Gaining lean muscle without adding body fat is the ideal result for most people who want to get in shape. To do this, you will have to eat efficiently where you are providing your body with enough of the right nutrients.
As a guide, your daily caloric intake should be made up of 40 per cent protein, 35 per cent carbohydrates and 25 per cent fat (40/35/25). This may seem like a high intake of protein. However, studies [7] have shown that a high protein intake maintains a high level of essential amino acids circulating in the blood. This is the key to stimulating muscle protein synthesis rates. When blood amino acid levels fall, muscle protein synthesis rates weaken. Research shows that this powerful anabolic result is not achieved with moderate protein intakes. A high protein intake is essential for maximising the effect of resistance training.
Depending on your body weight your calorie intake will differ, of course. It is wise to probably try and get a ball park figure of how many calories you have in a day. It is much more important, however, to consider the type, quality and timing of the food you eat rather than the exact amount, so do not be too concerned about counting your exact calories.
As a rough guide, males should consume somewhere around 35 calories per kilogram of body weight (or 16 calories per body pound of weight) and females should consume around 30 calories per kilogram of bodyweight. So, for example, if you are an 80-kg male, you should look to consume around 2,800 calories per day (35 calories x 80 kg). Similarly, for a 60-kg female, you should be consuming around 1,800 calories per day (30 calories x 60 kg).
To help clarify things, let’s continue on with the example of an 80-kg male.
Breaking down the 2,800 calories consumed by an 80-kg male further using the ratio 40/35/25, the daily intake would equate to:
-1,120 calories of protein (40 per cent x 2,800 calories) which is 280 gm of protein (1,120 divided by 4)
-980 calories from carbohydrates (35 per cent x 2,800 calories) which is 245 gm (980 divided by 4)
-700 calories from fat per day (25 per cent x 2,800 calories) which is 78 gm fat (700 divided by 9), remembering that 1gm of fat is equal to 9 calories, whereas 1 gm of protein and carbohydrates is 4 calories.
The below table is a summary:
Calories for80kg Male
|
Grams |
Calories |
|
Protein |
280g |
1120 |
|
Carbohydrates |
245g |
980 |
|
Fat |
78g |
700 |
To stop you from doing these boring calculations I have set up a nutritional calculator. Just punch in your weight and gender and it will take care of the maths for you.
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