Do You Need a Calorie Surplus to Build Muscle? | Dr. Eric Helms

Most lifters have been told they need to eat in a Calorie surplus to build muscle. That rule has always come with a list of exceptions: unless you're new, unless you're carrying extra body fat, unless you're coming back from time off. Dr. Eric Helms joins Dr. Jordan Feigenbaum to work out what the rule is actually tracking, starting from a question with a real number attached: what does a pound of muscle cost to build? And then, do you need to be in a surplus to build muscle?  Timestamps: 0:00 The rule, and its exceptions 2:08 Where "you need a surplus" came from 7:12 Heuristics versus theories 11:40 Hypertrophy, maintenance, deficit and surplus defined 14:58 Body fat as a savings account 18:24 How fast anyone can actually build muscle 23:39 What sets the ceiling: stimulus, not genetics 26:37 Microgravity, astronauts, and a 20 kg barbell 31:49 What constrains growth if steroids don't break the ceiling 36:44 If training sets the ceiling, what does energy do 38:45 What 1 kg of muscle costs to build 44:05 Why 3,500 Calories doesn't tell you what to eat 44:55 REDs and the dual intervention model 47:51 The 2000s bulking studies 51:34 Garthe 2013: elite athletes and a 500 Calorie surplus 58:30 Protein: 1.6 versus 2.5 g/kg 1:03:31 What starvation research shows the body protects 1:10:29 Vargas-Molina: maintenance versus deficit 1:19:17 What to do if you're lean 1:39:34 What would prove this wrong 1:57:57 Three buckets Resources: Buy the book, Signal: https://www.barbellmedicine.com/shop/learning/signal/ New Barbell Medicine Hybrid 5K and 10K Run + Lift Programs Barbell Medicine coaching and templates: https://www.barbellmedicine.com Nikolaidis MG, Paschalis V, Margaritelis NV. The energetic cost of building human skeletal muscle. bioRxiv. Preprint posted online August 17, 2026. doi:10.64898/2026.08.17.745156 Rozenek R, Ward P, Long S, Garhammer J. Effects of high-calorie supplements on body composition and muscular strength following resistance training. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2002;42(3):340-347. Garthe I, Raastad T, Refsnes PE, Koivisto A, Sundgot-Borgen J. Effect of two different weight-loss rates on body composition and strength and power-related performance in elite athletes. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2011;21(2):97-104. Garthe I, Raastad T, Refsnes PE, Sundgot-Borgen J. Effect of nutritional intervention on body composition and performance in elite athletes. Eur J Sport Sci. 2013;13(3):295-303. doi:10.1080/17461391.2011.643923 Helms ER, Zinn C, Rowlands DS, Brown SR. A systematic review of dietary protein during caloric restriction in resistance trained lean athletes: a case for higher intakes. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2014;24(2):127-138. doi:10.1123/ijsnem.2013-0054 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 Murphy C, Koehler K. Energy deficiency impairs resistance training gains in lean mass but not strength: a meta-analysis and meta-regression. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2022;32(1):125-137. doi:10.1111/sms.14075 Helms ER, Spence A, Sousa C, et al. Effect of small and large energy surpluses on strength, muscle, and skinfold thickness in resistance-trained individuals: a parallel groups design. Sports Med Open. 2023;9(1):102. doi:10.1186/s40798-023-00651-y Mountjoy M, Ackerman KE, Bailey DM, et al. 2023 International Olympic Committee's (IOC) consensus statement on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs). Br J Sports Med. 2023;57(17):1073-1097. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2023-106994 Speakman JR, Hall KD. Models of body weight and fatness regulation. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2023;378(1888):20220231. doi:10.1098/rstb.2022.0231 Vargas-Molina S, García-Palumbo A, García-Sillero M, et al. Comparison of two nutritional protocols in body re-composition of resistance-trained participants. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2026;126(7):4019-4030. doi:10.1007/s00421-026-06209-6 Our Sponsors: * Check out FIGS and use my code FIGSRX for a great deal: https://wearfigs.com * Check out FIGS and use my code FIGSRX for a great deal: https://wearfigs.com * Check out Factor and use my code factormeals.com/bbm50off for a great deal: https://www.factor75.com * Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/BBM for a great deal: https://www.quince.com * Check out Ten Thousand and use my code PODCAST15 for a great deal: https://www.tenthousand.cc Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands