Bulking seems to be the main goal of most gym-goers through the colder months, to pack on some muscle ready for a summer shred, but there’s two different ways of going about it. Bulking is essentially just gaining weight, ideally through muscle growth, but this also constitutes some degree of fat gain simultaneously. Dirty bulking refers to the idea that eating a lot of calories, regardless of the macronutrient breakdown can result in increased size and strength, so, tied together with being the easier method, it seems the reasonable choice. Clean bulking is the reverse, and involves creating a calorie surplus with healthy balanced foods, resulting in minimal fat-gain, with optimal muscle growth. It can certainly be said that both of these methods can have decent results on your body, but which should you choose? Let’s take a look at each.
A dirty bulk usually means eating more or less whatever you like as long as it's in excess of your daily calorie requirements, in an attempt to maximise muscle gains. Dirty bulking means eating beyond your comfort levels. For example, dirty bulking is choosing an extra large pizza instead of a regular. It's heading off to Mcdonalds for each snack. It's drinking sugary drinks and fatty milkshakes. It's smothering everything in peanut butter or nutella and eating Ben and Jerry's pints of ice cream before bed! It sounds amazing, I know, but it’s usually not an enjoyable experience as it’s very uncomfortable on the body to consume so many bad calories.
Pros of Dirty Bulking:
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Counting your macronutrients is not really an issue, as the goal is simply to over-eat as many calories as possible.
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There is no concern or regard for what you’re eating, only how much of it you’re eating!
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You may gain more strength and muscle growth. This has certainly not been scientifically proven, and many experts disagree.
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You will likely see results sooner, as your growth will be more rapid with vastly excessive calorie surplus.
Cons of Dirty Bulking:
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You will certainly look less muscular. Dirty bulking will encourage your body to store more fat, reducing your muscle definition.
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If you want to look good for summer, or for a show, you will need to cut heavily. Not only is this difficult and time consuming, but it reduces the time in the year you could be using for muscle growth.
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Your lifestyle will be far less healthy, consuming unhealthy foods, having effects on your internal organs, your skin and much more.
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Doctors will advise that large and rapid fluctuations in your body weight is unhealthy, and certainly not advisable.
A clean bulk involves being wary of over consuming calories beyond the necessary amount to gain muscle. Clean bulking is staying consistent on high volumes of chicken, rice and broccoli. Clean bulking is allowing yourself one cheat meal per week, and feeling guilty after eating that big pizza! Clean Bulking is reaching for the full-fat milk, but adding it to your tracker to make sure it fits within your macronutrient allowances. Clean bulking is less enjoyable than dirty bulking in the way that you have to think more about what you’re eating, but you will definitely feel better for it.
Pros of Clean Bulking:
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You tend to look decent all through the year!
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You’re able to find the right eating routine, and stick to it for very long periods of time, making things much easier.
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A healthy balanced diet means less/no skin issues caused by excessive fats and sugars.
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If you balance your diet well, you will still be able to eat some treats, cakes, biscuits, takeaways etc, just in moderation!
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Looking good all year round is definitely better for your piece of mind, as well as your motivation in the gym. Even the smallest improvements to muscle definition and growth will be more apparent as your body fat percentage will be lower.
Cons of Clean Bulking:
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Eating plenty can be a challenge, due to getting full faster.
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You may feel weaker when only over-eating by a small margin, than were you to drastically over-eat.
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You’re limited to what foods you can and can’t eat.
So there you have it, a relatively clear-cut breakdown of Clean and Dirty bulking. I would completely recommend Clean Bulking over Dirty bulking. If you have the patience and the discipline, it is far healthier for you, and your gains will stand the test of time better than Dirty bulking gains!
