How much over EER?

[n00bgaines]

Guys,

Been lifting for a little over 6 months, at 343 deadlift, 154 bench, and 286 squat. I’m 5’6 male, 29, 167 pounds, and currently eat at EER which is 2500 cals. My bench is progressing slowly, and I’m finding myself hungry all of the time.

2500 EER is for someone sedentary, but I workout about once a day, 5 sets of 5 of heavy reps. How much do you guys think a n00b like me should bump up my calorie intake, if at all?

Thanks,
n00b

[AdamWW]

Guys,

Been lifting for a little over 6 months, at 343 deadlift, 154 bench, and 286 squat. I’m 5’6 male, 29, 167 pounds, and currently eat at EER which is 2500 cals. My bench is progressing slowly, and I’m finding myself hungry all of the time.

2500 EER is for someone sedentary, but I workout about once a day, 5 sets of 5 of heavy reps. How much do you guys think a n00b like me should bump up my calorie intake, if at all?

Thanks,
n00b

What is your body comp like? At 5-6 and 167, i imagine you're not super duper lean.

[n00bgaines]

Thanks for the quick reply!

If those cheap body fat meters are to be believed, I’m about 21% body fat.

One of my goals is to get my body fat down, which is why I’m trying to eat at maintanence. However, I’m wondering if I should not worry about that and eat a little over.

Especially since my bench is lagging, and I don’t see anything wrong with my form, plus I seem to be hungry all of the time, which makes me think I’m not eating enough.

[AdamWW]

Thanks for the quick reply!

If those cheap body fat meters are to be believed, I’m about 21% body fat.

One of my goals is to get my body fat down, which is why I’m trying to eat at maintanence. However, I’m wondering if I should not worry about that and eat a little over.

Especially since my bench is lagging, and I don’t see anything wrong with my form, plus I seem to be hungry all of the time, which makes me think I’m not eating enough.

It's hard to say without a picture... but if you are at 21% bodyfat then eating in a surplus is probably not going to be beneficial for you.

It would be a better idea to eat at maintenance and continue to recomp, or eat at a mild deficit and lose some bodyfat.

With 21% fat you should be able to lose weight while gaining muscle, and you'll be able to perform better overall.

[n00bgaines]

It's hard to say without a picture... but if you are at 21% bodyfat then eating in a surplus is probably not going to be beneficial for you.

It would be a better idea to eat at maintenance and continue to recomp, or eat at a mild deficit and lose some bodyfat.

With 21% fat you should be able to lose weight while gaining muscle, and you'll be able to perform better overall.

That’s what I was thinking, thanks for the advice, I’ll continue eating at maint for now.