Macro Calculator For Muscle Gain for Women

How to Use the Macro Calculator for Muscle Gain (Women)

Our macro calculator is designed to ensure women are meeting their daily protein, carbohydrate, and health intakes for optimal muscle growth. Creating the correct balance will not only improve your training and recovery, it will also improve sustainability, leading to greater results.

1. Select Your Preferred Units: Metric Or Imperial — These will determine your unit for height and weight.
2. Set Your Goal To “Muscle Gain.” — This will adjust the calculator toward muscle building, leading to greater protein intake.
3. Enter Your Height, Weight, Age, And Activity Level — These factors determine your basal metabolic rate, which influences your macronutrient requirements to increase muscle, fuel your body, and support your health.
4. Choose Whether You Do Resistance Training And How Often — This will help determine your protein and carbohydrate intake. Protein will be required for recovery and carbohydrates will be required for fuel. Greater amounts will be required to complete resistance training sessions.
5. Adjust Your Carb/Fat Preference If Desired — Select between carbs or fats depending on your preferred energy source. This will place a greater emphasis on your choice to ensure you have enough fuel for training and daily life.
6. Click ‘Calculate’ To See Your Custom Calorie And Macro Targets — Once the fields are filled in, this will calculate your macronutrient breakdown for building muscle.

What Are Macros?

Macronutrients refer to carbohydrates, protein, and fats which are vital for our body’s physiological processes. Below we briefly share information about each macronutrient and its functions, check our full guide on what are macros here

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are our body’s major energy source, with studies showing they aid blood sugar and insulin metabolism as well as the metabolism of cholesterol and triglycerides (type of fat in blood). They start breaking down in the digestive tract into glucose which is then used for energy.

Complex carbohydrates contain three or more sugars, leading to longer digestion times which result in a gradual increase in blood sugar.

Furthermore, some complex carbohydrates are excellent sources of dietary fiber which improves satiety and supports gut health.

Protein

Protein plays a vital role in building lean muscle and recovery. Studies show that skeletal muscle is continually breaking down and synthesizing protein. For muscle mass to grow, muscle protein synthesis must exceed muscle protein breakdown. This can be achieved by consuming dietary protein through nutrient-dense whole foods and protein supplementations.

Additional research shows that protein intake combined with resistance training has been shown to contribute to greater strength, muscle gains, and muscle preservation.

Sources show the recommended daily protein intake for active individuals is 1.4–1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. By hitting these targets you will build lean muscle.

Fats

Dietary fats like carbohydrates and protein are essential for our health. They are used for energy, nutrient absorption, cell structure, hormone production, and cardiovascular health.

Unsaturated fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats have been shown to reduce cardiovascular disease, reduce inflammation, absorb vital nutrients, and support brain health.

Why Counting Macros Works

Counting macronutrients provides you with greater control of your nutrition. Protein and carbs contain 4 calories (kcal) per gram, while fat contains 9 kcal. Tracking your macros ensures you are hitting your daily targets without exceeding your limits, mitigating your chances of unnecessary weight and fat gain.

Furthermore, protein is vital for building muscle and recovery. Monitoring, tracking, and controlling your macronutrient intake ensures we are hitting your daily protein requirements, helping us maintain the positive protein balance required for muscle growth.

Lastly, it means we can form a balanced diet that can help improve fullness and overall health. The less hungry you feel during a diet, the better the chances of sticking with it long-term, improving the chances of reaching your goals. For an in-depth look at how macros work, read our guide to how macros work for women.

Macros vs. Calories: What's the Difference?

Macronutrients and calories are both used for understanding and tracking nutrition, however, they have very different purposes. Calories track the total energy content of what you eat and drink. Macronutrients on the other hand display the composition of those calories. For example, let’s use chicken breast and fried chicken breast from a well-known fast food franchise.

As you can see, these are two forms of chicken breast that are the same weight but have very different macros. The lean chicken breast is unprocessed and a great source of protein for very few calories.

Meanwhile, the fried chicken breast has larger amounts of carbohydrates, and fats which ballow the calorie content to more than double that of the lean chicken breast.

Using this example you can see that calories dictate the energy content, while macros tell the story of their composition. If you want to learn more, read this article on counting macros vs calories.

Best Foods for Macro Counting

Tracking and controlling your macronutrient intake can shape your diet. Now, let’s discuss the best food choices for gaining muscle, including foods rich in protein, carbohydrates, and fats to kickstart your muscle-building diet.

Lean Protein Source

• Chicken Breast — 31 grams of protein per 100 grams with minimal fat
• Salmon — 20 grams of protein per 100 grams and contains omega-3 fatty acids
• Mackerel — 19 g of protein per 100 grams, plus omega-3 and vitamin B12
• Greek Yogurt — 10 g of protein per 100 grams with calcium for strong bones
• Eggs — 13 grams of protein per 100 grams and have a high nutrient density
• Edamame — 10.7 grams per 100 grams and is a great source of fiber
• Soy — 36 grams of protein per 100 grams and high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals

Carbohydrates

• Oats — 66 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams plus are a rich source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
• Quinoa — 64 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams along with dietary fiber.
• Sweet Potato — 20 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams and vitamins A, C, B6
• Brown Rice — 23 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams and loaded with fiber and B vitamins

Fats

• Atlantic Salmon — 1.5 grams per serving and contains vitamins D, B12, selenium (antioxidant)
• Chia Seeds — 5 grams of omega-3 per serving (2 tablespoons) and are rich in calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus.
• Flaxseeds — 2.3 grams of omega-3 per serving (1–2 tablespoons), including protein, magnesium, thiamine (B1)
• Egg — 327.78 mg per 100 grams, plus protein, and vitamins A, D, E, B12, and B2

For more great food, check out our list of the best foods for easy macro counting.

Best Macro Ratios by Goal

Controlling and setting your macronutrient ratios is a powerful tool for manipulating your nutrition to reach your goals. As mentioned, gaining muscle requires greater amounts of protein, however, you must adjust your carbohydrates and fats to allow for greater protein intake to avoid gaining excess weight.

Below we list macronutrient ratios for gaining lean muscle and for bulking (eating more calories than you burn to build muscle).

Lean Muscle Gain (No Excess Weight)

• Carbohydrates: 30% of total calorie intake
• Protein: 40% of total calorie intake
• Fats: 30% of total calorie intake

Bulking Muscle Gain

• Carbohydrates: 40–50% of total calorie intake
• Protein: 30–35% of total calorie intake
• Fats: 20–30% of total calorie intake

These ranges can vary depending on your health and wellness goals. To find out more about gaining muscle, read macros for muscle gain (women). However, if you have other goals check out our recommendations for the best macros for women’s weight loss and the best macros for maintaining weight (female) for further guidance.

Best Macro Ratios by Age

One factor that can alter your macro ratio calculations is age. Studies show that our resting metabolic rate declines by 1-2% per decade after the age of 20. This can be attributed to the loss of fat-free mass which refers to the brain, bone, kidney, liver, and muscle which similarly decline at a rate of 10–20% between the ages of 20 and 80 years.

One major area that is impacted for women is muscle mass and bone mineral density. Sources show that muscle mass declines by 3–8% per decade after 30, increasing after 60. Meanwhile, declining estrogen levels and menopause are shown to have decreased bone mineral density.

During this phase, preservation of muscle mass is essential as it not only maintains strength, function, and independence, it also helps provide the loading forces that research shows promote health.

Because of this, age must be factored in when determining resting metabolic rate and macronutrient ratios to adjust to these physiological changes. From here, protein will be prioritized with age to build and preserve muscle mass, as well as maintain fullness and boost metabolism to enhance longevity and improve quality of life.

For a detailed look at how age affects macronutrient ratios, read on in the links below.

• Macros for Women Over 40
• Macros for Women Over 50
• Macros for Women Over 60
• Macros for Women Over 70

Macros and Weight Loss During Menopause & Perimenopause

The hormonal fluctuation during perimenopause and menopause directly impacts how the body stores fat, with studies showing the decrease of estrogen levels leading to an increase in abdominal fat. This can make it challenging to shift the weight and belly fat no matter how much dieting you do.

A specific approach to nutrition is required to ensure you are not only losing weight but maintaining hormonal health during this time. Here are two resources that can help you lose weight during menopause and perimenopause.

• Macros for Perimenopause Weight Loss
• Macros for Menopause Weight Loss Guide

How To Track Your Macros

Tracking your macros is essential for building and preserving muscle for women over 40. Sure, you can eat large amounts of protein from various sources, however, doing so without considering the composition of foods, such as carbohydrates and fats can lead to excessive calorie consumption and unwanted weight gain.

Choosing healthy, nutrient-dense foods and tracking each macronutrient ensure you are providing your body with lean protein sources and a balance of complex carbohydrates and healthy fats which will not only help you build muscle but improve your health.

Fortunately, tracking has never been easier with nutrition apps. These help you calculate your exact calorie intake and macronutrient requirements to gain muscle and provide you with massive food databases to streamline the meal-tracking process. For more information, here are the 10 benefits of tracking macros.

Sources

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