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It’s bulking season, the most exciting part of your fitness journey! You get to increase your food intake, up the intensity of your workouts to spark muscle gain, and maintain a calorie surplus to gain weight.
If you’re new to bulking, you might think that you need to eat anything and everything in order to get in extra calories to build muscle. However, "clean bulking", where you actually calculate your macros to include the amount of protein you're consuming as well as total grams of fat and grams of carbs, will ensure you are putting on lean mass and maintaining good body composition.
If you’re not too upset after realizing you don't get to eat anything you want, then keep reading; we’ll lay it all out for you below!
Why Do You Need to Have A Bulking Season? Lean Muscle Weight Gain!
The main purpose of bulking is to increase your body mass by also increasing your caloric intake. Although it is oftentimes associated with bodybuilding, athletes and casual lifters alike often find that they just aren't satisfied with their fitness performance, appearance, or both on maintenance calories.
Those newer to bulking might be satisfied with simply increasing their overall size. In contrast, more experienced athletes will bulk after finishing a "cutting phase", a period where fat loss and lowering overall body fat percentage was prioritized. When these athletes are trying to bulk, they attempt to build lean muscle mass and minimize fat gain.
How to Succeed at Clean Bulking and Calculating Lean Bulking Macros
Whether you simply want to gain muscle or to become a master at calculating macros for bulking, we'll cover key steps to these processes:
Know How Many Calories You Should Eat
The first step is to determine your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). There are a number of calculators and websites that can assist with this step. Once you have determined your TDEE, you can now add roughly 10% more to your number to ensure you are ingesting the calories you need to put on size.
For example, if your current TDEE is 2500, multiply it by 0.1 (10 percent) and you’ll get 250 calories. This means that 2750 daily calories should be your starting point when initiating your bulk.
Keep in mind that, especially when first beginning, eating more calories can actually be a little difficult. The best way to ensure you hit these higher calories numbers is to start with modest increases, like the 10 percent increase discussed above.
Determine Your Ideal Bulking Macros Ratio
This is arguably the most important aspect since we’re now looking at the amount of carbs, protein and fat you should be consuming during your bulk. Let's take a look at the fundamental macro split.
An ideal macronutrient distribution for bulking might look like this:
- Carbohydrates: 40%
- Proteins: 25%
- Fats: 35%
In terms of grams, here’s what you can follow for this macronutrient distribution:
- Carbohydrates: 2 - 4 grams of carbs per pound of body weight
- Proteins: 1 -1.25 grams of protein per pound of body weight
- Fats: 0.25 - 1 gram of fat per pound of body weight
Let's take a closer look at each macronutrient:
- Carbohydrates
Carbs are essential for bulking because they are our body's main source of energy (4 calories per gram, to be precise!) Your body breaks down carbohydrates to fuel intense training sessions and carbs also contribute to the muscle growth process.
Be mindful that excess carbs are stored as body fat and that you are not overindulging in carbohydrate calories and macros. Not concerned with body fat gain and you want to "dirty bulk"? Go ahead and eat more carbs…but don't say I didn't warn you!
- Protein
Protein intake is emphasized during bulking phases due to its muscle-building potential. Consuming adequate protein is essential for clean bulking, even though your total calories from protein will usually be a bit lower than your total carbohydrate calories.
Like carbohydrates, each gram of protein contains 4 calories, although protein sources are usually much more "filling" than carb sources are. This can be beneficial when attempting to lose weight since protein-heavy meals will better quench your hunger. However, during bulking season, getting enough protein can be difficult if you constantly feel full.
- Fats
Although not as revered as protein, fat macros nevertheless are essential for supporting various internal bodily functions and processes while also serving as energy reserves. Unlike carbs and proteins, each gram of fat is comprised of 9 calories.
As in many other diets, fat grams are minimized in a bulk diet, and it is important to be mindful of overall fat intake. Because common high-fat foods are very calorically dense, it is very easy to consume too much fat without realizing it.
Final Thoughts on Bulking Macros
Bulking can be pretty easy and straightforward. However, if you really want to experience optimal results, it's time to learn how to track your macros. If after our discussion on the topic today, you're interested in getting serious about tracking macros, don't hesitate to use one of the many macro calculators available online.
Once you get the hang of it, you'll find that tracking macros is the best way to guide your clean bulking journey. And while a clean bulk may not be as fun (or as tasty) as a dirty bulk, I think you'll be much more satisfied with your results!
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I avoid during a bulk to minimize fat gain?
Understanding your ideal macros for bulking is important, but you also need to understand that consuming the right foot food items in the correct quantities is really important. As such, there are certain foods that you might want to limit during your journey:
- Limit the intake of overly processed foods and fast foods because they are low in nutrients (especially relative to their calorie content) and easy to overeat
- Reduce the consumption of alcohol because it can interfere and slow down the process of muscle building
- Limit and reduce the intake of added sugars since they are very high in calories and are of little nutritional value
What should I eat when bulking to maximize my bulking phase?
Picking foods during bulking phases isn't always as easy as it might seem. Use the following list as a "cheat sheet" to help plan your meals:
- Seeds and nuts such as sunflower seeds, flaxseed, almonds, walnuts, and cashews
- Vegetables such as spinach, kale, broccoli, tomatoes, asparagus, peppers, and green beans
- Lean meat, poultry and seafoods such as beef, turkey, chicken, salmon, shrimp, and cod
- Fruits such as apples, berries, bananas, mango, and oranges
- Whole grains such as rice, oats, pasta, and quinoa
- Starches such as sweet potatoes, yams, and potatoes
What are some of the benefits of bulking phases?
Besides increasing your overall muscle mass, bulking phases result in:
- Increased strength
- Reduced hormonal dysfunctions and dysregulations
- A larger, more imposing physique
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