The Science of Bulking

The Science of Bulking ⭕️

Should you bulk? There are definitely many schools of thought, and while an exogenous surplus is not necessary (in some cases), it is certainly useful if we want to maximize hypertrophic results (and not play around). ⁣
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Newbies, obese individuals and detrained ones, don’t ‘need’ a caloric surplus to gain/regain muscles, and while the same can even be done in specific circumstances even for more advanced athletes, there’s no doubt that a constant extra energy facilitates the process.⁣
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While precise recommendations remain unclear due to the many variables that play a role (such as age, genetics, prior training experience, sex, body composition and adaptation to the surplus), practitioners are recommended to increase their intake by 300 to 500 calories/day. That should be enough for most, but it should obviously be adjusted based on the individual response in terms performance and bodyweight measurements (depending on the desired % of weight gain we want to achieve weekly/monthly).
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Protein intake should be kept around 1.6-2.2g x kg of bw (0.7-1g x lb of bw) to maximize muscle gains. While more is definitely not a ‘bad thing’, it’s not necessary. It may help people with a big appetite keep their hunger at bay thanks to protein’s satiating effect. ⁣
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Carbs & Fats can more or less ‘fill the gap’, in a sense: both macros seem to produce similar results in body comp when calories are matched, however, it’s a good idea to keep carbs higher when the goal is maximizing performance. ⁣
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On the other hand, keeping fats high could help reach the total caloric goal for the day and stay in a caloric surplus. (recommended for the so called ‘hard gainers’). ⁣