Muscle Gain
What Should You Order at Subway to Bulk Up?
To bulk up at Subway, order a footlong Chicken & Bacon Ranch with double chicken: about 1,320 calories and 100 g protein. More footlongs, wraps and bowls.
Published
The short answer
To bulk up at Subway, order a footlong Chicken & Bacon Ranch with double chicken. Based on Subway's published nutrition, the standard footlong is about 1,160 calories and 70 grams of protein, and the extra footlong portion of grilled chicken adds about 160 calories and 32 grams, for roughly 1,320 calories and 100 grams of protein. A footlong Steak & Bacon (about 1,180 calories, 72 grams) is a close second.
Subway is everywhere, it's cheap, and you can watch them build your sandwich. For a skinny guy who needs a big meal, a footlong is an easy way to get there. The problem is that the default footlongs are heavy on bread and sauce. A footlong Oven-Roasted Turkey is 940 calories but only 50 grams of protein.
A couple of smart choices change that. Here's what to order, based on Subway's own nutrition information. Trying to lose weight instead? Here's what to order at Subway to lose weight.
Is Subway good for bulking?#
Yes. Subway is good for bulking because a footlong easily clears 1,000 calories, and adding double meat can push one sandwich to around 100 grams of protein. That's most of a day's protein in a single meal. If there's a Jersey Mike's nearby, our best high-protein Jersey Mike's orders cover its biggest protein subs.
A 2018 meta-analysis in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that muscle gains from lifting leveled off at around 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. For a 150-pound (68 kg) guy, that's roughly 110 grams a day.
Which Subway footlong has the most protein?#
The 5 Meat Italian has the most protein of the standard footlongs at 78 grams, followed by the Steak & Bacon (72 grams) and Chicken & Bacon Ranch (70 grams). Subway lists nutrition for 6-inch subs and says to double those values for a footlong. Here are the footlong numbers from Subway's US nutrition information:
| Footlong | Calories | Protein |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Meat Italian | 1,320 | 78 g |
| Steak & Bacon | 1,180 | 72 g |
| Chicken & Bacon Ranch | 1,160 | 70 g |
| Grilled Chicken | 1,020 | 62 g |
| Subway Club | 1,000 | 62 g |
| Steak Philly | 1,020 | 56 g |
| Meatball Marinara | 1,100 | 52 g |
| Oven-Roasted Turkey | 940 | 50 g |
Footlong values are double Subway's published 6-inch values, as Subway instructs. Numbers are as of October 2026 and are based on Subway's standard recipes; your build will vary with bread, cheese and sauce.
What's the best Subway order to bulk up?#
The best Subway bulking order is a footlong with double meat. Subway lists a 6-inch portion of grilled chicken at 80 calories and 16 grams of protein, so doubling the chicken on a footlong adds about 160 calories and 32 grams of protein. Steak is 110 calories and 17 grams per 6-inch portion.
| Order | Calories | Protein |
|---|---|---|
| Footlong Chicken & Bacon Ranch, double chicken | about 1,320 | about 102 g |
| Footlong Grilled Chicken, double chicken | about 1,180 | about 94 g |
| Footlong Steak & Bacon, double steak | about 1,400 | about 106 g |
| Footlong 5 Meat Italian | 1,320 | 78 g |
Double meat is the best upgrade at Subway for the calories. A footlong already gives you plenty of carbs from the bread; the meat is where the protein comes from.
Footlong, wrap or protein bowl: which is better for bulking?#
A footlong is best for bulking because it has the most calories. Wraps and protein bowls use a footlong's worth of meat with less bread, so they're higher in protein per calorie but lower in total calories.
From Subway's nutrition information:
- Steak & Bacon wrap: 880 calories and 58 grams of protein.
- Chicken & Bacon Ranch wrap: 840 calories and 55 grams.
- 5 Meat Italian protein bowl: 930 calories and 65 grams.
- Chicken & Bacon Ranch protein bowl: 760 calories and 55 grams.
The 12-inch wrap itself is 300 calories and 8 grams of protein. A bowl is a good pick on days you've already eaten a lot of carbs, or if you're doing a slower "lean bulk."
Which Subway add-ons help you gain weight?#
The best bulking add-ons at Subway are extra meat, cheese and avocado. Per Subway's listing for a 6-inch portion:
- Extra grilled chicken: 80 calories, 16 grams of protein.
- Extra steak: 110 calories, 17 grams of protein.
- Bacon (2 strips): 80 calories, 5 grams of protein.
- Smashed avocado: 70 calories, mostly healthy fat.
- Mayonnaise: 100 calories per serving, all fat.
Sauces like mayo and Baja Chipotle (70 calories) add calories without protein. They're fine on a bulk, but don't count on them for muscle.
What should you watch out for at Subway?#
Sodium is the big one. A footlong Chicken & Bacon Ranch has about 2,460 mg of sodium (double the 6-inch's 1,230 mg), already more than the FDA's 2,300 mg daily limit for most adults. The 5 Meat Italian footlong is about 3,820 mg.
Ways to keep it in check:
- Pick grilled chicken over cured meats. A 6-inch Grilled Chicken has 830 mg of sodium versus 1,910 mg for the 5 Meat Italian.
- Go easy on bacon and extra cheese.
- Drink water and keep the rest of the day lower in salty foods.
Also skip the cookies if you want protein: each is about 200 to 210 calories with 2 to 3 grams. For more on salt, see our guide to low-sodium restaurant orders.
How does a Subway footlong fit into a bulking day?#
A double-chicken footlong covers about 40% of a 3,000-calorie day and nearly all of a 150-pound lifter's protein target. The rest of the day can be lighter on protein and heavier on carbs and healthy fats: oats with peanut butter for breakfast, fruit and nuts as snacks, and a rice-based dinner.
Our step-by-step plan for how to bulk up for skinny guys explains how to set calorie and protein targets. For another chain, see what to order at Chipotle to bulk up.
At a local deli without nutrition info, Menu Scan AI can estimate it for you. Take a photo of the menu on your iPhone and it estimates calories, protein, carbs and fat for each sandwich from the menu description, then highlights the best fits for a muscle-gain goal.
Frequently asked questions#
What is the highest protein footlong at Subway?#
Among Subway's standard footlongs, the 5 Meat Italian has the most protein at about 78 grams (1,320 calories), based on double the published 6-inch values. With double meat, a Steak & Bacon or Chicken & Bacon Ranch footlong can pass 100 grams.
How much protein does double meat add at Subway?#
On a footlong, double grilled chicken adds about 32 grams of protein and 160 calories, since Subway lists a 6-inch chicken portion at 16 grams and 80 calories. Double steak adds about 34 grams and 220 calories.
Is a Subway footlong enough for a bulking meal?#
For most skinny guys, yes. A footlong with double meat lands around 1,200 to 1,400 calories and 90 to 100 grams of protein, a strong single meal for a 3,000-calorie day.
Are Subway protein bowls good for bulking?#
They're better for a lean bulk or a cut. Protein bowls skip the bread, so a Chicken & Bacon Ranch bowl is 760 calories with 55 grams of protein, fewer calories than the same footlong.
Which Subway bread has the most calories?#
Of the 6-inch breads Subway lists, Italian Herbs & Cheese is the highest at 250 calories, and the 12-inch wrap is 300 calories. On a bulk, any bread works; the meat matters more for protein.
Sources#
- Subway: Nutrition (US), official nutrition page linking the current US nutrition information
- Subway: U.S. Nutrition Information (PDF), 6-inch sub, wrap, protein bowl, bread, meat portion and condiment values
- Morton et al., British Journal of Sports Medicine (2018), muscle gains leveling off around 1.6 g of protein per kg of body weight per day
- FDA: Sodium in Your Diet, the 2,300 mg daily sodium limit