Pluscalories for growth

[Entomba]

If the calorie surplus is beyond what you need for muscle growth, then all extra calories will be converted into body fat.

What is the recommended amount of pluscalories daily? Is it 250 - 500 cal? And is that a bigger guy (who normally eats 3 000 cal) needs more pluscalories than a smaller guy (who eats about 2 000 ca per day)? Or should they eat same amount of pluscalories for muscle growth?

On the other hand, would it be preferred to use % calculations for each individual, like +15% of you normal daily calories, so this way the amount of pluscalories varies individually?
And is there some sort of "limit" to pluscalories when the additional calories are more likely to be stored as fat than being used as for building muscle?





P.S. Does any one have a link where is well covered how the muscle growth happens. Thanks.

 

[Entomba]

About macronutrients, something by Tom Venuto:

You need more calories to gain weight, but if you added all the extra calories in the form of fat or carbohydrate, you would probably find yourself quickly gaining body fat! As bodybuilders know all too well, excess carbohydrates, especially in the presence of a calorie surplus, can easily cause fat storage. The same goes for dietary fats. A high calorie diet with 70% of the calories from carbohydrates might be okay for a long distance runner, but chances are, most people would get as “smooth” as a baby’s butt!

Of course you need carbs for intensive training but Venuto continues:

Not only does a high protein level fend off muscle loss while you’re on lower
carbohydrates, but it can also speed up the fat burning process. Protein has the highest "thermic effect" of any food. That means that protein foods speed up your metabolism because your body has to work harder to digest, process and utilize this nutrient compared to fat or carbohydrate. The "thermic" effect of protein is one of the reasons that a higher protein diet is more effective for fat loss than a high fat diet or a high carbohydrate diet. Too much of any food type can be stored as body fat, but protein is less likely to be
converted to fat than any other nutrient.

Is this the main reason for bodybuilders munching more protein than other macros? Should beginner do the exact same thing: just eat more protein food? And avoid excessive fat and carbs in pluscalories? (I'm not talking about mesomorphs, though...)

 

[ZKD]

I have no idea what the "recommended" increase in calories is. I just watch the scale and try to gain between .5 and 1lb per week. If that's not happening, I adjust calories accordingly. I, like many on the forums, just accept that fat gain will happen. I know that I can very easily lose fat later, so that's what I do.

From your quotes - I would just go by the bold sentence in the second quote, which encompasses the sentence in the first quote. It is possible to have a diet of 100% protein. However, if you eat too much protein, YOU WILL STILL GET FAT. Realistically, you should focus on consuming a lot of protein, because your muscles need the extra protein to grow. But fat gain is more about the total number of calories than it is about macronutrients.