How many calories should I eat to gain muscle?

Around 200 to 350 calories above your maintenance level per day, alongside two or three weights sessions a week. For many beginners that lands somewhere between 2,400 and 3,000 calories a day, but maintenance varies enormously with size and activity.

What is the difference between maintenance calories and TDEE?

They are the same thing described two ways. Total daily energy expenditure is everything you burn in a day, and eating exactly that amount keeps your weight stable, which is why it is also called maintenance.

Why do calorie calculators give me different numbers?

They use different equations and different activity multipliers, and none of them can measure you directly. A spread of a few hundred calories between calculators is normal, which is why the weekly weight trend matters more than the starting estimate.

Should I eat more calories on training days?

You can, but it is not necessary. Your body does not settle up its accounts at midnight, so a steady daily intake across the week works just as well and is far easier to stick to.

How long should a bulk last?

Long enough to make it worthwhile, which usually means a few months rather than a few weeks. Muscle is built slowly, and a stop-start approach rarely gives training time to show anything.

Bulking calorie calculator

Last updated 11 August 20266 min read

In short

To build muscle, most people should eat around 200 to 350 calories a day above their maintenance level while training with weights two or three times a week. That usually shows up as roughly 0.25 per cent of bodyweight gained per week. The calculator below estimates maintenance from your height, weight, age and weekly activity, then adds that surplus.

Maintenance first, then a surplus of 200 to 350 calories
Expect about 0.25 per cent of bodyweight gained a week
Any calculator is an estimate; the scales are the real test
Adjust every three to four weeks, not every day

Two numbers decide whether you gain muscle or just gain weight: how much you burn, and how far above it you eat. This estimates the first and gives you a sensible figure for the second.

Estimate your calories

This uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, the one most dietitians reach for, and then multiplies it by how active your week is. Be honest about the activity level: it is where most people overestimate.

Estimate your calories for gaining muscle

Sex assigned at birth

Age in years

Height in centimetres

Bodyweight in kilograms

How active your week is

Around 2678 calories to stay the same weight

To build muscle, aim for roughly 2878 to 3028 calories a day. That is a small surplus, which should show up as about 0.19kg of weight gain a week. If the scales are climbing faster than that over a month, take a little back off.

Uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation with a standard activity multiplier. Estimates like this are usually within a few hundred calories, so treat the number as a starting point and adjust it against your weekly weight trend. General information for healthy adults aged 18 and over, not medical advice. Nothing you type here is saved or sent anywhere.

How to check the number is right for you

Every calculator is working from averages, so treat the figure as a first guess. Your own weight trend over two to three weeks tells you what no equation can.

1. Eat the number for two weeks
Keep it roughly consistent day to day rather than swinging between extremes.
2. Weigh in the same way
First thing in the morning, a few times a week, and look at the average rather than any single reading.
3. Compare to the target rate
About 0.25 per cent of your bodyweight a week. For a 75kg person that is roughly 190 grams.
4. Adjust by 150 calories
Nothing moving after three weeks, add 150. Climbing too fast, take 150 off. Then wait another three weeks.

Filling the surplus with food that helps

A surplus made of protein and decent carbohydrates supports training. A surplus made of whatever fits mostly turns up as fat. The split matters less than people think, but protein does not.

A rough split for a 2,800 calorie building day
Nutrient	Amount	Where it comes from
Protein	130-165g	Chicken, eggs, yoghurt, fish, tofu, beans
Carbohydrates	350-420g	Rice, oats, potatoes, pasta, fruit, bread
Fat	70-95g	Olive oil, nuts, dairy, oily fish

Where the numbers usually go wrong

Picking an activity level higher than your week really is
Adding a 700 calorie surplus because faster sounds better
Changing the number every few days based on one weigh-in
Forgetting drinks, oils and what you eat at the weekend
Eating the target on training days only

A calculator cannot see you

It has no idea about your medical history, your job or how you sleep. If you have a health condition that affects your weight or appetite, speak to a doctor or dietitian rather than an equation.

For the reasoning behind the surplus, read calorie surplus.

For your protein target in grams, use protein calculator.

Common questions

How many calories should I eat to gain muscle?: Around 200 to 350 calories above your maintenance level per day, alongside two or three weights sessions a week. For many beginners that lands somewhere between 2,400 and 3,000 calories a day, but maintenance varies enormously with size and activity.
What is the difference between maintenance calories and TDEE?: They are the same thing described two ways. Total daily energy expenditure is everything you burn in a day, and eating exactly that amount keeps your weight stable, which is why it is also called maintenance.
Why do calorie calculators give me different numbers?: They use different equations and different activity multipliers, and none of them can measure you directly. A spread of a few hundred calories between calculators is normal, which is why the weekly weight trend matters more than the starting estimate.
Should I eat more calories on training days?: You can, but it is not necessary. Your body does not settle up its accounts at midnight, so a steady daily intake across the week works just as well and is far easier to stick to.
How long should a bulk last?: Long enough to make it worthwhile, which usually means a few months rather than a few weeks. Muscle is built slowly, and a stop-start approach rarely gives training time to show anything.