About this episode

In this episode, Brandon DaCruz and Dr. Eric Helms discuss the complexities of muscle gain and the necessity of an energy surplus for hypertrophy.

A lot of people still think muscle gain is simple: eat more to gain more muscle. But the real question is: do you actually need an energy surplus to maximize hypertrophy or do you just need to be out of a deficit, training hard, and executing consistently? In this episode, I’m joined by return guest Dr. Eric Helms to break down the relationship between weight gain, rate of gain, and muscle growth — including what the research actually shows and how to apply it in the real world. TOPICS WE COVER: IS AN ENERGY SURPLUS NEEDED FOR MAXIMIZING MUSCLE GAIN (SLATER ET AL.) WHAT PREVIOUS WORK LAID THE FOUNDATION FOR YOUR RECENTLY RELEASED WEIGHT GAIN STUDY? A BREAKDOWN OF THE HELMS ET AL. 2023 STUDY “EFFECT OF SMALL AND LARGE ENERGY SURPLUSES ON STRENGTH, MUSCLE, AND SKINFOLD THICKNESS IN RESISTANCE-TRAINED INDIVIDUALS: A PARALLEL GROUPS DESIGN” HOW TO TRACK MUSCLE GAIN PROGRESS IN THE REAL WORLD If you want a smarter framework for building muscle without blindly force-feeding calories, this one will bring a lot of clarity. WHERE TO CONNECT WITH ME: Follow Brandon on IG: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/brandondacruz_/⁠ Email: ⁠Bdacruzfitness@gmail.com⁠ For Info on Brandon’s Coaching Services…

People in this episode

Host: Brandon DaCruz

Guest: Dr. Eric Helms

Topics covered

• muscle gain
• energy surplus
• hypertrophy
• weight gain
• training
• research

Keywords

• bulking
• maingaining
• muscle growth
• energy surplus
• weight gain study
• resistance training
• hypertrophy research

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Bdacruzfitness

Books & works: THE MUSCLE & STRENGTH PYRAMIDS

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