If you want to gain appreciable muscle, you will need to bulk. Due to the way the body works, there’s no way around it after you get past the initial ultra-beginner phase (which can last anywhere from 1-12 months).
This series is a comprehensive walkthrough of what bulking is, how to do it correctly, and everything you would possibly need to know to execute a successful to maximize your muscle gain.
The Beginner’s Guide to Bulking: What is Bulking?
Bulking is a strategic approach to muscle gain that involves consuming more calories than your body burns while following a structured resistance training program. This intentional caloric surplus provides your body with the extra energy and nutrients needed to build new muscle tissue, increase strength, and enhance overall athletic performance. The process requires careful attention to both nutrition and training, as the goal is to maximize muscle growth while minimizing excessive fat gain.
Clean Bulks vs Dirty Bulks: The Truth
A clean bulk focuses maintaining a moderate caloric surplus (typically 300-500 calories above maintenance). This approach also usually prioritizes eating better, “cleaner” foods and often results in slower but leaner gains.
In contrast, a dirty bulk takes a more aggressive approach, allowing for higher caloric surpluses (500+ calories). This also usually coincides flexible food choices, including processed foods. While dirty bulking may lead to faster weight gain, it results in more fat accumulation and potential health concerns. For most beginners, a clean bulk offers the best balance of sustainable progress and body composition management.
The truth: The long-term consequences of dirty bulking often outweigh any short-term benefits. Not only does excessive fat gain require much longer cutting periods that can risk muscle loss and worse metabolic health, but the massive caloric surpluses can lead to poor habits, digestive issues, and compromised metabolic health. Many experienced bodybuilders who’ve tried both approaches report that the time spent cutting after a dirty bulk could have been better spent making steady, lean gains through a clean bulk.
The Science Behind Muscle Growth
Muscle growth, or hypertrophy, occurs through a complex process called muscle protein synthesis (MPS). When you engage in resistance training, you create microscopic damage to muscle fibers, triggering your body’s repair response. Combined with adequate protein intake and caloric surplus, this repair process results in muscle fibers becoming bigger and stronger than before – a phenomenon known as supercompensation. This biological adaptation requires three key elements: progressive overload through training, sufficient protein intake (typically 1.6-2.2g per kg of body weight), and enough total calories to support growth.
Should I bulk?
Bulking is particularly beneficial for individuals who want to gain muscle, those who have hit a plateau in their training progress, or athletes looking to move up a weight class. Individuals who are new to training can often build muscle while losing fat simultaneously (known as “body recomposition”), and those with a higher body fat percentage may want to focus on fat loss first.
The ideal candidate for a bulking phase is someone who is relatively lean (10-15% body fat for men, 20-25% for women), will lift weights consistently, and is willing to track their bodyweight, nutrition, and training to make optimal progress.