You want to BUILD MUSCLE.

You want to get SHREDDED.

You want to get YOKED.

You want to be RIPPED.

In order to BUILD MUSCLE, get SHREDDED, get YOKED and to be RIPPED, you MUST provide your body with the raw materials it needs to start carving granite.

If you are going to be Michelangelo carving David, then you need the raw material. You need your MACROS.

Optimal nutrition is like delivering bricks to the build site, and your workouts are laying brick by brick, course by course, until you have a BIG, BEAUTIFUL WALL (of muscle).

What are MACROS?

Macro is the diminutive of MACRONUTRIENT. There are three (3) categories of macronutrient: PROTEIN, CARBOHYDRATE, and FAT.

Protein

Proteins are chains of amino acid residues. Proteins catalyze metabolic reactions, and a whole bunch of other stuff not relevant to this discussion. Proteins, and their amino acid structure, build and maintain body tissue. In other words it is our building block, our GRANITE, our BRICK, our MUSCLE.

Carbohydrate

It’s all in the name: CARBO(N) – HYDRATE. I see CARBON and WATER. Have you ever had an authentic Italian meal – spaghetti, lasagna, gnocchi – and been BLOATED after? Does the term WATER WEIGHT make sense now?

Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose (blood sugar) and are used for ENERGY in your cells. More specifically, they are used as a source of ENERGY for your muscles during training sessions, because they burn FAST.

Fat

Fat is also used for energy, but think of this energy as a STORE OF VALUE. Your body stores FAT to use for later. If carbs are like CASH, then FAT is like GOLD or SILVER. Just like gold and silver though, fat is burdensome to carry around. You wouldn’t walk around carrying all your gold and silver on your person, would you? That’s dangerous.

Nonetheless, FAT is an important source storing energy over a long period of time, but you actually don’t need that much of it to get by. If CARBS burn fast, then FAT burns slow. It also BURNS HOT (more energy), and is involved in protein synthesis (building muscle).

One gram or protein or carbs release about 4 calories when metabolized. One gram of fat releases a whopping 9 calories when metabolized.

All three macronutrients are necessary components of your bodily function. Tinkering with the RATIO of Protein : Carb : Fat to achieve certain goals is common BRO practice.

How to Determine Your MACRO Split

So now you know what macros are. How then, do you determine how much of each you should be putting in your body?

That depends on the task at hand. What are you trying to achieve? Do you want to BUILD THE BODY, maintain your GAINS, or GET SHREDDED (cut stored body fat)?

Don’t answer. I’ll tell you where you need to start at all three.

But first I will pause and point out the obvious. We are all unique individuals with slightly different body chemistry. The following ratios serve as STARTING POINTS for calculating your macros and then building a meal plan. But to improve any model, you must compare expectations with actual experience and adjust the model accordingly. You may find lower carb works better for you, or lower calories in general. I don’t know, because I don’t know you. Working out is journey of self-discovery and figuring out what WORKS FOR YOU.

Okay. Back on track.

Macronutrient Ratios by Mission

Building the Body – 30% Protein, 50% Carb, 20% Fat

Maintenance – 30% Protein, 40% Carb, 30% Fat

Fat Loss – 45% Protein, 20% Carb, 35% Fat

Implementing Body Type

The typical model for body type uses three categories:

  1. Ectomorph (thin)
  2. Mesomorph (regular)
  3. Endomorph (husky)

If you are an ectomorph, then you probably have trouble keeping on mass. Eat more carbs to satisfy your high metabolism. Add 5% – 10% to carbs and subtract the difference mostly, or all, from fat.

If you are a mesomorph, just begin with the recommendations.

A Caveat

If you are like me and you are suffering lingering effects of falling for the ketogenic diet hype, then you may be distrustful of carbohydrates. The recommendations I am sharing with your are the *common* ratios used. I am personally going to use a ratio with lower CARB content to satisfy my pathology.

Now, to the main event…..

Calculating your MACROS

Step 1 – Estimate you caloric needs

The first step to establishing composition of your macros is estimating the calories you expend on any given day.

Use the following calculators to estimate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE).

Even at rest, the body is expending energy in order to function. This is what the BMR attempts to measure. Think of it as the calories burned if you were a vegetable.

The TDEE includes the energy you are expending based on your activity level. This includes mundane activities such as brushing your teeth, getting in your car, and walking to the bathroom. If you are serious about building muscle then your caloric intake will be even greater since you will be VERY ACTIVE.

My Inputs/Outputs:

  • Sex: Male
  • Height: 6′ 1″
  • Weight: 175
  • Activity Level: Very Active (If you are lifting weights and/or doing cardio everyday, this should be what you select)
  • BMR = 1876 calories
  • TDEE = 3031 calories

The difference between TDEE and BMR (1155 calories) is the implied caloric expenditure of my daily activities, including working out.

BMR is like a fixed cost – I NEED those calories in order for my body to work.

TDEE less BMR is a variable cost – The more I DO the more I NEED to maintain.

Step 2 – Adjust the Total Calories for your Mission

Bottom Line – I need 3,031 calories to maintain my weight at my current activity level.

If your goal is to INCREASE MASS, then you will need to take on calories. Add approximately 500 calories per day to GAIN one pound per week.

If your goal is to GET SHREDDED (and lose body fat), then you will need to subtract calories. Subtract approximately 500 calories per day to LOSE one pound per week.

Step 3 – Allocate your Calories for Your Mission

Example:

Mission: Building the Body – 30% Protein, 50% Carb, 20% Fat

  • 3,531 calories TOTAL (3,031 calories Maintenance + 500 calories)
    • 1,059 calories from protein (30% x 3,531)
    • 1,766 calories from carbs (50% x 3,531)
    • 706 calories from fat (20% x 3,531)

Step 4 – Convert the Calories into GRAMS

When you look at the nutrition labels on your food, it ONLY tells you the TOTAL calories in the serving size and NOT the calories from protein, carbs, and fat. The nutrition label DOES provide the GRAMS of protein, carbs, and fat.

The next step entails converting the calories from protein, carbs and fat that were calculated in Step 3 into GRAMS.

Again: One gram or protein or carbs release about 4 calories when metabolized. One gram of fat releases a whopping 9 calories when metabolized.

We are going to use this rule of thumb to convert the above CALORIES into GRAMS. See below:

  • 1,059 calories from protein / 4 grams per calorie = 265 GRAMS OF PROTEIN
  • 1,766 calories from carbs / 4 grams per calorie = 442 GRAMS OF CARBS
  • 706 calories from fat / 9 grams per calorie = 78 GRAMS of FAT

CONGRATULATIONS. YOU NOW KNOW HOW TO CALCULATE YOUR MACROS LIKE A BRO.

Summary of Calculating your Macros

Below is a table of how to calculate your macros depending on your mission. I show how many grams of protein I need to GET SHREDDED, MAINTAIN GAINZ, or BUILD THE BODY. Plus I add my PERSONAL PREFERENCE.

A Summary of How to Calculate Macros using myself as an example.

While I do believe in the importance of carbohydrates in fueling and building your muscles, the amount we need is overstated in my opinion. For the sake of BRO SCIENCE, I am experimenting with shifting calories from carbs and into protein and fat for my muscle building needs.

Other Observations

Notice that the grams of protein required for GETTING SHREDDED and BUILDING THE BODY are approximately the same. The difference between the two is that when you are cutting calories to get shredded, the calories cut are almost exclusively from CARBS. Protein remains the same (and even slightly higher, by the formula) in order to support the preservation of muscle mass.

Notice I said cutting CARBS and not FAT. There is a common misconception that fat makes you fat. NOT TRUE. Carbs transmuted/stored as fat makes you fat. Carbohydrates are the first source of energy the body uses. When the body runs out of carbs to burn, it relies on stored body fat as the primary energy source. CUTTING CARBS leads to BURNING FAT.

Go Forth and Be Fit

May this article serve as a starting point shoring up your macronutrient needs. Remember that we are relying on rules of thumb and other crude methods to calculate our macros. Over time, as we measure our progress in the gym, on the scale, and in the mirror, and refine our macros accordingly, we will develop a system that works for us.

Fin