Nothing is more sought after than gaining muscle without turning into a clone of Jabba the Hutt. Except maybe gaining muscle and losing Jabba the Hutt love handles at the same time.
The former is usually called “clean bulking.” I never really did enjoy the term “clean bulk,” but I’m lightening up to it. It’s not that you scrub your foods down with soap or anything. “Clean” simply means that your muscular gains aren’t escorted by “garbage” fat.
The latter is usually called a “recomposition.” Sounds cool, but it’s truly the most difficult line to walk when it comes to changing body composition and considerably tougher than the clean bulk.
There are a lot of people out there that say both the clean bulk and the recomposition are impossible. From my own experiences, they aren’t. But have a few theories as to why people say they are:
- Because the majority of people that try them fail.
- Because the majority of people don’t know how to do them.
- Because it’s much more complicated than standard bulking and cutting.
- Because it takes longer to explain (much, much longer) and that would make for an overly crowded inbox.
The widely accepted idea is that the body can’t build muscle and lose fat simultaneously. (Simultaneously isn’t the best word to use here, as you will see in the coming days…) But considering the body is forever running through a host of contradictory processes through out the day, it’s silly to say that it’s impossible to gain muscle and not gain body fat.
There are common mistakes made when trying to clean bulk though. They’re a little too common to tell you the truth. I know because I made them myself. If my 2006 self could look at how my 2013 self does things, it would punch me in the face.
“You’re crazy! You eat rice? You eat…carbs? You don’t do more than three meaningful sets per exercise? You actually do bicep curls? You hate HIIT?”
All things my 2006 self wants my 2012 self to explain.
If you’re familiar with me, you know how I approach body composition.
1. Get to your solid base.
2. Gain muscle slowly from there.
There’s nothing about getting fat in there.
Now, you probably hear whispers from those that have done a traditional bulk, have gained a bunch of muscle, and have seen great success. But I’m beginning to think that traditional bulking is reserved for those that have right genetics for it — the genetics that have an aversion to body fat.
For skinny-fat sufferers (and those of a lesser genetic totem), the clean bulk is all we have. Otherwise we get caught in purgatory: bulk, get fat, gain a little muscle….cut, get lean, lose nearly all our muscle.
So the clean bulk is a pretty big deal.
For the next few weeks, I’m going to be posting why post people fail with their clean bulking efforts. So if this is something that interests you, stick around. It will be a good time.
So what do you think?
Clean bulk – possible?
Recomposition — possible?
I do think they’re all possible. The biggest thing is that many people just don’t want to work hard, and for goals of building (or finding if you’re losing fat) a great body, nothing will be easy.
It isn’t easy, I agree.
I made a recomp plan and stuck with it for a few weeks. It’s tough because you have to be so accountable. I broke down three days into 18 four hour blocks and each block had its own objectives. At the end, I started over. I hated the whole thing. It seemed like a full time job. I just tell people that recomp is almost a fantasy, unless I know they’re super anal about everything. As for the clean bulk, I’m ashamed to even say this here, but I’m 180lbs and I eat 300 carbs a day and don’t put on fat. Don’t hit me!
Anyway, I love your work, dude. Keep it up, and good luck!
I eat more than 300g most days…
As for recomp, I don’t think it has to be that complex. I don’t think it should, actually. You need longer blocks. Two per day. One fat loss, one muscle. On days you don’t train, only one.
I think recomposition is entirely possible. The catch is, you’re better off not shooting for a specific end date(wedding, spring break, summer). Recomposition fits more comfortably into the lifestyle category. Your blogs have taught me so damn much. In the age of information overload, it’s that much harder to NOT over think! But when you obey the laws of common sense, overtime, things fall into place. The most successful changes I’ve ever made took place when I stopped searching for the magic potion. I made health a priority. I slept. I got a handle on stress. I knew what I should be eating. I made training enjoyable but still challenging. I ate when I was hungry. And suddenly, after years of being frustrated, I had put on a few pounds of muscle and lost fat. Without counting macros or calories. It just happened. Looking back, yeah it probably took eight or nine months, and I wasn’t absolutely shredded or a jacked out of my old clothes, but so what. I wasn’t stressing the whole time about the ideal training or diet programs. When I read your skinny fat solution articles I could totally relate! Thanks for all the great info, man.
You are wiser than I.
Ha I wish. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve finished one of your posts, slapped my forehead, and said “this guy’s a genius.” Your article on t-nation completely changed my outlook! Until then, I thought I was alone and doomed to a life of skinny fatness lol!
Just don’t slap yourself so hard you forget to come back.
Hello
As a classic endo-meso i am very interested in “clean”bulking.
So easy for me to gain mass, both kinds!Poliqun says it’s possible and i think Kelley Baggett concurs with him although to get there thgey take different approaches.
Brandon
Awesome Brandon. Keep visiting
I like the nutritional approach that Jason Ferruggia/ Nate Miyaki use for bulking. It has been working well for me. You just can’t get impatient.
8 WEEK TO A HOT BOD!!@?@?@
The majesty and illusiveness that is the “clean” bulk…
I do not see why either a clean bulk or a recomp is not possible with discipline, a lot of knowledge/planning and a lot of awareness.
I also think patience plays a big role. Most people are looking for results at the fastest rate possible. Yet, when it comes to something as delicate as a recomp, time (and timing) are huge factors in yielding results.
*cue Bane voice* You think the clean bulk is your ally. You merely adopted the clean bulk. I was born into it, molded by it. I hadn’t seen a bulk or cut poll until I was already a man. By then it was nothing to me but blinding.
I jest. I usually clean bulk during the winter months when my race schedule is limited. Its a nice time to get some PR’s on my lifts. I think it’s definitely possible with consistency and self-awareness. I never really grasped the traditional “eat anything and everything at every hour” bulk. To me it’s conceptually unsound. It’s like saying you gotta lift heavy to get big so put 405 on the bench and do it. What do I know though?
- Ian
Ha, well for those that are absolutely hinged on strength as fast as possible a bulk makes sense. For most of us though, not really.
I tried to do a clean bulk and just got fat. Very depressing.
Tried being the key word there I suppose.
Yeah I need to know what to do. Please help.
Leanette, I spend a lot of time producing the posts I have available for no charge to you on this blog. Use them as your guide posts.
Sorry, man, I had a weak moment.
Northing worse than having to ‘bulk’ in the off season to then diet down come ‘beach weather’ and lose all of your muscle in the process.
Gradual body recomp is the way to go. Stay lean and slowly add muscle.
Everyone wants ‘fast results’ but if they come in the form of unnecessary fat gains in the process, it just isn’t worth it.
Not at all, I agree.
I believe it is possible to gain muscle and lose fat in the same PERIOD of time, but not at the exact same moment. I have actually lost 20lbs in the past three months while increasing all my major lifts and I’m no longer considered a noob. While I can’t measure whether or not I have gained any muscle, I certainly haven’t lost any.
5 days of the week I am at a small caloric surplus, maybe 200 calories above. Much more will always be pointless given that the body can only produce around 12g muscle/day or so. One day of the week I hit a large caloric deficit by fasting, and another day during the week I cut out most carbs and hit a caloric deficit of around 1000. So each week I actually manage to gain strength little by little on the days that count and hit a LARGE deficit on just one day.
Additionally my metabolism hasn’t taken a beating because I’m still eating a good amount of calories 5x a week.
Yup. This is a good strategy.
Hey — Anthony, could you list what you eat on an avg. day to get to 300g of protein?
I’m having a hard time visualizing what it looks like.
I don’t usually hit 300g. 200-250. Check out “The Diet to End All Diets” post of mine.
i did it myself, i even did this without holy ” big 3 squats deadlifts and bench press”, i did thiis only with a split bodybuilding type of program. if you need an evidence for your upcoming essays you can email me man, i got a very detailed boty fat percentage test sheet i got from my nutritionist, i think the key is carb cycling and muscle memory thing, because i was back in the gym after 2 years of layoff.
i was 63 kgs 17.5% bf, went to 66 kg 12% bf in just 3 months.
Well yea, “beginners” of those coming back from a layoff will find these 100x easier than most everyone else that’s going at it regularly.
In my view it is all about the carbs—and starchy ones at that. But one must first get insulin sensitive by removing many of them for a time. Then, when one re-introduces them, it does not have the same fattening effect, but rather helps well the muscle.
Still, this is a tricky line to walk, and one might revert, but I think the trick lies in the starchy carbs management–not in lots of protein or lots of exercise.
From what i understand one can over time with the correct diet , training and supplementation “improve” one insulin sensitivity . Once this is established then one can “bulk” without fat deposition. Just an idea.
More details, please, on how this works?
It’s coming in the posts.
Yeah, I agree. This is basically my “get to a solid base” plea.
I think this is individual. To lose weight you’re going to have to cut your energy nutrients (carbs or fats). I think losing fat is the biggest factor in insulin sensitivity. This can be done low carb or even mediocre carb if you control total calories and keep everything else in check.
I absolutely agree, Get Lean – Go from there
Bulk clean Yes and Recomp Yes. But it’s done by being consistent in your training and nutrition and having a shit load of patience.
I agree.
Sorry above Louie IxV says the same thing just did not read it first.
Brandon, I think that is the key. Too few guys invest the proper time to get this squared-away first because it is hard to do, and usually requires patience and loss of apparent size, and strength (in the lifts if already experienced).
The other thing I have found to work, but did not believe it at first, is the timing of the carbs to the post-workout window. If the training is hard enough, the carbs there can be massive and starchy. But again, I think it is for naught if one does not get first sensitized to this approach with the carbs.
It does take some time, but I’m not sure how long the magical post workout window is. Overall, I think carb intake should depend on your overall scheme. This can get deep as I’m sure you know hah.
#Firstpost. I’m probably not the first to thank-you Anthony for your generosity in helping the fellow skinny-fat regain confidence in themselves and go live the life that they always wanted to live. That said, my gratitude is no less. Your words are efficient, thought-provoking and above all motivating.
I’ve come to believe that a clean bulk is possible and that for it to occur, I agree that one needs to have a “solid-base” first. My question is, do you need to reach your desired appearance at the solid-base state body fat wise (albeit one that has less muscular mass)? Say I aimed for ~12% BF, would that need to be my starting BF at the Solid-Base level and then go on adding muscle mass from there, adjusting as I go to retain that BF level? Doing a cut of sorts before the clean bulk
.
Well yea, you have to get down to your solid base before you clean bulk. I’m not sure if that’s what you’re asking though, your question is tough to understand.
Thanks for the kind words.
I’ve been on a weight training (5×5) program for 3 months (noob). My weight stayed exactly the same but my body is transforming (recomposing). I am definitely gaining muscle and I can only assume at the expense of fat. What else can I be losing? I tried to gain weight (I’m around 145lbs at 5’9) but for some reason I just can’t seem to eat enough.
I’m actually amazed at what the body is doing. Muscles are popping up all over (traps? lats? what???). Mid rift still has stupid skinnyfatness going on. Some lovehandles and a bit of belly are sticking around (it’s like a slab’o'meat on top of actually defined abs). I think my back still has some fat but again, muscles are starting to pop up and balance the fat. As a person of science it’s really fascinating to me to watch how the whole biological machine operates.
Not trying to make any point, just wanted to share my experience. Thanks for the blog by the way, just subscribed.
Thanks for the reply. Beginners do have this kind of fortune. Soak it up
Excellent information Anthony.
I wasn’t born with good genetics, but so far i’ve been going slowly putting weight on myself without getting fat, the last year i gained 8-9 lbs and staying at a 8.5%-9% BF
I’m actually working out 4 times a week, with a combination of GST Oly Lifting and movement, i weight 163lb at 5’11″, and eating aprox 3500-3800 cal/day.
There’s something i think is a ey in the recomposition phase: movement.
keeping always busy, walking, working, just resting and sitting when needed has given to me that body composition. this year i’m planning to get to 173 lbs at the same bf level..
I have learned a lot, a LOT! from your blog and others (Miyaki’s one) and i love the way you work…
Greetings from Mexico dude, hope everything be great overthere…
Thanks man.
I’m not sure if movement is key though. I’m rather lazy and immobile because of my job duties. I think it just comes down to being motivated enough to train consistently.