If you're aiming for a bulkier physique rather than a lean one, you've probably started exploring weight gain techniques to pack on pounds. Bulking, in general, means eating in a calorie surplus so that your body has the fuel to build muscle.
The "dirty bulk" is a method to eat more calories and gain weight by consuming foods like pizza, pastries, pasta, and burgers. This bulking type requires calories at all costs, meaning eating as much as you can as quickly as you can. Weightlifters sometimes use this method briefly, then enter a "cut" phase to convert the extra weight into toned muscles.
Dirty Bulk vs. Lean Bulk
In the bodybuilding and fitness community, dirty bulking is positioned as the opposite technique to clean bulking. A “clean” or lean bulk means gradually increasing your calories to put on weight slowly and in a controlled manner. Usually, during a clean bulk, you add on 200-500 extra daily calories to increase your food intake and slowly put on weight. Typically, lean bulking is a more sustainable technique, since it doesn’t require you to stuff your face, but rather focuses on incremental caloric increases every day.
The problem with a “dirty bulk” is that yes, you’ll gain muscle, but you’ll also pack on a lot of fat. A clean bulk avoids that by focusing on whole, nutrient-dense foods rather than junk, a controlled calorie surplus (usually 200-500 extra calories above maintenance, not 1000+), and macronutrient balance to ensure your muscles get the protein they need, plus enough carbs and fats for fuel.
Dirty Bulking-Pros
Food Freedom
This method lets you eat basically whatever you want for a set period. If you love sweets or pizza, a dirty bulk encourages you to go for it. Dirty bulkers do not usually track macronutrients or evaluate the ingredients of what they’re eating; it’s just about eating as much as possible. If you’re someone who struggles with restrictive eating patterns, this can be a way to break out of limiting habits and allow yourself to enjoy eating things that you like without rules.
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Weight Gain
It seems simple, but yes, dirty bulking will generally make you gain weight. All that matters here is taking in more calories than you burn. Nevertheless, scientific research on this subject shows that a dirty bulk doesn’t necessarily have a positive correlation with putting on more muscle than a clean bulk. This misconception comes from the idea that dirty bulking makes you gain “more weight,” but you will usually just gain more body fat. Weight can be increased either through steady caloric increases or through unrestricted excess eating.
Dirty Bulking-Cons
Fat Gain
Because of the nature of the foods you eat during a dirty bulk, you’re more likely to increase your body fat through high-fat-content or junk foods. Excess fat, especially visceral abdominal fat (fat that surrounds the internal organs), has been linked to health conditions including metabolic diseases, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and even sleep apnea. Eating unhealthy foods for a long time can negatively impact your health.
May Make Athletic Performance Worse
Junk food can make you tired. Eating foods that are not macro and micronutrient dense can make you feel sleepy or unmotivated. This can cause sluggishness or lack of interest in performing or completing workouts. So, while you would be gaining the weight that you want, a lack of exercise while bulking will not let you effectively channel this weight gain into building healthy muscle.
Overall Poor Health Outcomes
Highly processed or junk foods are low in things like dietary fiber. Fiber is important for processes like blood sugar stabilization, the digestive cycle, and waste elimination. Too little fiber can cause you to feel bloated, constipated, or overall unwell. You will also likely be lacking in essential vitamins, minerals, pre-and probiotics, and the other necessary dietary elements that contribute to a feeling of good health.
Can Affect Blood Values
Along with the potential for excessive fat gain, there are other possible negative health effects to consider. When following a dirty bulk, the intake of processed carbs and saturated fats is usually rather high. Consuming too many of these foods has been associated with elevated cholesterol and blood sugar levels, leading to an increased risk of health conditions like high blood pressure, stroke, cancer, and diabetes. It’s important to note that most studies on the topic have been conducted in non-exercising individuals. Though starting a dirty bulk may increase your short-term risk of certain health conditions, resuming a nutritious, unprocessed diet will likely undo these effects. The best way to monitor these important health markers is to have a blood test at least once per year, along with a physical. More frequent testing may be beneficial if you have a history of a certain health condition.
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How to Dirty Bulk
If your heart is set on dirty bulking, try to approach it by adding some “dirty” foods to a “clean” diet. Although the idea of “good” and “bad” foods can be detrimental, focusing primarily on whole foods like lean protein, leafy greens, fruits, and complex carbohydrates is a good rule of thumb for most healthy individuals unless advised by a medical professional. To add a “dirty” approach to an otherwise healthy diet, you can add things like desserts or more snack foods to push your overall daily calories up. That being said, it may not be a good idea to down 7 burger patties covered in cheese at every meal! Aim for variety in your diet to cover all the major food groups and get your macronutrients in. After that, if you’re looking to gain weight, feel free to cheat with a few less healthy meals or snacks here and there. As part of an otherwise balanced diet, most research shows that it is okay to incorporate snack foods. Although researchers still need to uncover additional evidence on snack foods, some studies indicate that high-sugar, high-fat snack foods may contribute to weight gain or have no impact on weight.
Dirty Bulk-What to Eat
What should you eat on a dirty bulk? In this type of bulking program, “anything and everything” is the answer. That being said, if you can afford to, stick with high-protein food options to promote muscle growth.
These include things like:
- Lean meat
- Chicken
- Turkey
- Tofu
- Fish
Many weightlifters who follow dirty bulking programs also gravitate toward protein supplementation. During a dirty bulk, the main focus is to gain as much weight as possible in a short time. People make personal choices and increase their calorie intake when they eat. If any food makes you feel bad, don't force yourself to eat it for more calories. You can eat your usual calories one day and then eat more calories the next day without gaining weight.
Foods to Eat
- High protein foods, such as red meat, fish, poultry, dairy, tofu, tempeh
- Protein powders
- High-calorie mass gain powders
- Breakfast cereals
- Cereal bars
- Fruits and vegetables
- High carb dishes
- Baked goods
- Pizza pasta
- Nuts and nut butters
- Cheeses
- Whole eggs
- Avocados
- Fast food
Foods to Avoid
- Low calorie, diet, or sugar-free foods
- Foods that may cause negative health effects when eaten in large quantities, such as liver, Brazil nuts, and mercury-containing fish
Most foods are permitted while following a dirty bulk, though you may want to restrict some for various reasons.
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Should I Dirty Bulk?
How and how quickly you bulk is down to a matter of personal preference. Although we don’t recommend consuming high-cholesterol foods in excess for long periods of time, some degree of dirty bulking can be effective if you are purely focused on gaining weight.
There are a few categories of people who may find dirty bulking beneficial, or at least can use it to jumpstart a healthier gaining program. These include:
People with Overactive Metabolisms
Everyone has metabolic function differences. Although most people tend to struggle with weight loss, some people struggle to gain weight. This can be attributed to lifestyle factors, age, hormonal issues, and genetics. Some chronically slim people find the seeming inability to pack on weight frustrating, especially among young men, where a somewhat bulky frame is socially desirable. In the bodybuilding community, those who train hard but can’t put on weight are referred to as “hard gainers.” These individuals can benefit from dirty bulking to gain mass since their issue is that they’re not consuming enough calories to gain or even occasionally maintain weight. Many teenagers may fall into the fast metabolism category, but here we do not recommend dirty bulking. Keep in mind that if you are in your teens you are still growing and should follow a healthy diet. Only generally healthy adults should attempt this type of diet.
Competitive Athletes
Competitive athletes have different calorie needs than the average Joe. This is especially true if they are involved in weight-based sports. Martial arts, boxing, and wrestling, for example, all require athletes to “make weight,” or fit into a specific weight range to be paired up against an opponent of similar size. Although these highly trained individuals frequently go to all types of measures, like wearing sweat suits or wrapping themselves in siran wrap to cut weight before events (many of which are dangerous), the opposite is true and some competitive athletes find themselves needing to bulk up quickly. Because these athletes usually have trainers and sports nutritionists to supervise their progress and make sure they’re not getting too much cholesterol.
Who Should Not Dirty Bulk
As a general rule, dirty bulking is not advisable over a long period of time. Although it can be an effective way to increase your calorie count and often see some gains, the drawbacks from a health perspective could catch up with you in the future. Because this diet does not restrict the types of food you eat, lifters also focus on cheap, calorie-dense, and fat-laden foods like pizza, burgers, and milkshakes to pack on quick pounds.
Are these foods okay to eat once in a while? Yes. If junk food doesn’t make up the bulk of your diet, you can absolutely enjoy it on occasion in a healthy way. Foods with too much salt, fat, and cholesterol on a frequent basis, however, are tied to negative health outcomes, including heart attack and stroke. We advise aiming to eat a primarily health-food-based diet, including leafy greens, lean protein, and complex carbs. If you eat junk food, make sure you are consuming it mindfully and in smaller portions.
Clean Bulking as an Alternative
For those looking to gain muscle mass without excessive amounts of body fat, there is an alternative to dirty bulking, which is often referred to as “clean bulking” or simply “bulking.” When following a clean bulking approach, the goal is still to eat a calorie surplus with plenty of protein, though high calorie, processed, sugary foods are restricted. A calorie surplus of 500 calories is usually a good place to start to promote muscle gains. The majority of the diet is made up of calorie- and nutrient-dense whole foods, such as rice, nuts, nut butters, red meats, salmon, dried fruit, avocados, healthy cereals, whole eggs, and full-fat dairy products. Some ways to ensure a sufficient calorie intake on a clean bulk include loading up on healthy fats, increasing your portion sizes, and surrounding workouts with plenty of carbs. To ensure progress, it may be helpful to track your macronutrient intake - the protein, carbs, and fat you eat - and your weight to make adjustments to the diet as needed.
The Building Blocks of a Clean Bulk Meal Plan
- Aim for about 0.7-1 gram of protein per pound of body weight daily. This ensures your body has enough amino acids to repair and grow muscle.
- Carbs aren’t the enemy here, in fact, they’re your main training fuel. They replenish glycogen stores and give you energy to lift heavy and recover well.
- Fats support hormones like testosterone, which are critical for muscle growth. Keep them in the mix but focus on healthier fats.
Bulking Meal Plan (7-Day Guide)
Having a structured meal plan makes bulking much easier. Here’s a full, 7-day weight gain meal plan:
Day 1
- Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with spinach and whole-wheat toast.
- Snack: Greek yogurt with almonds and honey.
- Lunch: Grilled chicken with quinoa and roasted asparagus.
- Snack: Apple slices with peanut butter.
- Dinner: Baked salmon with sweet potato and steamed broccoli.
Day 2
- Breakfast: Protein pancakes with blueberries.
- Snack: Hard-boiled eggs with hummus.
- Lunch: Turkey wrap with avocado and whole wheat tortilla.
- Snack: Protein smoothie with banana and spinach.
- Dinner: Grilled steak with brown rice and stir-fried vegetables.
Day 3
- Breakfast: Overnight oats with chia seeds and berries.
- Snack: Rice cakes with peanut butter.
- Lunch: Quinoa salad with grilled shrimp.
- Snack: Protein bar and nuts.
- Dinner: Ground beef stir-fry with brown rice.
Day 4
- Breakfast: Avocado toast with poached eggs.
- Snack: Cottage cheese with pineapple.
- Lunch: Grilled chicken with quinoa.
- Snack: Rice crackers with guacamole.
- Dinner: Baked cod with roasted Brussels sprouts.
Day 5
- Breakfast: Protein smoothie bowl with banana and almond butter.
- Snack: Almonds and a protein shake.
- Lunch: Turkey meatballs with whole-wheat pasta.
- Snack: Veggie sticks with hummus.
- Dinner: Grilled chicken skewers with quinoa tabbouleh.
Day 6
- Breakfast: Tofu scramble with whole wheat toast.
- Snack: Greek yogurt with granola.
- Lunch: Tuna salad lettuce wraps.
- Snack: Protein smoothie with mango.
- Dinner: Baked turkey breast with roasted sweet potatoes.
Day 7
- Breakfast: Protein waffles with mixed berries.
- Snack: Hard-boiled eggs with cherry tomatoes.
- Lunch: Grilled shrimp with brown rice and vegetables.
- Snack: Greek yogurt with cinnamon and almonds.
- Dinner: Baked chicken thighs with quinoa salad.
Bulking Meal Prep Tips
- Cook In Bulk: Cooking in bulk saves time, reduces stress, and ensures meals are ready when hunger strikes. Preparing large portions of proteins like chicken, steak, or tofu at the start of the week means fewer daily cooking sessions and more consistency with nutrition.
- Plan Your Grocery Shopping: Heading to the grocery store with a plan ensures that every meal is built around high-quality, nutrient-dense ingredients. A well-thought-out shopping list helps prevent impulse purchases and keeps meal prep on track.
- Invest In Storage Containers: Good meal prep starts with proper storage. Investing in high-quality, BPA-free meal prep containers keeps food fresh, organized, and easy to grab.
- Use Healthy Fats To Boost Calories: Healthy fats are a simple way to add extra calories without drastically increasing meal volume. Avocados, olive oil, nuts, and seeds provide essential nutrients while keeping meals satisfying and flavorful.
- Don’t Skip Veggies: Vegetables are just as important as protein and carbs in a bulking meal plan. They provide fiber for digestion, essential vitamins and minerals, and help regulate inflammation and recovery.
Big Picture
Dirty bulking means eating excess calories to gain weight. Here, however, the source of calories doesn’t matter. You can eat as much pizza and as many fries as you like. This often leads to more junk food consumption, including a lot of fat, which may have adverse cardiovascular effects in the long term. Dirty bulking typically also leads to a quicker intake of calories so you put on mass more rapidly.
Lean bulking (aka clean bulking), on the other hand, means nourishing your body with healthy foods to bulk up. Usually, this process is sustainable and takes place over several months.
Remember that everyone's body responds differently, so it may take some experimentation to find the approach that works best for you. Consistency and patience are key in your bulking process.