To achieve a successful lean bulk, you’re going to have to

eat more than you might be used to! To gain weight you
must be in a caloric surplus for most of the time. This
means – you’re consuming more energy (calories) than
you are burning. To build muscle mass while minimizing
fat gains, then you’re going to have to be much more
strategic with your nutrition.

Your calories come from macronutrients: protein,

carbohydrates, and fats. Let’s get into what each of these
do for you:

PROTEIN: 1 GRAM = 4 CALORIES

CARBOHYDRATES: 1 GRAM = 4 CALORIES
 FATS: 1 GRAM = 9 CALORIES

PROTEIN

Protein is the most important macronutrient when it comes

to burning fat and/or building muscle. Protein can be
looked at as the building blocks for your muscles. Without
protein, you will lose muscle mass and not be able to
recovery optimally. However, we do not want to have TOO
MUCH protein when bulking for a few reasons:

• Protein has a higher thermogenic effect than carbs

and fats, meaning that it requires a lot more energy to
digest and assimilate it.
• Protein also has the highest satiation effect on your
bodies compared to carbs and fats. This means that
protein makes you fuller and for longer. When losing
fat, it’s important to maintain your hunger levels to
avoid over eating and protein is your best medicine
for that. But when building muscle, having too much
protein can make it difficult to eat enough carbs and
fats to maintain a caloric surplus.
Having just the right amount of protein will set you up for
success as protein improves the nitrogen balance in your
body. In other words, protein helps to prevent catabolism
and increases the anabolic effect within your body.

CATABOLISM = BURN MUSCLE AND STORE

BODY FAT.
ANABOLISM = MUSCLE GROWTH AND BURNED
BODY FAT.

CARBOHYDRATES

Carbohydrates not only taste good but they play an

extremely vital role in any training program. Without carbs,
your body will struggle to perform at its best and struggle
to build lean muscle mass. This is because carbs are your
body’s preferred fuel source and will always be converted
into energy first by your body. Carbs provide your body
with an immediate rush of energy and the bulk of your
carbohydrates throughout the day should be consumed
prior to training and immediately post training.
Here’s how to determine the amount of carbohydrates to
consume based on your body type:

• Ectomorphs: Have trouble gaining weight and

building muscle. Find it easier to lose body fat but
unfortunately find it very difficult to pack on muscle.
• 40-60% of your calories can come from
carbohydrates.
• Mesomorphs: More muscular and find it easy to
pack on muscle. Have a medium-ability to burn body
fat.
• 30-40% of your calories can come from
carbohydrates.
• Endomorphs: Bigger build and higher body fat. Find
it easier to gain weight and store body fat. Also have
a difficult time losing weight.
• 20-30% of your calories can come from
carbohydrates and sometimes even lower than that is
ideal.

When building muscle, try to stick to the higher end of the

percentage range. For instance, an ectomorph should
shoot aim to have 50-60% of their calories come from
carbohydrates. A mesomorph should shoot for 40% and
an endomorph should shoot for 30%.

FATS

Fats also do NOT make you fat. Fats are needed in order
to build and regulate many of your hormones, such as
testosterone, estrogen, and other sex hormones. These
hormones are needed to keep you feeling good and
ensuring optimal health. Without them, you will lose the
ability to train hard and recover properly.

When creating your nutrition plan. First calculate the

amount of protein and carbohydrates you need, then fill in
the remaining calories with fats.

CREATING YOUR NUTRITION PLAN

Most people think they are eating enough but most are
actually not even eating close to the number of calories
that they need to be eating.
To build lean mass you MUST be in a caloric surplus. This
means that the calories you are consuming from carbs,
fats, and proteins combined must equal more calories than
you are burning daily.

You must first determine your TDEE, or your Total Daily

Energy Expenditure, before creating your nutrition plan.
Your TDEE = how many calories your body needs to
maintain its current body weight. TDEE factors in your
height, weight, sex, age, body fat percentage, and daily
energy expenditure to arrive at a predicated number of
baseline calories that you must consume in order to
maintain your current body weight. From there you will
either add 10-15% or subtract 10-15% from that number to
either build muscle or burn fat.

In this case, once you’ve found your TDEE, add 10-15% of

that number, to arrive at the daily number of calories you
should be consuming in order to build lean mass and
minimize fat.
 Do this every month to account for changes in both your
body fat percentage and your total weight.

You can find your TDEE by clicking ​HERE

Once you’ve found your daily caloric requirements now it’s

time to break down your calories into proteins,
carbohydrates, and fats. Here’s how:

(We’ll use an individual who weighs 200 pounds who

should be eating 3,000 calories/day as reference)

Step 1:​ Determine your protein intake by multiplying your

bodyweight x 1.0 to find your daily protein needs.

FOR EXAMPLE: 200LBS X 1.0 GRAM = 200 GRAMS

OF PROTEIN/DAY (200 GRAMS/PROTEIN * 4
CALORIES = 800 CALORIES FROM PROTEIN)
Step 2:​ Determine your carbohydrate intake based on
your body type.

• For an ectomorph: 55% x 3,000 calories = 1,650

calories. 1,650 calories/4 grams = 412.5 grams of
carbs/day
• For a mesomorph: 40% x 3,000 calories = 1,200
calories. 1,200 calories/4 grams = 300 grams of
carbs/day
• For an endomorph: 30% x 3,000 calories = 1,000
calories. 1,000 calories/4 grams = 250 grams of
carbs/day

Step 3:​ Determine your fat intake by subtracting your

protein and carbohydrates from your daily caloric
requirements.

• For an ectomorph: 3,000 calories - (800

calories/protein + 1,650 calories/carbs) = 550 calories
from fats. 550/9 = 61 grams of fat
• For a mesomorph: 3,000 calories – (800
calories/protein + 1,200 calories/carbs) = 1,000
calories from fats. 1,000/9 = 111 grams of fat
 • For an endomorph: 3,000 calories – (800
calories/protein + 1,000 calories/carbs) = 1,200
calories from fats. 1,200/9 = 133 grams of fat

Rules:

• Try to eat between 4-6 meals – dividing your

calories up evenly between meals.
• Always hit your protein goals.
• Track your calories with the MyFitnessPal app. This
is especially helpful for those of you who think you are
eating enough but aren’t gaining weight. This will help
you to see how few of calories you are actually eating!
• Do not skip out on the fruits and veggies. They are
packed with micronutrients and fiber that are
necessary to for all of the changes to happen in your
body.
• Drink 1-1.5 gallons of water daily.
• Limit or even completely remove alcohol from your
diet.
• Enjoy 3-4 cheat meals a week. This is important!
You want to indulge in some of your favorite foods
every so often to satisfy your cravings and because
 you’re bulking, you will be allowed to “cheat” more
often.

LOOK… you do not have to follow these nutrition

guidelines to the exact T but if you want the best results
then you should! I understand, that life gets in the way and
it is not always easy to meal prep and eat out while also
following your exact macronutrient needs. Try your best to
stick to them but if you can’t then here is what you can do:

• Most importantly – hit your protein requirements

daily. Without protein, you will lose muscle. It’s as
simple as that!
• Fill in the remaining calories with carbs and fats.
Luckily, you’re bulking so it’s okay to have more or
less carbs and fats in your diet than you’re supposed
to have. As long as you’re hitting your protein goals
then just make sure you are filling up the rest of your
calories enough to reach a caloric surplus.
• When traveling, choose more calorically dense
meals. Burgers, sushi, pasta, any of that good stuff,
you name it. We don’t want to be falling too short of
our calories.
• If you are not tracking with the MyFitnessPal app
then go based off of intuition. If you are too hungry,
then you’re most likely not eating enough. But don’t
mistaken your body for wanting junk food. If you’re
hungry and feel as if you can eat more whole foods,
then you probably should.