There’s various ways to figure out your cals and macro nutrients, most of them far more complicated then is needed. Here I give a simple way figure figure out both, and remove the mystery of macronutrient ratios that will work well for most of the people most of the time. I tried to get all ‘high art’ and film noir with the effects in this vid, and well, I probably won’t do it again! Sorry, wanted to play with some of the effects the software has I have not tried. 🙂
Will Brink is the owner of the Brinkzone Blog. Will has over 30 years experience as a respected author, columnist and consultant, to the supplement, fitness, bodybuilding, and weight loss industry and has been extensively published. Will graduated from Harvard University with a concentration in the natural sciences, and is a consultant to major supplement, dairy, and pharmaceutical companies.
His often ground breaking articles can be found in publications such as Lets Live, Muscle Media 2000, MuscleMag International, The Life Extension Magazine, Muscle n Fitness, Inside Karate, Exercise For Men Only, Body International, Power, Oxygen, Penthouse, Women’s World and The Townsend Letter For Doctors.
He’s also been published in peer reviewed journals.
Will is the author of the popular e-books, both accompanied by private members forum access , Bodybuilding Revealed & Fat Loss Revealed.
You can also buy Will’s other books on Amazon, Apple iBook, Â and Barnes and Noble.
most of the people, most of the time, yes sir!
simple direct and to the point good info
I disagree with the stated method. I think total intake should be calculated against lean body mass and macros should all be targeted as percentages.
By feeding total mass, you over estimate your body’s needs, and predispose yourself to gaining unwanted weight. While it doesn’t have to be dead accurate, I think bodyfat % should be deducted from total calorie needs. For particularly overweight (overfat) persons, this modification alone can lead to weight (fat) reduction, particularly when combined with a moderate increase in physical activity.
By prescribing protein at a fixed amount of 1gram/#, you could conceivably wind up with a diet that is out of balance at the lower and higher ends of the intake spectrum. For a 200# (lbm) person, the tipping point is a about 2,285 calories – below that, you are getting more calories (by percentage) from protein than from any other source, which is not healthfully sustainable, and above that, as the level of intake increases, your protein intake remains fixed and you are challenged to meet carbohydrate targets with healthy carbs, as they are typically not as nutrient dense (calories per serving) as fats, proteins or unhealthy carbs.
By using percentages, you maintain balance throughout the entire spectrum of intake levels. I am okay with 30% from fat, 30% from protein and 40% from carbs – give or take a point or two. I do not disagree with the equal partitioning of fats between mono, poly and sat fats.
Frank, We are not talking about optimal here per se, but simple easy to follow and effective. I have used LBM to figure macros, as well as many other methods with thousands of people. Some times something easy to follow and understand, is what will work best for people. Listen to what I’m actually saying in the vid, and realize what’s actually being said there. It’s a perfectly effective method for most people and an excellent starting point before they may learn to tweak %, make calcs off their LBM, and so forth. Having worked with IFBB pro bbers and other high level athletes, I know a thing or two about fine tuning nutrition, but most people are simply confused where to start, looking for a simple easy to follow method, and that’s what I supplied. People can find much more advanced info on the topic on nutrition here via other articles, vids, ebooks, etc.
Simple and effective Will..
Mostly this is how i do it to figure out my average macro ratios, altough i also cycle my carbs, they seem to be the only ones that change if i go from weight gain to fat loss.. of course as you pointed out, when the amount of calories change also the percentages will change.
Now figuring out exactly how many calories you need to gain muscle without fat or loosin fat without loosing muscle, that is quite a different topic and should be done by the individual himself after experimenting, just believing in the amounts that are given by rules wont work, because of body types and metabolic rates.. i had to find it out by myself..
Keep up the good work !!
Good info Will. Easy to implement and follow.
A little bit on the mess up side , but as usual very informative.