Since a lot of people (ok… a couple) are asking how much they should eat to bulk up, I thought I would add a formula to help them calculate their calorific requirements, plus a few pointers.
Resting Metabolic Rate
First of all you need to calculate you resting metabolic rate RMR using the one of the formulae below. These formulae are taken from Anita Bean’s Food for Fitness, but there are probably more basic versions out there.
18-30 year olds: (weight kg x 14.7) + 496 = RMR
31-60 year olds: (weight kg x 8.7) + 829 = RMR
(For the non metric among you, there are 2.2 lbs in 1 kg)
Factoring in activity levels
Your RMR is the number of calories your body burns if you are at rest all day. You then need to factor in your activity level (not including workout) from the list below:
Sedentary (seated for most of the day) = RMR x 1.4
Moderately active (some walking in the day) = RMR x 1.7
Very active (physically active during the day) = RMR x 2.0
You can choose a factor somewhere in between if you want. At the end of the day, this is never going to be an exact science. So once you’ve factored in your activity level you get a figure for the number of calories you’d require to maintain your current weight if you weren’t working out. With a weight of 91 kg and a sedentary office job, I come in with a maintenance calorie requirement of 2575 kcals per day (don’t be confused by kcal and calories, they are used interchangeably).
Calories burned by exercise
The figure above doesn’t include my weight training which apparently burns something like 270 – 450 calories per hour. Because I only train for 45 minutes three times per week, this only equates to an extra 100 kcals per day. So, to maintain my weight I need to consume 2675 kcals per day.
Below is a list of calories burned by certain exercises in 1 hour. It is only a rough guide as these things always vary according to your weight and fitness.
Gaining weight
In theory, eating anything more than this will gain you weight, whilst eating anything less will lose you weight. Your weight gain should be a slow steady process, as rapid gains in weight usually indicate excessive fat gain. Start by adding say 200-300kcals to your maintenance level. If you’ve not gained any weight after a week or two, add another 100-200 kcals, and keep increasing as and when necessary. Obviously, as you gain weight, your calorific requirements increase. Apparently 0.5 – 1 lb is a healthy amount to gain per week. Like I say, it’s not an exact science, so if you’ve calculated how much you need to eat, and you’re still not gaining, add a little bit more.
Your food should consist of approximately 60% carbs, 20-25% fat, 15-20% protein, and should be consumed over 6 or 7 meals/snacks throughout the day, without leaving more than a few hours between meals.
I should point out that this weight gain guide is based on slow steady progress and not a sudden massive weight gain. I've personally tried a 'massive eating' type diet recommended by certain body building sites and I gained too much fat. It is better not to rush straight in consuming 4000 unless of course your weight requires it.
What to eat
Bulking is not an excuse to eat junk food. You need to keep the diet clean and healthy and your alcohol intake low.
Below is a list of good bulking foods:
Carbohydrates
Pasta
Rice
Bread
Bagels
Potatoes
Oats
Fruit
Vegatables
Protein
Chicken
Turkey
Lean meats
Fish
Cottage cheese
Skimmed milk
Egg whites
Whey
Since a lot of people (ok… a couple) are asking how much they should eat to bulk up, I thought I would add a formula to help them calculate their calorific requirements, plus a few pointers.
First of all you need to calculate you resting metabolic rate RMR using the one of the formulae below. These formulae are taken from Anita Bean’s Food for Fitness, but there are probably more basic versions out there.
18-30 year olds: (weight kg x 14.7) + 496 = RMR
31-60 year olds: (weight kg x 8.7) +829 = RMR
(For the non metric among you, there are 2.2 lbs in 1 kg)
This is the number of calories your body burns if you are at rest all day. You then need to factor in your activity level (not including workout) from the list below:
Sedentary (seated for most of the day) = RMR x 1.4
Moderately active (some walking in the day) = RMR x 1.7
Very active (physically active during the day) = RMR x 2.0
You can choose a factor somewhere in between if you want. At the end of the day, this is never going to be an exact science. So once you’ve factored in your activity level you get a figure for the number of calories you’d require to maintain your current weight if you weren’t working out. With a weight of 91 kg and a sedentary office job, I come in with a maintenance calorie requirement of 2575 kcals per day (don’t be confused by kcal and calories, they are used interchangeably).
That figure doesn’t include my weight training which apparently burns something like 270 – 450 calories per hour. Because I only train for 45 minutes three times per week, this only equates to an extra 100 kcals per day. So, to maintain my weight I need to consume 2675 kcals per day.
In theory, eating anything more than this will gain you weight, whilst eating anything less will lose you weight. Your weight gain should be a slow steady process, as rapid gains in weight usually indicate excessive fat gain. Start by adding say 200kcals to your maintenance level. If you’ve not gained any weight after a week or two, add another 100-200 kcals, and keep increasing as and when necessary. Apparently 0.5 – 1 lb is a healthy amount to gain per week. Like I say, it’s not an exact science, so if you’ve calculated how much you need to eat, and you’re still not gaining, add a little bit more.
Your food should consist of approximately 60% carbs, 20-25% fat, 15-20% protein, and should be consumed over 6 or 7 meals/snacks throughout the day, without leaving more than a few hours between meals.
Bulking is not an excuse to eat junk food. You need to keep the diet clean and healthy and your alcohol intake low.
Will, please feel free to get Anthony to check the validity of the information above.
Thanks for that Pip, altho i'm worried now cus i'm 6ft2,13stone and i'm currently yamming down 3500 calories a day.. I'm gaining between 1-2lbs a week on average and have put on 12lb in just over 6 weeks. I've added some fat (i'll enclose a pic on my training diary next week) but i'm hoping to cut that off when i start dieting come October..
I thought one of the easiest wasy to estimate calories was to mulitple bodyweight in lbs by 17 and then add between 250-500 calories on top if you are bulking...
Its a guideline for a minimum really Darnay as there are many factors to take into consideration in your llifestyle
yeah i kinda guessed that.. Although i am the human dustbin at the moment.. As everyone is different it's probably better to do away with one size fits all formula's and just pay attention to what your body is doing. If you aren't adding or losing weight you've basically found your maintenance level. Add 250-500 calories more to bulk... Thats what i did anyway.
Agree but everyone need a rule of thumb or a baseline in the absence of having tried it before.
Interestingly it gave my RMR as 1600!!!!!!!!!! Thats what annoys me about the standard 2500 on foods most people think this is RMR but as you can see its way over board
yeah i kinda guessed that.. Although i am the human dustbin at the moment.. As everyone is different it's probably better to do away with one size fits all formula's and just pay attention to what your body is doing. If you aren't adding or losing weight you've basically found your maintenance level. Add 250-500 calories more to bulk... Thats what i did anyway.
I agree, there is no one size fits all formula, I find it kind of odd that it adds such a specific figure as 496 rather than 500! But as BFG says, it's just a guideline and the nearest formula I had to hand.
If you know your maintenance level, then adding calories as you did is the right way to go. The problem is, a lot of people don't have a consistent diet, or track their calories well enough to know what there maintenance level is, so these formulae can make a good starting point.
Do remember bulking is very much trial and error. Naturally skinny guys generally need more than former fat blokes, and you'll need to monitor your body composition regularly and adjust your calories up or down slightly to make sure you're adding muscle, and continue to add muscle without adding too much that you atart piling on the fat.
Pip's guidlines above give you a great starting point to work from. I'll email Will and get it stickied.
