How to Use the Calorie Calculator to Build Muscle

If you want to build muscle, you need plenty of calories. Carbohydrates, fats, and proteins provide energy and support regeneration. But how much is plentiful? How many calories does your body actually need to build muscle? We will now take a closer look at exactly these questions and also clarify what the ideal diet in sports looks like and how the calorie calculator can help you.

How to Build Muscle

Building muscle is an important goal for many athletes. You get stronger, get closer to your desired beach figure, and feel comfortable in your skin. But how does muscle actually build up? And what role does the calorie calculator play in this?

When one speaks of muscle building, one speaks of hypertrophy. Muscle fiber hypertrophy, to be exact. The cross-section of the muscles increases, making the muscles stronger and the body look more athletic. So much for the definition of the term.

But how does muscle actually build up? And what factors are particularly important for building muscle?

Hypertrophy – How to Grow Your Muscles

In order to grow your muscles, you need two coordinated factors: training that provides sufficient stimuli and regeneration, during which your body recovers and strengthens. Incidentally, your diet is extremely important for regeneration.

An effective workout is always adapted to your current fitness level. If you are just starting out, strength training with your own body weight can be completely sufficient. A few push-ups, lunges, or squats already provide beginners with sufficient training stimuli.

If you are already advanced, you can fall back on weights. Barbells, dumbbells, or strength training machines can serve you well.

However, it is important not to overdo it. Targeted training breaks or a suitable coordination of training and recovery are extremely important. Two to four training sessions a week can ensure this, for example.

A third important factor is nutrition. Let's take a closer look at what you should keep in mind.

Macronutrients – High-Calorie Energy Suppliers

When it comes to the ideal diet in sports, you should know the following. On the one hand, there are macronutrients. These are the nutrients that contain calories. On the other hand, there are micronutrients. These have no calories, but are important for numerous functions in the body.

Let's start with the macronutrients. This group includes carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. While carbohydrates and fats primarily serve as energy suppliers, the body uses protein as building material.

However, the three macronutrients have different amounts of calories and fulfill different functions:

Micronutrients – Calorie-Free Miracles

Unlike macronutrients, micronutrients contain no calories and therefore no energy. However, their functions are equally important.

The micronutrients at a glance:

The functions of micronutrients range from a resilient immune system to skin renewal. In order to build muscle and train regularly, you should pay attention to a strong immune system.

In addition, you should pay special attention to which vitamins and minerals you need as an athlete. Iron, magnesium, and vitamin D play a major role in this.

Calorie Calculator – The Must-Have for Muscle Building?

But how many calories does the body need to build muscle? This question is not that easy to answer. In fact, some factors affect your calorie needs. Fortunately, there are calorie calculators that take all these factors into account.

All you have to do is enter the necessary data. These usually include your height, your current weight, and your age.

The calculated amount of calories often represents your basal metabolic rate. Sometimes, however, the service turnover is already included. We will now take a closer look at what the difference is.

Basic Metabolic Rate or Performance Metabolic Rate – What Does the Calorie Calculator Calculate?

Basically, the difference between basic and service turnover is easily explained. As the name suggests, the basal metabolic rate is the need that your body requires at a minimum.

For most people, the basal metabolic rate is around 1,800 to 2,200 calories. This means that your body needs exactly this amount of calories to maintain all body functions, all under the assumption that you wouldn't move at all.

However, since this is the case, you will need a second factor for your individual determination of the calorie requirement: the performance turnover. Here, too, the name already indicates the function.

The power turnover therefore describes the amount of calories that your body needs in addition to the basal metabolic rate, depending on how physically active you are. Since it would be very cumbersome to calculate every little physical activity individually, there are the so-called PAL values.

The power turnover as a PAL value:

It's best to be honest with yourself and assign yourself to the appropriate description. Now all you have to do is multiply your basic needs by your PAL value, and you will receive your daily calorie requirement.

However, always pay attention to what value you were calculated using the calorie calculator. Otherwise, it may happen that you calculate the service turnover twice.

For example, our Verival calorie calculator calculates your individual daily requirement directly based on the information you enter, including basal metabolic rate and power turnover!

How to Use the Calorie Calculator for Targeted Muscle Building

If you want to build muscle and become stronger, you should pay attention to something else. Because the calorie calculator usually calculates your so-called maintenance calories.

Maintenance calories are the amount of calories you need to maintain your current weight. However, if your goal is to gain weight in the form of muscle mass, you should include a little more calories, especially if you're already advanced.

200 to 400 calories in addition to your calculated daily requirement should be enough in most cases. Weigh yourself daily and calculate your weight gain on average. This allows you to adjust your calories at any time and avoid unwanted weight gain from fat.

Example Calculation with Our Verival Calorie Calculator:

If you use your BMI to classify your weight, you should be careful. Because the BMI of strength athletes and bodybuilders can be a bit misleading. Due to the above-average muscle mass, you are quickly classified as overweight as a muscular athlete, even though your body fat percentage is perfectly fine.

These Foods Help Build Muscle

In order to reach the desired daily requirement that the calorie calculator has calculated for you, you should rely on suitable foods. Ideally, these are nutrient-dense and high in calories so that they can meet your daily needs.

One food that is particularly suitable is oats. Because oatmeal or bran are rich in complex carbohydrates and vegetable proteins. Together with the naturally contained fiber, oats provide plenty of energy during breakfast.

In the form of porridge or overnight oats, oatmeal is quickly prepared and the ideal sports breakfast for your everyday life. If you top your porridge with fresh fruit, you will get an optimally balanced breakfast thanks to the vitamins and minerals it contains. Nuts or seeds can provide an extra portion of protein.

Conclusion: The Calorie Calculator Helps You Build Muscle

Of course, you don't necessarily need a calorie calculator to build muscle. You can also just go out to eat and check the scales every day. However, it may take some time before you determine your individual needs.

However, since calorie calculators are extremely simple and provide relatively accurate results, you should at least consider using them. You should be aware that the values may not match your individual needs 100%, but they are fairly accurate guidelines that can serve as a foundation for you.

This will help you find your actual calorie needs faster and allow you to gain weight, lose weight, or simply maintain your weight.