Why Eating 7,000 Calories a Day Won’t Build More Muscle

Bulking.

The process commonly used by people trying to gain weight. As most of you already know, it is done by eating more calories than you burn along with having a training program tailored to putting on mass. It’s pretty simple actually…

Or is it?

When it comes to bulking, a lot of people know that in order to gain muscle, eating more calories than you normally do will lead to some fat gain. It’s called bulking for a reason, and it’s inevitable to put on some fat unless you’re on steroids.

But what a majority of people don’t know is that eating more than you need to will NOT put on more muscle.

Brad Pilon, author of Eat Stop Eat, couldn’t have said it any better in a recent article he posted:

“Calories are permissive to the muscle building process. The driving force behind muscle growth happens in a gym, in a syringe or the combination of the two.

Yes, if you are not eating ‘enough’ you can hinder muscle growth. But once you start eating just ‘enough’, eating any more on top of that will not cause more muscle growth.

The point is calories are permissive, but not a driving force for muscle growth in adults.”

The whole idea of eating 6,000 or 7,000 calories a day as a blueprint for all skinny guys to gain weight is complete BS. It all depends on the individual’s height, age, activity level, and current weight. If you need help on how to figure that out, read this.

Lastly, the only time you need to eat more and more is when the number on the bathroom scale goes up. For example, if you start out at 170lbs and “bulk up” to 200lbs, you will obviously need to eat more calories by the time you hit 200lbs. Adjust your numbers according to your weight, not someone else’s.

Take home points: 1) Eating more calories than your body needs to build muscle will not give you more muscle and 2) increase your calorie intake only as you gain more weight.