How to Bulk Up: Your Guide to Building Muscle
Updated January 2024
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When it comes to workout goals, adding bulk is high on the priority list for many fitness enthusiasts. It’s a great way to improve your health and your appearance while adding to your self-confidence as well. Carrying more muscle mass also helps you burn calories during rest periods, a bonus for anyone hoping to create a successful fitness cycle.
You may have read or heard from others that how much bulk you add depends on your genetics. The truth is genetics do influence muscle gain, but they’re not the only factor in adding muscle. There’s a definite process that can be followed to give you the best chance of bulking and achieving your fitness goals.
Some effective tips for bulking include following the correct macros, eating the right foods, being intentional with your workouts, recognizing the importance of rest, and keeping track of everything. If you’re willing to apply some dedication, consistency, and adherence to the process, you can add muscle mass with a successful bulk that brings you closer to your ideal state of fitness and well-being.
Keeping reading to discover how exactly to reach your muscle-building goals and whether a bulk is right for you.
What is a Bulk, and Why Should You Do It?
A bulk is a period of fitness that focuses on hypertrophy, or muscle growth, to add muscle mass to your physique. A bulk is a great fitness program to try if you feel you don’t have enough muscle mass for your liking, either for aesthetic reasons or for your level of physical activity.
Muscle mass is gained by training with weights in a very specific manner and increasing the food you eat to reach a caloric surplus to support muscle synthesis. The combination of these two factors is crucial to your bulk; lifting heavier weights without eating enough calories will develop strength, but not mass, while consuming more calories without lifting properly will add fat but not muscle. Unfortunately, there’s no way to add calories without gaining at least some extra body fat.
To achieve the desired results as your bulk progresses, it’s important to start bulking when you’re at a lower body fat percentage. This will allow you to see and measure your progress accurately rather than confusing fat gained for muscle added.
What Should You Expect?
The rate at which muscle can be gained during a bulk varies depending on body type, metabolism, and fitness level. The average amount of muscle you can expect to gain during a bulk is half a pound to one pound per week for inexperienced lifters and slightly less for advanced lifters. It’s important to know that fat is bound to accumulate due to the extra calories required for building muscle. Be sure to keep this in mind and be confident that you’ll burn it off when you shred down again after you bulk.
It’s also very important to track your caloric intake as you bulk to avoid gaining too much fat. Tracking the macronutrients of protein, carbohydrates, and fat is crucial to make sure you have enough raw material for muscle growth and plenty of energy for keeping active with the strenuous workouts bulking requires. An increase of 500 clean, balanced calories over your regular daily consumption is enough to begin adding muscle mass during a clean bulk.
What is the Difference Between Clean and Dirty Bulking?
Clean bulking means keeping very disciplined with your nutrition to make sure you gain as little excess fat as possible during your bulk period. This is the most desirable type of bulk for people hoping to have an easier time trimming down afterward. It also can be slower to show results in muscle mass gains due to its strict caloric intake.
With a dirty bulk, your general caloric surplus doesn’t discriminate nutritionally or calorically, meaning you can eat essentially whatever you want as long as you hit your calorie and protein counts. This process is much looser than a clean bulk and can lead to a great deal of excess fat gained in addition to muscle mass, which can make for a more challenging post-bulk shred.
Clean bulking is the preferred way to make sure your energy levels are maintained while you make progress, whereas a dirty bulk can make you feel sluggish and slow both inside and outside the gym.
5 Things You Need to Know Before Bulking
Follow the Correct Macros
In addition to the extra 500 calories you should be eating, it’s important to balance your macronutrients —protein, fat, and carbohydrates—to make sure you gain cleanly while maintaining your energy. Protein intake is a priority, of course, but carbs are necessary for energy in the gym and help your body generate new muscle tissue.
The generally accepted formula for this is a diet consisting of 25% - 30% lean protein, 15% - 20% healthy fats, and 55% - 60% clean, complex carbohydrates. By calculating these levels in all your meals, you’ll be dialed into the right concentration of each macro every time you eat.
Because you’re trying to maximize muscle while minimizing fat, a slow increase of calories over time is advisable as your body becomes more efficient at creating muscle and providing energy while you work out.
Eat the Right Foods
An initial increase of 500 calories can easily come from a few elements added to each meal or by the addition of an extra meal to your daily eating. For hard-gainers with high metabolisms who have a lot of difficulty with bullying up, including extra high-calorie foods to their diet such as nuts, nut butters, and avocados can give healthy sources of calories and macros needed to gain. These foods can also be eaten in smaller portions while still being high in nutrients.
Healthy high-protein foods and foods like eggs, dark, leafy greens, and shellfish that raise testosterone will help you achieve mass gains, and clean carbs like whole grains will provide slow-releasing energy to sustain your workouts. The best and easiest way to set yourself up for success with your eating is to plan and prep your meals ahead of time. This will take the guesswork out of the process. And because you’ll be increasing your protein intake, make sure to drink plenty of water, too. This will help flush the excess through your system without causing issues such as kidney stones.
Be Intentional With Your Workouts
Engaging properly in the gym will give you the best chance of meeting your objectives while bulking. Make sure you stay on schedule and keep your workouts consistent. Compound lifts like squats, bench presses, and overhead presses work multiple muscle groups in a single movement, maximizing your time and effort in the gym. These should be your go-to lifts during your bulking period.
Another factor to utilize is higher volume weights lifted at low reps because these are the most successful for gaining mass. Studies have proven that the most beneficial bulk workouts consist of one to three sets per exercise of eight to 12 reps lifting between 70% and 85% of the weight possible during a single rep (called your one-rep max) for beginners and three to six sets of one to 12 repetitions lifting between 70% and 100% of your one-rep max for experienced lifters.
This formula will determine the right weight, reps, and sets needed to get you on your way to building muscle mass. As your strength increases, your one-rep max should be recalculated with adjustments made to increase the weight lifted as needed.
Also, if you are choosing to only exercise at home, be sure to consider our list of recommended at-home workout equipment (affiliate link) to add variety and resistance to your routine!
Recognize the Importance of Rest
Though your nutrition and workouts are crucial to the success of your bulk, your rest periods are when your muscles really grow, so it’s important to factor rest into the formula as much as lifting and eating. Make sure to get between seven and nine hours of high-quality sleep each night to maximize muscle growth during your bulk. The effort you exert while working out should mean you’ll have no problem meeting your sleep goals!
It may also require that you minimize your caffeine intake and change your pre-sleep behaviors, like restricting your screen time and spending evening hours in relaxation mode to make sure you fall and stay asleep soundly. And because your body will be pushing more weight than it’s used before in your effort to exceed its limits and grow, make sure you incorporate stretching and active rest days into your schedule. These will keep blood flowing to your muscles even when they’re not in use, maintaining your flexibility and range of motion between strength training workouts.
Keep Track of Everything
Though it might seem like extra work, you’ll want to verify your progress in every way possible. Be sure to take baseline measurements of your weight before you begin and weigh in weekly, preferably first thing in the morning. If you can calculate your body fat and lean mass percentages with a smart scale or other tools and apps, take advantage of those trackers to keep your progress in check.
Take regular measurements of your biceps, quads, chest, shoulders, and calves to track your growth using a cloth measuring tape (affiliate link) for the most accurate numbers. Make sure you snap progress photos of yourself on a regular schedule, too. These pictures are critical for seeing your growth, especially when replacing existing fat with muscle may make it appear that you aren’t progressing, even when you are.
And because documentation is a must when bulking, create a chart or spreadsheet or track your progress on an app so you can tinker with your workouts and nutrition when necessary.
Final Thoughts
There’s nothing like the feeling of your clothes fitting more tightly when you know it’s due to increased muscle mass gained during your bulk! But bulking is a steady process that can’t be rushed. Some people will experience easy gains, while others will struggle to see progress. It’s important to remember that consistency leads to success and that a clean bulk takes time, but the results are definitely worth your patience.
Be open to adjusting your workouts, nutrition, and rest to give yourself the best odds of a successful bulk. There’s always a chance that a few extra calories or a change of workouts will jumpstart your bulking into high gear. If you find you’re not progressing at all despite your best efforts, consult with a trainer to find out what you can adjust to start seeing the changes you’re working for. And when you finally achieve your desired results, be sure to celebrate the win before planning your next big fitness goal!
