What You Should Know About Bulking to Gain Muscle

Bulking to gain muscle and cutting to shred your physique are common phrases you probably have heard many times. If you’re a skinny person looking to add mass, you may have read tons of advice on how to do this. Likely, you’ve tried the first part with no success, which is why you’re still searching for answers. Cutting has not been on your radar since you haven’t put on enough weight in the first place to cut anything.

Let’s talk about the basics of bulking to gain muscle from the perspective of people who are naturally skinny.

What is bulking?

To put it simply, bulking is the process of gaining mass. You bulk to add on weight, mostly in the form of muscle. For skinny people looking to gain muscle, the ability to actually bulk is often very elusive. In order to bulk, you have to train to stimulate muscle growth, eat to fuel that growth, and rest to allow your muscles to recover and build bigger. This is laid out in my post Gain Mass Quickly with Basics that Actually Empower You. That’s the trinity of gaining mass.

Clean or dirty? Lean or burly? How to gain muscle fast

There are a lot of opinions on how to bulk properly and if you should even do it at all. Here’s what I’ve found in my journey is the reality of bulking to gain muscle. Not all bulking is created equal.

Dirty bulking to gain muscle quickly, at a cost

This is a type of bulking that is emphasizes gaining weight and size at all costs. A dirty bulk means you are ingesting as many calories as possible to speed up the path to gaining muscle and overall mass. No food is off limits, as the point is to get in calories. So, high calorie food like french fries, pizza, and ice cream are encouraged. People who follow this type of bulking will develop a rounder look. Their bodies tend to look a little more inflated and soft, but big. Think about the burly lifters you’ve seen without much muscle definition. They are not shredded, but they look huge. This type of bulking is not concerned with health or the impact on your body of the changes that come from eating this way for a sustained period of time. I’ve tried this for a short period of time and did not enjoy the results. There’s no denying that it gets your weight up very quickly in a way that is hard to reproduce. However, I felt sluggish and unhealthy. My body looked like it was puffed up for size and I hated the spare tire of fat and bloated look I developed around my stomach especially.

Clean bulking promotes a healthier lifestyle

This type of bulking still focuses on eating more calories than you expend, but not at all costs. The macronutrient make up of the food is actually considered. For example, while a soda or sugar smoothy might be a source of high calories, the sugar content and impact on your health doesn’t make it a recommended item to eat. Those calories are empty. They don’t provide you with protein to build your muscle. This type of bulking is more difficult to get right, because unhealthy food options are eliminated. Also, the path to weight gain and putting on mass will be slower. So, why should you go the more difficult route with slower results? Your health and commitment. Adding mass in a way that is conscious of your body and long term effects will help you feel healthier and create a sustainable path to gains. When you feel good, instead of bogged down and sluggish, you’re more likely to stay on course and keep the lifestyle of gains. Also, the end result will be a leaner muscle growth that lets you show off a shredded physique.

What to consider before bulking to gain muscle?

Before diving into any type of bulking program, whether it’s clean, dirty, or something in between, you should think about your own goals and body. It’s a good idea to consult your doctor. Bulking can take a toll on your body, or at least cause it to change. For example, an intense training routine can increase the stress on your heart and central nervous system, it can add pressure to your muscles and joints, and aggravate old injuries. The bulking diet can also change your body. High carb diets could increase your blood sugar levels. High fat diets can impact your liver or be problematic for those with heart or digestive issues. Also, the high protein intake that’s necessary to bulk properly can increase the load on your kidneys. These are just a few examples of how bulking can impact your body. So, take a moment to consult with your physician, so that you can discuss your concerns and unique circumstances that a doctor can help you navigate.

How can skinny people bulk to gain muscle

Eat more

If you are naturally skinny, your body will not easily conform to gaining weight. You’ll have to be very strict with training, diet and rest. Eating will be the most critical of these three, as that’s where most skinny people fail. To gain muscle, you must eat more calories than you use every day. Without this, you will not gain muscle or any weight at all. So, make sure to read my post linked above on how to properly track this to ensure you are bulking properly.

High calorie food ideas when bulking to gain muscle

There are a ton of individual food and meal ideas, but here are some to start. With this, you can create endless options, but these are examples of foods that can help you in your quest to bulk, without completely giving in to unhealthy options that are bad for you, and will lead you to gain mass and a physique you do not want.

• Avocado- source of healthy fats that can be easily eaten with a spoon and very little prep
• Salmon- includes healthy fats and protein
• Chicken- lean protein source with white meat, or introduce more fats with skin and dark meat
• Oats- great source of protein and carbs that can be eaten for breakfast or powdered to add to smoothies
• Pumpkin Seeds- high protein content that can be added to top salads or blended into smoothies

Macros do count

You’ve probably head a lot about counting macros. While a lot of the advice out there is meaningless, it is true that paying attention to macronutrients will help you build muscle in the way that you want. Macros are carbohydrates, fat and protein. These are the three nutrients your body needs in large amounts for basic functioning. A bulking diet will need to include these three macronutrients to make sure you have the energy to keep going, and the building blocks to gain muscle the right way. They also add up to the calories in your food.

• Carbohydrates– Every gram contributes 4 calories. Carbs have multiple roles like adding bulk and fullness to your diet. However, the main role we focus on is that carbs provide your body with energy so that you can keep going. Trying to complete intense workouts like German Volume Training every day with a low supply of carbs is difficult to do, and not something I would recommend. Many people cut carbs when they are trying to lean out. In my experience, carbs do add a more bulky look to your body, especially around your stomach. However, it’s necessary to consume carbs in a reasonable amount to fuel your training.
• Fats– Every gram contributes 9 calories. Fats help your body with cell structure and storing energy, among other functions. Similar to carbohydrates, fats can be a source of backup energy after the carbs run out. You have to be careful here to not consume unhealthy amounts of bad fats in a search for weight gain. However, there are food options with healthy fats that can give you great results, such as avocado and salmon.
• Proteins– Every gram contributes 4 calories. Just like the other macros, proteins serve many purposes, but we are mainly focused on the muscle building and repairing aspect. Your training will tear your muscles up and put them through a lot of stress. You need enough protein to actually recover and build stronger.

An interesting and fun exercise you can do at home is look at the nutrition label on some of the food at home. You should see the total calories, and the grams of carbohydrates, fat, and protein. Do the math yourself and you should find that the (grams of carbs * 4) + (grams of fat * 9) + (grams of protein * 4) = the total calories.

Find your right balance of macros to bulk and build muscle

The first step in eating to gain weight is to just eat more calories. However, if you really want to get turbocharges on your journey to gains, you have to also consider the macros that make up those calories. For example, if you only focus on calories, you might find it easiest to chow down fries. They will have a high calorie count because of the fat and carb content. However, if you instead eat a meal with salmon, avocado, edamame and rice, you will find that it’s a calorie rich meal with a heavier emphasis on protein to build muscle. This will lead to a different result than the meal focused on fries.

I found that it was worth experimenting for the right mix for me. You might find different results for you, but the fundamentals stay the same. When I had too much emphasis on carbs and fat, I felt very bloated and like a lot of the gains came from putting on fat. When I emphasized protein only, my body didn’t have the energy to bring to training every day, and I often felt slow and bogged down. I had to mix it up to find a combination that worked well for me. Here’s an example from a popular celebrity story of a guy who went from out of shape to completely ripped:

The ultimate diet will consist of 55 percent fats, 35 percent proteins and 10 percent carbohydrates.

Grant Roberts

He says most people get this completely backwards and have a diet that has up to 65% carbohydrates and only 10% proteins.

Minimize cardio during bulking

This one might be tough for many of you to actually commit to. Remember, the point. of bulking is to add mass and gain muscle. If you are skinny, chances are that you struggle to do this already. You likely naturally use a high number of calories every day, and on top of that, any type of cardio will use even more. So, to give yourself the best shot of having your intake of calories exceed your use of calories, minimize cardio. Also, cardio takes away energy and time you could spend on volume training. This will dampen your performance in sports, and you should consider your personal health situation and the role cardio plays before committing to this. I decided to eliminate cardio altogether from my routine to maximize gaining mass.

Thoughts or questions? Let me know in the comments!