People also refer to this as calories in or total calories. The most effective way to support the development of lean muscle is to consistently establish a calorie surplus. We have factored in a surplus of ~350kcals on top of your maintenance calories so you don’t need to do the maths.
You don’t need to be in a calorie surplus to build muscle, but it can certainly help with the process. Some people find it hard to consistently do this as you need to really prioritise mealtimes, which may not fit with your lifestyle.
If you want or feel you need to track your food intake, we recommend you use a Chronometer by logging a typical day’s worth of eating once a week to check you’re in the ballpark for energy and protein intake. We’ve put together a step-by-step article on tracking food intake to help you do this.
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