WHAT IS A BULK?
The common term “bulking” just refers to a phase where someone is focused on building as much muscle mass as they can over a period of several months or more. This process typically consists of an adequate lifting routine as well as eating enough calories and protein to drive muscle growth.
How much someone needs to eat, however, in terms of calories and macros (carbs, fats, protein), has often been an area of confusion. And can sometimes lead people down a path to achieving some unwanted results.
In this article, I’m gonna break down the basics of how much you should eat for a bulk!
EATING ENOUGH, BUT NOT TOO MUCH
A common thought around the topic of bulking has been that if your goal is to put on size you should start eating anything and everything you can get your hands on. The idea was that eating an enormous amount of food would somehow drive more muscle growth faster.
The reality is that this approach instead rapidly drives fat gain.
The truth about bulking and building muscle is that the process actually doesn’t require a ton of extra calories relative to your maintenance calories. Meaning that muscle can be built without also putting on a bunch of unwanted body fat!
In fact, muscle growth has also been shown when people were eating at their maintenance calories and even in a slight calorie deficit! (But this is very context dependent.)
Despite this, however, if optimizing muscle gains is the main goal, most people are still better off eating in a slight surplus. This just ensures that the body will have all the materials it needs to prioritize muscle growth. But how much of a surplus?
PRACTICAL TIPS!!
- Aim for a 200-500 calorie surplus to start
- Track weight, shoot for 0.5lb-1lb (2lb at most) of weight gain per week
CARBS!
Carbs are pretty much our muscles’ best friend. They’re what our muscles love to store and use for energy.
The body breaks carbs down into glucose, or blood sugar. The hormone insulin is then used to help transport the glucose from the bloodstream into muscle and liver cells to be stored as glycogen. This is then used as the muscles’ and body’s primary fuel source.
Therefore, if the main goal is to grow muscles, carbs are crucial. For one, the body will burn glycogen instead of muscle mass in times of energy needs. For two, in order to keep up with training and growth demands, the muscles themselves will need a good supply of energy, aka, carbs!
And, for the hell of it, three, carbs are delicious.
HOW MANY CARBS??
Everyone’s macro requirements and preferences are different and individual. Some people actually might feel better on lower carb diets, while others feel better on moderate to high carb diets.
The real answer is as long as you’re hitting your required calories and protein, it doesn’t matter how many carbs you have. It becomes more of a preference thing at that point, but for most people they can make up anywhere from 40% to 80% of total daily calories.
GREAT CARB SOURCES:
- Fruit
- Potatoes, sweet potatoes
- Oats
- Quinoa
- Brown rice
- Legumes
- Whole wheat/grain pasta
- Whole wheat/grain bread, bagels, tortillas
FATS
Fat is the most calorically dense macronutrient, at around 9 calories per gram (carbs and protein have around 4). This means eating more fat is an easy way to eat more calories. This makes fat sources – such as olive oil, nuts, nut butters, avocado – great options for those who might struggle to get in enough calories when trying to build muscle.
PROTEIN
It goes without saying we need protein to build muscle. But how much exactly? Based on current research the recommendations for building muscle are:
- 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilo of body weight / 0.7 to 1 gram per pound, per day
SUMMARY
Bulking and building muscle doesn’t have to mean eating everything in sight and gaining a ton of unwanted body fat. And it also doesn’t mean eating hundreds of grams of protein per day either.
Simple eating for bulking tips are as follows:
- Start with a slight calorie surplus of 200-500
- Track weight, shoot for steady weight gain around 0.5lb-1lb per week, possibly up to 2lb per week
- Carbs are your friend and will help fuel your muscles and fuel training
- If you struggle to get enough calories in, add some more fat sources to your diet
- Prioritize, but don’t overdo, protein. Aim for the above listed target range
- Bonus, be patient, consistent, and hit those lifts!
Thanks for reading! And if you’re looking to achieve your health and fitness goals, let’s work together! Check out my online coaching page for more info!