Optimized Strength
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nutrition· May 28, 2026

Eating for Muscle Without Overthinking It

You don't need a spreadsheet to grow. You need three things, in order:

  1. Enough protein — roughly 1.6–2.2g per kg of bodyweight, spread across the day.
  2. A slight calorie surplus — a few hundred over maintenance, not a free-for-all.
  3. Consistency — hitting those two most days for months, not nailing them perfectly for a week.

Everything past this is optimization. Get the basics automatic first.