How do I bulk without gaining too much fat?

Eat about 10 to 20 percent above your maintenance calories and aim to gain roughly 0.25 to 0.5 percent of your body weight a week, which is the range a review of bodybuilding nutrition recommends for beginners and intermediates. Keep protein at about 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilogram, train hard with progressive overload, and adjust calories every few weeks from your weight trend.

1. Find your maintenance. Use a TDEE calculator for a start, then confirm it by holding your weight steady for two weeks.
2. Add a small surplus. Eat about 10 to 20 percent more. More experienced lifters should stay near the lower end.
3. Hit your protein. About 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilogram of body weight a day, spread over three to six meals.
4. Train for progress. Add weight or reps over time on a plan that trains each muscle about twice a week.
5. Check the trend. If you're gaining faster than about 0.5 percent of your weight a week, trim 100 to 200 calories a day.

Why slower is better

Your body can only build muscle so fast. Extra calories beyond what it can use mostly become fat. A 2019 review of off-season nutrition for natural bodybuilders recommends a surplus of about 10 to 20 percent, aiming to gain about 0.25 to 0.5 percent of body weight a week, and a smaller surplus for advanced lifters.

What that looks like

For someone who weighs 75 kg (165 lb) with a maintenance of 2,600 calories:

Signs to adjust

• Weight climbing too fast: cut back 100 to 200 calories a day.
• Weight not moving for two or three weeks: add 100 to 200.
• Strength stalling: check sleep, protein and your training plan before eating more.
• Waist growing much faster than lifts: slow the surplus.