calories and protein, do exercises that stimulate muscle growth and strength, and track your progress. Eating whole foods that support muscle growth and consuming a surplus of calories will help you build new lean muscle mass tissue. Building muscle isn’t easy, but with the right calorie and protein intake and exercise routine, you can increase muscle mass and achieve your fitness goals.
