CALCULATING YOUR DAILY MACROS
Once you’ve selected a nutrition plan, you need to calculate your daily macro needs. And while a lot of bodybuilders often obsess over calories, tracking macros is more flexible, easier to manage, and more effective than counting calories.
STEP 1: DETERMINE YOUR DAILY MAINTENANCE CALORIES
Maintenance calories are what your body needs each day to maintain current weight, based on sex, current weight, current activity level, and other factors.
(Note: These tables provide only general calorie recommendations. For more accurate calorie targets that are specific to your personal needs and specifications, it’s recommended you access an online calculator to generate your specific calorie targets.)
Low active: You train 1–2 days per week, and your workouts are low- to moderate-intensity.
Moderate active: You train 2–3 days per week, and your workouts are low- to moderate-intensity.
High Active: You train 4–5 days per week, and your workouts are moderate- to high-intensity.
Very high active: You train 5–6 days per week, and your workouts are high-intensity.
WOMEN
(ESTIMATED CALORIES FOR A 5’4” 32-YEAR-OLD FEMALE)
| WEIGHT | LOW ACTIVE | MODERATE ACTIVE | HIGH ACTIVE | VERY HIGH ACTIVE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | 1166 | 1377 | 1589 | 1800 |
| 90 | 1216 | 1436 | 1657 | 1877 |
| 100 | 1265 | 1495 | 1725 | 1955 |
| 110 | 1315 | 1554 | 1793 | 2032 |
| 120 | 1365 | 1613 | 1861 | 2109 |
| 130 | 1415 | 1672 | 1929 | 2186 |
| 140 | 1465 | 1731 | 1997 | 2263 |
| 150 | 1515 | 1790 | 2065 | 2340 |
| 160 | 1565 | 1849 | 2133 | 2417 |
| 170 | 1615 | 1908 | 2201 | 2494 |
| 180 | 1665 | 1967 | 2269 | 2571 |
| 190 | 1715 | 2026 | 2337 | 2649 |
MEN
(ESTIMATED CALORIES FOR A 5’10” 32-YEAR-OLD MALE)
| WEIGHT | LOW ACTIVE | MODERATE ACTIVE | HIGH ACTIVE | VERY HIGH ACTIVE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 110 | 1603 | 1894 | 2185 | 2476 |
| 120 | 1653 | 1953 | 2253 | 2553 |
| 130 | 1703 | 2012 | 2321 | 2630 |
| 140 | 1752 | 2071 | 2389 | 2707 |
| 150 | 1802 | 2130 | 2457 | 2784 |
| 160 | 1852 | 2189 | 2525 | 2861 |
| 170 | 1902 | 2248 | 2593 | 2939 |
| 180 | 1952 | 2307 | 2661 | 3017 |
| 190 | 2002 | 2365 | 2729 | 3093 |
| 200 | 2052 | 2424 | 2797 | 3170 |
| 210 | 2102 | 2483 | 2865 | 3247 |
| 220 | 2152 | 2542 | 2933 | 3324 |
STEP 2: CALCULATE YOUR DAILY MACRO NEEDS
Once you’ve determined your daily calories needs, you need to calculate your daily macro needs based on the nutrition plan you’ve chosen. You can do so by doing some simple math. Here’s an example:
Sample: High active 140lb female following a bulking nutrition plan
The total daily calories needed to maintain her current weight is 2263. For a bulking program, the daily caloric variance is an additional 15%, so her total daily calorie allowance is now 2602 (2263 x 1.15).
The macro ratio for a bulking program is 30/40/30 (30% fats/40% carbs/30% protein), so she can take her total calories and multiply them by these percentages to calculate her total calorie allowances for each macro:
Fat: (2602 x .3) = 781 calories
Carbs: (2602 x .4) = 1041 calories
Protein: (2602 x .3) = 781 calories
Now that she’s calculated her calorie percentages, she can calculate the total daily grams of each macro based on the caloric values of each macro (1 gram of fat = 9 calories, 1 gram of carbs = 4 calories, 1 gram of protein = 4 calories):
Fat: 781 calories / 9 = 87 grams
Carbs: 1041 calories / 4 = 260 grams
Protein: 781 calories / 4 = 195 grams
The overall daily macro needs for a high active 140lb female following a bulking program are:
87 grams of fat per day
260 grams of carbs per day
195 grams of protein per day
Once you know your daily macros, you’ll no longer need to count every calorie; you can simply track the total grams of each macro you consume each day.
NOT ALL CALORIES ARE CREATED EQUALLY
Every calorie is a unit of energy, but not all calories are created equally, and different types of foods have different caloric measures. While protein and carbs each contain 4 calories per gram, fats are more nutrient-dense at 9 calories per gram. Once you’ve calculated your total daily calories for each macro, you can use those numbers to calculate your total daily gram allowances for each macro.
TIPS FOR MEAL PLANNING SUCCESS
- Be flexible Remember that meal planning and tracking ratios is part science, part art, and part guesswork, so be flexible in your approach until you find the ratios that work best for you
- Make sensible, healthy food choices Try to eat meals that consist mostly of single-ingredient foods.
- Keep meals simple and watch your portions You won’t have to worry about small fluctuations in calories
- Eat the right meal combinations Eat meals that are primarily combinations of proteins and fats or proteins and carbs, and avoid eating meals that feature an overabundance of fats and carbs
- Consume the bulk of your carbs and calories around training sessions You’ll maximize the benefits of your nutrient intake and better fuel your workouts
- Increase healthy fat intake when decreasing carb intake Your body will better utilize the fats to aid in the healing of existing muscle and also aid in the generation of new muscle tissue
- Keep a food journal Tracking meals and daily macro intake will improve your results. And don’t stress if you’re off target by a few grams—the body is amazingly adaptive and can adjust, whether you’re slightly under or slightly over
- Reassess your progress every 7 to 10 days Your macro ratios may change as your body changes, so don’t be afraid to make adjustments if you begin to stall on your current plan