close up of juicy steak on a dinner plate

Bulking and high metabolism are words that don’t go hand in hand easily. A high metabolism means your body burns calories faster than the average person, making it hard to gain weight because your body burns energy quicker than the calories you intake.

But even if that may be the case, there are ways you make progress with weight gain, and even accelerate it.

What is a “high” Metabolism

Metabolism is the process by which your body converts food into energy. A person with a high metabolism burns calories more efficiently and quickly, often without much effort. Even if the person doesn’t work out, play sports or do cardio, they wouldn’t gain weight.

But your metabolism is only one side of the same coin; you wouldn’t have a problem if you could eat a lot but still have a fast metabolism. However, stomach capacity is a typical issue with a high metabolism.

Usually, the individual also has a smaller stomach capacity, making it difficult to intake enough calories, let alone match or even surpass the calories you burn. They rarely get hungry and often skip breakfast, killing their results as breakfast would set the tempo for the day since you’ve already knocked a couple of calories off your target for bulking, and you would have more digestion time for the rest of the day to consume more meals.

Even though there are rare situations where an individual with a fast metabolism eats greater portions of food, they still struggle to gain weight.

“Cheat codes” for bulking

There are “cheat codes” for bulking, where certain foods or activities boost your bulking progress with minimal effort. Implementing these into your diet will put less strain on you force-feeding empty calories down you at midnight.

Liquid calories

Liquid calories are almost needed for bulking with a high metabolism. They provide an efficient way to consume calories without overwhelming your appetite with food density. Secondly, liquids are digested more quickly than solid foods, allowing you to eat again sooner.

However, you need solid foods. Fortunately, there is a cheat code with solid foods. But before you read that, here are good examples of liquid calories you should consider that aren’t too taxing on your health.

  • Smoothies: Blend fruits for flavour, calories-dense foods like nuts, milk or Greek yoghurt for extra calories and protein, small oil for extra calories, and protein powder which is optional (click on the link to see bulking smoothies)
  • Milkshakes: Add ice cream, whole milk, and your favourite toppings for an indulgent, high-calorie treat once in a while
  • Meal Replacement Shakes: Ready-to-drink options are convenient for adding calories on the go if you lack time in the morning
  • High-Calorie Juices: Opt for 100% fruit juices once in a while to boost your progress

Fats

Fats are calorie-dense, and calorie-dense foods are your best friend. There are 9 calories per gram of fat compared to 4 calories in carbs and protein, making it superior for those with a high metabolism. These foods provide more calories in small servings as you could make out in the name, making it easier to eat more calories without getting full. So meeting your daily caloric needs will be less demanding.

Focus on incorporating the following into your diet:

  • Oil and butter: Oil contains around 120 calories per tablespoon, so adding that to a shake can accelerate your progress without filling you up. This applies to butter as well; you could spread more on your sandwich to boost the calorie content
  • Nuts and Nut Butter: Nuts contain around 300 calories per 50g, and they can be a nice snack to implement throughout the day. Almonds, peanuts and cashews can be blended separately and added to your shake, boosting calorie content. Their butters are just as calorie-dense and are popular in shakes

Eating early

One of the most powerful things you can do is expand your eating window. Eating your first meal as early as possible will maximise your caloric intake and help counter that high metabolism. Here’s more insight into eating early:

Jumpstart digestion

Eating your first meal early in the day kickstarts your digestive system sooner. When you eat breakfast later, your stomach is still processing that first meal well into the day, leaving you feeling full and slowing down your ability to consume the next meal. You’re giving your body the time to digest each meal by starting early, ensuring your stomach is nearly empty and ready for your next caloric load. This digestive efficiency means you can eat more throughout the day without feeling overly stuffed.

Maximize eating opportunities

Starting your meals early gives you more time to fit in snacks and meals. Bulking isn’t just about eating big meals—it’s about eating consistently. An early start expands your eating window, giving you more flexibility to spread out your calories. For example, if you have your first meal at 7:00 AM instead of 11:00 AM, that’s four extra hours to slot in additional snacks, a protein shake, or even a full extra meal.

Prevent appetite fatigue

A late start often forces you to cram all your meals into a shorter timeframe, which can lead to appetite fatigue. Eating large, dense meals back-to-back is not only uncomfortable but can also make it harder to hit your caloric goals. By spacing out your meals, you’re less likely to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of food you need to consume.

So, wake up and eat right away to get your digestive system moving.

Things you should do regardless for bulking

These cheat codes will make bulking more convenient for you, but that’s with the basics of bulking. Make sure you’re getting these right so you’re correctly accelerating your progress in every way possible.

Work out to build muscle and stimulate appetite

Resistance training helps convert excess calories into muscle rather than fat, making you look more defined. Additionally, intense workouts stimulate appetite, making it easier to consume more calories throughout the day.

However, make sure you’re working out properly:

  • Compound Exercises: Prioritize movements like squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and pull-ups that engage multiple muscle groups.
  • Progressive Overload: Gradually increase the weight, intensity, or volume of your workouts to ensure continuous muscle growth.
  • Frequency: Aim for at least 15 sets per muscle group per week, spread out between 2 – 3 sessions per muscle group weekly

Consume more protein

Consuming more protein will allow you to build more muscle mass and bulk up quickly. This is not because they are calorie-dense, but it’s because they are the building blocks of muscle.

Animal proteins should be a staple in your diet because they contain more and a better balance of the nine essential amino acids than any other protein source like legumes (nuts, beans etc.). Therefore more of them can be absorbed and turned into muscle tissue. This is crucial as it means you won’t be “wasting” stomach capacity on “protein sources” that aren’t as utilisable.

Eggs are a superior protein source as they have the best balance of the nine essential amino acids and they contain every vitamin and mineral apart from vitamin C. They are also cheaper than meats like beef and steak.

However, variety is crucial for flavour fatigue so include a variety of protein sources like meats and fish.

Tips for consistency

Falling out of consistency must be avoided as much as possible. That’s the last thing you want with a fast metabolism if you don’t consume enough food for the day, or you begin to consume calorie-sparse foods, you will lose weight faster than ever. One day won’t do it but it gives room for less and less discipline.

  • Meal Prep: Plan all the meals you’ll be making and buy crucial ingredients or snacks that don’t go bad quickly in bulk, like nuts for example. Prepare calorie-dense meals in advance to ensure you never miss a chance to eat. For example, prepare your shake the night before and your sandwich.
  • Set Realistic Goals: Set a small and realistic calorie surplus, and if you can maintain it easily, gradually increase it to your maximum ability and capacity and try to maintain it.

Conclusion

Implement the bulking cheat codes into your diet for a less challenging building journey, and ensure you have the basics of bulking in check, and you’ll make progress. Meal prep all the meals you’ll be consuming and figure out your cooking schedule.

If there’s one day when you don’t consume enough food or your usual calorie-dense foods due to any reason, get back on routine as soon as possible. Keep your goal in mind, don’t be disheartened, and start your routine again. Because if one day off leads to two, it will continue to make it even harder for you to get back on track.

Bulking up with a high metabolism may be challenging, but it’s far from impossible. Be gradual with your calorie surplus and don’t rush. Discipline is the only thing that will stop you from gaining weight. Through discipline, you can be consistent and bulk up, regardless of your metabolism.