How Many Calories Do You Need? It Depends on How You Train

Calorie needs are not dictated by your sport alone, nor are they a “one-size-fits-all” situation. We would all love a simple formula for knowing exactly what to eat, but the best we can hope for is a ballpark starting point and to adjust from there.  Even within the same activity, energy requirements can vary widely from person to person. For example, two basketball players who work out the same number of days per week likely have completely different calorie needs. These differences could be due to size, age, muscle mass, training background, and their natural metabolism.

With that in mind, different training methods tend to tax the body in similar ways. The amounts listed below are general starting points and NOT set in stone.

Bodybuilders

Bodybuilding requires high calories to support muscle and volume. Many lifters under-eat. A reasonable starting point is ~14–16 calories per pound of bodyweight for maintenance or slow gains, with only small reductions during fat loss.

Powerlifters

Powerlifting is more demanding than it looks, and under-eating can stall strength. A typical range is 15–18 calories per pound of bodyweight, adjusted for training frequency, lifestyle, and experience.

CrossFit Athletes

The mix of lifting and conditioning drives high calorie needs, yet many under-eat. A reasonable starting point is 14–17 calories per pound of bodyweight, with higher needs during high-volume phases.

Endurance Athletes

High-volume cardio greatly raises calorie needs. Many perform well around 16–20 calories per pound of bodyweight, with requirements varying widely by training volume. A 5K runner needs far fewer calories than a marathoner, making endurance sports the most variable in terms of calorie requirements.

For The Recreational Lifter and Group Fitness Athlete

And for those of you with a more moderate training load, in the end, it's as much about body size and daily life as it is about the particular training modality. For most people in this category, maintenance is 13-15 calories per pound of body weight.

These are ranges to play with, not rules. You’ll need to track weight trends, training performance, hunger, and recovery over a 2-3 week period. Calorie adjustments should be based on tangible feedback, rather than assuming your sport requires you to eat a certain amount.