How much would I need to eat to gain muscle?

October 23, 2025 •

4 min read

Studies suggest that consuming 1.6–2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight is beneficial for muscle gain, alongside a calorie surplus. Figuring out how much would I need to eat to gain muscle is a common question, and the answer involves more than just eating more; it requires a strategic approach to fueling your body correctly.

Quick Summary

To gain muscle, a calorie surplus of 200-500 calories above maintenance is needed, alongside a high-protein, balanced diet. Strategic adjustments to macronutrient intake and optimal food choices maximize growth while minimizing fat gain, working in tandem with resistance training.

Key Points

Create a Calorie Surplus: To build muscle, you must consistently consume more calories than you burn, with a target of 200–500 additional calories daily to support growth.
Prioritize Protein Intake: Aim for 1.6–2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight to provide the essential building blocks for muscle repair and growth.
Fuel with Complex Carbohydrates: Carbs are vital for fueling intense workouts and replenishing muscle energy stores, ensuring optimal performance and recovery.
Incorporate Healthy Fats: Moderate fat intake supports crucial hormone production, like testosterone, and provides a concentrated energy source.
Distribute Protein Strategically: Spreading your protein intake across 3–6 meals throughout the day can more consistently stimulate muscle protein synthesis than consuming it all at once.
Combine Diet with Resistance Training: No amount of food will build muscle without the stimulus of regular and progressive resistance training to cause muscle adaptation.
Monitor and Adjust Your Intake: Regularly track your progress and adjust your calorie and macro targets based on your body's response to ensure continued, lean muscle gain.

The Foundation: Why a Calorie Surplus is Essential

To build muscle, or stimulate muscle protein synthesis (MPS), your body needs a calorie surplus—it must consume more energy than it expends. This surplus provides the raw energy required for muscle tissue repair and growth, a process known as hypertrophy. Without enough fuel, your body will prioritize vital functions over building new muscle. For beginners, a moderate surplus of 300–500 calories per day is often recommended, as this rate supports muscle growth while minimizing unwanted fat accumulation. More advanced lifters, who have already tapped into their muscle-building potential, may require a more conservative surplus of 200–300 calories. Exceeding this too much can lead to a greater proportion of fat gain over muscle, counteracting your fitness goals. The key is to find your maintenance calorie level—the amount needed to maintain your current weight—and then add a small, controlled surplus to it.

Mastering Your Macros: Protein, Carbs, and Fats

Once your calorie target is set, the next step is to correctly balance your macronutrients: protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Each plays a distinct and crucial role in the muscle-building process.

Protein: The Building Block: Protein provides the amino acids necessary for repairing the micro-tears in muscle fibers that occur during resistance training, leading to stronger, larger muscles. The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) suggests a daily intake of 1.6–2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight for exercising individuals seeking to build and maintain muscle mass. Distributing this intake across several meals throughout the day (e.g., 20–40g per meal) consistently stimulates MPS.
Carbohydrates: The Primary Fuel: As your body's main energy source, carbohydrates are vital for fueling intense, high-volume workouts. Consuming complex carbs ensures your muscles have sufficient stored glycogen to perform effectively and recover afterward. After your protein and fat goals are met, the remaining calories should be allocated to carbohydrates. This might mean consuming 4–7 grams per kilogram of body weight, depending on your activity level.
Fats: The Hormone Regulator: Often misunderstood, healthy fats are essential for hormone production, including testosterone, which plays a critical role in muscle growth and repair. They also provide a concentrated source of energy, helping you meet your calorie goals. Aim for 20–35% of your total daily calories from healthy fat sources. Going too low on fat intake can negatively affect hormone levels.

Macronutrient Recommendations for Muscle Gain


Macro Component	Recommended Range	Why it's Important
Calorie Surplus	+200 to +500 calories/day	Provides energy for muscle repair and growth
Protein	1.6–2.2 g/kg of body weight	Supplies amino acids for building new muscle tissue
Carbohydrates	Remaining calories (approx. 40-50%)	Fuels intense workouts and replenishes glycogen stores
Fats	20–35% of total daily calories	Supports hormone production and offers a dense energy source

Strategic Food Choices for Optimal Growth

Focus on a diet rich in whole, nutrient-dense foods to fuel your body and minimize fat gain. Here is a list of foods to include:

Lean Meats: Chicken breast, turkey, and lean cuts of beef are packed with high-quality protein and essential nutrients like iron and B-vitamins.
Fish: Salmon and tuna offer excellent protein along with beneficial omega-3 fatty acids, which aid in muscle health.
Dairy Products: Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and milk are great sources of both fast- and slow-digesting protein, calcium, and vitamin D.
Plant-Based Proteins: Tofu, tempeh, lentils, chickpeas, and edamame provide protein, fiber, and important micronutrients for plant-based eaters.
Complex Carbohydrates: Quinoa, brown rice, oats, sweet potatoes, and whole-grain breads offer sustained energy for workouts and recovery.
Healthy Fats: Avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil support hormone function and overall health.
Fruits and Vegetables: A variety of produce provides essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber, which are critical for energy and recovery.

Beyond Macros: Hydration and Training

While a strategic diet is the foundation for muscle gain, it is only effective when paired with other key components. Proper hydration is fundamental for all metabolic processes, including nutrient absorption and transportation, and is crucial for optimal physical performance. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day is essential.

The Critical Role of Resistance Training

Diet and training must work in tandem. You can consume all the calories and protein you want, but without the stimulus of resistance training, your muscles will not grow. Resistance training, whether through lifting weights, using resistance bands, or bodyweight exercises, causes microscopic damage to muscle fibers. Your body then uses the caloric surplus and protein from your diet to repair and rebuild these fibers, making them stronger and larger in the process. The principle of progressive overload—gradually increasing the resistance, volume, or frequency of your training—is necessary to continue stimulating muscle growth over time.

Conclusion: Tailoring Your Nutrition for Consistent Gains

To answer the question of how much would I need to eat to gain muscle effectively, the key is a systematic and consistent approach. It begins with creating a moderate calorie surplus and then filling that surplus with a balanced intake of protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats. This strategic nutritional plan, combined with consistent resistance training, provides your body with the perfect environment for hypertrophy. Remember that building muscle takes time, patience, and diligent monitoring of your progress. Regularly assessing your body composition and adjusting your intake will ensure you stay on track toward your goals without adding unnecessary fat. It's a personalized journey, and understanding these core principles is the first step toward a more muscular, stronger you. For further reading, resources from reputable sports nutrition bodies are an excellent source of evidence-based guidance.

Frequently Asked Questions

While beginners or individuals with higher body fat may achieve "body recomposition" (gaining muscle and losing fat simultaneously), most people need a moderate calorie surplus to efficiently fuel the complex process of building new muscle tissue.

For most healthy individuals, consuming up to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day is well-tolerated. However, extremely high protein intakes (over 2 g/kg) may pose risks over time, especially for individuals with pre-existing kidney issues.

Both animal- and plant-based protein sources can be effective. Animal proteins like whey contain higher levels of the amino acid leucine, which is critical for MPS. However, plant-based options like soy and pea protein are also viable, especially when consumed in sufficient amounts or combined strategically.

Yes, many find it beneficial to increase their carbohydrate and calorie intake on intense training days. This provides extra energy to fuel performance and replenish glycogen stores, which aids in faster recovery.

While total daily intake is most important, consuming a protein and carbohydrate-rich meal within a few hours of training can support recovery and stimulate muscle protein synthesis. Distributing protein evenly throughout the day is generally recommended over a single large intake.

A moderate calorie surplus of 300-500 calories, combined with proper macronutrient balance and consistent training, maximizes muscle growth while minimizing fat gain. Excessively high surpluses without sufficient resistance training, however, will lead to greater fat storage.

A realistic and sustainable rate of muscle gain is about 0.25–0.5% of your body weight per week. Your training experience significantly influences this rate, with beginners typically seeing faster initial gains.