There used to be a time when bulking meant just eating whatever you can lay your hands on, adding extra weight, lifting heavy at your local gym, and worrying about any added body fat at a much later date.
However, in today’s world this approach to running a bulking cycle is fast becoming a thing of the past.
If you want to transform your overall physique and your goal is to add some extra muscle mass, then your best bet is to follow the more modern bulking approach which is to focus less on putting on that extra weight and concentrate more on ensuring that the weight you gain during your bulking phase is a productive one.
And this is where a lean bulking plan can prove to be very helpful.
So, rather than spending your valuable time putting the weighing scale first above all else, you need to focus on lean muscle mass gain while at the same time managing excess body fat.
Now this takes us to some simple rules that if followed properly and consistently should see you achieve a clean bulk.
Rule #1: Try to Avoid Bulking Faster Than You Are Able to Build Lean Muscle Mass
This is one rule that many people tend to ignore. Consuming a whole lot more calories doesn’t immediately translate to muscle gain.
As a matter of fact, as soon as you have consumed enough calories to provide you with the energy you need to fully execute your training session and recovery, you don’t need to keep on piling on calories as a full-on caloric surplus diet will not automatically lead to you gaining muscle mass faster than if you just stick to consuming the exact calorie count that your body actually needs for a training session.
If you want to build up a physique characterised by a lean mass, then you need to run a regulated calorie surplus, as this is generally viewed as the most practical way to maintain a lean physique while still building lean muscle mass.
Remember, your goal shouldn’t be to raise the scale fast, but rather to have whatever weight you gain count.
Rule #2: For Lean Bulking Avoid Treating Your Weighing Scale Like Some Sort Of Scoreboard
While admittedly your body weight is important, it really doesn’t portray the whole story, as the scale can’t differentiate between your muscles, body fat, glycogen, undigested food, and even water.
This is why in order to achieve a successful lean bulk, you need to definitely track your body weight, but also pay equal attention to key indicators like how you perform in the gym, measurements, progress photos, your recovery phase, and even how great or otherwise your clothes actually fit your body.
In a situation where your body weight is rising at a rapid rate while you are not experiencing a corresponding increment in strength gains and your waistline seems to be expanding at a quick rate as well, you have yourself a great feedback to work with when planning your next training and dietary regimen. It indicates that your muscle gain nutrition may need adjusting.
Rule #3: Protein Is Still Essential to Your Bulking Diet
Note that your bulking diet is not complete without sufficient amounts of protein in your daily meals. The protein you consume helps in providing sufficient amounts of amino acids that helps in repairing the microtears that accrue in your muscle tissues whenever you engage in a strength training session and also helps prepare your muscles (during recovery) for the rigors of your next training regimen by increasing its mass.
You should avoid loading all your protein needs in a single meal, try to spread out your required protein needs throughout your meals for the day. The best protein options available to you include chicken, eggs, lean beef, fish, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, Tofu, lentils, and beans.
Rule #4: You Need Carbs For Energy During Training
Lean bulking is not just dependent on your protein intake, but also the amount of carbs you consume. Carbohydrates help to provide you with the energy fuel needed to thrive in a strength training session.
As you train, your body relies on your glycogen stores as a source of energy, especially during a high-intensity and/or high volume training session. The best carbs that you can check out and include in your meals today include pasta, whole grains, oats, rice, fruit, and potatoes.
Rule #5: Never Neglect Dietary Fat
Dietary fat is a macronutrient that is often viewed as a negative rather than a positive food source. However, your body needs dietary fats not just as another energy source, but also to help in promoting the production of hormones particularly those hormones that aid both the repair of muscles and growth.
Dietary fat will help in providing you with energy fuel by optimising your body’s absorption of various minerals and vitamins, such as; vitamins A, D, E, and K.
You can get healthy dietary fat from food sources like fatty fish, seeds, nuts, avocado, eggs, and olive oil. Dietary fat will also help you to control your calorie surplus for muscle growth as it increases your level of satiety, preventing you from consuming more than you need to get through your resistance training sessions.
Rule #6: Eat Only What Your Training Requires
This is something many lifters are known to ignore. You should try to always consume the amount of calories that your training requires instead of eating less or more than you actually need.
If you consume less, you tend to tire out quickly and fail to train sufficiently for muscle growth. Alternatively, if you are consuming more than necessary for your training, then the excess calories and energy intake could be converted to unwanted body fat.
You need to concentrate on perfecting your technique, tracking your lifts, and engaging in progressive overload. Be sure to increase the quality of your training volume, load, or repetitions gradually during the course of your training season.
Rule #7: Lean Bulking Requires Patience
It is important to note that lean bulking is not something that pops up overnight, it requires a tremendous amount of patience. It is possible for a beginner to experience quick progress as soon as they begin training.
However, muscle growth tends to be at a slower pace as you get to become a whole lot more experienced in bodybuilding. What this means is that your muscle gain nutrition plan needs to be patiently implemented for optimal results.
Avoid dramatically increasing your calories as a solution for gaining muscles. You should try to allow both your nutrition and training to do the work for you.
Final Thoughts
Remember, try to avoid chasing weight gain, but instead focus on chasing productive body weight gain. To be successful in your lean bulking phase you need to combine sufficient amounts of macronutrients with regulated calorie surplus while ensuring that your recovery is adequate and you plan for progressive overload during training.