Clean Bulking: Thoughts/Experiences?

Matt_Wild

I lean bulk - it works. I've just started cutting for this year and whilst no where near flawless, I'm 271lb and still have some ab's, most of the obliques showing and a little bit of serratus anterior. Far from perfect but its possible.

Shock_Wave

I lean bulk - it works. I've just started cutting for this year and whilst no where near flawless, I'm 271lb and still have some ab's, most of the obliques showing and a little bit of serratus anterior. Far from perfect but its possible.

Nice! Looking good man. NO HOMO. :laugh:

rlmadrid

I lean bulk - it works. I've just started cutting for this year and whilst no where near flawless, I'm 271lb and still have some ab's, most of the obliques showing and a little bit of serratus anterior. Far from perfect but its possible.

I was thinking in OP's case it may be easier to start with the bulk/cut cycle because she is fairly new to the concept. It may be beneficial to focus solely on strength and muscle gains (1 pound a week max weight gain) then try to cut down. You're the expert so correct me if I'm wrong but I certainly found it easier to monitor progress this way when I was first starting lifting.

Also can you link to a credible site with more information on lean bulking? My curiosity has peaked and there is a lot of conflicting information on the Google.

DostThouEven

lift weights with mostly compound exercises, training progressively, eating adequate protein and fat, with enough calories to gain about 2lbs\month (man).

FootballGamer58

clean bulking is mostly a myth, i normally hear this from people who want to get muscular but are afraid to eat more food. There is three types of eating.

Eating at a caloric deficit= weight loss
Maintainence= same
Eating at a caloric surplus= weight gain

Matt_Wild

clean bulking is mostly a myth, i normally hear this from people who want to get muscular but are afraid to eat more food. There is three types of eating.

Eating at a caloric deficit= weight loss
Maintainence= same
Eating at a caloric surplus= weight gain

Its not a myth.

FootballGamer58

clean bulking is mostly a myth, i normally hear this from people who want to get muscular but are afraid to eat more food. There is three types of eating.

Eating at a caloric deficit= weight loss
Maintainence= same
Eating at a caloric surplus= weight gain

Its not a myth.

a lot of people say that about myths

mmapags

You need a small calorie surplus, nearly flawless diet, and a spot-on lifting program. Frankly it's easier, and probably overall faster to "just" bulk, and the cut fat later.

Yup. All these plans that try to bulk without any fat gain just look like wheel spinning to me and don't really accomplish either with any degree of success.

Shock_Wave

You need a small calorie surplus, nearly flawless diet, and a spot-on lifting program. Frankly it's easier, and probably overall faster to "just" bulk, and the cut fat later.

Yup. All these plans that try to bulk without any fat gain just look like wheel spinning to me and don't really accomplish either with any degree of success.

Clean= healthy foods and not processed foods or high sugary foods i.e. doughnuts..etc
Bulking= eating at a surplus of calories.. Of course you are going to gain weight muscle and fat.

Nobody in this thread said without fat gain.

ETA: Now re composition diets are still possible but very hard, tedious, and slow(gain muscle lose fat) and it does peak out unlike bulking. To raise this peak its more effective with the assistance of performance enhancement drugs.

taso42

Seems there's a terminology discrepancy. I thought the common usage of "Clean Bulk" is to bulk while minimizing fat gain.. Ideally to gain mass, but keep body fat percent roughly constant.

Shock_Wave

Seems there's a terminology discrepancy. I thought the common usage of "Clean Bulk" is to bulk while minimizing fat gain.. Ideally to gain mass, but keep body fat percent roughly constant.

Read my edit. Your talking about body recomposition.

FootballGamer58

yeah maybe theres a terminology disconnect.

Shock_Wave

yeah maybe theres a terminology disconnect.

Read my edit. Your talking about body recomposition.

taso42

Seems there's a terminology discrepancy. I thought the common usage of "Clean Bulk" is to bulk while minimizing fat gain.. Ideally to gain mass, but keep body fat percent roughly constant.

Read my edit. Your talking about body recomposition.

body recomp i think more of keeping body weight constant but decreasing body fat percent

mmapags

You need a small calorie surplus, nearly flawless diet, and a spot-on lifting program. Frankly it's easier, and probably overall faster to "just" bulk, and the cut fat later.

Yup. All these plans that try to bulk without any fat gain just look like wheel spinning to me and don't really accomplish either with any degree of success.

Clean= healthy foods and not processed foods or high sugary foods i.e. doughnuts..etc
Bulking= eating at a surplus of calories.. Of course you are going to gain weight muscle and fat.

Nobody in this thread said without fat gain.

ETA: Now re composition diets are still possible but very hard, tedious, and slow(gain muscle lose fat) and it does peak out. To raise this peak its more effective with the assistance of performance enhancement drugs.

I had the same assumption as Taso. I very well may have misunderstood. I think of clean bulk and recomp as the same thing.

Shock_Wave

Seems there's a terminology discrepancy. I thought the common usage of "Clean Bulk" is to bulk while minimizing fat gain.. Ideally to gain mass, but keep body fat percent roughly constant.

Read my edit. Your talking about body recomposition.

body recomp i think more of keeping body weight constant but decreasing body fat percent

Yes it can be used this way too.

LolBroScience

clean bulking is mostly a myth, i normally hear this from people who want to get muscular but are afraid to eat more food. There is three types of eating.

Eating at a caloric deficit= weight loss
Maintainence= same
Eating at a caloric surplus= weight gain

Its not a myth.

a lot of people say that about myths

Not really.... ideally it is eating just slightly over maintenance so you do gain weight, but in a rather slow manner. What is the point of adding 4 lbs a month when you're only going to come out with 1 lb being muscle anyway?

Shock_Wave

Here is my example. This year instead of traditionally bulking to 230+ lbs I did a re composition diet that will end this Saturday. So far I have gained 2+lbs of muscle and lost several % of fat. I will know exactly how much this Saturday.

13 wk recomp. cycle
wk1 11/26/12 = 214lbs
wk2 12/03/12 = 216lbs
wk3 12/10/12 = 219lbs
wk4 12/17/12 = 220lbs
wk5 12/24/12 = 222lbs
wk6 12/31/12 = 224lbs
wk7 01/07/13 = 222lbs
wk8 01/28/13 = 219lbs
wk 9 02/04/13 = 218lbs
wk 10 02/11/13 = 220lbs
wk 11 02/18/13 = 219lbs
wk 12 02/26/13 = 217lbs

mmapags

Here is my example. This year instead of traditionally bulking to 230+ lbs I did a re composition diet that will end this Saturday. So far I have gained 2lbs of muscle and lost several % of fat. I will know exactly how much this Saturday.

13 wk recomp. cycle
wk1 11/26/12 = 214lbs
wk2 12/03/12 = 216lbs
wk3 12/10/12 = 219lbs
wk4 12/17/12 = 220lbs
wk5 12/24/12 = 222lbs
wk6 12/31/12 = 224lbs
wk7 01/07/13 = 222lbs
wk8 01/28/13 = 219lbs
wk 9 02/04/13 = 218lbs
wk 10 02/11/13 = 220lbs
wk 11 02/18/13 = 219lbs
wk 12 02/26/13 = 217lbs

What did the diet peice look like?

Shock_Wave

Here is my example. This year instead of traditionally bulking to 230+ lbs I did a re composition diet that will end this Saturday. So far I have gained 2lbs of muscle and lost several % of fat. I will know exactly how much this Saturday.

13 wk recomp. cycle
wk1 11/26/12 = 214lbs
wk2 12/03/12 = 216lbs
wk3 12/10/12 = 219lbs
wk4 12/17/12 = 220lbs
wk5 12/24/12 = 222lbs
wk6 12/31/12 = 224lbs
wk7 01/07/13 = 222lbs
wk8 01/28/13 = 219lbs
wk 9 02/04/13 = 218lbs
wk 10 02/11/13 = 220lbs
wk 11 02/18/13 = 219lbs
wk 12 02/26/13 = 217lbs

What did the diet peice look like?

There's a lot to it but my diet remained mostly constant other than a upping 10 or 20 cals or decreasing those cals here and there according to my weight gains or losses. Notice like I said how it peaks out...Then it drops back down. That's the course the re composition took me.