Lots of people in the fitness industry talking about Maingaining. Have you ever seen someone with average genetics, who got low body fat but gained muscle at the same time? Are they on steroids?
Well most likely they are not on steroids, they are on calories surplus which helps them gain muscle but stay lean at the same time.
What is a Calories Surplus?
A calories surplus is when the consuming Calories are higher than the calories which are burnt. This helps the body mass to increase.
FOR EXAMPLE: EATING 3000 Calories and Burning 2700 Calories which leaves 300 Calories for Muscle and Fat.
What is a Calories Deficit?
A calories deficit is when the consuming Calories are lower than the calories which are burnt. This is best for loosing weight and cutting own.
FOR EXAMPLE: EATING 3000 Calories and Burning 3500 Calories which leaves 500 Calories for Muscle and Fat.
What is Maingaining?
Maingaining/Gaintaining is a process of gaining muscle while having the same body fat percentage/weight.
It is totally different to Bulking or Cutting. As with bulking, you eat lots of calories to build muscle and fat. With cutting, you eat fewer calories to lose fat and maintain muscle. Maingaining can be considered as a mixture of both.
Maingaining/Gaintaining is suited for people who are happy with their body fat and weight but want to increase their muscle at the same.
- Check :- Average Body Fat for 14 to 18 year olds
- Check :- Average Height to Body Weight
- Check :- How to build Muscle for 14-year-olds
Who is Maingaining/Gaintaining Suitable for?
Maingaining/Gaintaining is suitable for slim figure people who don’t want to gain fat more excess fat or lose their abs but at the same time want their muscle mass to increase.
If you’re obsese, then Maingaining/Gaintaining is not the way to go. It’s recommend for you to cutting down the calories with a clean diet and do perform heavy weight training to build muscle while cutting down. This will help reduce body fat but build muscle at the same time.
If you’re Skinny, you can either do Maingaining/Gaintaining or Bulking. It is totally up to your preference. Bulking will make you put on weight, muscle and heavier/fat but required a lot of eating and heavy training. Where as, Maingaining will maintain your bodyfat and increase muscle slowly while you just have to eat the required calories.
Is Bulking better than Maingaining?
Yes and No, it depends on which method you prefer, you end goals and if it suits your lifestyle.
With Bulking :
- You will gain muscle fast but with fat.
- You will have to eat high amount of calories everyday.
- You will have to say “bye bye” to your abs.
- You will be storing more fat and water weight.
- You will be lifting more heavy weights.
- You will be spending lots of money on food.
With Maingaining/Gaintaining :
- You will maintain your body fat.
- You will build muscle slowly.
- You will maintain around your weight.
- You don’t have eat crazy amount of calories.
If you’re a bodybuilder then it’s recommended to do the Bulking and Cutting Process and you will have the dedication to eat hugh amount of calories and when cutting then eating less amount of calories. Bulking is very hard compared to Maingaining/Gaintaining. Lots of people struggle with eating but it is not impossible.
For an average athlete look, it’s recommended to do the Maingaining/Gaintaining approach. It doesn’t require as much effort compared to Bulking. Also, it helps with mental health as you do look good all the time.
Maingaining VS Bulking & Cutting
The first thing you need to know is that maingaining and bulking & cutting are two completely different approaches to gaining muscle mass. Maingaining is a more sustainable approach that focuses on slowly gaining muscle over time while bulking & cutting is a more aggressive approach that involves “bulk” phases where you eat in a calorie surplus to gain weight, followed by “cut” phases where you eat in a calorie deficit to lose fat.
| Category | Maingaining | Bulking | Cutting |
| Weight/BodyFat | Maintained | Increased | Decreased |
| Calories intake | Meduim Calories | Lots of Calories | Less Calories |
| Building Muscle Rate | Meduim | Fast | Slow |
| Cost of the Process | In Expensive | Expensive | Expensive |
| Strength Level | Meduim | Strong | Meduim |
Bulking and cutting are two important concepts to understand when working out. Bulking refers to the process of gaining muscle mass, while cutting refers to the process of losing fat. While bulking and cutting can be done at the same time, most people choose to do one or the other. bulking is often done in the offseason, when there is no bodybuilding competition, while cutting is often done in the weeks leading up to a show.
There are a variety of methods that can be used for bulking and cutting, but the most important thing is to have a plan and stick to it. With consistency and dedication, anyone can achieve their desired physique.
Maingaining is the process of slowly and steadily gaining muscle mass over a long period of time. While it may seem like a slow and tedious process, maingaining is actually one of the most efficient ways to build muscle. This is because each individual gains muscle at their own rate, meaning that there is no “ plateau” or “stall” in muscle growth.
Maingaining also allows the body to slowly adjust to the added stress of weight training, reducing the risk of injury. The key to success with maingaining is to be patient and consistent with your training and diet. If you’re able to stick with it, you’ll eventually see the results you’re looking for.
Do You Need A Calorie Surplus To Build Muscle?
Yes, you do the only way to grow is by eating, training and resting. Therefore, you have to eat more calories then you burn otherwise you will be loosing weight. Imagine you eating 3000 calories of food a day and on the same day you’re burning 3500 calories. Obviously you will lost weight and you might gain little bit of lean of muscle but it will be noticeable. Calorie Surplus is important to building muscle and goes same with bulking too but the surplus doesn’t need to be a hugh difference even 300 calories is good.
How Many Calories is needed for Maingaining?
Well since we all are different to each other it varies from person to person. There is no exact answer to this. There are soo many factors which affect this are bodyweight, bodyfat, workout, diet and lifestyle.
But to figure out how many calories your need is by Trail and Error.
- Track your calories for a week for everyday.
- Use MyFitnessPal to track calories eaten.
- Track amount of calories you burnt on workouts.
- Use Fitbit to track calories burnt.
- Consider calories for your active lifestyle like walking, sports, cycling,etc.
If your burning on average 3000 calories a day then add 3500 calories of food for a month or two and you will be surprise of the amount of lean muscle you build.
