How Many Calories Do You Need to Build Muscle? It’s Much Less Than You Think!

<p>I’ve long been critical of the theory that you need to be in a big calorie surplus in order to build muscle. Now, new research has come out to support the idea that a fattening calorie surplus is not only unecessary, but it can compromise your long-term ability to look and feel great.</p><p><br></p><p>Now, some new research, presented by the REPS research summaries offers to shed more light on the fact that you probably won’t benefit from being in a big calorie surplus. Plus, the amount of calories you do need to build muscle is such a small amount that you’re probably already covered if you have a satisfying and healthy diet. </p><p><br></p><p>Here’s just a few of the references to the research (there’s not enough space to post them all here.)</p><p><br></p><p>TRE studies:</p><ol><li>​Chang Y, Du T, Zhuang X, Ma G. Time-restricted eating improves health because of energy deficit and circadian rhythm: A systematic review and meta-analysis. iScience. 2024 Jan 26;27(2):109000. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109000. PMID: 38357669; PMCID: PMC10865403. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38357669/">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38357669/</a></li><li>​He M, Li B, Li M, Gao S. Does early time-restricted eating reduce body weight and preserve fat-free mass in adults? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Diabetes Metab Syndr. 2024 Feb;18(2):102952. doi: 10.1016/j.dsx.2024.102952. Epub 2024 Feb 5. PMID: 38335858. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38335858/">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38335858/</a></li><li>​Maruthur NM, Pilla SJ, White K, Wu B, Maw MTT, Duan D, Turkson-Ocran RA, Zhao D, Charleston J, Peterson CM, Dougherty RJ, Schrack JA, Appel LJ, Guallar E, Clark JM. Effect of Isocaloric, Time-Restricted Eating on Body Weight in Adults With Obesity : A Randomized Controlled Trial. Ann Intern Med. 2024 May;177(5):549-558. doi: 10.7326/M23-3132. Epub 2024 Apr 19.PMID: 38639542. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38639542/">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38639542/</a></li></ol><p><br></p><p>Calories for building muscle:</p><p><br></p><ol><li>​Slater GJ, Dieter BP, Marsh DJ, Helms ER, Shaw G, Iraki J. Is an energy surplus required to maximize skeletal muscle hypertrophy associated with resistance training. Front Nutr. 2019;6:131.<a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2019.00131"> doi: 10.3389/fnut.2019.00131</a>.<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31482093/">PMID: 31482093</a>.</li><li>​Larson-Meyer DE, Kras