Hi,Radu . I’ve been lifting in and off for over 10 years with very little success and had major weight issues with fluctuations along with an eating disorder. I may use it off and on over the bulk but will definitely use this eating tool again in the spring when I want to lean out. I am an avid bodybuilder, 40 years old, currently 160 pounds scale at 6% body fat. The best bulking diet maximizes muscle gain potential while limiting fat gain to extend bulking time and minimize cutting time. I have been eating between 0.8 and 0.9 or so grams of protein per day and been eyeballing my portions and adjusting accordingly day to day my carbs and fat. What Eric is saying here is that we can’t stimulate muscle growth by eating more. Your example seems extreme though. Cardiovascular training improves the heart's ability to pump blood and increases oxygen uptake into cells. On the other hand, if you give the worker less materials than he can use he’ll build the house slower. Then you can set your caloric surplus. For those of you ladies who want to add some size to your frame and curves, there is no reason to be afraid of weightlifting and training heavy. The current cut took a lot less time than the last , about 2 and half months. Do you agree that this is very contradictory to what you’ve said in this article? The main cornerstone of the diet should be protein, followed by … First I want to thank you for the good content that you offer on your site. This way you’ll avoid unnecessary fat gain. People who do this usually want to gain size really fast or they want to make sure they’re not leaving any muscle gains on the table. I’m from india .I weigh 87kg and 5 feet 8 inch.22years old. Depending on how many hours a week you are training, your maintenance has to be somewhere between 1650 (for little to no training) and 2325 kcal (for 6-8 hours per week). If I lifted weights in the past, with breaks, for about two – three years and then took a complete break from it for 4 years straight, should I expect to gain like a beginner or intermediate? I’ve been cutting and lifting properly for about 4 months now I’m close to lean bulking, my lean weight is 147 pounds around, should I be a beginner and okay to eat 350 calories over to gain 3lbs a month? But we all know that’s not the case. The clean bulk diet plan. All rights reserved. Keep cutting until you hit 9-10% body fat. Hi radu, nice article. The 3,000 calorie meal plan is a bulking diet that I put together, specifically made for people who have a low budget. Gain muscle (not fat) with goal-specific calories and macros. I “dirty bulked” for the first 8 years of my lifting life, starting at a skinny 140 pounds, and built myself up to as high as 197 pounds, but at 24% body fat, I just looked like a big fullback without any definition. A lean bulk is the most effective method of building muscle with minimum fat. I’m finally ready to start a cycle of bulking. The first picture was taken at the end of May 2014 and I was 155lbs (70kg). I lost a lot of weight over a long period of time so I was in a deficit for maybe 1 year or so while I finally figured out how to make everything work with training and nutrition. I read and answer all comments. Isn’t that unhealthy ? Your results may vary. Key Points on Bulking Hydration. Depending on the person it takes a minimum of 3500 kcal to create a pound of fat or 7700 per kilogram. That movie really motivated me. Or if you don’t give him any materials, he won’t be able build anything even if he shows up for work. They all ate that much to gain a lot of muscle for their movies. Do you have any experience with how muscle gains are affected by age? I consume about 2700 calories a day and according to my fit bit I burn 2800+ calories a day in addition I take fat burners in the morning before hitting the gym. The goal of bulking is to ratchet up your lean body mass with successive bulk/cut cycles and to do this requires a good clean bulking plan like the ones shown here. If you gain too slowly, then increase the calories as needed. TOP 10 MUSCLE MEALS FOR YOUR BULKING DIET PLAN. Muscle memory is real. It’s time to eat for those who have read both the Ultimate 4,000 Calorie Clean Bulking Meal Plan: Grocery List and the Ultimate 4,000 Calorie Clean Bulking Meal Plan: Prep And Pack articles. Day 7: Rest. So there you have it: if you want to bulk up, you have to eat a LOT of calories. The moment I learned about and dialed in my nutrition, I felt like I wasted 8 years of lifting! This means that for each bulk cycle you actually gain less muscle mass than someone who bulked cleaner. Please refer to The basics of bulking – a beginners guide 8 Week Plan – Step By Step. Thanks Braian! Current bodyweight is the main predictor of maintenance calories. After you have leaned down to your goal body weight would you just reconfigure your maintenance and go from there or would you use your maintenance from when you started your cut? Unless I actually see them weigh and track their macros on camera I don’t believe it. If anything you want to do just that!! On the other hand some people may massively struggle to gain weight and maybe a dirty bulk could be the best diet for them. I am trying to get to 1800 cal a day is that a good number? Here's what you need to get right in order to design a highly effective vegan bodybuilding diet plan: Figure out your calories. The 3,000 calorie meal plan is a bulking diet that I put together, specifically made for people who have a low budget. Now, most people have a maintenance of 2000-3000 kcal. A small part of the population feels better with a lower fat intake (about 20% of calories) and a lot of carbs. 355 grams of protein, 210 grams of carbs, 130 grams of fat. Strenuous weight training can be aerobically taxing and therefore having an efficient, strong heart will allow you to train harder. The naturally skinny guys probably need 500kcal+ over maintenance to gain at the ideal rate while some other people may only need 200kcal. Recap If you want to get big, you need to eat big. Some examples I know are Mike Matthews from MuscleforLife and my workout partner Rareș. On the other hand if you’re a beginner, gaining at the rate of 2-3lbs per month would be ideal because you can gain about 22lbs (10kg) of muscle in your first year. This will result in approximately 2 lbs of weight gain per month. It is pretty safe to say that everyone wants to have a muscular, lean physique. How to do it: Eat enough food to grow 1.5 times faster than the rates given in the tables above. It is also the program I used to build my physique. Day 5: Hams & Glutes. Geared towards building lean muscle mass, it’s all about meals packed with quality protein, complex carbohydrates and essential fats. They must have eaten like 600g of carbs a day. If we do the math we’ll see that only about 400 calories out of 1000 were stored and the rest were burned off. Have I not tapped into my beginner gains yet? How to Lean Bulk Without Getting Fat | Beginner's GuideCheck out PERFECT KETO protein and nut butter! Overall, the program has two main aims: Go as heavy as your form allows you and aim to add weight each week; Increase total weekly load-volume without causing excessive fatigue or injury It’s an extremely clean diet that’s designed to help you gain lean muscle mass. The Muscle Building Diet (Free 12-Step Plan For Lean Bulking) 1. It’s true, a bit slower than at 25 but I don’t know by how much. I only have one question. With this strategy you maximize the rate of muscle growth (just like when you’re dirty bulking) but you don’t allow rapid fat gain. I want to start lean bulking. I have started lean bulking about 4 weeks ago and am gaining fat a lot faster than anything I read says I should. When you’re bulking, you’ll need to keep yourself well hydrated. Many foods will absorb much of the oils used for cooking and a tablespoon of just about any oil is 120 kcal. Here’s are some notes about your meal plan below the below: You’ll eat 5 meals per day (if you need to split one of these meals into 2 smaller meals, feel free to … Most actors such as Zac Efron, who is not really a big guy, ate close to 6000 calories in preparation for Baywatch. If I am not particularly concerned about looks in the first cycle, what is the longest you would suggest I bulk? I can’t yet explain why. If you want to eat 3,000 calories per day on a budget, aim for a lot of brown rice, chicken breast, and oatmeal. If you’re over 14% body fat, lose some fat before you start bulking. Training harder means faster progression resulting in a better growth stimulus. If you don’t believe me, try it. If you’re over 14% body fat, lose some fat before you start bulking. When you go in a surplus I think you can do a 3lbs/month rate of gain. So this is my basic philosophy for bulking. I have been lifting only about4 months but have made pretty decent muscle development already doing body weight exercises before that. All matters regarding your health require medical supervision. Have been really useful. This is an excellent article! This is not entire article. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. We talk more about this in this Vegan Bodybuilding guide. Lean Muscle Program: How the Plan Works. Aim to eat 300-500 calories more than your body requires to maintain your weight each day to prime your body for growth. The reason for that is because the rate of muscle gain is usually very slow. Everything above that limit will just unnecessarily convert into body fat. I suggest you start with only 250-350kcal over maintenance and see if you gain at the rates given in the table above. In fact, I’ve had several tell me that this is the perfect bodybuilding diet for getting bigger but also being more defined. There doesn’t seem to be much info out there on this stuff for people in this situation which is surprising given how many people are overweight these days. How has your […], Thanks for you value information .. i wanted to ask if i am cutting you said about bulking how much protien should i eat 1g per pound ..but while i am cutting how much should i take to maintian most of my lean?and can i maintian the muscle during cutting? Testimonials and examples used are exceptional results and are not intended to guarantee, promise, represent and/or assure that anyone will achieve the same or similar results. 25-30% of calories from fat So, I started bulking for 4 months, put on about 12 pounds back to 172 pounds, and body fat increased to about 11.5%. The authors shall not be liable or responsible for any loss or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestions within this website. Day 6: Chest, Tris, & AB’s. Instead of getting bogged down with every little detail the above 10 rules are what you should focus on; don't lose sight of the big picture. If you want to eat 3,000 calories per day on a budget, aim for a lot of brown rice, chicken breast, and oatmeal. Clean bulking requires you to eat sufficient calories in … Before we dive into nutrient recommendations and the top healthy bulking foods, it’s important to consider that your body, metabolism, and genetic make-up is unique. With the cycling and calorie deficit I managed to get very lean, maybe 10 to 12 percent body fat, but not sure really. Will lifting while I’m currently cutting compromise my newbie gains? I have been using Gregs intermittent fasting as well off and on and I believe it has served me well to stay lean. Unless you’re above 20% body fat, you should use your total bodyweight for determining maintenance. I’d say this setup fits the majority of the population perfectly. Unless you are carrying a large amount of fat or you are just starting to weight train you are not going to lose fat while trying to gain muscle. Forget the cutting phase and get ripped while you bulk with intermittent feasting. Unless you are carrying a large amount of fat or you are just starting to weight train you are not going to lose fat while trying to gain muscle. If that was possible, every fat person would also have a lot of muscle mass. Meal timing is the other key to staying lean while bulking up. What I recommend is to set your maintenance at 15 calories per pound and watch your weight. Also making sure you are using RAW weights of meat to assess your calories as cooking varies the weights depending on time under heat due to dehydration. This workout plan takes you from your current starting point to lean and mean in 12 weeks. One of the best ways to know if you are gaining muscle is if you are getting stronger. Use the Harris-Benedict equation to calculate your basal metabolic rate. These lean bulks should be stretched over several months. He won’t build the house faster if you give him more materials than he can use. You maintainence should be around 2100 for your weight (same as me) so to be gaining fat at 1700 or 1800 is crazy. Follow your diet plan; Be Strict with Calorie Intake. I would like to be at 10% at the end of the cutting cycle. It truly is a difference. If you are bulking and not gaining strength or losing strength then something needs to be fixed. As we explained in the article Get Lean before Bulking, starting from a low body fat percentage allows you to gain more weight before you get excessively fat and the majority of that weight will be muscle mass because of improved nutrient partitioning. My question when I hit google was how much food do I add? Be patient. Clean Bulking or Lean Bulking is what I recommend for 90% of beginners and intermediates. It is possible to gain exclusively lean mass but I believe only advanced lifters (or advanced-intermediates) should do it. Now, naturally skinny people resist weight gain by burning a lot of calories through NEAT (fidgeting, house work, moving around a lot). If everything you and others are saying is right, why do actors always eat a crapload of food? If they are relatively lean, I always tell them to set protein based on total bodyweight. A lean bulk is generally recommended for healthy individuals at an average weight. To illustrate, let’s say you know you burn 2,400 calories per day. Although our training stimulates the same degree of growth in all situations, the availability of nutrients permits or doesn’t permit the adaptation. Short, sweet & effective lean bulking plan with everything you need!! I have a question though, so do we just cut & lean bulk until we die/we achieved our goals? By cycling your cuts and bulks in the range of 8-15% body fat you can gain a lot of muscle mass over the years AND look good all that time. A dirty bulk diet, on the other hand, involves eating the greasy or sugary junk foods you love just to get in extra calories. If you’re trying to gain only quality mass, increase the size of your meals at breakfast and after training. My bodyfat % then was about 19.52% and I currently stand between 9.5% to 10% to body fat. I am about to lean bulk after cutting and lifting for one year. I think 2000kcal per day is a good starting point. The best approach is to eat sufficient calories to gain muscle but don't get crazy with your eating and still doing some cardio to maintain cardiovascular health. Meal 1: 2 slices of whole wheat toast with 2 tablespoons of natural peanut or almond butter, 1 cup … Follow your training session with a glucose-laden post-workout shake, and eat the remainder of your carbs during your first solid post-workout meal. To maximize muscle growth and recovery, a post workout shake consisting of whey protein and a fast-acting carbohydrate (like dextrose) is ideal. The actor from Captain America ate just as much. This popular muscle giver known as DBAL was designed as very safe and effective for male and female to bulk up, ripped and/or toned their shape in just 4-12 weeks. With this strategy you maximize the rate of muscle growth (just like when you’re dirty bulking) but you don’t allow rapid fat gain. Looking for a lean bulk without going too overboard. Day 3: Rest. – On workout days, just throw the training session anywhere into the plan where it works best for you. I don’t see this number changing much over the near future, so I plan to eat literally just 70 kcal over maintenance to gain 0.6 pounds per month and match my muscle growth and see if it works out as perfectly as I think it should, based on the logic that a worker cannot build a house any faster given extra materials.