How many calories do i need to gain muscle?

[Nick95765]

Is there a general rule of thumb out there of how many calories somebody is supposed to consume in a day to gain muscle?I found a formula once but i cant find it again.Also how many grams of carbs and fat should be eaten in a day for this goal.I eat 1.5grams of protien for every pound i weigh but im not sure about the others.Any information would be appreaciated!

[aimgetbigger]

use this link
http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
Based on your needs you can decide

[CrazyG323]

just eat 6 meals a day to bulk and purge 5 meals to cut...its really simple

[nickdow]

Originally Posted by CrazyG323

just eat 6 meals a day to bulk and purge 5 meals to cut...its really simple

That's very loose advice. THe BMI calculator would be much more accurate but you're only 18 so I would just eat more and if you begin gaining too much fat taper it down some.

[Richie_Awesome]

Originally Posted by CrazyG323

just eat 6 meals a day to bulk and purge 5 meals to cut...its really simple

That has nothing at all to do with the amount of calories to consume.

[Zona16]

Originally Posted by CrazyG323

just eat 6 meals a day to bulk and purge 5 meals to cut...its really simple

7 meals a day to bulk, but yes, purging 5 meals a day while cutting = trophy

[DrumTech]

3,000 to gain a pound of muscle... 3500 to gain a pound of fat...

[Cuchulainn]

Originally Posted by Nick95765

Is there a general rule of thumb out there of how many calories somebody is supposed to consume in a day to gain muscle?I found a formula once but i cant find it again.Also how many grams of carbs and fat should be eaten in a day for this goal.I eat 1.5grams of protien for every pound i weigh but im not sure about the others.Any information would be appreaciated!

There are a million different calculations out there and they don't work for everybody. First try to figure out your body type. Are you an ectomorph, mesomorph, or endomorph?

I strongly encourage you to take this short quiz and let us know your bodytype which will help the board answer you better.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/becker3.htm



By your weight at 166 at 18 I'm going to guess that you are probably ecto. If that is the case it would be good for you to give this a read.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/beast50.htm

Note: This article is written by an author who works for a supplement company. Naturally they are going to promote their products. That said the information in it will help you out.

Once you get settled into a diet don't be afraid to play with it to find the right diet for you. It takes time and trial and error. Try to take notes on what you eat everyday so you have something to compare your diet to during the trial and error process.

Another piece of advice is that many people, when they bulk for the first time, neglect healthy fats. Adding peanuts, fish/flax oil, almonds can make or break your diet. Fats have 9 cals per gram while carbs and proteins have 4 cals per gram. If you are having trouble adding more weight and can't possibly eat any more food increase your daily fat intake (use fast food only as a last resort, begin by using the foods stated above).

Also there are many knowledgable people here on these boards. This site as well as t-nation.com are great sources of information. (t-nation is also owned by a supplement company, same rules apply as the ebook.)

[sillz100]

Figure out a good number from calculators and articles. If you do not gain from that up your calories. If your gaining to much fat lower the calories.

[gijoe985]

http://yianni.users.mcs2.netarray.co...WebApp/bmr.jsp

Best calculator I've ever used. Check it out, it's pretty awesome...