Almost every guy in the gym wants to gain muscle without gaining fat (lean bulk). But unfortunately, some of them end up gaining a lot of fat along with some muscles.
If you are one of them, then this is a must-read article for you. Here is the complete science-based guide on “how to lean bulk”.
This article also explains how should you train to gain lean muscle mass, how many calories you should eat, and how to calculate lean bulk macros. So let’s get started.
What is a Lean Bulk
To put on some extra muscle mass in your body, you have to maintain a positive energy balance by being in caloric surplus mode. In simple words, you have to eat more calories than you need to maintain your current body weight.
But the catch is, if you consume a lot of extra calories then along with muscles, you will gain a lot of fat. And if your calorie intake is not enough, then it would be very hard to gain muscles.
So, lean bulking is a smart way of bulking where your goal is to gain muscles while minimizing fat.
How To Lean Bulk
Lifting weights in the gym and taking a high protein diet are necessary to gain muscles. But lean bulking is not limited to this only.
You will gain weight just by hitting the gym regularly and eating in a caloric surplus. But gaining lean muscle mass without being bulky is a different game altogether.
For a successful lean bulk, your training and nutrition plan must be science-based and smartly prepared. So let’s understand how should you approach your training and nutrition plan.
Eat in a Slight Caloric Surplus
As you already know that consuming more calories than your requirement is important to gain muscles. But the catch is, how many extra calories you should add?
Most people do the mistake of eating too many calories while gaining and end up being bulky. They have a misconception that more calories mean more muscle gain. No, our bodies don’t work like that. (1)
You have to understand that muscle building is a slow process and there is a limit to building muscles. No matter what you do, you can’t surpass that limit. So lean bulking takes time but trust me guys, the results will be very fruitful.
So how many calories should you eat to lean bulk?
Adding 200-400 extra calories in your daily maintainance calories is the best bet for lean bulk.
So let’s say your daily caloric requirement to maintain your current weight is 2300. Now you can start your lean bulking phase with a goal of 2500 to 2700 daily calories.
As your goal is to gain muscle with minimum fat (lean bulking), so a slight caloric surplus is good enough. Going beyond this range can spoil your plan of lean muscle gain and you may end up being bulky.
Along with how many calories you are eating, from where those calories are coming is equally important. Bulking doesn’t mean you can eat anything you want. Try to hit your daily calorie goal with healthy and nutritious food as much as possible.
Note: If you are skinny fat then you can be in the higher range (400 calorie surplus). But for individuals already having some fat, sticking to the lower range is preferable.
Set Your Macros For Lean Bulk
After fixing your daily calories, the next important step is to calculate your macros for a lean bulk. Protein, carbohydrates, and fat are the three macronutrients that you have to balance. So let’s set them up one by one.
Protein
Among all three, protein is the most important macronutrient for building muscles. It is the building block of muscle. So there must be enough protein in your diet to support existing muscle mass and build new muscle cells.
While working out, you cause wear and tear to your muscle fibers. Now to repair this damage and maximize muscle hypertrophy, you have to add the optimal amount of protein to your diet.
But how much protein do you need?
It’s a heated debate all over the world. Some people agree with a lower range of about 0.5 gm per pound of body weight, while some people recommend as high as 2 gm per pound.
Well, as a science-based fitness enthusiasts, we’ll stick to the studies. According to a study published in the Journal of Sports Medicine,
0.8-1 gram of protein per pound of body weight is optimal while doing lean bulk transformation.
Here are the 13 Best Foods for Lean Muscle Gain. Check it out.
Note: Some people have a misconception that the more protein we eat the more muscle we gain. Don’t make this mistake as excess protein can cause health problems.
Fats & Carbs
Protein is not the only important thing, carbs and fats are also important for proper muscle growth. Both have their role in our bodies.
Carbohydrates are the main source of energy. You need enough carbs to fuel your workout to get energy while lifting weights. Whereas fats are important for strong joints and ligaments, building hormones like testosterone, proper brain functioning, and some other essential body functions.
So how many carbs and fats do you need for a successful lean bulk?
For this, you have to study your body. Yes, you read that right. The thing is that some people are more carb sensitive than others.
This means some people have more tendency to gain weight by increasing their carb intake while others gain weight by eating more fat. So you have to understand your body by experimenting with different ratios of carbs and fats.
The general recommendation for fat is about 20-30% of your daily calorie intake.
For instance, if your daily calorie goal is 2500 and you wanna start with a moderate amount of fat (25%), then your daily fat intake comes out to be 625 calories.
2500 x 0.25 = 625 calories
Now 1 gram of fat contains 9 calories so your fat intake would be about
625/9 = 70 grams of fat
Now fill the remaining calories with carbs and make sure to consume most of your carbs and fats through healthy sources. Like for fats – nuts, seeds, tofu, coconut or olive oil, avocado, peanut butter, etc. For carbs – oats, quinoa, brown rice, whole grains, brown bread, whole-wheat pasta, veggies, etc.
Remember, this is the starting point of your lean bulking program. You may have to optimize your calories and macros as per your body’s responses.
Training Tips For a Lean Bulk
Blindly lifting weights in the gym, without any plan and analysis is not gonna give you the desired results. You have to train smartly for a perfect lean bulk transformation. So let’s look at some points that you have to consider before hitting the gym.
- Train each muscle 2x a week: Training each muscle twice a week gives more stimulus to your muscles and hence leads to more growth.
- Do more focus on compound lifts: Squats, bench presses, deadlifts, overhead presses, etc. are called compound lifts as they include multiple muscles simultaneously. Always start your workout with these exercises.
- Rep range: Do most of your sets in the hypertrophy rep range (6 to 12 reps). Studies show that this is the best rep range for muscle growth.
- Don’t overdo cardio: As your primary goal is to gain muscles so excess cardio may slow down your muscle growth. Hence, three sessions of about 15 min in a week are sufficient.
- Don’t do cardio before weights: This is the major mistake that most people do in the gym. By doing cardio first, you may fatigue yourself for weight training and you won’t be able to lift weights to your full potential. Hence, do cardio after weight training or in a different training session.
How To Lean Bulk – The Takeaway
Gaining muscles without getting bulky can be called the “lean bulk”. For this, your approach must be smart and science-based toward your training and nutrition. However, training is somewhat similar to muscle building but nutrition plays a major role in this process.
Being in a slight calorie surplus of about 200 to 400 calories and eating clean as much as possible is the key to a successful lean bulk. Apart from this, keeping your protein intake up to the mark (0.8-1 gm/lb of body weight) is the second most important thing.
Remember one thing, that muscle building is a slow process and it will take time to see results. So be patient and stick to the process, you’ll get the desired results.
Thanks for reading so far. I hope my article helped you in solving your queries.😊
