Bulking: how big a calorie surplus?

// What the research shows

According to the ISSN position standPosition stand An official statement by a professional society summarising the evidence on a topic. More in the glossary → (Aragon et al., 2017), targeted muscle gain requires a sustained calorie surplus. Its size, composition and the person's training status all influence the outcome. Helms et al. (2023) randomized trained lifters to maintenance, a 5% and a 15% surplus. After 8 weeks there was no clear advantage of the bigger surplus for muscle thickness, but there was for fat: the 15% group gained more fat. Only in the bench press did it gain more strength. The authors conclude that faster weight gain mainly speeds up fat gain.

// In practice

• Start with a small surplus, about 5% above maintenance, i.e. roughly 130 kcal at 2,600 kcal.
• Weigh yourself regularly and watch the weekly average. If it rises fast, much of it is fat.
• Training close to failureMuscular failure The point where, despite full effort, you can't complete another clean rep. More in the glossary → and enough protein matter more than eating as much as possible.

// Limitations & open questions

The study was small (17 people completed it after COVID reduced the sample) and lasted only 8 weeks. For the biceps, the most trained muscle, there was weak evidence that more weight gain brought slightly more muscle. Results could differ for beginners or very advanced lifters.

// Sources

• Einzelstudie 2023Helms et al. – Small and large energy surpluses: strength, muscle and skinfold thickness in trained individuals (Sports Med Open) ↗cite
• Positionspapier 2017Aragon et al. – ISSN position stand: diets and body composition (JISSN) ↗cite

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