How to Calculate Your Macros for Strength Training

If you've ever wondered why two people doing the same programme get different results, nutrition is almost always the answer. Training is the stimulus; macros deliver the raw material. Get them right and strength goes up, body composition shifts, and recovery improves. Get them wrong and you're spinning wheels.

This guide walks you through calculating your macros from scratch — no guesswork, no bro-science.

Step 1 — Know Your TDEE

Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is your maintenance calorie number: the amount of energy you burn each day accounting for activity. Every macro calculation starts here.

Use our TDEE Calculator to get your number. You'll need your BMR (which the tool calculates automatically via the Mifflin-St Jeor equation) and your activity level.

A rough guide for activity multipliers:

| Activity level | Multiplier | |---|---| | Sedentary (desk job, no exercise) | 1.2× | | Lightly active (1–3 days/week) | 1.375× | | Moderately active (3–5 days/week) | 1.55× | | Very active (6–7 days/week) | 1.725× | | Athlete / physical job | 1.9× |

Step 2 — Set Your Calorie Target

Once you have your TDEE, adjust it based on your goal:

• Cut (lose fat): TDEE − 300 to 500 kcal/day. Aggressive cuts (−750+) accelerate fat loss but risk muscle loss without adequate protein.
• Maintain (recomp): Eat at TDEE. Works best for beginners or those returning after a break.
• Bulk (build muscle): TDEE + 200 to 300 kcal/day. Lean bulking minimises unnecessary fat gain.

Step 3 — Set Protein First

Protein is non-negotiable for strength athletes. It provides amino acids for muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and is the most satiating macro.

Target: 1.6–2.2 g per kg of bodyweight.

Research from the British Journal of Sports Medicine (Morton et al., 2018) found that protein intakes above ~1.62 g/kg provide diminishing returns for muscle gain. Many coaches use 2.2 g/kg as a conservative ceiling — it leaves room for error and keeps MPS maximised during cuts when calorie restriction risks muscle breakdown.

For a 80 kg athlete: 128–176 g protein/day.

Each gram of protein provides 4 kcal.

Step 4 — Set Fat

Fat is essential for hormone production (including testosterone and oestrogen), joint health, and fat-soluble vitamin absorption. Don't go too low.

Target: 0.7–1.0 g per kg of bodyweight.

For an 80 kg athlete: 56–80 g fat/day.

Each gram of fat provides 9 kcal.

Step 5 — Fill the Rest with Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are your primary fuel for high-intensity training. After protein and fat are set, carbs fill the remaining calorie budget.

Carbs = (Total calories − protein calories − fat calories) ÷ 4

For example, a 80 kg athlete bulking at 3,000 kcal with 176 g protein and 70 g fat:

• Protein: 176 × 4 = 704 kcal
• Fat: 70 × 9 = 630 kcal
• Remaining: 3,000 − 704 − 630 = 1,666 kcal from carbs = 416 g carbs

Use the Macro Calculator to do this automatically for cut, maintain, or bulk goals.

Step 6 — Distribute Protein Across Meals

Recent research (Trommelen et al., 2023) supports spreading protein intake across 3–5 meals to maximise MPS. Each meal should hit the leucine threshold — approximately 25–40 g protein — which triggers the signalling cascade for muscle building.

The Protein Per Meal Calculator divides your daily target across your chosen number of meals and flags whether each serving clears the leucine threshold.

Practical Tips

Weigh food raw. Cooked weights vary substantially depending on water content. Chicken breast loses roughly 25% of its weight when cooked.

Track for 2–4 weeks. You don't need to count macros forever, but an initial tracking period calibrates your intuition for portion sizes and protein density.

Adjust every 2 weeks. If weight isn't moving in the expected direction after 2 weeks, adjust calories by 100–200 kcal/day. Progress isn't always linear — sleep, stress, and hydration all affect scale weight.

Protein sources matter. Prioritise complete proteins: meat, fish, eggs, dairy (whey, cottage cheese, Greek yoghurt), and soy. Incomplete plant proteins can be combined but require more planning to hit leucine thresholds per meal.

Summary

| Step | Action | |---|---| | 1 | Calculate TDEE | | 2 | Set calorie target (−/+) based on goal | | 3 | Protein: 1.6–2.2 g/kg | | 4 | Fat: 0.7–1.0 g/kg | | 5 | Carbs: fill remaining calories | | 6 | Distribute protein across 3–5 meals, ≥25 g per meal |

Use the Macro Calculator to run the numbers, then check the TDEE Calculator if you need to establish your maintenance calories first.