How to Properly do a weight gain phase or "bulk"

Unlike weight loss, the topic of gaining weight is not as flooded with misinformation and malicious intent. Because, shockingly, not many people actually want to gain weight. Most people want to lose it.

But, if your goal is to gain weight (perfectly valid), I’ll show you how to do it the right way, and with no BS info.

Here's how to run a proper weight gain phase that puts on good size, and maintains aesthetics, from personal experience.

The Fundamentals of Gaining Weight

First, we have to understand the basics. I’ll break down the main concepts as simply as possible to avoid information overload.

Calorie Surplus

This is simply how many more calories you’re eating per day, versus the amount your body burns (maintenance calories).

You want to eat more than your body burns in this case. So if your maintenance calories is 2,000, you’d likely eat around 2,500

Why do I need a calorie surplus?



Putting your body in a calorie surplus while lifting weights allows your body to prioritize muscle gain, while also not losing much, if any, existing muscle. The tradeoff is body fat increase, which you can lose later (if you want)

Maintenance Calories

This is what your body burns per day, including exercise. You can use online calculators for this, however the best method is to use something like Cronometer (not sponsored) to calculate your maintenance calories every day individually, not getting an estimate.

This is because obviously some days you have a lot of activity, and some days you have very little. And you don’t want to eat the same every single day if you want the best results.

Protein Intake

Protein keeps you full, and helps put on muscle. The more protein the better for muscle gain, as stated through (STUDY INSERT).

More protein = you feel full more, and gain more muscle. So eat more protein (0.8-1g / lb bodyweight)

Carbs and Fats

Don’t let the internet fool you. Carbs aren’t the enemy. Neither are fats.

They are both NECESSARY macronutrients, it’s why they exist in the first place. So, eat carbs and fats in whichever balance you prefer. Could be a high fat low carb diet, balanced, or vise versa. It’s up to you.

Weight Gain Speed (VERY IMPORTANT)

This is the most important part of all. Do not skip this.

This is where people make the most mistakes that I’ve seen. That mistake is:

They gain too fast

Why is gaining weight too quickly an issue?

The higher the calorie intake or surplus, the more fat you put on. The goal is typically not just more fat, it’s to put on more muscle and fill out more. You don’t just want more fat.

So, you want to keep the surplus at 500 calories or less

Error Margins (2ND MOST IMPORTANT)

Tracking calories and exercise is kinda annoying. It’s also very hard to be accurate. And if you’re not accurate, you won’t get good results. For example, restaurants that report calories for each meal tend to have a big error margin. As well, fitness tracking apps tend to overestimate the calorie burn from an exercise.

Here’s how to be accurate:

Rules of thumb

1. Measure every bit of food you can to be accurate with calorie intake (get a food scale and measuring spoons/cups)
2. Underestimate calorie burn from exercise

Doing these two things will ensure you are hitting your targets more accurately, and you likely won’t gain weight too quickly.

Lifting weights

If you want to put on muscle, you have to be lifting weights. Focus on the 8-12 rep range, and lift with high effort.

As well, you should focus on progressive overload. This is gradually increasing the weight, reps, or sets over time. This is what actually drives muscle growth. Without it, the surplus just goes to fat. (Plotkin et al., 2022)

How long should you be in a bulk

Similar to losing body fat, a good time horizon for gaining weight is around 5-6 months.

But, you can change this based on how much weight you want to put on.

How to know when you should NOT bulk

To know if you shouldn’t bulk, I would simply look in the mirror and assess whether or not you can put on 10-20+ lbs and still be comfortable with your physique to a degree.

If that answer is no, do a short cut, get to a lower body fat, then do a longer slow weight gain phase.

What a good weight gain plan looks like

Here’s an example of a good weight gain plan. In this example, we’ll use an 185lb, 12% body fat male (John):

Nutrition

• 160+ grams of protein per day (0.8-1g / lb of bodyweight)
• Carbs and fats balanced based on preference
• 5g creatine per day
• Hitting as many micronutrient goals as possible (Cronometer again is good for this)

Surplus

• 500 or less caloric surplus per day (assuming 2,500 maintenance calories, eating around 3,000 per day).

Exercise

• Daily long walks (30-60 mins)
• Ideally, 3-5 days of weight lifting per week

Time length

• 5-6 months

End Results

• Manageable body fat range
• More size
• More muscle

Summary

Weight gain can go very wrong if you don’t know what you’re doing. So, make sure you focus on these things to get it right:

• Measure, be accurate (and honest!)
• Eat more protein
• Lift hard
• Keep your surplus 500 or below

If you get those things right, you will end up with a increased size, without an uncomfortable amount of body fat

References:

• Progressive overload without progressing load? The effects of load or repetition progression on muscular adaptations
• Protein and muscle retention: Morton et al. (2018)
• Effect of nutritional intervention on body composition and performance in elite athletes