Bulking is a concept that involves eating more calories throughout the day than you burn—in other words, staying in a calorie surplus so that you can gain additional mass to meet your specific needs and goals.
Bulking is an effective way to build extra muscle and strength. There are multiple types of bulking, such as short-term bulk, moderate-term bulk, long-term bulk, and lean bulk (which continues indefinitely).
Depending on your goals, you can approach bulking either slowly or aggressively, with both methods having their own advantages and disadvantages.
In this article, we will discuss the principles of bulking, how long you should bulk, what you should and shouldn’t eat, and the results you can expect.
How Long Should I Bulk For?
Whether you are a beginner, intermediate, or advanced fitness enthusiast, you have likely heard about both bulking and cutting.
While bulking means staying in a calorie surplus—eating more calories than you burn—cutting refers to staying in a calorie deficit, meaning eating fewer calories than you burn.
Bulking may come naturally to you or be recommended by a fitness professional. If approached with the right mindset and discipline, bulking can significantly improve your physique, strength, lifts, and muscle mass.
Let’s dive deeper into the topic and discuss how long you should bulk, depending on the type of bulk you choose and your personal goals.
Bulking 101: Learn the Basics
Bulking is about increasing your daily calorie intake to build muscle mass. Whether you are a beginner fitness enthusiast or a pro, it’s important to understand the basics of bulking to achieve your goals effectively and efficiently.
Have you ever wanted to increase muscle mass in a specific muscle group like your biceps, glutes, legs, or chest? Bulking is the key to increasing overall muscle mass in your body. So, if you’ve ever wanted bigger arms, legs, or any other part of the body, the easiest way to achieve this is through bulking, as it takes the least time and delivers the best results.
First of all, when bulking, you need to focus on whole foods, maintain a clean and healthy diet, and avoid processed and junk food as much as possible.
Many people who start bulking think it’s okay to eat fast food since it helps to gain weight, but gaining weight from processed and fast foods is quite different from gaining weight through clean, whole foods.
Junk food is filled with refined sugars, unhealthy fats, and processed carbs, which leads to a massive increase in body fat. Additionally, the low-quality protein in processed and fast foods interferes with the muscle-building process.
On the other hand, increasing your intake of clean, whole foods will lead to more lean muscle gains compared to fat, as these foods are rich in healthy fats, complex carbs, and lean proteins.
The number one recommendation when starting a bulk is to avoid processed and fast food as much as possible. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking it will be beneficial—overeating junk food can destroy all your progress, and it will be very hard to reverse.
So when bulking, eat as clean as possible to maximize lean muscle mass and minimize body fat gains. Let’s dive deeper into other crucial bulking topics.
How to Start Bulking
The first step to an effective bulk is to find out your daily calorie maintenance, and from there, plan how much you need to eat to stay in a calorie surplus.
The easiest way to calculate your daily calorie requirements is to download Workit and use the calorie calculator, which will calculate your daily needs based on your gender, age, height, and activity level. The calculator is completely FREE.
Once you’ve figured this out, you can start deciding between a clean or a dirty bulk.
- A clean bulk involves eating an extra 300-500 calories above your maintenance level. It’s a controlled approach that gives you more time to review and evaluate your progress. Based on your results, you can adjust your calorie intake accordingly.
- A dirty bulk involves eating an extra 500-800 calories, or even up to 1000+ calories, above your maintenance level. The goal of a dirty bulk is to gain weight rapidly in a short period of time, which also results in a higher fat percentage.
Depending on how you want to proceed and what your goals are, you need to choose wisely to avoid sabotaging your progress. You’ve probably heard of people bulking too fast and just gaining fat instead of muscle.
The recommended route is to start slow, preferably with a clean bulk. Review and evaluate your progress weekly or bi-weekly, ideally tracking your progress with the Workit app by uploading pictures and taking measurements.
If you find that the progress with a clean bulk doesn’t satisfy you, you can gradually increase your calorie intake and find the sweet spot that works best for you.
Types of Bulks & How Long Should You Bulk For?
Depending on the type of bulk plan you choose, it will determine how long you should bulk.
First of all, remember that increasing your calorie intake to unnatural amounts can be very problematic and unsustainable, so you should set realistic goals that align with your physical and genetic potential. (Workit’s calorie calculator is ideal for this.)
As you grow, gain weight, and increase muscle mass, your calorie surplus can turn into calorie maintenance. As you get bigger and gain more muscle, your body will burn more calories to maintain bodily functions, so if you want to continually get bigger, you will need to increase your calorie intake over time.
Now, let’s review some of the most popular types of bulks: short-term bulk, moderate-term bulk, long-term bulk, and lean bulk.
- 3-Month Bulk (Short-Term): A short-term bulk can involve gaining up to 20 lbs in three months, averaging around 10 lbs per month. This can be classified as an aggressive bulk.
- 5-Month Bulk (Moderate-Term): A 5-month bulk involves gaining up to 25 lbs over five months, or about 5 lbs per month. This is between a clean and dirty bulk and can be considered the golden middle ground.
- 7-Month Bulk (Long-Term): A long-term bulk aims to gain up to 25 lbs in seven months, which means gaining about 3.5 lbs per month. This is considered a clean bulk.
- Continuous Bulk (Lean Bulk): A lean bulk is when you eat mostly at calorie maintenance or slightly above, for example, by an extra 100 calories. The focus is primarily on increasing the weight, reps, or sets during workouts.
Remember that the target weight will be different for everyone. For those who are underweight, they may want to gain more weight during their initial bulk. However, people who are already at a healthy weight and are athletic or muscular may want to gain less overall.
It’s important to have at least a broad idea of your target weight and general appearance, as this will help guide your next steps.
The best advice for beginners or those new to bulking is to start with the 5-month or 7-month bulking plan. Starting slowly allows for adjustments as you go, and most importantly, if you feel you’ve reached your peak midway, you can simply stop and start your cut, or maintain your current weight by eating at calorie maintenance.
What To Eat During Your Bulk
Considering you are already exercising and have a foundation built, you should have some sort of nutrition plan in place, including your favorite protein sources and meals that you cook, enjoy, and eat regularly.
When you start your bulk, you don’t need to change much. The key is to amplify and slightly increase your portions so that you enter a calorie surplus.
If you’ve been eating intuitively without tracking your calorie intake, it might be a good idea to start tracking at the beginning of your bulk. This can be easily done with the Workit app, which calculates your protein and calorie goals and automatically tracks your intake and burn when you log your meals directly in the app.
There are also some tips and tricks to help you increase your protein and calorie intake during your bulk. If you struggle to meet your daily calorie requirements, a good strategy is to purchase whey protein and mix a scoop into a smoothie, which can be made in under 5 minutes.
Whey protein is one of the most well-researched fitness supplements, along with creatine. It is safe, effective, and has a great nutritional profile.
Since whey contains around 115 calories and 25g of protein per scoop, you can easily increase your daily calorie intake by mixing it into a simple smoothie. For example, combining a scoop of whey, a banana, 1 tsp of honey, milk, and 1 tbsp of peanut butter will bring the total calorie count to 411 calories and provide 33g of protein.
This may be all you need to get started on a clean bulk. (You can also add oats to the smoothie to further increase the calorie content.)
Remember that liquid calories are easier to consume for many, and if you struggle with making meals or are constantly on the go, smoothies are ideal. You can take them to work and enjoy them during the day while still getting those calories and protein in.
It’s important to maintain a balance between protein, carbohydrates, and fats. The main focus of your meals should still be protein, with the rest of the plate built around carbs and fats. You will need to increase your carbohydrate intake to meet your bulking goals, but if possible, try to incorporate more lean protein into your diet as well.
Is Bulking Different for Males and Females?
The fundamentals of bulking are exactly the same for males and females. The only difference is that men accumulate fat in different regions of the body compared to women, who store fat in other areas.
Another difference is that a woman’s weight may fluctuate more often than a man’s, as menstrual cycles can affect weight and body appearance due to bloating and increased water retention.
It is a great idea for both men and women to track their progress using the Workit app by uploading weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly progress pictures along with measurements to monitor their progress as accurately as possible.
Sudden weight changes can be alarming for many people, but having a well-documented bulking journey can prevent overthinking and worries about whether you’re doing the bulk correctly.
We recommend that both men and women try bulking for at least a month, then evaluate the progress, results, and your overall feelings towards the process. From there, you can decide whether to increase calorie intake, decrease it, or start your cut.
During a bulk, it is advisable for both males and females to exercise consistently. The success of your bulk is largely dependent on training consistency, as it ensures you stay in athletic form, retain muscle definition, and, most importantly, build muscle mass.
Indicators to Stop Bulking
A good indicator of when to stop your bulk is your overall body fat percentage, which can be calculated for FREE using the Workit app.
For men, around 20-22% body fat can be considered the peak of the bulk, and for women, between 25-26%. However, remember that these numbers are relative, and everyone carries fat differently.
For some, fat gain may be more noticeable than for others, so it’s important to approach your body uniquely and individually. If you start feeling uncomfortable in your skin, or if your bulk begins to negatively affect how you feel, it might be a good sign that it’s time to stop.
If your bulk makes you feel more tired, sluggish, or causes a decrease in confidence, it’s time to stop and switch to cutting (i.e., a calorie deficit) or start eating at calorie maintenance.
To execute all of this effectively, it’s good to have an app with the right tools. Workit can be an ideal fit for you, and all the tools you might need are completely free.
Bulking Without Fat Accumulation
Whether you do a dirty bulk or a clean bulk, accumulating a certain amount of fat is inevitable. The difference lies in the amount, as someone doing a dirty bulk will have more visible fat than someone doing a clean bulk.
This is something you shouldn’t be alarmed about. The main goal of a bulk is to either maintain your bulked look or start your cut after building muscle mass during the bulk.
The good news is that you get to keep the muscle built during the bulk, but you need to adjust the weights so you continue training at the same resistance while you weighed heavier.
It’s important to find your sweet spot—the weight range where you feel your best, most comfortable, and confident. Remember, chasing certain aesthetics is not sustainable, and your overall goal should be to feel great and live healthily. Your health should always be your first priority, not aesthetics.
Conclusion
The answer to how long you should bulk largely depends on your personal goals, fitness level, current weight, and the type of bulk you choose.
We recommend starting with a clean bulk, beginning with a slight calorie surplus of 300-500 calories, and evaluating your progress and results after a month. Ideally, track your progress with an app like Workit to measure your results as accurately as possible.
According to the data and results you gather, you can plan to either increase or decrease your calorie intake. You may also decide midway, as you evaluate your progress, that you have reached your peak and it’s time to start cutting or move to maintenance.
How long you should bulk depends on the type of bulk you choose—whether short-term, moderate-term, long-term, or lean bulk. You can approach your bulk slowly or aggressively, but whichever approach you choose, make sure to monitor your progress closely.
Eat clean during your bulk, avoid junk food, and use the tips and tricks we’ve mentioned to increase your calorie intake if you’re struggling to meet your calorie goals.
Bulking can help you completely transform your physique, build muscle mass, increase strength, and improve your lifts. It can be a game-changer for both males and females, but it requires discipline and the right mindset to avoid taking the bulk too far.
In short, you can bulk for a month, three months, five months, seven months, or continually do lean bulking, where you eat slightly above your calorie maintenance.
Always evaluate your progress and results, and ideally track your progress with the Workit app, which can be a great companion for calculating your calorie needs and tracking your progress pictures with precise measurements.