Free tool
Body recomposition calculator
Use this body recomposition calculator to see whether building muscle and losing fat at the same time is realistic for your starting point. Enter your stats to get a recomp viability read, daily calorie goal, protein target, and a realistic 12-week expectation. Free, no signup, no email gate.
What it calculates
Calories, protein, and whether recomp is the right phase
The calculator estimates your maintenance calories with Mifflin-St Jeor, sets a conservative recomp calorie target, gives a daily protein goal, then tells you whether you are a strong, possible, or unlikely body-recomposition candidate based on body fat, training age, and planned training days.
Best fitBeginners, returners, and higher-body-fat lifters.
Usually not idealVery lean or already-trained lifters chasing faster muscle gain.
Next stepUse the result to choose recomp, cut, lean bulk, or coaching.
Quick answer
How height affects your body recomposition results
Height is a direct input to the Mifflin-St Jeor equation that powers this calculator. For males, BMR = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age + 5. A 6’0” (183 cm) man has a materially higher maintenance calorie number than a 5’7” (170 cm) man at the same weight and age — that difference flows through directly to your recomp calorie target and protein goal. Enter your actual height, not a rough estimate, so the starting numbers are accurate before week one. This is how Kris Oddo, NASM-CPT, approaches client intake at Geebs Coaching — real inputs produce real targets, not generic app defaults.
How the math works
TDEE is calculated via the Mifflin-St Jeor equation — the most validated BMR formula for the general population (Mifflin et al., 1990). BMR = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age + 5 (male) or − 161 (female). TDEE multiplies BMR by an activity factor derived from your weekly training days (1.375 for 1–2 days, 1.55 for 3–4, 1.725 for 5, 1.9 for 6).
The recomp calorie target applies a 12% deficit to TDEE — within the 10–15% range that research identifies as the sweet spot for simultaneous fat loss and muscle-building. Below 10% and the body prioritizes muscle before fat. Above 20% and training quality degrades. Protein is set at 0.9 g/lb (0.8 g/lb if recomp is unlikely) per ISSN guidance (Jäger et al., 2017).
The viability judgment uses training experience and body fat estimate as primary signals. Beginners and returning lifters have a genuine physiological advantage — untrained or re-trained muscle grows faster in response to novel stimulus, even in a deficit. Trained, already-lean individuals face diminishing returns from simultaneous recomp.
What the result is not
These numbers are starting estimates, accurate to roughly ±10%. TDEE calculators estimate — they do not measure. Individual variation in metabolism, training intensity, sleep, and stress all affect real calorie needs. Run the targets for 3–4 weeks, then adjust based on what your mirror, measurements, and strength logs actually show.
No promised numbers for lb of fat lost or muscle gained — those depend on execution, sleep, consistency, and starting point. What is reliable: beginners following high-protein near-maintenance training consistently for 12 weeks will see real changes in body composition and strength.
Related tools and guides
The calculator is the easy part
The numbers take 90 seconds. The hard part is weeks 3 through 12 — reading your weight trend, adjusting protein when life gets busy, keeping training progressive when motivation drops, and knowing what a flat scale actually means for your composition. That is what 1:1 coaching with Kris is for.
Come back tomorrow
One number today. The habit is what changes your body.
A calculator gives you a target once. Staying on track is the daily part — so we publish one evidence-based training and nutrition finding every day, plus a weekly email that keeps the useful stuff in front of you.
Weekly training insights
One email a week on training, recomposition, and building the body you actually want. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.