Setting up your first bulk

Should you bulk at all?

Worth checking honestly, because a great many first bulks are unnecessary.

A surplus makes sense if:

• You are lean or average in body fat and want to be noticeably bigger.
• You have been training consistently for at least three months with a programme you can progress.
• Your lifts have been going up and have now slowed while eating at maintenance.
• You are underweight, or find it hard to gain weight generally.

Do something else if:

• You are new to lifting. Your first six months produce visible change at maintenance — see why the first six months matter.
• You have fat you want to lose. Bulking on top of it makes the eventual cut much longer.
• Your training is not progressing. Fix the programme first. Calories cannot substitute for a stimulus.
• You just want permission to eat more. A legitimate desire, but call it what it is and eat at maintenance.

Step one: baseline

1. Track for two weeks without changing anything. Most people who "cannot gain weight" discover they eat 1,800 kcal on some days and 3,200 on others, averaging maintenance.
2. Weigh daily, average weekly.
3. Check your training is progressing. Look at your logbook. If the weights have not moved in eight weeks, that is the problem to solve first — see what to do when a lift stalls.
4. Take photos and a waist measurement. The waist is how you will know if the surplus has drifted too high.

Step two: the numbers

Worked example, 70 kg, maintenance measured at 2,400 kcal, first bulk:

• Calories: 2,400 + 300 = 2,700 kcal
• Protein: 1.8 g/kg = 126 g
• Fat: 28% of calories = 84 g
• Carbohydrate: remainder = 390 g
• Target rate: 0.4% of body weight ≈ 280 g per week
• Fibre: 25–30 g

That works out to roughly 1.2 kg a month, or about 5 kg over an 18-week block — of which a first-year lifter might expect 3 kg or so to be muscle.

Step three: make the training count

This is the part that distinguishes a bulk from overeating, and it is where most first attempts are weakest.

• Progress something every week. Weight, reps, or sets. If nothing has moved in a month, the surplus is being wasted — see progressive overload.
• Log every session. You cannot progress what you do not record. This is the core of what MyFitsy does: last session's weights are on screen when you start the next one.
• Use the extra recovery capacity. A surplus is the right time to add volume — a couple of sets per muscle per week — since you can recover from more.
• Train each muscle at least twice a week. See training frequency.
• Do not stop conditioning entirely. Some cardio keeps your fitness and appetite regulation intact, and does not meaningfully impede growth.

Step four: weekly review

Every Sunday, five minutes:

1. Weekly average weight versus last week. On target, too fast, or too slow?
2. Did the lifts move? The most important question of the four.
3. Waist measurement every two weeks. If it is growing faster than your lifts are, the surplus is too big.
4. Adjust by 100–150 kcal if the rate has been off for two or three weeks.

Common adjustments:

• Gaining too fast: reduce by 150 kcal, usually from fat or added oils.
• Not gaining: add 150–200 kcal. Also check whether your activity has risen.
• Gaining but lifts flat: the programme is the problem, not the food.
• Waist growing quickly: reduce the surplus regardless of what the scale says.

The mistakes that cost the most

• Too large a surplus. The default error. 500–1,000 kcal over gets you a longer cut, not more muscle.
• Not progressing the training. The surplus does nothing on its own.
• Bulking from too high a starting body fat. Partitioning is worse and the cut afterwards is long.
• Reading the daily scale. Weight jumps 1–2 kg on more food, mostly glycogen and water — see why the scale lies day to day.
• Bulking indefinitely. Set an end point before you start.
• Neglecting sleep. Poor sleep in a surplus tilts the gain toward fat — see sleep and strength.
• Abandoning vegetables and fibre. Digestion and health both suffer for no gain.

Common questions

How long should my first bulk be?

16–20 weeks, then maintenance for a while, then decide.

How much weight should I expect to gain?

At 0.4% a week, about 5 kg over eighteen weeks for a 70 kg person.

Will I get fat?

You will gain some fat. At a moderate rate it is a modest amount and straightforward to remove.

Do I need to eat more protein while bulking?

No. 1.6–2.2 g/kg is sufficient; protein needs are higher in a deficit, not a surplus.

Should I do cardio while bulking?

Some, yes. It maintains fitness and appetite regulation and does not meaningfully impair growth at reasonable volumes.

What if I cannot eat that much?

Use denser foods and liquid calories — see eating enough when you have no appetite.

What comes after the bulk?

Maintenance, for at least a few weeks, then a cut if you want one — see maintenance: the phase nobody plans.

The practical version

• Two weeks of baseline tracking, and check your training is actually progressing first.
• Maintenance plus 250–350 kcal; protein 1.6–2.2 g/kg; fat about 28% of calories.
• Target 0.35–0.5% of body weight per week — roughly 5 kg over eighteen weeks.
• Progress something in training every week, and log every session.
• Review weekly: average weight, lifts, and waist every fortnight.
• Set an end point before you start, and plan the maintenance phase after it.