I’ve long been critical of the theory that you need to be in a big calorie surplus in order to build muscle. Now, new research has come out to support the idea that a fattening calorie surplus is not only unecessary, but it can compromise your long-term ability to look and feel great.

Now, some new research, presented by the REPS research summaries offers to shed more light on the fact that you probably won’t benefit from being in a big calorie surplus. Plus, the amount of calories you do need to build muscle is such a small amount that you’re probably already covered if you have a satisfying and healthy diet.

Here’s just a few of the references to the research (there’s not enough space to post them all here.)

TRE studies:

1. ​Chang Y, Du T, Zhuang X, Ma G. Time-restricted eating improves health because of energy deficit and circadian rhythm: A systematic review and meta-analysis. iScience. 2024 Jan 26;27(2):109000. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109000. PMID: 38357669; PMCID: PMC10865403. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38357669/
2. ​He M, Li B, Li M, Gao S. Does early time-restricted eating reduce body weight and preserve fat-free mass in adults? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Diabetes Metab Syndr. 2024 Feb;18(2):102952. doi: 10.1016/j.dsx.2024.102952. Epub 2024 Feb 5. PMID: 38335858. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38335858/
3. ​Maruthur NM, Pilla SJ, White K, Wu B, Maw MTT, Duan D, Turkson-Ocran RA, Zhao D, Charleston J, Peterson CM, Dougherty RJ, Schrack JA, Appel LJ, Guallar E, Clark JM. Effect of Isocaloric, Time-Restricted Eating on Body Weight in Adults With Obesity : A Randomized Controlled Trial. Ann Intern Med. 2024 May;177(5):549-558. doi: 10.7326/M23-3132. Epub 2024 Apr 19.PMID: 38639542. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38639542/

Calories for building muscle:

1. ​Slater GJ, Dieter BP, Marsh DJ, Helms ER, Shaw G, Iraki J. Is an energy surplus required to maximize skeletal muscle hypertrophy associated with resistance training. Front Nutr. 2019;6:131. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2019.00131.PMID: 31482093.
2. ​Larson-Meyer DE, Krason RK, Meyer LM. Weight gain recommendations for athletes and military personnel: a critical review of the evidence. Curr Nutr Rep. 2022;11(2):225-239. doi: 10.1007/s13668-022-00395-3. PMID: 35233712.
3. ​Trexler ET, Jagim AR, Torres M, Potter ND, Ketterly J, Kerkow-Provo Z, et al. Fat-free mass accretion: limits, targets, and best practices. Strength Cond J. 2026;48(4):521-539. doi: 10.1519/SSC.0000000000000986.
4. ​Hall KD. Mathematical modelling of energy expenditure during tissue deposition. Br J Nutr. 2010;104(1):4-7. doi: 10.1017/S0007114510000206.PMID: 20132585.

Conventional programs demand rigid progression standards, like hitting set rep counts or times, to advance. While these offer order, they are often arbitrary and stressful. Beautiful Strength Program 2.0 introduces “Freestyle Progression,” letting you adjust difficulty anytime. This freedom enables autoregulation and a more consistent training stimulus. Success comes from creating that stimulus your way, not from meeting arbitrary benchmarks.

Finally build a strong body that looks as good as it feels with the Beautiful Strength Program: https://bit.ly/4jxTjEE

Much of the difficulty in eating well and remaining lean stems from the mistaken idea that health comes from avoiding harmful foods.

A strategy based on food avoidance appears simple, practical and straightforward. However, it often makes healthy eating impractical and inefficient, especially because defining what is harmful is hard. Everyone holds different views, and history suggests we have never succeeded with this method.

Attempting health through avoidance also risks overlooking key elements that support eating well and staying lean.

That’s why the Beautiful Strength Program doesn’t use dietary restriction and food avoidance. A healthy diet is much easier to achieve when you eat for the sake of good outcomes as opposed to avoiding bad ones.

It also makes getting and staying lean a heck of a lot easier just as long as you have these major items checked off.

Watch this brief on video: https://youtu.be/zousRVUojq8

Finally build a strong body that looks as good as it feels with the Beautiful Strength Program: https://bit.ly/4jxTjEE