Clean Bulking for Strength and Size [EXPERT GUIDE]

Over the past couple of years, there has been a huge new switch in the health and fitness industry. Many people are now starting to question the food that we consume, the benefits of eating a traditional diet and the many ways you can train.

One of the biggest changes we are starting to see is the rise of clean eating and especially clean bulking.

It used to be that if you wanted to bulk you would simply start by increasing your calories drastically. You would begin by finding your base caloric consumption and increase that by around 30-40%. Consuming any food you wanted on a daily basis.

There was a general disregard for the type of food you eat – and the basis for this disregard was that since you were bulking you could virtually eat anything without any consequences.

Now, I am not here to say that bulking is a bad thing – because it’s not. Yet, like many methods in health and fitness, there are always ways we can improve the experience. There are always ways that we can optimize our strength and size.

In this guide, I am going to break down the benefits and methods for clean bulking in hopes that you will begin to understand the importance of a clean and well-balanced diet.

Benefits of Clean Bulking

We know that bulking is a method for packing on weight as fast as possible. This means eating any and all processed foods to increase the caloric consumption each day. Clean bulking, on the other hand, is a method for bulking that is slightly different. Instead of consuming whatever calories we want, when we engage in clean bulking we consume only the best whole-foods possible.

Here are the major benefits of clean bulking:

Better Calories – Better Lean Muscle

The first and most obvious benefit to clean bulking is the better development of muscle. When you are clean bulking, only eating the best possible foods you will be providing your body with a clean source of nutrients at which it can draw from for development of muscle and other tissue.

This is like putting only the best gasoline in your car – the performance will undoubtedly increase.

Of course, there are many factors like what you did in your training session and how you live your life from the perspective of lifestyle factors (smoking, alcohol, walking etc.) but the food you put in your body has one of the largest impacts on your overall performance.

Easier to Cut Weight

Following a traditional bulk, the weight will always be slightly difficult to remove. Your body is not accustomed to a surplus of calories, and when you start to remove these calories the body will still demand fuel. In some cases, the body will hold onto the nutrients you consumed during a bulk and when you start to cut the body can actually become slightly catabolic.

A clean bulk, on the other hand, may not have as much of a downside. From experience, clean bulks are way easier to cut weight from and I have never heard of people losing muscle on the cut. This is likely due to the first point – regarding a developing a better lean muscle level than on a normal bulk.

How to Clean Bulk for Strength and Size

Now that you understand the benefits for clean bulking you might be wondering what the best methods for accomplishing this would be. Clean bulking is all about sticking to your major food groups and limiting any and all processed foods.

Here’s how you can push size, without putting your health in a detriment.

Consume Lean Proteins

Again, this might seem obvious, but you’d be really surprised the type of protein most people consume. Consuming lean protein sources like fish, beans, legumes and some meats will provide your body with the best source of amino acids without all the unnecessary dietary cholesterol or saturated fats.

Trust me, your body will thank you for the better proteins in the long run, and the extra glutamine you get from plant sources like lentils and oatmeal will help to maintain muscle development when you are cutting from your bulk.

Complex Carbs are King

Simple carbs are great for putting on weight. In fact, most weight gainers (weight gainer protein powders) will contain a huge amount of simple carbs like maltodextrin or a waxy maize.

If you didn’t know, these are basically the simple forms of corn – perhaps the highest processed food in North America – I’d avoid this stuff at all costs.

Instead, consume complex carbs that are rich in micronutrients and fibre. This will not only help to keep you regular but it will help to provide a very good amount of hormone regulation – which is essential for muscle development and general health.

Your best complex carbs are oats, sprouted grains, fruit and vegetables. Consuming these in excess will provide your body with a very concentrated source of nutrition to help push you further without damaging your body.

Think About Fat Intake

Fat intake is the one nutrient where the discussion is still open. On one account, consuming healthy fats from nuts and fish can be a great way to obtain omega fatty acids and other nutrients, but on the other hand, very few studies have shown that a high-fat diet can truly be healthy for you.

When it comes to fat I always like to keep my intake low. 15-20% of your daily total calories from fat sources will be enough to help sustain muscle without making it next to impossible to cut down on weight.

Clean Bulking Macro Split

Understanding which foods to eat is important. Understanding that whole-foods will provide your body with a much better source of calories for your development is essential in the gym – but the best way to improve your strength is through a manipulation of your macronutrients – that is, fat, protein and carbs.

Your best bet for hitting strength and size during a clean bulk is with a 45/35/20 split.

That is 45% carbs, 35% protein and 20% fat. This will help to provide you with a plentiful amount of good carbs, a very healthy source of protein and a minimal amount of fat.

Supplement Intentionally

The last and what some would say is the most important aspect to bulking – intentional supplementation. When you are supplementing for a bulk you always want to look for products that are going to help you recover faster and increase your anabolic states. This will help you to grow and pack on weight without having to be a huge keener on every calorie you eat.

My suggestion for a clean and strong bulk would be a combination of D-Bal and Testo-Max from Crazy-Bulk. Both of these products are from the Crazy-Bulk Bulking Stack and they help to stimulate huge muscle development, faster recovery and an increase in total testosterone.

For more information or to buy your own bulking stack visit this link.

Related: How to Bulk: Do’s and Don’ts of Bulking

Gabriello Ianniruberto

Gabriello is a writer and strength expert best known for his science-based and practical approach to Exercise Physiology, Nutrition and Strength. After serving in a directors position for The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology Gabriello moved towards writing to help more people understand the importance of living a healthy life. Gabriello’s writings have been published in several languages on some of the largest health and fitness websites helping people learn, grow and understand the complex components of optimizing human performance in a simplistic way.

Gabriello also takes on specialized, high-performance athletes who are in need of strength, mobility and conditioning programming to optimize their fitness through his Earned Fitness program.

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