A bulking plan is the fastest way to gain muscle. With that said, eating for bulking doesn’t mean you can eat everything in sight; you’ll still need to carefully manage your macros to ensure you’re getting the right balance to maximize muscle growth. Also, note that you can gain fat while on a bulking plan, so a bulking phase may need to be followed by a leaning phase in order to lose some of the fat added during the bulk. If you’re struggling to gain muscle during a bulking phase, add additional calories to your daily macros in 5% increments until you begin to see results.

DAILY MACROS AND CALORIES

Fat (30%): A higher ratio of fat is needed for recovery and rebuilding.

Carbs (40%): A high ratio of carbs is essential since the body needs carbs for fuel and recovery, and to help with building muscle.

Protein (30%): To gain muscle, you should consume 1.5g–2g of protein per pound of body weight, per day.

Calories (+15% variance): You should plan to always be in a 15% caloric surplus over your daily maintenance calories to encourage muscle protein synthesis and avoid muscle breakdown throughout the day.

A clean bulking plan can take longer to have an effect than a traditional bulk, but it often doesn’t require a leaning phase at the end to trim any fat gained during the bulk. While following a clean bulking plan, pay close attention to nutrient timing to ensure you’re getting sufficient protein and carbs both before and after training sessions. Also, be sure to carefully manage your portion sizes since your caloric intake will need to be lower than it would be with a traditional bulk.

DAILY MACROS AND CALORIES

Fat (20%): A lower dietary fat intake than a standard bulk provides an additional leaning component.

Carbs (40%): A high ratio of carbs is essential since the body needs carbs for fuel, recovery, and building muscle.

Protein (40%): You should consume 1–1.5g of protein per pound of body weight, per day. If the results aren’t satisfactory, adjust your protein intake upward every 7 to 10 days until you start seeing the results you’re seeking.

Calories (+10% variance): You should stay closer to maintenance levels, but run a slight caloric surplus particularly before and after training to encourage muscle growth.

To maintain muscle, you should monitor overall ratios and food intake on a weekly basis and adjust intake based on your activity levels to ensure you keep hard-earned muscle. Making weekly adjustments and increasing, or decreasing, caloric intake to match your daily activity levels (known as calorie cycling) will help you avoid plateaus, and can also help you avoid a dieter’s mindset of scarcity.

DAILY MACROS AND CALORIES

Fat (30%): A higher fat intake will help you recover from tough workouts, and also help you fend off hunger.

Carbs (30%): You’ll still need a high ratio of carbs for training and recovery—just not as much as you would for a bulk or clean bulk.

Protein (40%): Protein intake should remain higher than normal, so you should consume about 0.8g–1g of protein per day, per pound of body weight. You will need to keep protein intake high to prevent muscle breakdown during training.

Calories (-5% variance on rest or light days/0% variance on heavy training days): Run a slight caloric deficit on rest or light training days, then follow maintenance calories on heavy training days.

A leaning plan also uses calorie cycling to help prevent the muscle loss and plateau that often can accompany low-calorie diets. You’ll adjust your caloric intake depending on when and how hard you train. If you find you’re struggling to lose fat while on a leaning plan, try adding additional cardio to your workouts, but don’t be tempted to cut additional calories beyond the recommended variances. Cutting too many calories can send your body into starvation mode, which can stall your progress.

DAILY MACROS AND CALORIES

Fat (20%): A low dietary fat intake provides an important leaning component.

Carbs (30%): While carb intake is slightly lower, it’s still high enough to fuel your workouts and help you recover.

Protein (50%): You should keep your protein intake high at 1–1.5g of protein per pound of body weight, per day, The high protein intake can improve satiety, and help prevent your body from entering a catabolic state.

Calories (-10% variance on rest or light days/0% variance on heavy training days): Run a higher caloric deficit on rest or light training days, then follow maintenance calories on heavy training days.