The Dietary Discipline of Bulking

When we think of bulking, we often think of diets that consist of unlimited quantities of food.  Nothing could be further from the truth, in my view.

Bulking takes the same amount of dietary discipline as any Cut.

Clean Versus Dirty

The difference between the two approaches is clear.

Clean, or “lean” bulking focuses on a tightly controlled caloric surplus to build muscle mass while minimizing gains in body fat.

The anything-goes dirty bulk pays no particular attention to the level of caloric surplus so long as it is significant. 

In a Dirty Bulk, body fat will accrue quickly and at a far more rapid rate than muscle mass.

In my view, dirty bulking makes sense only for those rare few who are inherently both lean and hard gainers. 

This group tends to have far faster metabolisms than the norm.  They can eat anything they want in any amount.  Despite this, they somehow manage to stay lean naturally.    

As an aside, we should not confuse this rare group of naturally lean individuals with those who fall under the skinny-fat category.

 

Modest Surplus

Before discussing what a suitable caloric surplus might look like, we must first determine what our maintenance calories are.

If we fail to establish an accurate maintenance benchmark from which to work, all bets are off.

To learn more about figuring out your maintenance calories, refer to the article I recently penned on TDEE.

The human body can only synthesize so much new muscle tissue in a given time.

The desired level of a caloric surplus will vary from person to person based on several variables.

One of the most important factors to consider is the level of training experience one has under their belt.

Not only is the body limited as to how rapidly it can amass lean muscle tissue, but there is also a genetic threshold limiting how much muscle the body can carry.

A bit high in my view, the graph below suggests a maximum 400-calorie surplus for younger, less experienced beginners. 

The graph depicts the ideal surplus declining steadily over time.

It shows that those at the advanced level with 6-10 years of rigorous training experience require only a 100-calorie surplus.

In general, the older we are, and by extension, the more training experience we have, the less surplus we will need.

Technically speaking, you can build lean muscle without a surplus. That’s right. You can even build lean muscle tissue while in a caloric deficit!

In this article, however, we are exploring the quickest, most optimal way to build muscle.

With that said, it is best to target a modest surplus that is optimally effective.  Doing so puts a much-needed damper on the accrual of unwanted body fat.

 

Reverse Dieting

Reverse dieting is critical.  It is the diet after the diet and part of a complete cycle.

Lean bulking is part of this cycle.

I am of the view that slower is better than faster when it comes to transitioning thru cycles. 

Whether winding down an extended cut or starting a lean bulk, giving the body adequate time to adapt metabolically is essential.

My position is the same for gaining muscle or losing body fat.

There are many different interpretations of what reverse dieting is and how it works. 

In my view, reverse dieting is simply a logical, effective, and controlled way to transition from an extended caloric deficit.

For Example:

A full two-year cycle comprised of twelve 2-month campaigns might look something like this.

CUT

·        250-calorie deficit | (months 1-2)

·        500-calorie deficit | (months 3-4)

·        1000-calorie deficit | (months 5-6)

·        500-calorie deficit | (months 7-8)

·        250-calorie deficit | (months 9-10)

 

       MAINTENANCE

·        Maintenance | (months 11-12)

 

       LEAN BULK

·        100-calorie surplus | (months 13-14)

·        200-calorie surplus | (months 15-16)

·        300-calorie surplus | (months 17-18)

·        200-calorie surplus | (months 19-20)

·        100-calorie surplus | (months 21-22)

 

       MAINTENANCE

·        Maintenance | (months 23-24)

 

By following an ongoing lifestyle program similar to the one outlined above, we avoid dreaded rebounds, which too often lead to yo-yo dieting and eating disorders.

In sum, whether it is for bulking, cutting, or simply maintaining healthy body weight, controlling what we eat with purpose and intent is an essential activity.

I hope my views on this topic have given you a better understanding of what it takes to bulk up intelligently. 

Understanding how the overall process can work throughout a complete cycle provides a good framework from which to design your future campaigns.

 

Until next time,

-Coach Joe