How to Gain Muscle Without Gaining Fat

When you think of bulking, you probably think of the huge meat heads at the gym that seem like they live off of nothing but protein shakes, steroids, and the blood of their enemies. Women often have this misconception that bulking will make them look huge. That couldn't be further from the truth. It has the power to transform your body and help you reach your fitness goals. Here are six tips for how to bulk without gaining weight:

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1. EAT!

In order to gain muscle you have to be in a caloric surplus. This means eating more calories than you burn. I know this can sound counterintuitive if your goal is to look fit and lean, but it's so important.

Not eating enough will stall your progress. The last thing you want to do is work hard at the gym and not see any gains. I know it can be scary, but trust me you won't gain 10 pounds in a week.

If you've been restricting your calories for a while, try slowly increasing them. Adding 100-200 calories a week gives your body and mind time to adjust to the extra food.

For example. let's say you've been eating 1200 calories a day (which is way too low). With your weight and activity level, in order to be in a 500 calorie a day surplus, you need to eat 2300 calories. Here's an example of how you might adjust your intake:

Week 1: 1200 kcal

Week 2: 1350 kcal

Week 3: 1500 kcal

Week 4: 1700 kcal

Week 5: 1900 kcal

Week 6: 2300 kcal

...Then stay there for the rest of your bulking cycle, which should be at least a few months.

2. Eat healthy foods.

While eating in a surplus, there's so much more room to fit unhealthy foods into your diet. Remember that your body still needs nutrients! Not to sound like a nagging mom, but seriously eat your vegetables. It might be fun to eat only Ben and Jerry's; however, your body won't thank you for it.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't treat yourself, It just means you should do it in moderation. I like to go by the 80/20 rule.

I know sometimes it can be a struggle to get enough calories from nutrient dense foods, so here's a list of some of my favorite higher calorie foods:

- Avocado

-Protein smoothies

- Oatmeal

- Pasta

- Peanut butter

- Nuts

- Bananas

- Olive oil

- Cheese

- Sweet potatoes

3. Don't go overboard.

Eating in a calorie surplus is important. That doesn't mean you should just eat anything and everything, though. In order to gain muscle without gaining fat, you need to use moderation. The reason that some people gain a lot of weight during a bulk is that they simply go overboard. You should be eating about 500 calories over maintenance. Obviously if you're eating 5,000 calories a day, all of that isn't going straight to your muscles (unless you're The Rock). Again, remember the 80/20 rule.

This can be especially challenging if you've been restricting your calories for a long time. If you've been eating 1200 calories a day, you're most likely hungry a lot and depriving yourself of your favorite foods. Finally increasing to a healthy amount can sometimes turn into a binge. If that does happen, remember that it happens to everyone sometimes. Don't beat yourself up, and just get back on track the next day. No big deal.

4. Make your workouts challenging.

In order for your muscles to grow, you have to challenge them. Gaining muscle is actually simple. Crazy expensive supplements and magic pills aren't necessary. Calorie surplus and progressive overload are all you need. Progressive overload is basically gradually making your workouts harder as you adapt. When squatting 100lb. becomes easy, then start squatting 105lb. and so on. Remember the reason you're eating more is to fuel your muscles, so it's useless if your muscles don't need that fuel.

It's easy to get in the habit of just going through the motions. A good way to judge if you're pushing yourself enough is the RPE scale (rate of perceived exertion). After your workout, be honest with yourself. Ask yourself how tired you are on a scale of 1 to 10. If you're only at a 4-6, that's a god sign you need to make your workouts harder.

After each exercise, I like to ask myself how many repetitions I am away from failure. Let's say I do a set of 8 squats. Right after the eighth one, I realize that I could probably do another 10 before I start compromising my form. I'll know that it's time to increase my weight. I try to only be about 2-3 reps away from failure.

5. Do a mini cut.

If you REALLY feel like you're gaining fat, then adding a mini cut to a bulking cycle can be super helpful.

A mini cut is basically taking a break from eating in a surplus to eat in a caloric deficit for about 1-3 weeks. It's a great way to stay lean, while still putting on muscle. I usually do a few months of bulking, a 2 week mini cut, and then repeat.

6. Don't stress about the scale.

Muscle has weight. It's easy to look at the scale and freak out when you see the number going up. Don't. In my opinion, the scale is never really an accurate way to track progress. It's an especially bad method to use when you're trying to gain muscle.

Try taking your measurements or using progress pictures instead. Unlike the scale, they show exactly how your body is changing.

My Thoughts

As a female, I know the idea of lifting heavy weights and eating more food is terrifying at first. I used to always eat in a caloric deficit. I was always trying to lose weight. Then one day I just got fucking tired of being hungry all the time. I realized I already didn't like my body the way it was, so why not try something new? I slowly started to bulk and focus on gaining muscle. It was one of the best things I've ever done. I realized I don't have to be hungry all the time. I don't have to constantly obsess over making myself smaller. I can be strong. I can be confident. I can eat without feeling guilty. If I can help just one girl realize that I'll be happy.

Gaining weight is cool.