Sport Is it possible to build muscle on > 2000 calories?

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Ri Fhionngaill

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I'm trying to build muscle ( to the point where I have respectable arm muscles and visible abs - nothing too major) and shake off excess flab, but my metabolism is spectacularly bad to the point where it more or less doesn't work.

I've been hearing that to build muscle you need to eat a lot more than your RDA in calories and 2 grams for every kilogram of bodyweight (that's 142 grams in my case). But I fear that if I eat more than 2000 calories I'll gain massive amounts of weight.

Is it at all possible to eat less than 2000 calories (of high-protein foods, fish, and nuts) and build muscle whilst not gaining - or, better yet, losing - weight?
 
Depends really what your goal is. If you want to be really big and shredded then no, you have to bulk up to a certain weight and with a certain lean body weight. However, if you are just trying to have a respectable beach body then it is possible that if you have some intense weight training and eat enough high protein food, while at the same time keeping your calories below 2000, to get that desired body.
 
If you work on getting rid of the excess fat first, you might be surprised what muscles will be revealed underneath. Most people have great abs underneath all that flab. Once you have shifted the fat you can increase your calories and build the extra muscle. A lot of experts say that it is very difficult to do both at the same time.
Increase your metabolism by eating 5-6 small meals a day and eating protein with every meal. If u don't already, start having protein shakes especially after your workouts. Go online and use a calorie calculator to work out how many calories you should be eating for weight loss. If you eat too little your metabolism will never pick up. HIIT training is great for burning large amounts of calories during the workout as well as creating an awesome post-workout burn.
 
Thank you for the advice.

I've heard I need to get down to 10% body fat percentage to reveal any abs that may be lurking. What are the best ways of going about doing this? Will it involve a lot of running, or can I manage it through cycling/swimming/rowing, etc.?
 
Personally I believe that creatine nitrate is much more effective in gaining lean muscle mass vs. protein shakes
 
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