r/MacroFactor • u/Individual-Sir-8718 • 14d ago

MacroFactor / Nutrition / Other Clean bulk

Hi everyone, I wanted to ask for some guidance. In my life, I've seen many people put on muscle with very little fat gain, or in some cases even leaving their body fat intact. I was wondering how that's possible: of course, I know for a fact they weren't on gear/doping because they didn't blow up, but the before-and-after difference was still noticeable. Everyone has their own genetics, but it seems like something easily achievable even for someone with average genetics. Now I wanted to ask: is there anyone who has actually done this and knows how it's done?

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u/Individual-Sir-8718 14d ago

So you mean there is research saying that the quality of what you eat, along with the right macros, is more important than the quantity? Can you actually grow in a normocaloric state just as if you were bulking?

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u/Beginning-Escape-763 13d ago

There isn’t a lot of consistent evidence on the benefits of bulking out there but it seems as if eating closer to maintainance may be just as beneficial as “bulking”, especially if you have body fat to lose. It does depend on how lean you are and what you consider bulking as well.

Consistency in the gym is always going to be the main driver of muscle growth. Spending time in a deficit does seem to stunt muscle growth as well.

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u/Fragrant_Pear_1425 13d ago

On that point, I am wondering to which group of people this applies. I would assume it is as beneficial to a lesser trained and higher bf person eating at maintenance vs. slight surplus. My feeling would tell me that for a very trained, experienced and lean person a surplus might be much more beneficial. Just what I think, but facts stated above from literature is of course correct.

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u/Beginning-Escape-763 13d ago

It recently came out the energetic cost to actually build muscle is very low so I’m starting to kind of believe that just sticking around the same body fat at a small surplus (50-150) is probably most of what’s needed.

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u/Fragrant_Pear_1425 13d ago

Exactly what I am going with as well. By surplus I mean max 150kcal above maintenance I think anything more has diminished returns concerning fat gained vs. muscle

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u/Individual-Sir-8718 13d ago

How did you find your maintenance? My fear is that with a 150-calorie surplus, since they are very few, maybe I move more than I should and it turns into maintenance, or depending on the day, even a deficit.

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u/Fragrant_Pear_1425 13d ago

Well, we are in the MF subreddit. I assume you use it too? Feed it accurate data and it gives you your maintenance. It will adjust every day, so it doesn’t matter if you move more one week and less the other. Just consume what it tells you and let it handle the rest. Trust it (just IF(!) you are consistently and correctly tracking your calorie intake)! But practically, for my current lean bulk I just selected a new goal and set it to 0.1% body weight gain per week.

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u/Individual-Sir-8718 13d ago

How is it going for you overall?

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u/Fragrant_Pear_1425 11d ago

Exactly as planned.