About the Calorie Surplus Calculator
What is the Calorie Surplus Calculator?
To build muscle or gain weight, you need to eat more than you burn. This calorie surplus calculator adds your chosen surplus to your maintenance calories.
A modest surplus of 250–500 kcal a day, a "lean bulk", supports muscle growth with limited fat gain when paired with strength training.
How to use the Calorie Surplus Calculator
- Sex (sample: Male)
- Weight (kg) (sample: 62)
- Height (cm) (sample: 172)
- Age (years) (sample: 24)
- Activity Level (sample: Moderately active – exercise 3–5 days a week (×1.55))
- Daily Calorie Surplus (kcal) (sample: 300)
- Press Calculate Calorie Surplus (results also refresh as you type). The result card shows the Daily Calorie Target, along with Maintenance calories, Expected weight gain per week (upper estimate), Protein to support muscle gain (1.6–2.2 g/kg) and Reading.
Formula used
Calorie target = TDEE + Daily surplus
- Weekly gain (upper estimate) = surplus × 7 ÷ 7,700 kg
Muscle is built slowly – about 0.25–1 kg a month for beginners – so faster gains are mostly fat.
Worked example
These are the sample values already filled in the calculator above, and the result it returns for them:
| Input | Sample value |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Weight (kg) | 62 |
| Height (cm) | 172 |
| Age (years) | 24 |
| Activity Level | Moderately active – exercise 3–5 days a week (×1.55) |
| Daily Calorie Surplus (kcal) | 300 |
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Daily Calorie Target | 2,749 kcal |
| Maintenance calories | 2,449 kcal |
| Expected weight gain per week (upper estimate) | 0.27 kg |
| Protein to support muscle gain (1.6–2.2 g/kg) | 99 – 136 g |
| Reading | Lean bulk – limits fat gain |
Tips for using the Calorie Surplus Calculator
- Eat 1.6–2.2 g of protein per kg of body weight and train with progressive overload.
- Weigh yourself weekly; aim for about 0.25–0.5% of body weight gain per week.