If you want to put on muscle you need to be in a slight calorie surplus. (fitnesscrest.com)
Whenever you switch from a muscle building phase into a fat loss phase or vice-versa, insert a 2 week maintenance phase where instead of being in a slight calorie surplus or a slight calorie deficit, you are just right in the middle at maintenance. (acaloriecounter.com)
In fact, a slight calorie surplus has the upper hand because maintaining a 30 % calorie surplus will result in a lot more fat gain. (legionathletics.com)