Good Ways To Gain Muscle – Bulking is when you eat extra calories to give your body the nutrients it needs to grow. Not everyone has to start with volume. If you are a fat beginner or an overweight beginner, you can get the energy you need from excess body fat.
The problem with bulking is that it increases the risk of fat gain. Any extra calories that aren’t invested in muscle growth can end up as body fat. That’s why many people are afraid of it. These concerns are mostly unfounded, but I understand the skepticism.
Good Ways To Gain Muscle

In the rest of this article, we will dive into the research, explain why extra calories improve muscle growth, and then teach you how to gain weight.
How To Gain Weight For Muscle Gain — The Bodybuilding Dietitians
There are several different ways to define volume. When someone criticizes the bulkiness, they usually use one of the less favorable definitions. So before we can discuss the pros and cons, we need to get on the same page about what bulking actually means.
This definition should burn most straws. If someone says volume makes you fat, they are talking about dream volume. If they say “bulking” is better than bulking, they are talking about the benefits of bulking without fat.
I started out underweight at 6’2 and 130 lbs and my goal was to gain 20 lbs of muscle and get to 150 lbs. I have a small stomach, a small appetite and a fast metabolism so the last thing I wanted to do was was scope. However, my goal was to gain weight. I had to.
If I were 150 pounds thinner, I might take a different approach. I can try to burn fat and replace it with muscle and maintain the same body weight. This worked for a while.
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When I got to 150 pounds, I realized I wanted to be 170 pounds. Then at 170 lbs I decided to try 190 lbs. And then I really wanted a 3-plate bench press and a 5-plate deadlift, so I pushed it a little further. This is how I gradually went from 130 pounds to 200 pounds.
I was able to build muscle with bulk. In the last ten years I have spent 2-3 years hoarding. That’s when I made all my progress. Over the next 7-8 years I gained weight and ate a healthy diet but gained absolutely no muscle. I’m not an overweight beginner, so I can’t gain weight or build muscle without extra calories from my diet.
Your stomach they have excess body fat, so their bodies do not fight to keep it (learn, learn).

For example, this study found that most people who lifted weights, did aerobic exercise, and ate a calorie-restricted diet were able to build muscle while losing fat. We see it all the time in our members. When people need to lose excess fat, they can build muscle and lose it at the same time.
How To Lean Bulk Without Gaining Fat — Digital Barbell
Gaining muscle while cutting is real, it just keeps getting slower and harder. There are several reasons for this:
It’s easier to build muscle when you’re in a caloric deficit. Everything goes more smoothly. Nothing is suppressed. You can build muscle by following a good hypertrophy training program, eating a nutritious diet, getting enough sleep, and improving your lifestyle.
For example, this study found that participants who followed an exercise, diet and lifestyle regimen were able to gain muscle and lose fat while maintaining the same body weight. In fact, if we look at overweight beginners, it is not clear that it is
If you are currently below 15-20% body fat, you are not overweight, so you do not have “extra” fat. Your body doesn’t necessarily want to lose what little you have. You may still be able to regenerate your body, but the process will be longer, slower and more complicated.
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However, it cannot be made forever. Eventually you will run out of excess fat. One day you will hit a plateau. Then it’s time for a mass pileup.
Most bodybuilders, powerlifters and athletes go through periods of deliberate weight gain. Bodybuilders call it the “off-season,” powerlifters call it the “bulking phase,” and casual athletes call it the “bulking season.”
Multiple studies show a rapid increase in lean muscle mass when participants eat in a caloric surplus, while those who eat at maintenance barely gain anything.

For example, in this 8-week study, some participants were given a mass gainer shake and pushed into a calorie surplus. They gained 7.5 pounds of lean mass while losing 0.5 pounds of fat. A control group increased weights but were not told to increase their calorie intake. They failed to gain a significant amount of muscle mass.
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Most studies show that most muscle growth comes from bulk. For example, when researching whether keto is good for bulking, we found this study:
Participants following a ketogenic diet are unable to consume excess calories and therefore have trouble gaining muscle even though they follow a good bulking program. The high-carb group was able to eat enough calories to gain three pounds of lean mass in eight weeks.
There is a lot of evidence to show that muscle growth is faster during bulking. This study recommends a caloric surplus of at least 200-300 calories to maximize muscle growth. In this study, they recommended a calorie surplus of at least 350-500 calories per day to maximize muscle growth.
Let’s return to the three ideal volumetric methods. If you can understand the pros and cons of each, you can choose the way that is best for you.
Ways To Build Muscle [without Lifting Weights]
I have tried all the different voluminous styles. My business partner, Marco (above), gained 63 pounds while getting his health science degree and strength training certification.
My roommates gathered. My little sister has gained weight. My wife got bigger (above). And we’ve helped more than 10,000 other skinny people. No one knows band better than we do.
Here is one of our members, Eddie, who decided to celebrate his 60th birthday. He was quite lean, which allowed him to breed aggressively without gaining too much fat, at least for the first few months before he joined his rookie.
I can say that I was once an average weightlifter with a successful weightlifter. At this point I had gone from 130 to 150 pounds. This shows me to add another £25, bringing the volume to £175:
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Like Eddie, I opted for aggressive volume. Over the course of three months, I gained just under 25 kilos, making me close to average
And I’m not eccentric either. We have a lot of average lifters who choose to do more aggressive weights. For example, Johnny gains more than a pound a week for five months:
But what you will notice is that all of our members have a few things in common:
And that brings us to the net increase in volume. With lean bulks, we are still trying to build muscle, but we are slowing down the rate of gain to reduce the risk of excessive calories converted to fat gain. Here is a good example:
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Mickey gains a pound a week. The speed is less than half of the more aggressive bulkers. But it is still enough to gain 20 pounds in a year, and you are less likely to gain a significant amount of fat. Is it better than aggressive stacking? Maybe. It depends on the person.
Another example is Abusha. While he was traveling for work, he had to pay a lot and pay himself with what was available food and supplies. He moved at a slow pace in order to maintain small gains in the difficult conditions. It worked great:
Most people can build muscle without bulking up. They are overweight, this extra fat is full of energy that can be invested in muscle growth. This condition is called body recombination. There is no need to bulk up until you are healthy and/or have reached an unbeatable level of strength.
Skinny people need to bulk up to build muscle. If you are thin, you do not have extra energy. What little fat you have is stored for emergencies. Your body does not want to invest them in muscle growth. If you want to build muscle, you need to gain weight. You have to join.
Proven Ways To Build Muscle
Excess energy stored as body fat If you’re new to lifting weights, eating right, or living a healthy lifestyle, you should be able to gain muscle while losing fat at least for a while. Once you’ve reached a healthy body fat percentage and/or are trying to gradually increase your heavy weights, you can consider bulking up.
Well, that’s all for now. If you want more information on building muscle, we have a great newsletter for naturally lean people. For a complete basic bulking program, including a 5-month total body workout plan, diet guide, recipe book and online coaching, check out our Bony to BeastlyBulking program. Or if you want a customizable program for moderate volume, check out our Outlift program.
Shane Duquette is the founder of Outlift, Bony to Beastly and Bony to Bombshell, each with millions of followers. He is a Certified Fitness Coach (CCC), has gained seventy pounds and has over ten years of experience.
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