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Bulking is the process of consuming excess calories to fuel the growth of new muscle. Bulking is very popular in the bodybuilding community with competitors going through a bulking phase followed by a cutting phase to shed excess fat and reveal newly gained muscle.
There are two main ways to bulk:
In a nutshell, bulking is the process of consuming excess calories to fuel the growth of new muscle.
Bulking is very popular in the bodybuilding community with competitors going through a bulking phase followed by a cutting phase to shed excess fat and reveal newly gained muscle.
There are two main ways to bulk:
A clean bulk is when you consume enough healthy foods to maintain a caloric surplus. The goal of a clean bulk is to focus on the nutrients needed for muscle growth and the maintenance of your health in general. This method of bulking is often utilized by athletes who can’t afford to gain too much fat when attempting to grow muscle.
Typically a clean bulking diet will be moderate fat with moderate to high carbs and protein. In many ways, a clean bulking diet is similar to a cutting diet. The only difference is that you will be in a 5-15% calorie surplus rather than a deficit to gain weight.
Further reading:
A clean bulk is when you consume enough healthy foods to maintain a caloric surplus.
The goal of a clean bulk is to focus on the nutrients needed for muscle growth and the maintenance of your health in general.
This method of bulking is often utilized by athletes who can’t afford to gain too much fat when attempting to grow muscle.
Typically a clean bulking diet will be moderate fat with moderate to high carbs and protein.
In many ways, a clean bulking diet is similar to a cutting diet.
The only difference is that you will be in a 5-15% calorie surplus rather than a deficit to gain weight.
Further reading:
A dirty bulk is when you maintain a caloric surplus from foods that you wouldn’t normally consume during a cut. Dirty bulks are often used as an excuse to indulge in highly caloric foods such as cakes, ice cream and alcohol. This isn’t recommended as it could lead to severe health consequences.
Implemented correctly, a dirty bulk will provide you with all the nutrients needed for growth, with the added incentive of being less restrictive with your food choices. However, a dirty bulk will inevitably lead to a higher amount of fat being gained versus a clean bulk.
Further reading:
A dirty bulk is when you maintain a caloric surplus from foods that you wouldn’t normally consume during a cut.
Dirty bulks are often used as an excuse to indulge in highly caloric foods such as cakes, ice cream and alcohol. This isn’t recommended as it could lead to severe health consequences.
Implemented correctly, a dirty bulk will provide you with all the nutrients needed for growth, with the added incentive of being less restrictive with your food choices.
However, a dirty bulk will inevitably lead to a higher amount of fat being gained versus a clean bulk.
Further reading:
To increase your weight (with fat or muscle) you must supply your body with more energy (as calories) than it needs to maintain your current weight. Around 25-40% of these calories must come from protein to provide your body with the amino acids needed for muscle growth. You will also need to apply some form of progressive overload to your muscles (such as weight training) to promote that growth.
The combination of energy, protein and overload will lead to muscle hypertrophy (otherwise known as gains). However, if you just eat in a caloric surplus without applying the necessary resistance training, the surplus calories will be stored as fat. Ideally, you want to minimise how much fat you gain during a bulk because the less fat you gain, the less time you need to spend cutting afterwards.
Further reading:
To increase your weight (with fat or muscle) you must supply your body with more energy (as calories) than it needs to maintain your current weight.
Around 25-40% of these calories must come from protein to provide your body with the amino acids needed for muscle growth.
You will also need to apply some form of progressive overload to your muscles (such as weight training) to promote that growth.
The combination of energy, protein and overload will lead to muscle hypertrophy (otherwise known as gains).
However, if you just eat in a caloric surplus without applying the necessary resistance training, the surplus calories will be stored as fat.
Ideally, you want to minimise how much fat you gain during a bulk because the less fat you gain, the less time you need to spend cutting afterwards.
Further reading:
The first thing you need to do before piling food on your plate is to prepare a bulking plan. This plan will require you to consider questions, such as how much muscle do you want to gain? How quickly do you want to gain it? And how much time will you need afterwards to cut down?
To help you answer these questions you’re gonna need the following:
The first thing you need to do before piling food on your plate is to prepare a bulking plan.
This plan will require you to consider questions, such as how much muscle do you want to gain? How quickly do you want to gain it? And how much time will you need afterwards to cut down?
To help you answer these questions you’re gonna need the following:
The good news is that you can get most of this information using our Macro Calculator and Guide to Measuring Body Fat Percentage.
By the time you’re done reading this page, you’ll know exactly how to put all of this information to good use.
Let’s start by unpacking the list:
TDEE or total energy expenditure is the amount of calories needed to maintain your current weight. It’s made up of your BMR or basal metabolic rate (the calories needed to maintain your current weight if you didn’t move all day) in addition to the calories you need on top to fuel your current activity level.
So let’s say your BMR is 2000 calories, but you’re hitting the gym five times a week in addition to a full time job. You’ll need to factor in the additional calories needed to fuel that lifestyle. Those additional calories added to your BMR = your TDEE.
Your TDEE is important for determining how calories are needed to place you in a caloric surplus. Consuming 5-15% extra calories above your TDEE will result in a 0.5% to 1% increase of your body weight per week. For most people this equates to 0.5 pounds to 2 pounds per week.
Everyone is different though. The amount of weight you’ll gain (and how quickly) is influenced by your genetics, starting body fat percentage, training experience and more. So you’ll need to monitor your results and adjust your surplus accordingly.
Further reading:
TDEE or total energy expenditure is the amount of calories needed to maintain your current weight.
It’s made up of your BMR or basal metabolic rate (the calories needed to maintain your current weight if you didn’t move all day) in addition to the calories you need on top to fuel your current activity level.
So let’s say your BMR is 2000 calories, but you’re hitting the gym five times a week in addition to a full time job.
You’ll need to factor in the additional calories needed to fuel that lifestyle. Those additional calories added to your BMR = your TDEE.
Your TDEE is important for determining how calories are needed to place you in a caloric surplus.
Consuming 5-15% extra calories above your TDEE will result in a 0.5% to 1% increase of your body weight per week. For most people this equates to 0.5 pounds to 2 pounds per week.
Everyone is different though. The amount of weight you’ll gain (and how quickly) is influenced by your genetics, starting body fat percentage, training experience and more.
So you’ll need to monitor your results and adjust your surplus accordingly.
Further reading:
You need to know how much fat you have as a baseline to measure against. Once you know your body fat percentage, whatever is left will be made of lean mass (muscle, bone, organs, etc).
An increase in your body fat percentage is an indication that you are gaining fat. And since you can’t grow new bones or organs, an increase in your lean mass is an indication that you are gaining muscle.
To calculate your body fat percentage you’ll need a set of callipers or a tape measure. You can also use the visual to the left to estimate your body fat percentage and the percentage you would like to attain after your cut.
Further reading:
You need to know how much fat you have as a baseline to measure against. Once you know your body fat percentage, whatever is left will be made of lean mass (muscle, bone, organs, etc).
An increase in your body fat percentage is an indication that you are gaining fat. And since you can’t grow new bones or organs, an increase in your lean mass is an indication that you are gaining muscle.
To calculate your body fat percentage you’ll need a set of callipers or a tape measure. You can also use the visual above to estimate your body fat percentage and the percentage you would like to attain after your cut.
Further reading:
Macros or macronutrients are the three categories of nutrients (protein, carbohydrates and fats) that provide your body with energy. Knowing the macronutrient split of the food you consume will help you to understand how those foods affect your body and also where your calories are coming from.
Generally speaking, a bulking diet should be split into the following ratios:
Macros or macronutrients are the three categories of nutrients (protein, carbohydrates and fats) that provide your body with energy.
Knowing the macronutrient split of the food you consume will help you to understand how those foods affect your body and also where your calories are coming from.
Generally speaking, a bulking diet should be split into the following ratios:
For reference: 1 gram of carbohydrates provides 4 calories, 1 gram of protein provides 4 calories and fat provides 9 calories per gram.
So let’s say that your TDEE is 2700 calories and you want to be in 10% calorie surplus for bulking. This would bring your daily calorie target up to 3000 calories. Now let’s break those 3000 calories down into a 30/30/40 macronutrient split:
So let’s say that your TDEE is 2700 calories and you want to be in 10% calorie surplus for bulking.
This would bring your daily calorie target up to 3000 calories.
Now, let’s break those 3000 calories down into a 30/30/40 macronutrient split:
Pretty simple right? Knowing these numbers will help you make the best decisions about the food you choose to consume during your bulk. Obviously everyone is different and that’s why each macronutrient can be scaled to suit your needs.
Want to easily calculate your bulking macros?
Pretty simple right?
Knowing these numbers will help you make the best decisions about the food you choose to consume during your bulk.
Obviously, everyone is different and that’s why each macronutrient can be scaled to suit your needs.
Want to easily calculate your bulking macros?
The final piece of the bulking puzzle is to estimate the target weight and body fat percentage you want to reach by the end of your bulk. This is important for two reasons.
Most people can expect to gain between 1-4lb of lean muscle per month depending on diet, training and genetics. For more experienced lifters, this can fall to as little as 3-4lb per year. So you’ll need to decide where you fit into this scale and adjust your expectations accordingly.
Most people can expect to gain between 1-4lb of lean muscle per month depending on diet, training and genetics.
For more experienced lifters, this can fall to as little as 3-4lb per year.
So you’ll need to decide where you fit into this scale and adjust your expectations accordingly.
You can calculate your predicted body weight based on your desired body fat percentage using the following formula:
Predicted body weight = your current or predicted lean weight / (100 percent – your desired body fat percentage)
So for example, let’s say your current weight is 180 pounds, your current body fat percentage is 20% and your desired body fat percentage is 15%. This is how you would use the formula:
Note: If you want to factor your predicted lean body weight into the calculation, increase your lean weight in step three.
Your primary focus for bulking should be to consume a surplus of healthy calories in conjunction with training with a progressive overload. But if you’re looking for that competitive edge to get the best results, we recommend the following.
Your primary focus for bulking should be to consume a surplus of healthy calories in conjunction with training with a progressive overload.
But if you’re looking for that competitive edge to get the best results, we recommend the following.
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Bulking FAQs
As long as you bulk cleanly, with a focus on eating healthy food and exercising with correct form, a bulk should be perfectly safe.
If you are concerned, we recommend consulting with your health practitioner before making any major diet or lifestyle changes.
It depends on your current body fat percentage. If you are a hard gainer who struggles to pack on muscle then a bulk is the perfect way to pack on some size. If you are overweight then a cut might be more appropriate first before going on a bulk.
Eating a large quantity of food can place demands on your digestive system. This is why we often feel sleepy after eating a big meal during the holidays for example.
The key to managing tiredness during a bulk is to eat smaller meals more frequently. This will ensure that the bulking process can continue without overloading your digestive system.
A dirty bulk will almost certainly make you fat. However a carefully planned clean bulk, especially one supplemented with Brutal Force, will result in minimal fat gain. The less fat you gain during your bulk, the less time you will need to cut for.
If you consume large volumes of food, you may experience the feeling of being bloated. This can be alleviated by being mindful of the foods you are eating, such as dairy if you are lactose intolerant, and spacing your meals out into smaller portions.
It depends on your mindset. Bulking involves eating when you're not hungry, which can be challenging. However, cutting is all about self-restraint, which can be equally as challenging.
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