Lean bulk macros

I want to gain some muscle but keep my current weight. How do I calculate my macros?

Replies

  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    Protein .8-1g, fat min .35g, carbs fall where they may. This is per lbs of LBM.

    Cheers, h.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Protein .8-1g, fat min .35g, carbs fall where they may. This is per lbs of LBM.

    Cheers, h.

    This. But maintaining your weight isn't bulking?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    alexmose wrote: »
    I want to gain some muscle but keep my current weight. How do I calculate my macros?

    If you bulk, whether lean (meaning a smaller calorie surplus) or not, you're going to gain weight...hence "bulk"
  • curtismccall
    curtismccall Posts: 27 Member
    Protein .8-1g, fat min .35g, carbs fall where they may. This is per lbs of LBM.

    Cheers, h.

    I've always been under the impression that you're supposed to measure it as lbs of bodyweight not lbs of LBM, is there a real difference besides having slightly higher macros for fat and protein?
  • alexmose
    alexmose Posts: 792 Member
    Protein .8-1g, fat min .35g, carbs fall where they may. This is per lbs of LBM.

    Cheers, h.

    I've always been under the impression that you're supposed to measure it as lbs of bodyweight not lbs of LBM, is there a real difference besides having slightly higher macros for fat and protein?

    I’m really not sure
  • LiftHeavyThings27105
    LiftHeavyThings27105 Posts: 2,086 Member
    It is LBM. Often one will see 'or mid range of ideal BMI', that is applicable for those overweight who have no idea if their LBM.

    As @alexmose is looking at maintaining weight I am surmising a weight within the normal BMI range therefore an estemated LBM would be a better target.

    Ie: I weigh 103 lbs and have a BMI of 20. Well within the BMI range. A visual guess would say I am between 21-24% bf.
    That gives me a LBM of ~80lbs. I aim for 80-100g of protein a day.

    If on the other hand I weighed 175 lbs and had no idea of LBM and hadn't worked out prior to starting my weight loss, a protein goal, mid range BMI, would give me a goal of about 110-115g protein.

    Hope that helps.

    Cheers, h.

    Exactly. *MOST* people make the simple comment about 1g/lb (or some range...I typically state 0.8g-1.2g/lb) but the correct statement is - as middlehaitch stated - is /lbm (lean body mass).

    Lean Body Mass is your "non-fat" weight!

    So, to keep the math easy....if I am a 200lb dude and my body fat % is 10% then my LBM is 180lbs [200 lbs body weight minus (200lbs x 0.10 bf% = 20 lbs of body fat)]. Make sense?
  • alexmose
    alexmose Posts: 792 Member
    Yes yes. So I hang out around 123 pounds. The last time I checked my bf % it was around 24% (it has likely lowered since, but I’m a pessimist so 24% is fine for me). So I want. AT LEAST 93g of protein per day, my fats around 33g, and my carbs....I guess not worry?
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    alexmose wrote: »
    Yes yes. So I hang out around 123 pounds. The last time I checked my bf % it was around 24% (it has likely lowered since, but I’m a pessimist so 24% is fine for me). So I want. AT LEAST 93g of protein per day, my fats around 33g, and my carbs....I guess not worry?

    That sounds great!

    Cheers, h.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    alexmose wrote: »
    Yes yes. So I hang out around 123 pounds. The last time I checked my bf % it was around 24% (it has likely lowered since, but I’m a pessimist so 24% is fine for me). So I want. AT LEAST 93g of protein per day, my fats around 33g, and my carbs....I guess not worry?

    you want to bulk at 24% bodyfat?
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    By the initial post I took it she was recomping. h.
  • curtismccall
    curtismccall Posts: 27 Member
    It is LBM. Often one will see 'or mid range of ideal BMI', that is applicable for those overweight who have no idea if their LBM.

    As @alexmose is looking at maintaining weight I am surmising a weight within the normal BMI range therefore an estemated LBM would be a better target.

    Ie: I weigh 103 lbs and have a BMI of 20. Well within the BMI range. A visual guess would say I am between 21-24% bf.
    That gives me a LBM of ~80lbs. I aim for 80-100g of protein a day.

    If on the other hand I weighed 175 lbs and had no idea of LBM and hadn't worked out prior to starting my weight loss, a protein goal, mid range BMI, would give me a goal of about 110-115g protein.

    Hope that helps.

    Cheers, h.

    Oh alright that makes sense. I have just been going a little higher than I thought all this time haha
  • curtismccall
    curtismccall Posts: 27 Member
    It is LBM. Often one will see 'or mid range of ideal BMI', that is applicable for those overweight who have no idea if their LBM.

    As @alexmose is looking at maintaining weight I am surmising a weight within the normal BMI range therefore an estemated LBM would be a better target.

    Ie: I weigh 103 lbs and have a BMI of 20. Well within the BMI range. A visual guess would say I am between 21-24% bf.
    That gives me a LBM of ~80lbs. I aim for 80-100g of protein a day.

    If on the other hand I weighed 175 lbs and had no idea of LBM and hadn't worked out prior to starting my weight loss, a protein goal, mid range BMI, would give me a goal of about 110-115g protein.

    Hope that helps.

    Cheers, h.

    Exactly. *MOST* people make the simple comment about 1g/lb (or some range...I typically state 0.8g-1.2g/lb) but the correct statement is - as middlehaitch stated - is /lbm (lean body mass).

    Lean Body Mass is your "non-fat" weight!

    So, to keep the math easy....if I am a 200lb dude and my body fat % is 10% then my LBM is 180lbs [200 lbs body weight minus (200lbs x 0.10 bf% = 20 lbs of body fat)]. Make sense?

    Yeah that makes sense. I always wondered if I needed to include body fat into it and that answers it. Thanks!
  • LiftHeavyThings27105
    LiftHeavyThings27105 Posts: 2,086 Member
    It is LBM. Often one will see 'or mid range of ideal BMI', that is applicable for those overweight who have no idea if their LBM.

    As @alexmose is looking at maintaining weight I am surmising a weight within the normal BMI range therefore an estemated LBM would be a better target.

    Ie: I weigh 103 lbs and have a BMI of 20. Well within the BMI range. A visual guess would say I am between 21-24% bf.
    That gives me a LBM of ~80lbs. I aim for 80-100g of protein a day.

    If on the other hand I weighed 175 lbs and had no idea of LBM and hadn't worked out prior to starting my weight loss, a protein goal, mid range BMI, would give me a goal of about 110-115g protein.

    Hope that helps.

    Cheers, h.

    Exactly. *MOST* people make the simple comment about 1g/lb (or some range...I typically state 0.8g-1.2g/lb) but the correct statement is - as middlehaitch stated - is /lbm (lean body mass).

    Lean Body Mass is your "non-fat" weight!

    So, to keep the math easy....if I am a 200lb dude and my body fat % is 10% then my LBM is 180lbs [200 lbs body weight minus (200lbs x 0.10 bf% = 20 lbs of body fat)]. Make sense?

    Yeah that makes sense. I always wondered if I needed to include body fat into it and that answers it. Thanks!

    Ultimately, it is a moot point IN THAT we are not competing for any show or photo shot and we are not competitive athletes (thinking basketball, football, baseball, track, UFC, whatever) where nailing this down is super important. Generally speaking, getting things close is "good enough". But, if we are going to do this, my contention is that we do it right. So, no matter that we are not professional athletes (where this ABSOLUTELY would be crucial) let's get it as close as humanly possible.

    So, it is ACTUALLY lean body mass.....but we (in the US, anyway) are generally lazy with language. Find what works for you and stick with it. If you are not sure, then I would suggest picking a number somewhere in that range, stick with that and see how you respond.

    I do a lot of that. That way I know....this worked well, but that worked super well. I do not like to assume (a pet peeve of mine....) so the only way to know is to do. Not everyone has that luxory...do what works best for you.
  • alexmose
    alexmose Posts: 792 Member
    By the initial post I took it she was recomping. h.

    Yes I am looking to recomp. I’m happy with how I look so I can mentally handle no measurable progress.
  • sadamaqeel
    sadamaqeel Posts: 1 Member
    Work hard 💪
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,620 Member
    Just to be pedantic: It can be per pound LBM, per pound healthy goal weight, per kg of either . . . with different multiplier number to approximate the right actual total number of grams. And then opinions differ about what's the "right multiplier number".

    There are unusual end cases for which it isn't true, but once one does the math, 0.6-0.8g protein per pound of healthy goal weight isn't going to yield a number of grams very far off from 0.8-1g per pound of lean body mass, for quite a range of people. Exactly the same, universally? No. But close enough, mostly.

    Then, people disagree about what the right multipliers are (0.6., 0.8, 1.0, 1.2 most common); what the right weight units are (outfits like WHO and USDA have RDAs or whatever they call them that are more like half what you see recommended here or on bodybuilding sites, so the per-pound and per-kg distinctions get confused because those organizations' per kg recommendations are about the same multipliers numerically as others' per-pound multipliers; whether people's LBM estimates or source of estimates are accurate enough or not; . . . and more. It's like a religious war, almost, sometimes.

    Personally, for protein I like 0.6-0.8g per pound of healthy goal weight, which is close to equivalent to 0.8-1.0g per pound of LBM for a lot of people, think WHO/USDA are lower than optimal given recent research especially for active people or people losing weight or vegetarian or aging.

    But for protein, to avoid the whole weird multiplier argument, maybe try:

    https://examine.com/nutrition/protein-intake-calculator/
    https://examine.com/guides/protein-intake/

    (Which also has pros and cons, but at least it's research-based, with clarity about which research is being used.)

    Fats, I like 0.35-0.45g/pound of bodyweight, but keep waffling about whether that's pounds of current weight or goal weight 😆; women more likely better toward the higher end of that, men maybe OK lower, from what I've read.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 6,009 Member
    alexmose wrote: »
    I want to gain some muscle but keep my current weight. How do I calculate my macros?

    Do you have the other factors dialed in? Training, progressive overload, rest and recovery? I don't want to assume you don't it's just that in my experience, people put so much attention to their macros and diet with not enough in regards to the rest...