If you consider your activity levels moderate-high (which I am assuming that most of you will if you are trying to bulk), the recommended intake of carbohydrates would be 4g per kg of bodyweight.įor someone who weighs 80kg, that would be 320g of carbohydrates.Īnother way to set your macros would be based on the percentage of your total caloric intake.įor bulking, you want your carbohydrates to be somewhere around 40% of your total caloric intake.įor example, if your bulking calories are 3,000, 40% would be 300g of carbohydrates. The biggest factor in setting your carbohydrate intake is going to be your activity level:įor someone who is not very active, the general rule of thumb is 2g of carbohydrates per kg of bodyweight.įor someone who is considered a high-performance athlete, recommendations increase to 7g of carbohydrates per kg of bodyweight.
Because we are focusing on bulking lean mass, with minimal fat gain, we want to make sure that we still somewhat control our carbohydrate intake. That being said, carbohydrates can turn easily to fat if we eat more than we need to fuel our daily activities. Ĭarbohydrates are very important for a bulk, as they are our body’s primary energy source and used to fuel training sessions, which is where the muscle building happens. Related: Check out our article on the 7 Best Breakfast Ideas (With Calorie Breakdown).
The recommended protein intake for most healthy individuals doing a bulk is 2-2.5g/kg of bodyweight.įor someone who weighs 80kg, that would mean 160 – 200g of protein. You want to start by setting your protein intake because it should be set based on your bodyweight, rather than a set ratio of your calories. Protein is essential for building and preserving muscle mass, and therefore very important during a bulk. Related Article: Foods to Avoid When Building Muscle So what is the best ratio of macros to use when bulking?
Step 2: Find Your Macro Ratios For Bulking Related Article: What To Eat After Fasted Cardio? (5 Things To Know) Therefore the ratios of your macronutrients are also very important for the success of a bulk. That’s because the way that the body digests and metabolizes energy from carbohydrates, protein and fats is different. Now, setting your calories is one thing, but not all calories are necessarily created equal. We’ll get into this a bit later on, but this is why you only want to increase your intake by 10% of your TDEE before you’re able to collect enough data to identify trends in your progress. To get a better understanding of what your true TDEE is, we need to have a look at trends in body weight, physical changes, body fat percentages and training progressions. This calculation is not entirely accurate though.Ĭalculating your caloric intake based on your theoretical TDEE is just that, theoretical. įor example, if my calculated TDEE came out to be 2,500 calories, I would want to start my bulk at 2,750 calories (2500 calories X 0.1 = 250 calories). To calculate your TDEE, you can simply input your personal stats into an online calculator like this one. This would mean you would have to calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) and increase that number by 10%. You’ll want to start with a caloric surplus of at least 10%. So how much of a caloric surplus is required in order to successfully ‘bulk?’ This assumes you want to focus on increasing your lean mass (muscle) and limit the amount of body fat that you add in the process. So in order to do this, a bulk requires eating in a caloric surplus so that your muscles have a strong environment to grow in.įor the purposes of this article, I’m going to focus on a ‘clean bulk.’ The purpose of a bulk is to increase your body mass. If you are taking in more calories than you are burning in a day, you will be in a caloric surplus that will lead to muscle and/or fat gain. Step 1: Determine How Many Calories You Should You Eat When Bulking
In this article, I will provide a detailed step-by-step guideline so you can understand what will work best for you. The above recommendations are only general ranges for active individuals. So, what should your calories and macros be when bulking? You should be in a 10% caloric surplus, with 2-2.5g of protein per kg of bodyweight, 4-7g of carbohydrates per kg of bodyweight and 0.5-2g of fat per kg of bodyweight.Īs a nutritionist, I have done extensive research on the most optimal caloric and macronutrient intake for people with a goal of adding lean mass or bulking. Some attention should still be given to your calories and macronutrients. Well, that’s not going to be the most efficient or healthy way to put on quality lean mass. To some, this will look like eating whatever you want and as much as you want to gain weight as fast as possible. Cutting season comes to an end, maybe you just finished a bodybuilding show, are giving your body a break from dieting or want to build some muscle and get stronger quickly.