What is the best way to build muscle without gaining too much fat?

kontehhalima

I want to build muscle on my glutes but after some research I've learned that it is inevitable to build muscle without gaining some fat. I tend to gain fat around my waist, arms, and boobs unfortunately and would like to prevent gaining too much fat and focus more on building the glutes. I've been lifting by doing barbell split squats, barbell squats, deadlifts, hip thrusts, etc and then 20min of cardio after. I know i can cut after i bulk but I worked so hard to shrink my waist down to about 26in and would hate for it to get bigger, but I really want my glutes to get bigger at the same time so idk what to do😭.

IronIsMyTherapy

Slowly add calories and see how you respond, in the mirror, on the scale and performance lifting. I add 100 cals/day and go a week or two, then add more. When I see the mirror or scale respond too quickly, I ease off. You want to be in a small surplus and an emphasis on quality food helps. Basically, be patient and keep in mind that increasing calories is actually beneficial for when you want to cut again. You cant just reduce calories forever.

sardelsa

Keep the surplus small (150-250cals over maintenance), get adequate protein (0.8-1g per lb bodyweight/lean body mass), follow a progressive hypertrophy program with focus on the glutes (make sure you are working them at least 2-3x per week)

Also starting off fairly lean helps.

Honestly if you want to grow the glutes most optimally you will have to deal with a bit of fat gain. Try not to focus on the definition disappearing or compare to your leanest self. Take measurements, progress photos, track your workout performance.

kontehhalima

sardelsa wrote: »

Keep the surplus small (150-250cals over maintenance), get adequate protein (0.8-1g per lb bodyweight/lean body mass), follow a progressive hypertrophy program with focus on the glutes (make sure you are working them at least 2-3x per week)

Also starting off fairly lean helps.

Honestly if you want to grow the glutes most optimally you will have to deal with a bit of fat gain. Try not to focus on the definition disappearing or compare to your leanest self. Take measurements, progress photos, track your workout performance.

Thanks for the advice! I'm pretty much working out 3-4 times a week with an emphasis on glutes and eating about 130g of protein. My surplus might be too large because I'm eating at a 500 calorie surplus which is 2500 calories a day. I might lower it down to 2200 but still eat about 130g of protein a day.