What is lean bulking?

Lean bulking, sometimes called clean bulking, is a term used in the fitness and bodybuilding community to describe gaining muscle mass while minimizing the amount of fat gained during the process.

Traditional bulking requires eating a surplus of calories to promote muscle growth and strength gains. Lean bulking focuses more on slight increases in calorie consumption to promote muscle development without excessive fat gain.

The key to lean bulking lies in maintaining a moderate caloric surplus to provide the body with the extra energy it needs to gain muscle while avoiding excessive overeating. Usually, it involves eating around 200 to 400 extra calories a day while training hard in the gym to stimulate muscle adaptations.