pancake with sliced strawberry

Muscle building is trendy in the fitness industry. However, there’s something else that tops it all off.

Bulking.

The infamous bulking is known as a “cheat code” to getting big and a “safety card” to eating junk food [1] and high-calorie food items.

However, it is also a cheat code to damage your health, causing all sorts of diseases and conditions, [2] resulting in you feeling bad and tired frequently.

What is bulking?

Bulking is commonly known as getting as many calories down you as possible.

Therefore, you consume calorie-dense foods to help you meet your calorie needs.

Usually, the foods you eat are high in sugar and oil, [3] as they contain the most calories and the least volume, so you can put on as much weight as possible (which is generally fat).

High-calorie foods in stores are often cheap, so this helps people spend the least money but get the most calories.

Shakes are a cheat code for bulking because drinking calories is easier than eating them!

So people usually blend ice cream, yoghurts and all sorts of high-calorie items to get more calories down them.

This is how bulking works:

  • You put on weight by consuming a lot of calories
  • When you put on enough weight you’re satisfied with, you work out and build muscle simultaneously cutting at a reasonable speed (It’s why people do cuts after bulks)

What is regularly building muscle?

Building muscle is when you work out no matter your body fat percentage, and you build muscle by consuming especially a lot of protein and not junk food.

You usually consume a lot of animal protein, which is healthy, and have a decent amount of carbs.

How regular muscle building works is simple:

  • You include a lot of animal protein in your diet 
  • You work out 

Comparison

Bulking is deemed the best way to build muscle, but is it worth your health? 

Muscle building is arguably the best way to build muscle healthily, but is it worth the wait?

What if you’re skinny and desperate to put on mass? Should you bulk?

Here are the pros & cons of each route you could take on your fitness journey.

The pros of bulking

  • You get bigger in less time
  • You can build muscle quicker
  • It’s relatively cheaper
  • You can eat foods you “like”

The pros of regularly building muscle

  • Your health isn’t at risk
  • You feel better and your energy levels are increased
  • You can still build a lot of muscle

The cons of bulking

  • It’s very unhealthy
  • Your energy levels won’t be as great
  • It can be sickening

The cons of regularly building muscle

  • It may be “expensive” for people to buy animal protein sources
  • You may not get big relatively quickly

What is “clean” bulking?

Clean bulking is known as the “healthier version” of bulking.

It is when you reduce the amount of ultra-processed and junk foods you consume and increase your carbohydrate intake. 

Overall, you eat junk food less frequently.

The pros of clean bulking 

  • It’s relatively healthier than dirty bulking 
  • You may get big relatively quicker than building muscle regularly
  • You can eat the foods you “like” more often

The cons of clean bulking

  • It’s still not relatively good for your health
  • It may result in you eating more fast food

The reasoning behind dirty bulking

People may want to take this route because they’re skinny, underweight, or think they need to put on more weight.

Overall, people are desperate to get bigger. Another reason is that they have the excuse to eat foods they like, like fast food, sweets, biscuits and more.

However, you should mind the price you will pay for your health.

Consuming all the chemicals and sugars in ultra-processed and junk foods will affect your whole body, like your skin, mood, and energy levels. [4] It can give you diseases and increase your chance of getting cancer.

The reasoning behind clean bulking

People may want to take this route because they’re skinny, underweight or think they need to put on more weight, but also because they don’t want to take the very unhealthy approach.

Often, people taking this route aren’t too desperate to get bigger but still desire to get bigger quicker.

This route gives them an excuse to eat fast food and ultra-processed foods less often than dirty bulking, but still more than a reasonable amount of times. 

This route is often mistaken for a “healthy” diet.

However, you should mind the price you will pay for your health.

Although it may not be as bad as dirty bulking, it is still unhealthy.

Consuming all the chemicals and sugars in ultra-processed and junk foods will affect your whole body, like your skin, mood, and energy levels.

It can also give you diseases and increase your chance of getting cancer.

The reasoning behind regularly building muscle

People may want to take this route because they’re skinny or want to build muscle without compromising their health.

You rarely see underweight people taking this approach or people who just want to put on weight.

People taking this route have patience and aren’t desperate to get bigger, but still want to build muscle quickly.

This route is healthy for you and can increase your energy levels, make you less prone to diseases, and decrease your likeliness of getting cancer.

You can still build muscle effectively if you consume the right amount of protein for your weight.

Which one should you go for?

Your patience will be worth your health, so I highly recommend you take the regular muscle-building approach as it’s better for your health, you can better control your body fat percentage and build a lot of muscle.

Protein sources aren’t as expensive as you think.

For example, eggs are a good protein source but not as expensive. Nuts and beans are also good protein sources (see more in my post).

If you still can’t take that route because of expenses and you have a gym subscription, I recommend you cancel it and get my workout bundle that includes a home workout. It targets all your muscle groups, and you can build more muscle, even at home.

Conclusion

Even if you’re skinny, consuming more protein and healthy carbs can increase your weight.

However, if you can’t wait to get bigger, you may have to take the bulking route. However, be aware of the health consequences.

I am certainly not saying you should permanently cut out ultra-processed foods, but you should save them for once in a while.

For example, you have school lunches at school, don’t get a soft or fizzy drink with your meal or from the vending machine every day, or if you pass the shops from work, don’t buy biscuits every day.

You should limit sugary treats like the examples I listed to over once a week.

So, when deciding how to put on weight, think about it carefully:

Do I want to build muscle straight away?

Or do I want to put on fat and then build muscle?