How to Bulk: A Step-by-Step Guide for Optimal Muscle Gains

Are you here to find out the most comprehensive muscle-building guide in 2023? Congratulations, you have landed on the actual spot. We will be here to help you out.

Today, we are writing a guide for you; this will help in every way, from nutrition to working out, and also about supplements.

How to bulk up? Let’s find out!

Before going into the zone, it’s important to go through the basics of muscle physiology so that we’ll be on the same page.

Starting with lifting weights is a crucial step in learning how to bulk. Now, there are many categories of lifting weights. But let’s begin by understanding what occurs when you opt for the weights. Lifting weights creates trauma within the muscle fiber by producing micro-tears. This is a fundamental process in building muscle mass and achieving a bulked physique.

Notice: When the damage is done, a surge of biochemical signals takes place, and the satellite cells get active.

Satellite cells help in binding the muscle cells in order to repair the damaged ones and to synthesize new squeezable components.

When the cross-sectional area of these components increases, it helps in resulting muscular hypertrophy. There are actually two types of hypertrophy.

• Myofibrillar Hypertrophy
• Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy

Practically, you should always keep in mind that training is to stimulate protein synthesis. But cellular repair helps in building muscles, not the damage.

Somatotypes: What type of body do you have?

Everyone has a different body type. It’s important to note which type is yours. This helps in the classification process, which leads to a perfect diet plan. Supposably, select your body type from these:

• Ectomorph
• Mesomorph
• Endomorph

Ectomorph

These types are more like skinny people with small joints, narrow shoulders, fairly lean build, long bone structure, tall and lanky, and defined as hard gainers.

Mesomorph

These people have fairly athletic physiques with large bone structures, higher levels of lean body mass, somewhat “blocky” appearance, and are naturally strong despite a lack of proper training.

Endomorph

These people have short and stocky physiques with thick overall, slightly higher levels of body fat, and limb length, which provides advantages to strength training in the lower body.

Let’s learn to calculate your calorie needs

Firstly, let’s calculate your BMR (basal metabolic rate); it’s essentially an estimation of the minimum energy required to keep basic bodily functions online, like the heart rate, respiration, etc. It’s only possible if you spend an entire 24 hours in bed.

After the BMR process, you’ll need an active factor multiplier to calculate your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), the combination of calories with daily activities.

You should always remind yourself that each calculation is based on algorithms, which is why they cannot factor in every situation for individuals.

Planning your muscles to go with the diet?

Meet Dexter, a 22 year old dude. He is new to weight training, and guess what? He wants to gain muscle. He’s just 150 lbs, 6 feet tall, and works part-time as a waiter at Ray-Ray Pizza. He is looking for a 4 day training program.

This dude is fairly skinny and has a body type like an average ectomorphic physique. We’ll use Dexxy Boy as a practical example to take you through the steps where you can determine your calorie count and macros.

Step 1: How to calculate base calories. Let’s break it down into macros and plan your meals.

TDEE: 2750 calories: The estimated target for the warlike bulk is 2750 + 500 = 3250 calories.

Protein: Starting from 1g per pound of body weight. Each gram of protein contains 4 calories, which gets 150g x 4 = 600 calories.

Fat: Start at 0.45g per pound of body weight, and each gram of fat contains nine calories, so let’s do the math. 70g x 9 = 630 calories.

Carbohydrates: Fill your remaining calories along with the carbs. Each gram of carbohydrate contains four calories. Let’s do the math: 3250 – 1230 (600+630) = 2020 calories/4 = 505g.

So, with Dexter’s example, you are shooting approximately protein 150g, fat 70g, and carbs 505g daily.

Let’s dive deep into muscle-building foods

Food choice is very important when it comes to bodybuilding. Certain edibles contain carbohydrates like glucose, fat as triglycerides, and amino acids for proteins.

Calories are the wall material of muscles, but you should know, understand, and be aware of each individual macronutrient and have a widespread idea of how much you’re ingesting.

When it comes to gaining weight, my friend, you should do your best to keep things straightforward and healthy on the nutrition side, especially if your goal is to “Cut After Bulking.” It’s essential to ensure that your weight gain is achieved in a balanced and sustainable manner, focusing on both the bulking and eventual cutting phases to achieve your fitness goals effectively.

We are giving you a few suggestions for your food selection, the food itself, and every minimal addition.

Proteins: Chicken, Lean Beef, Whey Protein, Fish, Eggs.

Carbohydrates: Rice, Quinoa, Oats, Potatoes, Fruit, Vegetables.

Fats: Olive Oil, Mixed Nuts and Seeds, Coconut Oil, Cheese, and Avocados (it tastes so bad but is important).

It’s important to understand as your caloric intake increases, you have to face the challenge of becoming progressively tougher to consume enough whole foods to meet your goals. So, never give up, no matter how tough the challenge is.

Hard-working people can consume highly discretionary calories from refined sources just because of their high work output. But, for education, consumption should not increase from 10-15 % of calorie intake.

Just reminding you that everything is in moderation.

Choose the workout routine that suits your body type

Nutrition alone won’t cut it; perfect macros don’t matter without training. If you are someone who loves to explore and learn new things, you might be interested in creating your own workout routine.

However, this requires some experimentation and knowledge. Based on your preferences, goals, and schedule.

• 3 days per week for the full body
• 4 days per week for your upper and lower body
• 3 to 5 days per week for your legs grinding, pushing, and pulling

You will typically find that one of these three templates will be the most effective for most lifts, whether targeting specific muscle groups like biceps or incorporating a full body workout. Always focus on mastering the basics rather than seeking pretentiousness.

Final curtain call!

Health is a privilege; never underestimate it. All the exercises have been mentioned above in the detailed discussion of making your body bulky. You can also take an example of Dexter’s body type and calculate yours with the mechanics we just mentioned above. Have a healthy day!

Time to listen to the experts’ voices on this matter. Check out their thoughts below:

Bulking is simple, but that doesn’t mean easy. There’s basically 3 things you need – a calorie surplus, sufficient protein, and resistance training that’s hard enough. A good calorie surplus is around 5% – enough to gain weight slowly. Muscle gain is slow though, so pushing too fast can just cause extra fat gain, without extra muscle. Protein is the basic building blocks of structures in our body, including muscle, so you need to make sure you’re eating enough. You’ll want at least 1.6 grams/kg of bodyweight, but potentially up to 2.2 g/kg (0.73 g/lbs to 1 g/lbs.) Finally, you need resistance training. It doesn’t need to be too fancy, but it needs to be fairly hard and you need to be consistent with it. If you don’t know how to write a program, ask a coach or find something tried and tested online.

Rory Lynch, Powerlifting Coach at Sisyphus Strength

To optimize muscle gains during bulking, focus on maintaining a caloric surplus, balancing macronutrient intake, and engaging in progressive resistance training. Ensure an adequate protein intake, time your meals around workouts, prioritize quality sleep, and stay well-hydrated. Monitor progress and practice patience, aiming for a gradual bulk to limit excess fat gain. These steps, when followed consistently, lead to effective bulking and maximize muscle gains.

James, Conditioning Coach Lift Big Eat Big

A frequent cause of not being able to build muscle is not eating enough and more importantly, not eating enough of the right food. Everyone bangs on about the importance of protein, but carbs and fats are just as important when it comes to growing muscle. You should aim for 2.2g of protein, 5.5g of carbs, and 0.9g of fats per Kg body weight per day in order to see real results.

Mani Singh, Manager at Fight City Gym

Optimal muscle gains in fitness require breaking away from conventional approaches. While the usual advice centers on caloric surplus and heavy lifting, I’ve discovered that diversity in workouts and incorporating unconventional exercises, along with a tailored nutrition plan, leads to sustained results. This means including exercises like resistance bands and kettlebell swings alongside compound lifts and paying attention to nutrient timing rather than just calorie counting. Personalization and innovation, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, are the keys to unlocking your muscle-building potential in the unconventional bulking journey.

Isabella, CEO at DelishPursuit.com