Keen to build muscle - unsure of what levelmy calories and macros should be

DougPeterson

Hi,


Id love to get any input on this,but a little background first.


Ive been dipping my toes in the water over the last few years with various rookie weight resistance plans,which gave me some success with body toning and some muscle improvement.I decided to have another crack at it,and have been training at home since the start of June.My diet has been okay,keeping my protein up to match my body weight.I am 6ft 3 and currently weigh 245lbs,but my carbs and fats are arent where they should be (reading various bodybuilding websites that point out my macros should be at 50/30/20 in the form of carbs/protein/fats.I weight train 5 out of 7 Days,with some running and walking thrown in. Can someone please tell me what kind of calories i should be consuming,and what percent of carbs,protein and fats should i be aiming for?


Would love some info on this,would make a man very happy!


Thanks in advance


Doug

Alf Veedersane

You're worrying too much about what split of macros should be when you don't even know where your calorie intake is at. Your maintenance is of the order of 2750 calories per day. Use MyFitnessPal to track your intake. Do it honestly and accurately. Try get a decent level of protein in every meal. No need to stress the small details...just work on tracking what you are doing and tweak as necessary.

DougPeterson

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

You're worrying too much about what split of macros should be when you don't even know where your calorie intake is at. Your maintenance is of the order of 2750 calories per day. Use MyFitnessPal to track your intake. Do it honestly and accurately. Try get a decent level of protein in every meal. No need to stress the small details...just work on tracking what you are doing and tweak as necessary.

Thank you for the response Alf, will I add 300-400 calories on lift days? What do you reckon, in a ball park, what my carbs should be? Im trying not to pile on the fat.

Alf Veedersane

DougPeterson wrote: »

Thank you for the response Alf, will I add 300-400 calories on lift days? What do you reckon, in a ball park, what my carbs should be? Im trying not to pile on the fat.

Will you add 300-400 calories to what though? I didn't see where you have a handle on what you're eating, in terms of calories, as it is.

I would worry, first and foremost, about getting the right calories on board. When you get that locked down, then you can look at whether or not you need to change anything that will impact on your macros. You're not going to be hindering yourself.

DougPeterson

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Will you add 300-400 calories to what though? I didn't see where you have a handle on what you're eating, in terms of calories, as it is.

I would worry, first and foremost, about getting the right calories on board. When you get that locked down, then you can look at whether or not you need to change anything that will impact on your macros. You're not going to be hindering yourself.

I need a surplus of calories to achieve muscle growth, so I wanted to ask if I would add 300-400 calories to my maintenance figure on lift days?

Also, do my 5-6 meals have to be consumed roughly at the same time, each day?

Alf Veedersane

DougPeterson wrote: »

I need a surplus of calories to achieve muscle growth, so I wanted to ask if I would add 300-400 calories to my maintenance figure on lift days?

Have you been tracking your intake?

DougPeterson

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Have you been tracking your intake?

Yeah I have been tracking the last few days on fitness pal, been hitting close to the 3000 mark per day

Alf Veedersane

DougPeterson wrote: »

Yeah I have been tracking the last few days on fitness pal, been hitting close to the 3000 mark per day

Keep tracking and see how that goes. It's not going to be a black and white formula so you need to 'Do and Review', ie see how it goes for 4 weeks or so and gauge how that works. The adjust up or down as necessary.

DougPeterson

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Keep tracking and see how that goes. It's not going to be a black and white formula so you need to 'Do and Review', ie see how it goes for 4 weeks or so and gauge how that works. The adjust up or down as necessary.

That's great, I'll take your advice and get stuck in, Thank You Alf

Mellor

What are your body fat levels like?

DougPeterson

Mellor wrote: »

What are your body fat levels like?

Hi Mellor,

At the moment im about 23% body fat,i think i'll need to get myself some calipers to really gauge it.

Alf Veedersane

DougPeterson wrote: »

Hi Mellor,

At the moment im about 23% body fat,i think i'll need to get myself some calipers to really gauge it.

At 23% bf it's probably not the time to be bulking/eating at a surplus imo.

Cake Man

Was going to suggest the same. Without obviously seeing what OP looks like, at 245lbs even at 6’3” would put him in the obese range in terms of BMI. Definitely not the time to be in a calorie surplus, as confirmed by the 23% bf.

OP, cut for a few months. Get in enough protein and get on a weight lifting program and see where you’re at early 2019.

DougPeterson

I wouldnt class myself as obese!i was at one point and i can't argue with that. I don't follow the BMI indicator,i did at one point years ago,but learnt not to gauge myself on a nonsensical system.Everyone's different,size wise..i have built a stocky physique over the years..since joining a gym 9-10 years ago,lifting weights on and off,i wouldnt be skinny,havent been since i was a kid,i feel i could build more muscle and then cut if needs be in a couple of months time?

Been going steady on a new home weight lifting programme since the start of June this year,really really enjoying getting stuck in,and can definitely see a change in my body shape.

Cake Man

I agree the BMI system has its faults but was just using it as a quick glance indicator of where approximately you’re at.

The problem with trying to build muscle (ie being in a calorie surplus) at 23% bf is that your calorie partitioning will be fairly poor (look this up). In other words, most of the extra weight you put on will be fat rather than muscle so you’re getting very diminishing returns. That’s why if you cut down to <15% bf you’ll be in a better position to then start putting on mass as your calorie partitioning will be more favourable.

Mellor

DougPeterson wrote: »

Hi Mellor,

At the moment im about 23% body fat,i think i'll need to get myself some calipers to really gauge it.

23% is probably lower than I was expecting for 245lbs. Very few guys at that size are lean. And it involves a lot of work, not gym going on and off.
Good idea to verify with calipers if 23% is a guess or from a scales or similar.

BMI has its faults. But it's far from nonsensical. The principles behind it are pretty sound. If you carry some muscle, you might not be obese, but it's a safe guess to say you are in the overweight category. On that basis I'd agree than cutting down a bit first before bulking is a good idea. But your workout should still be the same weights focused.

DougPeterson

Okay thank you for all the comments, so would it be safe to say to go on a calorie deficit to 'cut' and drop the carbs a little, keep my protein high, to try and get my body fat down a few percent. Any key tips to do this? My exercise is grand and I think I have a good handle on it which I enjoy doing,weights about 4-5 times a week, and cardio every couple of days, my food is where I want to focus in on. Any advice would be appreciated immensely.

Alf Veedersane

DougPeterson wrote: »

Okay thank you for all the comments, so would it be safe to say to go on a calorie deficit to 'cut' and drop the carbs a little, keep my protein high, to try and get my body fat down a few percent. Any key tips to do this? My exercise is grand and I think I have a good handle on it which I enjoy doing,weights about 4-5 times a week, and cardio every couple of days, my food is where I want to focus in on. Any advice would be appreciated immensely.

Protein should be consistent whether you're cutting or bulking. How you make up the balance doesn't necessarily matter...just what works for you. No need for a big cut either.

DougPeterson

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Protein should be consistent whether you're cutting or bulking. How you make up the balance doesn't necessarily matter...just what works for you. No need for a big cut either.

Okay Alf, will i keep a little under my maintenance calories for a while and see how i get on?I want to keep it simple and not over complicate if I can help it.

I have a question relating to my weights programme while I'm in cutting phase,will I continue on the path of increasing the weight and making progress on exercises when I feel I'm ready, or take a more relaxed approach and not worry about increasing but continue to weightlift at a steadier pace?

Mellor

Increase the weights when you can, even when cutting

Alf Veedersane

DougPeterson wrote: »

Okay Alf, will i keep a little under my maintenance calories for a while and see how i get on?I want to keep it simple and not over complicate if I can help it.

I have a question relating to my weights programme while I'm in cutting phase,will I continue on the path of increasing the weight and making progress on exercises when I feel I'm ready, or take a more relaxed approach and not worry about increasing but continue to weightlift at a steadier pace?

Like Mellor said, keep going as you would. No reason to do otherwise. Lift with the same effort you would if you were bulking. You won't suddenly become unable to lift or make progress because you're intake is the equivalent of a Mars bar less a day.