Eating for Muscle: What Actually Matters (And What Doesn't)

#1: Eat Enough Calories (Non-Negotiable)

You cannot build significant muscle in a calorie deficit. Your body needs surplus energy to construct new tissue. This is basic physics, and no supplement or training program changes it.

How much surplus? Less than you think. The "dirty bulk" approach of eating everything in sight just makes you fat. Your body can only build so much muscle per day—excess calories beyond that become body fat.

Calorie targets for muscle gain:
Beginners: Maintenance + 300-500 calories
Intermediate: Maintenance + 200-300 calories
Advanced: Maintenance + 100-200 calories

To find maintenance:
Start at bodyweight (lbs) × 14-16
Track weight for 2 weeks
Adjust based on scale trend

Beginners can afford a larger surplus because they build muscle faster. The more advanced you get, the tighter your surplus should be to minimize fat gain.

#2: Get Enough Protein (Also Non-Negotiable)

Protein provides the raw materials for muscle. Without adequate protein, you're building a house without bricks.

Protein targets:
Minimum for muscle gain: 0.7g per lb of bodyweight
Optimal range: 0.8-1.0g per lb of bodyweight
Ceiling: 1.2g per lb (more doesn't help)

Example: 180 lb person
Minimum: 126g protein/day
Optimal: 144-180g protein/day

Note: These numbers are per pound of total bodyweight, not lean mass. The calculations are simpler and the results are the same for most people.

Getting enough protein is harder than it sounds. Most people overestimate their intake until they actually track it. A chicken breast has about 30g. An egg has 6g. Do the math on your typical day.

Good protein sources: Chicken, beef, fish, eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, whey protein. For plant-based: tofu, tempeh, legumes + grains (combined for complete amino acids), plant protein powders.

#3: Train Hard (Equally Non-Negotiable)

Nutrition without training stimulus is just... eating. Your body builds muscle in response to the demand placed on it. No demand, no muscle, regardless of how much protein you eat.

This means progressive overload: doing more over time. Adding weight, adding reps, adding sets. If your training isn't progressing, your muscles have no reason to grow.

After That, It's Diminishing Returns

The following things matter, but much less than the big three above:

Meal Timing

Eating protein every 3-5 hours probably optimizes muscle protein synthesis slightly. Eating immediately after training probably helps a bit. But the effect sizes are small compared to total daily intake.

Practical takeaway: Spread your protein across 3-5 meals rather than eating it all at once. Have some protein around your workout (before or after, doesn't matter much). Don't stress about the "30-minute anabolic window"—it's more like a several-hour window.

Carbs and Fats

Once protein and calories are set, how you fill the remaining calories matters less than people think. Carbs fuel training and may help slightly with recovery. Fats support hormone production. Both are fine.

Rough macro split for muscle gain:
Protein: 0.8-1g per lb bodyweight
Fat: 0.3-0.5g per lb bodyweight
Carbs: Fill remaining calories

Example for 180 lb person eating 3000 calories:
Protein: 160g (640 calories)
Fat: 70g (630 calories)
Carbs: ~430g (1,730 calories)

This is a guideline, not a prescription.
Total protein and calories matter more than exact ratios.

Food Quality

Whole foods are better than processed foods for health, satiety, and micronutrients. But for pure muscle building, a gram of protein is a gram of protein. Don't stress about whether your chicken is organic—stress about whether you're eating enough of it.

Supplements

Worth considering: Creatine monohydrate (5g/day, cheapest form is fine), protein powder (for convenience, not magic).

Everything else: Either doesn't work, has tiny effects, or is only relevant for advanced athletes. BCAAs are redundant if you eat enough protein. Pre-workouts are mostly caffeine. "Mass gainers" are expensive carbs.

A Week of Muscle-Building Eating

This is what simple, effective nutrition looks like. Nothing fancy:

Breakfast:
- 3-4 eggs scrambled
- 2 slices toast with butter
- Fruit
(~35g protein)

Lunch:
- 6-8oz chicken or beef
- Rice or potatoes
- Vegetables
(~45g protein)

Pre-workout snack (optional):
- Greek yogurt with berries
- Or protein shake
(~25g protein)

Dinner:
- 6-8oz fish or meat
- Pasta, rice, or potatoes
- Vegetables
(~45g protein)

Evening snack:
- Cottage cheese
- Or casein protein
(~25g protein)

Total: ~175g protein, plenty of carbs, moderate fat.

Adjust portions to hit your calorie target. Add more carbs (rice, bread, potatoes) if you need more calories. This isn't a strict meal plan—it's a template showing that muscle-building nutrition doesn't have to be complicated.

Common Mistakes

Not eating enough. Fear of fat gain leads people to under-eat. You can't build muscle optimally in a deficit. Accept some fat gain as part of the process—you can diet it off later.

Eating way too much. The opposite problem. A 1,000+ calorie surplus doesn't build muscle faster—it builds fat faster. Moderate surplus, not all-you-can-eat.

Majoring in the minors. Worrying about nutrient timing, supplement stacks, and meal frequency while not hitting basic protein and calorie targets. Fix the fundamentals first.

Inconsistency. Eating well 4 days a week and poorly 3 days averages out to mediocre results. Consistency beats perfection.

The Summary

Building muscle through nutrition is simpler than the industry wants you to believe:

1. Eat a slight calorie surplus (200-500 above maintenance)
2. Get 0.8-1g protein per lb bodyweight daily
3. Train with progressive overload
4. Be consistent for months and years

That's it. Everything else is noise.

Get a program that builds muscle systematically, then eat to support it. Or just start with the basics above. Either way, the formula is simpler than it seems.