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Applies a percentage surplus to maintenance energy and pairs it with a protein target and the 0.25 to 0.5 percent of body weight per week gain rate used in lean bulking.
Lean bulk
Intake = maintenance x (1 + surplus); target gain is about 0.25 to 0.5% of body weight a week for trained lifters
Educational estimate only. Not a substitute for professional clinical judgement, and must not be used to make treatment or dosing decisions.
Above about 20% the extra energy is stored mostly as fat, since muscle accretion is limited by training and recovery.
Novices can gain closer to 1% of body weight a week early on, but the rate falls steeply with training age.