Bulking in fitness refers to a phase where individuals focus on gaining muscle mass and overall size by consuming a surplus of calories, along with engaging in resistance training. The goal is to provide your body with the necessary nutrients and energy to support muscle growth while gaining weight. And Calorie Surplus is the key!

There are two types of bulking: Lean bulking and Dirty bulking, two different approaches in gaining muscle mass, and they primarily differ in terms of the quality and composition of the weight gained, as well as the overall impact on health. Dirty bulking involves a more permissive dietary approach with a higher risk of gaining excess body fat along with muscle mass, hence, making your cutting phase longer and harder. Personally, I suggest to implementing Lean Bulking instead, since it’s a more controlled and more strategic approach to gaining muscle mass, focusing on quality weight gain with an emphasis on nutrient-dense foods, hence, a better and healthier option.  Now how do you execute it? Here’s a step to step guide to your bulking phase.

Step 1:

Calculate your caloric maintenance via www.tdeecalculator.net

Step 2:

Before proceeding to lean bulk, make sure your body fat percentage is around 10-11%. If you’re all set, add around 200-300 calories from your maintenance

Step 3:

Your goal is to gain around .5 lbs per week.

These numbers are just a guideline of how much you should gain per week. Natural

muscle growth is relatively slow compared to fat growth. So by aiming for a conservative weight gain of around 2kg per month, you will be able to maximize muscle growth and lessen fat buildup.

Step 4:

Let’s say your maintenance is 2,500 calories, you should be eating at around 2,700 or 2,800 per day for your lean bulk.

Step 5:

Your goal in lean bulking is to stay longer here compared to your cutting season, this is where muscle building will be efficient. When you hit a body fat percentage of around 15-18% body fat, you can now go back to cutting.