{"id":2042,"date":"2026-09-14T07:37:45","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T07:37:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mypeakapp.com\/superavit-calorico-volumen\/"},"modified":"2026-09-14T07:37:45","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T07:37:45","slug":"superavit-calorico-volumen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mypeakapp.com\/en\/superavit-calorico-volumen\/","title":{"rendered":"Caloric surplus: how to have a good bulking phase"},"content":{"rendered":"

Caloric surplus<\/strong> It's the non-negotiable requirement for gaining muscle. You can train perfectly, sleep eight hours, and take every supplement on the market, but if you eat exactly what you burn, your body won't have the building blocks to construct new tissue.<\/p>\n

The problem arises when eating more is confused with uncontrolled eating. Then the scale goes up quickly, and almost all of it is fat. In this guide, you'll see how many extra calories you need, how to distribute your macronutrients, what signs indicate you're on the right track, and how long your bulking phase should last.<\/p>\n

What is a calorie surplus?<\/h2>\n

A calorie surplus means consuming more energy than you expend throughout the day. This total expenditure includes several components: your basal metabolism<\/a>, food digestion, training, and all daily movement.<\/p>\n

When the body has excess energy, it stores it. And here's the crucial difference: it can store it as muscle or as fat. What tips the scales toward muscle isn't eating significantly more, but rather three specific factors: training intensely, consuming enough protein, and keeping the excess within a moderate range.<\/p>\n

That's why the label "bulking phase" is so misleading. It's not a free period. It's a controlled phase in which you provide slightly more energy than necessary to ensure the training is effective and recovery isn't compromised.<\/p>\n

How many extra calories do you need?<\/h2>\n

Fewer than you think. Muscle is built slowly, so a huge surplus only accelerates fat gain. A practical guideline is to add between 5 and 15% of your total energy expenditure.<\/p>\n

On the scale, that range equates to gaining between 0.25 and 0.5% of your body weight per week. For a 75-kilogram person, that's about 190 to 375 grams per week. It seems like very little, but over six months it adds up to between 5 and 9 kilograms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Level<\/th>\nDaily surplus<\/th>\nWeekly earnings<\/th>\nWhat to expect<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Beginner (less than 1 year)<\/td>\n+10 to 15 % (about 300-450 kcal)<\/td>\n0.4-0.5 % of the weight<\/td>\nFast gains and little fat<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Intermediate (1 to 3 years)<\/td>\n+8 to 12 % (about 250-350 kcal)<\/td>\n0.25-0.4 % of the weight<\/td>\nSteady progress and some fat<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Advanced (more than 3 years)<\/td>\n+5 to 8 % (about 150-250 kcal)<\/td>\n0.1-0.25 % of the weight<\/td>\nSlow gains and strict control<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

If you don't know your calorie expenditure, don't overcomplicate things with formulas. Eat the same thing for two weeks, weigh yourself every morning on an empty stomach, and calculate the weekly average. If your weight doesn't change, those are your maintenance calories. From there, add 250 kcal and see how it goes.<\/p>\n

T\u00e1peres con arroz, pollo y br\u00f3coli junto a una b\u00e1scula de cocina para controlar el super\u00e1vit cal\u00f3rico
Preparing food and weighing portions turns the surplus into a stable number, not a feeling.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How to distribute macronutrients<\/h2>\n

Total calories matter, but how they're distributed determines what muscle mass you gain. These are the guidelines that work best during a bulking phase.<\/p>\n