In order to gain muscle when working out, you need to consume more calories. However, the types of calories you consume matters. Eating lots of junk food could help you gain muscle, but it could also have adverse effects such as also gaining weight in fat, increasing your blood pressure and starving your organs of important nutrients.
This is why it’s healthier to clean bulk. Clean bulking involves giving your body the calories it needs, while still giving it the right balance of nutrients by not eating as many processed foods or fatty meats. Below are 7 tips for successfully clean bulking.
Use a calorie calculator
To work out exactly how many calories you need to be consuming, it’s worth using a calorie calculator. Typically, you need to work out the recommended calorie intake for your weight and then add 10 to 20% extra to accommodate calories burnt in exercise. There are ways of getting more precise than this, but this is generally not necessary unless you’re bodybuilding. Once you know how many calories you should be consuming daily, you can start looking for foods to fill this calorie count.
Know your healthy carbs
Carbs are our primary source of energy, so you need to be getting lots of these into your diet. Unfortunately not all carbs are equal – many processed sources of carbs have added sugars and may have nutrients removed. It’s best to limit refined carbs like pizza dough, pastries, white bread, processed breakfast cereals and crips. Instead, stick to unrefined ‘natural’ carbs like oatmeal, brown bread, rice, whole grain pasta and potatoes.
Know your healthy fats
Fats are also important for giving us energy, but these too need to be from the right sources. Saturated fats and trans fats found in processed junk foods should be limited. These are typically found in butter, cheese, processed meats, fried foods and creamy cakes. You can find healthy fats in foods like nuts, seeds, fish, avocado and olive oil.
Explore different lean proteins
Try to avoid very fatty cuts of meat when adopting a clean bulking diet, and these will cause you to gain fat and muscle. Chicken, turkey and fish are reliable lean options. You can still eat pork, beef and lamb, but you should try to choose leaner cuts if possible.
Be wary of sugary drinks
What you drink can have an impact on your waistline too. It’s important to stay hydrated when working out and building muscle, but you should try to stick mostly to water. Too many sugary drinks will cause you to gain fat, because your body will convert the excess sugar into fat cells.
Explore supplements
Supplements may be able to help you bulk in the right way. The likes of this hardcore bulking stack and K3 Spark Mineral can help you to gain muscle without gaining fat. Consider looking into these to help with your progress.
Be patient
Clean bulking is typically slower than dirty bulking, but you’re guaranteed to primarily build muscle and not primarily fat. Be patient when waiting for results – it can take a few weeks or even a few months before your muscles start to noticeably grow.