Say you burn 2,000 calories a day... You need to eat 2,000 calories +500 in order to be in a positive caloric state to build mass. But... say instead of only eating +500, you eat +2000 more. Does that also help build toward mass or does it store as fat? So basically what I am trying to figure out is when I count my calories, should I stop eating once I hit 500 over, or just keep eating and eating even if it's 1500 over? I just want to build mass and I'm working out 5 days a week so I burn a lot of calories trying to get big.
It'll be stored as fat, you really only need 300-500 calories surplus daily for "mass" gain. Remember to eat clean, and that 2,000 calories a day is just an example and not what your body will need (more than likely). Best to keep track of your caloric intake daily for a week and note your weight in the morning. See if you are gaining, losing, or maintaining. Then from there add or subtract a few hundred calories and repeat. This takes time and it's good to learn about your body and it's individual needs.
Any excess will be stored as fat. But there are many variables - if you have an active lifestyle, your macros may be much greater because you will be burning more calories. Studies have shown that naturally you can only build at most 1lb of muscle per week if you are getting your diet and training perfect. If you are on anabolic steroids you can train every day with no rest days and pack on as much as 5lbs per week of pure muscle. Obviously you'll need to be eating ALOT more than if you are naturally bulking. Taking steroids also runs the risk of side effects and when you come off the cycle , you will probably lose a lot of your gains
It also depends on your goals. If you are wanting to get bigger, with minimal fat gain, dont bother eating more than 300-500 calories over maintenance. If you are like me and do powerlifting, you want to get the most out of your training, and body, with almost no regard for fat gain. Eating more will allow you to get stronger than just being 500 calories over maintenance, but your body will not grow faster than it can. Sent from my GT-I9300T using Grasscity Forum mobile app