Nutrition for Muscle Gain

Muscle gain needs three things working together:

• A training stimulus: progressive resistance training (see Principle of Progressive Overload, Muscle Hypertrophy).
• Enough protein to build new tissue.
• Enough total energy to support training and growth.

Protein: how much.

• The plateau. Morton et al. (2018; 49 trials, 1,863 people) found that protein supplementation increased gains in strength and fat-free mass during resistance training. The benefit for fat-free mass levelled off at 1.62 g/kg/day. The 95% confidence interval ran from 1.03 to 2.20, which is why many coaches use ~1.6 as a target and ~2.2 as a "cover everyone" upper end.
• ISSN's range. The ISSN's protein position stand (Jäger et al. 2017) puts 1.4–2.0 g/kg/day as sufficient for most exercising people.

Protein: how to spread it. Iraki et al. (2019) suggest 3–6 meals with about 0.40–0.55 g/kg per meal, including one within 1–2 hours before and after training. That per-meal amount is a practical pattern, not a ceiling. In Trommelen et al. (2023), 100 g of protein after whole-body training produced a larger and longer (≥12 h) muscle-building response than 25 g (see Protein — Functions, Quality, and Requirements, Protein Distribution Across the Day). Total daily intake matters most.

Energy: a small surplus.

• The target. Iraki et al. (2019) recommend a ~10–20% calorie surplus aiming for ~0.25–0.5% of body weight gained per week for novice and intermediate lifters. Advanced lifters should be more conservative with both.
• The trial. Helms et al. (2023) randomised trained lifters to maintenance, a 5% surplus or a 15% surplus for 8 weeks. Faster weight gain mainly increased fat, not muscle thickness or squat strength. Bench-press strength did rise more in the 15% group.
• The honest caveat. Slater et al. (2019) point out that the "sweet spot" surplus has never been validated in lifters. Start small and adjust by results (see Setting Calorie Targets for Fat Loss, Maintenance, and Gain).

Carbohydrate and fat. Iraki et al. (2019) suggest:

• Fat: 0.5–1.5 g/kg/day.
• Carbohydrate: the rest of your calories, with at least 3–5 g/kg/day to fuel hard training.

Creatine. Creatine monohydrate is the best-supported muscle-gain supplement (see Creatine Monohydrate). Iraki et al. (2019) list 3–5 g/day. The ISSN's creatine position stand (Kreider et al. 2017) reports that short- and long-term use, up to 30 g/day for 5 years, has been safe and well tolerated in healthy people.

A deliberate muscle-gain phase is often called a "bulk" (see Bulking (Muscle-Gain Phase)).

• Healthy adults lifting at least 2–3 times a week who want more muscle.
• Lifters who have been "bulking" fast and gaining mostly fat.
• People unsure whether they're eating enough protein.

• Medical conditions first. If you have kidney disease, are pregnant, are under 18, or have a history of disordered eating, get individual advice before raising protein or calories. If you take medication, check supplements with a clinician.
• The surplus numbers are soft. They come from a narrative review (Iraki 2019) and a small trial (Helms 2023: 17 completers, 8 weeks). The optimal surplus is unknown (Slater 2019).
• Protein plateaus are group averages. Morton 2018's plateau has a wide confidence interval. The effect of supplemental protein shrank with age and was larger in trained lifters.
• Nutrition only amplifies training; without progressive overload, a surplus mostly adds fat.

Kofi weighs 75 kg, has trained for 2 years, and wants to add muscle without much fat.

1. Protein: 1.6 × 75 = 120 g/day, rounded to a 120–150 g range. That's four meals of ~30–40 g (about 0.4–0.55 g/kg each), one of them after training.
2. Calories: maintenance is ~2,700 kcal. As an intermediate lifter, he starts at the low end, +10% ≈ 2,950 kcal.
3. Target rate: 0.25–0.5% of 75 kg = 0.19–0.38 kg a week.
4. Fat and carbs: fat at ~1 g/kg (75 g ≈ 675 kcal). Protein at ~135 g (540 kcal). The remaining ~1,735 kcal comes from carbohydrate, about 430 g (~5.8 g/kg).
5. Creatine: 5 g a day.
6. Check-in every 3 weeks: if his weekly average weight rises more than ~0.4 kg a week and his waist is growing, he trims ~150 kcal. If it hasn't moved and his lifts are flat, he adds ~150 kcal.

Next lesson: Protein — Functions, Quality, and Requirements. Go deeper on protein quality, sources and requirements. Protein isn't a lesson in the Build Muscle path itself because it applies to every goal, but it's the best next step after this one: it's the part of your diet that most directly supports the muscle you're training for.

• Protein: gains in fat-free mass plateaued at ~1.62 g/kg/day (95% CI 1.03–2.20) (Morton 2018); ISSN range 1.4–2.0 g/kg/day.
• Spread protein over 3–6 meals of ~0.40–0.55 g/kg; larger meals aren't wasted (Trommelen 2023).
• Surplus ~10–20%, gaining ~0.25–0.5% of body weight per week for novice/intermediate lifters; more conservative if advanced (Iraki 2019).
• A 15% vs 5% surplus mainly added fat over 8 weeks (Helms 2023); the optimal surplus is unknown (Slater 2019).
• Fat 0.5–1.5 g/kg/day; carbohydrate ≥3–5 g/kg/day (Iraki 2019).
• Creatine monohydrate 3–5 g/day; long-term use has been safe in healthy people (ISSN 2017).