The Kinobody Lean Bulk Guide
In the midst of fall we are entering a time known amongst most fitness circles as bulking season. This is when everyone decides they want to pack on muscle and aren’t afraid to gain a little fat in the process. And so as the temperatures drop the calories rise and the bulk fest commences.
This bulk season usually entails big calorie surplus’s and 4-5 lbs of weight gain per month over a 4-6 month period – leading to an unsightly rise in body fat. I consider this approach to be rather unbecoming and in direct contrast with the theme of kinobody, which is to maintain a certain level of leanness and style year round, while enjoying life.
At the end of the day, the bulk and cut approach is not what the doctor ordered. Unless of course you want to spend a big chunk of the year looking sloppy and the other chunk of the year enduring low calorie diets. Not exactly the most efficient route because once you hit a certain calorie intake – anything above and beyond that will lead to fat storage.
The kinobody approach is to get lean once and from there slowly pack on muscle while staying chiseled. Our lean bulk macros don’t rely on huge amounts of calories to trigger muscle growth. That approach is only ever effective with sky high testosterone levels from drug use.
Lean bulking naturally is a slow and steady game and the main driver is performance increases in the gym (getting stronger and adding weight to the bar). The lean bulk macros ensure you’re getting adequate protein and enough calories to support your weight, well then you’re working at about 80% of your muscle building potential.
Packing on muscle will be slow, but it will be consistent and you’ll effortlessly hold your definition. Now the last 20% of lean bulking potential means accepting a steady rise in fat. And it usually works against you because to get back to lean condition you have to diet, and when you’re dieting you won’t be close to your muscle building potential.
So basically the traditional longterm bulk and cut approach means putting in twice the work with nothing to show for it, except chubby cheeks and stretch marks.
What if there was a better way?
Gaining muscle while staying chiseled (snapped these photos today)
What if you could maximize your muscle building potential while staying lean in the process? Well in this article I will show you the best way to gain muscle mass that is the basis for my Superhero Bulking Program and Greek God Program…
This is a lean bulking macros protocol that I haven’t really seen before but it works gangbusters and I strongly believe that in the next couple years, this is what everyone will be doing! So get ready to build a rock hard physique complete with razor sharp abs.
This Is The Kinobody Lean Bulking Outline
The approach I’m talking about is going to consist of short cycles of higher calories and lower calories. The personal lean bulking approach I like to use is to do three consecutive higher calorie weeks followed by one lower calorie week. This protocol absolutely demolishes traditional bulking for several reasons.
Firstly, by doing short mini lean bulk and cut cycles you ensure you stay within 1% of your current body fat. Every month you’ll be a couple pounds bigger and just as defined! What’s more, shifting back into a calorie deficit every few weeks has tremendous benefits. You see when you’ve been overfeeding for a few weeks, your fat burning machinery will be ramped up. This is absolutely the best way to gain muscle mass
Testosterone and leptin will be very high and your appetite levels will be very low. This means when you shift gears to lower calories you’ll drop fat very efficiently for a short while (a couple weeks). Ever noticed that you lose fat the fastest at the start of a diet? Well with this protocol you can capitalize on that each month.
What’s more, during a week of calorie restriction, your anabolic receptors become unregulated so that when you go back to eating higher calories, you’ll be able to temporarily direct a lot of calories and nutritients to building lean muscle tissue.
If you’ve ever seen someone come off a cut and start to up their food intake, usually the first couple weeks they gain a lot of muscle size with minimal fat gain. It’s almost like their muscles become sponge like and soak up all the calories. Only after a few weeks do you tend to see a noticeable rise in body fat from high calories.
Well with this approach you’ll be capitalizing on the benefits that calorie restriction and surplus calories provide. And thus, you will become bigger, harder and leaner with each month that passes.
How Do You Put it into Action?
Week 1-3: 500 calories over maintenance per day
Week 4: 500 calories under maintenance per day
With this approach you will alternate between 3 weeks of surplus calories with 1 week of deficit calories. During the high calorie phase you should gain about 2 lbs of muscle, 1 lbs of fat and 2-5 lbs of extra weight from glycogen and water.
During the lower calorie week you should drop about 1 lbs of fat plus an additional 2-5 lbs from lower glycogen and water levels. So every month you should have an extra 2 pounds of muscle. For advanced guys who are already at a very muscular weight, well expect to gain about 1 lbs of muscle per month.
For the beginners and intermediates, two pounds of lean mass each month is very realistic. After 10 months of this protocol you should have 20 extra pounds of muscle, steel and sex appeal.
Should You Use Intermittent Fasting For Bulking?
During the three week bulking portion, you will be eating a lot of calories! If you’re going to be skipping breakfast and eating 2-3 meals per day then be prepared for a lot of food. This is how you do intermittent fasting while bulking. I personally love this approach and welcome tons of carbs like potatoes, rice, rice pasta, gluten free pretzels, low fat ice cream and gluten free pancakes.
My protein and meat consumption stays unchanged but with the higher calorie phase I consume more carbs and fats. The reason for this is because once you have sufficient protein (0.8 grams per pound of bodyweight), more protein isn’t beneficial. It’s best to fill the rest of your calorie intake with carbs and fats, which best supports natural testosterone levels and glycogen storage.
What workout should I do?
The best workout for this type of program would be the superhero physique workouts from my Superhero Bulking Program. This is absolutely the best program to really pack on the muscle while maintaining leanness. I’d suggest 3 weeks of superhero muscle building workouts during the high calorie phase and then 1 week of the strength and density workout during the lower calorie phase.
*Your results may vary. Testimonials and examples used are exceptional results and are not intended to guarantee, promise, represent and/or assure that anyone will achieve the same or similar results.
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Hi Greg, how much time is needed anabolic receptors to become unregulated? I thought that while 3 weeks on bulking at +500kcal can be enough to enter in an anabolic state (mithocondrial switch from a low energy state to a high energy state), 1 week may be not enough to bring back the body to a phisiologically low energy state, and so,to send nutrients to muscle instead of adipocites … wouldn’t be better doing something like 3 weeks on bulk and 2 weeks on cut, gains will be slowly (a 3500 surplus totally in 5 week, ~ 1.1 lbs ) but, will that improve more gains on muscles and fat losses? thank you
This is similar to the method of lean bulking advocated by Layne Norton. You eat a surplus for 4-6 weeks, gaining 0.5 lbs per week. Then diet for 2 weeks. This helps keep you lean while gaining muscle efficiently
Hey Greg,
I read on other article that you use another protcol which is; on training days you create a surplus and on non training days you create a cal.deficiet. would you still recommend it? I mean, are the both approcehs works the same ?
yes. that’s fine
Hi Greg,
As a 181cm, 67kg 16 year old at 12% bodyfat, based on your lean bulk guide, how much will my weight fluctuate? You gave a guideline of building 2 pounds of muscle per month, but when tracking my weight, it fluctuates greatly due to water and glycogen retention. How should I track my progress then?
Thanks!
Hey Greg ! I’m following your rules of eating 3 times per day and 500 calories over my maintenance. My total sum of calories goes around 2700-2800 and I’m still stuck on the same weight, despite doing it for 3 weeks. How the hell is that even possible ? I’m 176cm tall and weight 68kg.
Because of that I even stopped doing cardio. I’m training on Monday-Wednesday-Friday, so that I’m hitting every muscle group only once per week.
I got some amazing results in the gym doe. For instance my standing press went from 30kg’s to 44, dumbbell curls from 12 to 16, pull ups became a lot easier (3 weeks ago I couldn’t lift myself once). So obviously I’m doing something right, if I’m getting stronger ???
Thanks for helping me out :)
Your maintenance is just higher than predicted. I’d suggest going up to 3000 calories and see if you start gaining weight.
How much more, 300, 500 calories ?
And I’m a little bit confused. In the other article “Workout for muscle mass” you’ve mentioned that after the workout we need to consume 40g of protein and 40-80g of fast acting carbs. Should we be using the same strategy here, or it will be 3 meals per day enough to get this thing work ?
Thanks :)
The other article you were referring to was written a few years ago. My philosophy has since changed as I started pouring into the research. Start with 300 and go up to 500 if necessary.
Can this also work with a cut?
example: 3 weeks of cutting (400 calorie daily deficit) followed by 1 week of bulking (400 calorie daily surplus)
Yep that can work quite well!
How much will the bodyfat percentage go up using this protocol? The 1% that is guaranteed to stay from your starting BF% is about each 4 weeks cycle, or many 4 week cycles?
Yeah you should be the same leanness at the end of each 4 week cycle. So you won’t gain any fat.
What you think about drinking yogurt for breakfast?
Go with greek yogurt which is higher in protein and get plain.
Hey Greg,
With regards to your podcast with John Kiefer, have you adopted his espousal of foregoing carbs prior to say an evening workout? I have been a fan of Kiefer’s for some time, but in my commencement of a lean bulk guided by your GGMB program have opted to IF but consume quite large amounts of carbs for lunch prior to a 6pm workout. Do you believe in the ‘hulk effect’ that Kiefer suggests occurs whereby greater adrenaline (in the absence of circulating carbs/insulin) enables greater strength?
In theory CBL sounds ideal for a lean/density bulk, but I suppose it isn’t very practical in a long-term sense or socially conducive.
Are there any key ideas/points that you have taken on board of Kiefer’s and found benefit? Or do you think the balanced macro breakdown at every meal is superior from a both a hormonal and strength point of view?
I really appreciate your help Greg, and would love you to clarify this confusion for me. Thanks mate!
Well to me it really comes down to this! What matters most is your total daily numbers (proteins, fats, carbs, calories).. This accounts for nearly all of your diet induced progress. Now I believe that IF has huge benefits. But the real question is what is the most enjoyable eating strategy to hit your macros. If you like to keep no carbs in lunch and go into your workout in a low carb state, then go for it. But if you feel better with carbs for lunch then do that. And if you can’t hit your total daily carbs in one meal then you best split them up.
I personally haven’t noticed improved strength from having carbs with lunch or forgoing carbs with lunch. You’ll have to experiment that with yourself. The only thing I can say actually enhances strength before a workout is caffeine.
Hello greg,
The lean bulk protocol sounds interesting. I will give it a try starting by next week. I am wondering if the body can instantly handle the huge surplus of 500 calories after coming from the calorie restricted week. Do you recommend something like a very short reverse diet? I plan to eat two days maintenance and then +500 for the rest of the three weeks. Or do you recommend eating +500 from the first day on?
I would take a good two weeks to eat at maintenance before starting the lean bulk for sure! Air on the lower side with maintenance at first and gradually increase your calories accordingly until you zero in on your maintenance.
Hey Greg, would this lean bulking approach work with a pure body weight routine?
I have been doing your shredding program with good results, but would like to switch things up and start body weight training on the parallettes, maybe adding in some weighted chins, handstands, and working towards muscle ups, planches, etc. I don’t want to gain a bunch of fat though and ruin all the progress I’ve made on my cut. I guess my main question is, will I burn enough calories on a pure body weight routine 3x per week to avoid excessive fat gain using a lean bulk protocol?
It can work yes. Although I find it more effective to use progressive resistance and supplement that with bodyweight movements.
Hey Greg,
What would a good waist measurement variation be during both phases? In your GGMBP you advise us to keep track of both our weight and waist measurements so I think it`d be usefull to know how much should we expect our waist measurement to vary during both phases of this lean bulk protocol.
Thanks!!!
You don’t want your waist to go up by more than an inch.
Hey Greg.
I was thinking about trying IF’ing, i’m already pretty low in bf%, so i’m going to do it lean bulk style.
I calculated my macros to the following for the bulk weeks, while i’m 175 cm high, and weight 78kg:
Callories: 3100
Protein: 190gram / 760 calories
carbs: 390 gram / 1560 calories
fat: 85 gram / 770 calories
(all numbers are rounded, so it’s 3090 calories total)
i read that you estimate 100grams of potatoes to be 20grams of carbs, and lets say i want to get 50% of my carbs in this meal, from potatoes.. Then i need 195 grams og carbs, which will be 975grams, or almost 1 kg of potatoes, is that correct?
It just seems like a buckload of potatoes, im not sure i can eat that, while also eating almost 0.5kg steak, and a bunch og veggies..
i hope somethings wrong with my calculations, and else, damn i respect you even more for being able to devour that amount of food !
Best regards, Thomas
Yes that’s a lot of potatoes. Thats why it might be better to go with rice or rice pasta to hit your carb numbers. Definitely less filling than potatoes .
Hello Greg
I doing a bulk and my goal is to gain about 0.5/0.6 Lbs each week. My current weight is 184 lbs.
My app on the phone say i get about 37 percentt carbs, 31 percent protein and 32 percent fat.
220 carbs, 186 protein and 86 fat.
What do you think about that set up?
/Andreas
That doesn’t sound like enough calories to be in a surplus. I’d be surprised if you were even eating at maintenance. Maintenance should be about 14 calories per pound minimum. So you could probably lean bulk on closer to 2700-2800 calories. You’d want to up your carb intake to hit this proper calorie level.
Hey Grey, first I just want to say this is the best website I’ve ever read!
I want to ask you something, this may be funny but, can you give me an example of 2000-2500 calories meal with simple measurement? Thanks before :)
Hey Greg,
Great site, love your info!
I’ve started following this bulking method this week, but I have a quick question.
I haven’t seen you address cardio very much in posts. I typically do 35-45 min of low intensity cardio 5 days a week in a fasted state. Should that affect the 500 cal surplus/deficit?
You really don’t need cardio. If you want it, go outside for a walk, it’s far more enjoyable and listen to some podcasts. But keep the calories the same, if you need to add calories, you always can.
Hi Greg!
i have quite a problem here. I tried using 500 cal surplus but noticed that i was gaining fat a bit too fast so i switched too a 415 cal surplus on the 2nd week but now after the end of the 3 high cal week, i only gained 2 pounds total and that already includes muscle, fat and water weight.
Well you probably weren’t gaining as much fat as you think with 500 calories. It’s likely that your weight was going up fast in response to more food and more glycogen. Keep it going and don’t worry too much about weight for now. The muscle will be coming on.
So you mean i should go back to 500cal surplus for 3 weeks and 500 cal deficit for the 4th week? Im 5’5 at 125lbs and a 500 cal surplus is 19cal x bw and a 500 cal deficit is a 11cal x bw. Is not 11cal x bw too low? Im at about 10-12% bf.
You could do 18 calories per pound on the bulking weeks and 12 calories per pound during the low calorie week.
Actually thats what i did. A 400 cal surplus and deficit for me equals to 18 cals per pound and 12 cals per pound. What about 19cals per pound and 12 cals per pound? Or can u suggest something else?
Thanks Greg!
Yah if you aren’t gaining enough weight then consider going to 19 on high calorie weeks.
That sounds great. I will use this after finished my afl 2.0
hi greg
new to your website and articles. they are great btw. qn is do you need some kind of bulking, even mini bulking, to help muscle growth. what if you are right on balance with calories, will that mean just a little slower muscle gains following your program or no chance? all the best
I’ve seen people gain muscle with maintenance level calories quite often. Although, for maximum growth supplying your body with a modest surplus can be beneficial. But the fact of that matter is it’s such a fine line that it won’t make a huge difference. The idea is to be eating enough to support muscle growth and maintenance or 300 calories over should do the trick.
Hey Greg, at the end of the post you suggest 3 weeks of superhero muscle building workouts during the high calorie phase and then 1 week of the strength and density workout during the lower calorie phase from your Muscle Building Course. How do those workouts translate to the updated Greek God Program?
Would that be 3 weeks of Mega workouts during the higher calorie phase and then 1 week of Strength and Density?
Thanks!
Yes that’s exactly it!
Perfect, thanks! Gonna give this a go in a couple weeks. Love the posts and programs! Keep up the solid work
Hi Greg!
Can i test out with 400 cals above maintenance for 3 weeks and 400 cal under maintenance on the low cal week? Will the calculations still be right? ( as in 2lb muscle, 1lb fat, 2-5lbs water retention on 3 weeks and minus 1lb fat, 2/5lbs water retention on the low cal week)
thanks!
Yah that should work well! You may gain a little slower, but you’ll probably stay very lean.
Hey Greg two questions if I were to eat at maintenance for three weeks and eat under maintenance for a week what kind of results can I produce with the same training protocol and my next question is I purchased all your programs except the Greek god one but thought it would be an update for the muscle building course that I have am I wrong cause I haven’t received it or do I have to purchase it thanks
Hey Anthony, you could probably build a little muscle while slowly getting leaner. You should have the program now.
How many grams of protein,carbs and fat would you recommend to maintain weight?
Well maintenance calories are around 15 cals per pound for most people who are decently active. I would start there and you can play around with different ratio’s of proteins, fats and carbs to suit your preferences.
Hi Greg!
Im going to start this strategy next week. i just need some clarifications.
So for 3 weeks, i am in a total of 10500 calories (3500 weekly calories for 3 weeks). and if 1lb muscle is equivalent to 2500 cals, does that mean that in the 3 week 10500 calorie surplus, 7500 cals is partitioned to muscle gain? and the remaining 3000 calories surplus will be deducted from the one week of 500 calories under maintenance? just to clarify.
thanks!
Yes that’s the idea! However, it never really works 100% perfectly so expect some variance. But generally speaking, you should have a little more muscle each month and be just as lean as before.
How do you prepare your veggies? cook/steam or boil them.
Boil them and baking them tastes amazing.
How often would your recommend weight yourself when bulking? every day/week/month
You can weigh yourself on 3 consecutive days each week and then average out the weight.
Does it matter if the protein comes from plant or animal sources? Is one more effective than the other and if so can you just have more of the other to make up for it?
Animal sources are higher in essential amino acids so they are preferable. But if you have mixes of different plant based proteins you can overcome this. Then again, it’s hard to hit ample amount of protein with plant based sources.
.Lean or fattier meat post workout? Does it matter really.
It’s not really a huge deal…. It’s really about the total calorie and macro intake over the course of the day or week even. Leaner meat will absorb faster but that doesn’t really even matter.
Hey man what macronutrient ratio do you recommend for this style of bulking? I know for cutting you like 40% protein 30% fat and carbs (Ofcourse those are interchangeable of about 5% here and there). So what about bulking?
Thanks a bunches
More like 30% protein, 25-30% fat and 40-45% carbs.
Hey Greg, how does this routine look?
Day 2: Chest and back
Incline bench press – 3 x 6-10
Flat bench press – 3 x 6-10
Dips – 2 x F –
Barbell row/Chest Supported row/T-bar row – 3 x 6-8
Pull-ups – 3 x F
Day 2: Rest
Day 3: Legs and arms
Leg press – 3 x 8-15
Squat – 3 x 6-8
Romanian Deadlift – 3 x 8
Hamstring Curl or similar exercise – 4 x 12
EZ Bar Biceps curls – 3 x 6-10
Dumbbel curls on incline bench – 5 x 12
Pull-over or PJR pull-over – 3 x 6-10
Triceps extension of choice – 5 x 12
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Back and chest
Deadlift or barbell row – 2 x 8
Lat pull-downs with grip of choice – 5 x 12
Seated cable rows – 5 x 12
Incline press – 5 x 12
Dips – 2 x F
Looks pretty good! I’d do weighted pull ups or chin ups. And I’d do pull ups before rows. Also, day 3 is way too much volume! I’d just do two leg movements. Just do squats and Romanians. Then just do two arm movements for 3 sets. Incline Curls and triceps and hammer curls if you want an extra one.
on what day would you recommend i put i some lateral raises?
The same day you’re doing shoulder pressing.
What macro ratio would you use on a bulk?
My ratio look like this at the moment. 46 percent carbs, 28 percent protein, 26 percent fat. Does that sound good?
That looks pretty good! You could go a bit higher in protein if you prefer to eat more meat but that’s preference.
What kind of sauce would you recommend to fish?
Some salt, pepper and lemon does the trick for me.
How many crabs would you recommend each day to gain weight? i am 6,2 180 pounds and training 3 times a week?
I’ve answered this question to you twice already. Look back at the blog.
What is so good with the gluten free stuff?
If you have a sensitivity to gluten, as many people do, then gluten free is absolutely awesome. You can try going gluten free for 3 weeks to see if you notice a difference.
Hello Greg!
How many grams of carb would you recommend for bulking? im 6:2 and weight about 180 pounds. I get 180 grams of protein for the food i eat each day. But i dont really know how much carb i should aim for.
It really depends. Probably 300-400g of carbs per day with fat at around 80-100g. Just make sure to eat at a 300-500 calorie surplus, if you’re doing the low cal week once per month.
Thanks! i download a app to the phone that make it easier to track my macros :)
1. If i don’t do the low cal week. Should the calorie surplus still be around 300-500? and fats be like 80-100 and calories around 300-400?
If you’re not doing the low calorie week then I wouldn’t go above a 300 calorie surplus.
The program on my phone says that i get a 303 calorie surplus and i get 84 gram of fat, 294 gram of carbs and 221 gram of protein. Does that sound alright?
Yeah that looks pretty good! Protein is pretty high but that should be fine if you prefer to eat more protein.
Should i am at a 300 calorie surplus on both lifting days and rest days?
For this program, yes
i decreased my protein to about 190 gram instead 221 gram, fats are still around 80 gram from all the food i eat but i think its a little bit higher with the fish oil i take.
i increased my carbs to 331 instead of 294.
Right know i eating oats and some fruit as lunch but the Oates makes me very bloated; any sugestions to carobs that is easier to digest?
White rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice pasta
Hey Greg,
Just wondering if you think that this lean bulk guide works better than the one that you gave in your muscle building course?
Both options will work very well, you can do either, it’s up to you.
Hey Greg
So on three weeks for bulking and one week of cutting should we be eating 500 calories above or under maintenance everyday or just the three days when we workout?
Cheers
You can do it everyday. If you gain fat easily you can go to 200-300 over on rest days.
Hey Greg. Looking absolutely amazing! Great condition man! Quick question, do you think jeff seid is natural? He seems to ‘effortlessly’ stay at 5 to 6 per cent bf all year round!
Thanks! Jeff coule be natural and just an absolute genetic freak. He’s pretty darn big for 5% body fat, especially considering how young he is, but it’s possible that he’s natural. Either way, I wouldn’t be surprised if he is taking some juice or prohormones. There’s no way to know for sure. For most people I would say it’s unrealistc to get to his condition naturally. Who cares though? His built is overkill I would say. It’s great to be lean and muscular but to a certain point then it just becomes too much where it detracts from you.
Nice aproach Greg! I’ve been doing a cutting for 2 weeks and when I reach my boyfat goal I’m going to implement this along with the superhero workout in your manual. But I have a doubt, do you cook your meals with salt? I’ve been cooking without salt, but It tastes horrible.
Thank you!
Yes, salt is perfectly fine as long as your healthy. Ideally get sea salt. Only if you have certain health conditions, ie hear disease, do you need to restrict salt.
Hello Greg
Do you have cheat meals or cheats days? and how many times a week.
Well I focus on being within my calorie targets for the day and that way there is no cheat meals or cheat days. Now once in a while I may go over my calories. But if you’re hitting your calories then it’s perfectly find to have a cheat food in moderation.
Hey Greg I’m a little confused about something I know how to calculate my maintenance calories and macro for that now if I’m on a surplus and add 500 calories to my maintenance do my macro change or do they stay the same Thanks
If you’re adding calories to maintenance then I like to increase carbs by the most. Fats might go up a bit but carbs will definitely increase the most. Nothing is set in stone, you can do what is preferable for you.
How much water do you drink each day?
I don’t track my water consumption but I would estimate close to 3L
Hey man since 1lb of muscle is around 2500cal does that mean you could eat at a surplus of 225 cal daily? That would lead to a weekly surplus of 1575 cal and a monthly surplus of 6300. Does this mean 2lb of muscle and 1300 cal into fat? But assuming you do some light walking on rest days, maybe just play a pick up game with your friends etc. You can nullify the 1300 cal fat gain right?
Overall: Is this a reliable approach? Or am I doing all the math wrong? What about water weight?
Yes that would work quite well actually…
Hey Greg,
I have just recently taken up the sport of lacrosse. I currently weight 170 lbs at around 14-15% bf and would like to lean down to 8% however I cant afford to lose weight as there are alot of big guys in the sport and il get thrown around like a rag doll if I get too light. Would it be possible to gradually lean down if I concentrate on getting as strong as possible on my key lifts while eating at maintenance? Basically staying the same weight but gradually improving my body comp. Cheers
Yah it’s possible….Probably will get to 12% before you’ll plateau and need to drop weight to get lower…. I’d suggest staying around 170 lbs for lacrosse season then if you want to cut afterwards then do so.
Would you recommend doing this at 16% bodyfat with some little bellyfat still on me? Or do I need to be completely cut before starting this?
Ideally you should be cut before starting this. 10-12% body fat would be ideal
How often in the week do you eat glutenfreepankaes and lowfaticecream?
2-3 times per week
What set/rep scheme would you recommend for box jumps? I’m trying to get a really high vertical like you. Thanks!
3 sets of 3-5 jumps ideally. When you feel your power go down you should stop.
Hello Greg
Do you eat your gluten free pancakes as a desert or as a ordinary meal?
Desert. Sometimes I’ll have two higher protein meals and make my third meal a big serving of pancakes.
Do you make the pancakes at home? also what do you use on your pancakes to make them taste.
I use a little bit of maple syrup and melted chocolate chips.
How do I work out my maintenance calorie intake?
thanks,
Charlie
A good starting point for maintenance calorie intake is 15 calories per pound of bodyweight. This is assuming one hour of exercise per day. If you’re very inactive then it might be 13 cals per pound.
If I decide to go on a bulk without doing any cardio, would 13 cals per pound be my starting point instead of 15 for maintenance?
I would go 14 cals per pound and adjust as necessary.
Hi Greg!
I have few questions.
1. 3500 cal = 1lb fat. does that mean that 3500 cals is also equivalent to 1lb muscle?
2. Is it true that i can eat any type of carb (even unhealthier carbs) post workout because it will all be partitioned to muscle growth and not fat gain?
3. The extra weight from glycogen and water, is that the reason why sometimes if i increase my weekly calorie surplus, i gain 3lbs in a week and if i reduce my weekly calorie surplus, i lose 3-4lbs a week? my weekly calorie surplus changes from 1100-1700 cals. sometimes even though i am in a weekly calorie surplus, i still lose weight. it sucks because im under lean bulking.
thanks!
1. 1 lbs of muscle is less caloreis than a pound of fat. It’s about 2500
2. Well not necessarily. It’s really more a matter of how many calories you’re taking in each day. You could have whatever carb you want and as long as you’re not going too high you’ll be fine.
3. Yes exactly.
Following question 1, if i want to gain 0.5lb muscle a week, i should have a weekly surplus of 1250 cal? Im currently doing the lean bulk strategy in the Kinobody muscle building course. :)
Yes, but you can go slighlty higher if you prefer. If you go up to 1800 even, that will maybe lead to 1 lbs of fat over 6 weeks. So nothing to fret about.
Stupid question coming up!:)
Since the site has changed, how do we access older posts? Before we could cycle through chronologically but I don’t see where to cluck no more :S
Thanks for the heads up, I’m going to set something up soon. For now, if you go on the kinobody facebook page, you can scroll through the links for all the recent posts – http://www.facebook.com/kinobodyfitness/
Cool! Wasn’t sure if it was me not seeing it! Thx!
Can you recommend a reliable formula to work out my personal daily calorie intake for maintenance? Thanks.
15 calories per pound is a good starting point for maintenance if you’re active for about one hour per day and other than that pretty sedentary. Also works well if you’re at a healthy bodyweight, somewhere between 10-18% body fat. If you’re at a higher body fat then 14 cals per pound works better.
Hey Greg
This seems like a great alternative to the traditional bulk. During the low calorie week are you still eating carbs on training & rest days? Also if you are doing higher volume workouts for mass building & eating below maintenance will this leave you in a catabolic state?
Yes, I never cut out carbs completely, it’s just not necessary and it’s actually detrimental. I recommend a lower volume workout for the lower calorie week. Or you can just cut your number of sets in half.
Hi. Exclent post
Wondering if a % of calories over and under maintenance would be better as a guidine so that it’s relative to each person versus a strict 500 calories.
I’m 43 years, 5’7″, 137 lbs and my maintenance is 1500 calories per day. I’m wondering if 500 calories would be overkill for me, but maybe more appropriate for someone taller/younger. Would recommend a % as a guideline? Thank you.
Well a 500 calorie surplus will lead to the same rate of weight gain regardless of how big or small you are. It will all balance out. If you want, you can do a 300 calorie surplus to start with and see how that works for you.
Hey Greg,
So I’m hovering somewhere around 14% BF. I read on some Leangains-style blog that you should go “abs lean” before recomping, but I can’t seem to get there. Am I ok to go ahead with your muscle-building course or should I lean out first?
Also having trouble finding my maintenance level, but that’s another question entirely!
Thanks man!
You can recomp for a couple months then go back to cutting. You’ll probably find you’ll lean up smoother after eating around maintenance for a couple months.
Hello Greg, i will start next week your S&D routine, whoever i only have a dip station, barbell and weight discs, i could to the lateral raises and rear delt raises using a rope around the discs, it work´s ok, but i dont have a bench and pull up bar, you think that barbell row will be a good substitute for chin ups? and what i could do instead of incline bench press to hit my chest, not counting dips… i already plan to do them.
Thank you
I would definitely recommend getting a pull up bar if possible. You don’t want to make too many compromises with the program. If possible invest in a bench and pull up bar.
Hey Greg,
I see you using the term “over maintenance” and “under maintenance.” What do these terms mean?
Thanks.
Maintenance is the amount of calories you need to eat to maintain your bodyweight. Over maintenance is higher calories and under maintenance is lower calories.
Hi Greg, great post once again!
I’d like to try this approach as well, but I have some questions:
1) Do you cycle calories? i.e. a surplus of 3500 calories per week, but for example 800 plus on training days, but 300 plus on rest days. Is this better?
2) Can I throw in a third chest exercise (for example, flies) on workout A for Kinobody? I am doing the chest specialization, but my chest appears to be a weak spot, since it doesn’t seem grow (measurements even show a decrease) after being on the program for 4 weeks..
3) If doing a fourth training day per week just for legs, when is it best to do it? The day before or after workout A or B?
4) Is it okay to do HIIT and Abs on the same day?
Thanks!
1) Not really… It’s fine to eat in a surplus/deficit each day. Your body is in recovery mode practically 24/7. Just try to get some activity on rest days to keep your energy expenditure constant.
2) Yes, you can but if you find your bench and incline isn’t progressing then I would drop the third exercise. Focus on getting stronger and the muscle will come
3) If you’re lifting mon, wed, fri then do it on saturday.
4) Yes
As a third chest exercise, would you recommend regular DB flies or pec deck flies? And would it be better to do RPT as well or just 3 sets of 8-12 reps, or something else?
Both are good. I would say pec deck because it works your chest the entire time. 3 sets of 8-12 reps is ideal
Thanks a lot! One last thing though: will squating lead to big hips eventually? I’m trying to get a Superhero Physique, so no wide hips but a wide torso. Squats are good for the back amongst others, that’s why I’d like to incorporate them, however, I don’t want my body to get out of proportion, you know?
It really depends on you. If you stay very lean then it will take a long time for squats to overdevelop your hips. The good news is that once you reach that point you can cut out squats.
This is a cool way to setup a diet program ill definitely be testing this out! But what are your thoughts about maybe doing 2 weeks bulk 2 weeks diet? Or maybe 2 and a 1/2 weeks bulk and 1 and a 1/2 weeks diet?
2 weeks bulk and 2 weeks diet would be more for a recomposition. I think 3 weeks bulk 1 week diet works best if your goal is to add muscle.
Greg do you recommend doing any Cardio during the lower calorie week? Also, would you still recommend doing Ab training on off days during this lean bulk?
You can do 40-60 minutes of lower intensity cardio on the low calorie week for the non lifting days. You can train abs 2x per week.
he this seems really good, but i was wondering did you try it yourself ? and 2lbs of muscle in those 3 weeks seems a bit too exaggerated even if you are a begginer…anyways thanks for everything, you really helped me change my physique and life ;)
Well I’ve seen and worked with people who have gained 2-3 lbs of muscle per month for 3-4 consecutive months. As you get bigger it really slows down to 1-2 lbs of muscle per month and then 0.5-1 lbs of muscle. As long as you’re lifting is on point and your lifts are going up 10 lbs per month (upper body) and 15 lbs per month (lowerbody) then you will add muscle at a solid clip.
bumping my question… idk if you saw. Would really appreciate some feedback; thanks!
I don’t see your question.
That’s odd. It vanished; could’ve sworn it was there yesterday. Anyways… here it is:
First off, I like this method of bulking and will try it because it seems like it would be pretty enjoyable to eat lots then refresh oneself with a week “reset” before you continue to bulk more. This would also reveal some gains along the bulking process. Nice idea!
Here’s my question though. I really like your strength and density program, but I’d like to add squats and deadlifts to the routine (I know you don’t advocate it, but I’d like the added leg strength). Also, I still want to train 3x a week for time and efficiency purposes. How would you recommend I add squats (3 sets) and deadlifts (1-2 sets) into your 3x a week S&D routine?
I would suggest turning it into a 3 workout routine. So do Workout A and Workout B as normal. I’d actually suggest dropping the leg work from workout B and you can add some extra upperbody work if you’d prefer. Then on the third workout you can do squats, deads and accessory leg stuff.
Thanks. Wouldn’t progression be slower on a 3 split since I’d be hitting each part every 7 days rather than every 4-5 with an A/B split?
Yes progress will be slightly slower but if you want to hit all of these compound lifts that it’s necessary. It would be too much to throw squats and deadlifts into your already complete workout.
How does this look, Greg?
Workout A: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps
• Flat Bench Press: 3 sets RPT (5,6,8)
• Standing Press: 3 sets RPT (5,6,8)
• Weighted Dips: 3 sets x6-8
• Lateral Raises: 3 sets x 8-12
Workout B: Back, Traps
• Weighted Chin ups: 3 sets RPT (5,6,8)
• Neutral grip chin ups: 2 sets x 8
• Bent Over Flyes: 3 sets x 8-12
• Barbell Curls: 3 sets x 6-10
Workout C: Legs and Abs
• Squats: 3 sets (2×5, 1×5+)
• Deadlifts: 2×3-5 RPT
• Box Jumps 3-5 sets of 1-3 reps
• Abs
Looks pretty good. I would do incline bench instead of flat bench if possible on Workout A. You’re hitting your lower chest a lot with flat bench and dips. Alternatively you could do triceps extensions instead of dips because 3 intense pushing movements can be a lot to handle and can make it harder to gain strength.
Do either chin ups or neutral grip chins on workout B. Don’t do both. You can switch the variation every 6-8 weeks.
Add calf raises on Workout C.
I really appreciate the suggestions man.
Alternatively, could I do the normal A/B alternating workouts on Mon-Wed-Fri and once a week do my legs workout on Saturday (so 4x a week training). This would provide the efficiency of training on the 2 day split for upper body while still being able to train squats/deads. So taking in account your suggested changes:
Workout A: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps (MON/WED/FRI alternating with B)
• Incline Bench Press: 3 sets RPT (5,6,8)
• Standing Press: 3 sets RPT (5,6,8)
• Weighted Dips: 3 sets x 6-8 (straight weight)
• Lateral Raises: 3 sets x 8-12
Workout B: Back, Biceps, Traps (MON/WED/FRI alternating with A)
• Weighted Chin ups: 5 sets RPT (5,6,8,8,8)
• Bent Over Flyes: 3 sets x 8-12
• Barbell Curls: 3 sets x 6-10
Workout C: Legs and Abs (SATURDAY)
• Squats: 3 sets (2×5, 1×5+)
• Deadlifts: 2×3-5 RPT
• Box Jumps: 3-5 sets of 1-3 reps (ascending pyramid)
• Calf Raises: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
• Abs
Yes that would work quite well. I just wouldn’t recommend doing that if you’re cutting. So make sure you’re eating at maintenance or slightly higher.
Great stuff once again Greg. If someone (me) is currently above optimum body fat levels, would you recommend getting lean to the 10-12% mark first before attempting a program like this to add more muscle? Any cardio during the 1 week of below maintenance dieting for this particular program?
Thanks.
Yes, I would suggest getting to the 10-12% body fat range before bulking. During the lower calorie week you can do some cardio but the lower calories will handle most of fat loss. So on days you’re not lifting I’d suggest getting about 40-60 minutes of exercise – walking, sports…
Hi greg, I ve started out your muscle building program in september, should I start the lean bulk approach right away? when should I start the superhero???
cause u once told me I should have started super hero at around february, but was wondering what your thoughts were after this AMAZING post….
ps, Just started to read the power of now, almost finished it… U were right, it’s amazing, but as soon as I ll finish it i guess I ll have some questions for u… Plus ,it’s cool to speak about it with someone who has started it before u….
ps love the new posts frequency, thought it was impossible , but the site is better than ever!!!!!!!!!
Glad you’re enjoying the new site post structure! Decided to get off my lazy ass and create more content for you guys haha.
You can do this lean bulk routine with the strength and density workout if that’s what you’re doing now. But you definitely want to get some solid strength based work under your belt before the superhero program.
Hey greg..
i just had a question in mind…
in ur previous article of Why you should stopdieting…you said to eat at maintenance for a 2-3 weeks followed by 1-2 week of 10-12calories per pound BW. you want to reduce down to..
and this article you are saying to eat at 500 calorie surplus for 2-3 weeks follwed by 1-2 week of eating 500 calorie below maintenance….
i have been dieting since3-4 months now currently at 9-10% bF from 16%BF…
i have done everything now including HIIT cardio on rest days..but still not able to shred few last inches of waist which is 31.5inch now at 5ft11inch and 76.4kg weight…
then i read ur last article on Why you sould stop dieting and now i am currently eating at maintenance f0r 1 week now..and will continue eating at maintenance for 1 week more…
but this article is a bit contradicting to ur previous article…
please help sir
Rajiv, this is an article on lean bulking – that means to gain weight and muscle mass. The other article was about how to break through a diet plateau. They’re not contradicting themselves at all – they’re different because they are for two completely separate goals.
Greg,
Do you stay on Creatine the entire time with the lean gains approach to keep a pool of glycogen or cycle it out on the deficit week?
If you’re taking creatine then take it the entire time.
Would the Man of Steel workout be something good to perform for weeks 1-3, and then something like the warrior physique workouts for week 4? Thanks for the article!!
Yes for sure! Alternatively you could do the man of steel workout for all weeks but on the fourth week (low calorie) cut the number of sets in half. So if you’re doing 4-5 sets per exercise then just do 2.
Hey Greg, great article as always. Quick question though: What’s a good way of determining your number of calories for maintenance? I’ve never really paid much attention to my diet before, and I want to start off the right way. Thanks!
If you get about one hour of exercise per day I like to go with 15 calories per pound of bodyweight. If you’re very active this number is usually too low. And if you don’t get much exercise at all it’s probably best to use about 13 cals per pound.
Hey man,
I have been using your rep scheme for your new warrior shredding program and im really enjoying doing 2 sets per exercise. It means I can really focus on getting stronger in the movements. Iv been starting with 8-10, 10-12 reps for each of the key exercises. Then as i plateau i have been decreasing the reps down by 1 each time until I reach 3-5, 5-7. Would it be possible to continue using this rep scheme for muscle building, combined with this nutrition stratedgy? Cheers
Yes this actually works quite well with building muscle. I do find that you’ll get slightly better size gains with three sets though. But you can still add size with 2 sets provided that you’re gaining strength.
Can you do this with things like Convict Conditioning, Building the Gymnastic body, etc. and lose fat while retaining muscle?
Yes
Hey Greg!
Would it be possible to use that approach only with the S&D routine and a more moderate surplus like you recommend in your muscle building course (around 10% more than maintenance)?
If so, would I spend more weeks bulking?
Sean Bean’s memes are the best;)
Both options can work well! And both of the lean bulk options will have you gaining around 2 lbs per month. You can opt to whichever one you prefer/fits your lifestyle better.
This is the first time Ive heard of this approach and Im buying your idea! So if im not mistaken, this means i will be having a weekly calorie surplus of 3500 for 3 weeks? I can still adjust this to maybe +400 calorie surplus a day if i am gaining more than 1lb a month right?
thanks Greg! Great article as always!
*1lb of fat in 3 weeks I mean*
Yep, 400 would work very well as well! I’d do anywhere from 300-500 over maintenance during the 3 week high calorie phase. Beginners with more room for growth can do 500 and more advanced lifters can do 300-400.
Hi greg
On the warrior shredding program workout is that the only ab exercises you would recommend? Seems low
Yah mostly hanging leg raises and abs wheel roll outs. You don’t need to hit abs super hard to get them to get more developed. Focus on getting stronger on those two movements and your abs will become super strong and defined, provided you are lean.
It’s very interesting to see how you’re fitness philosophy changes as you become more advanced. Thanks for sharing this with us!
For about a month I’ve been using the leangains bulk protocol, which you recommended in one of your articles on IF. So 14 calories per pound of body weight on rest days and 17 on training days with cycling macros. Would you say this approach is better?
Cheers!
I actually prefer this new approach. I find it more enjoyable to keep the calorie intake constant for 1-3 weeks before switching. Bouncing in and out of higher/lower calories works, but I actually prefer weekly cycles now. I find I get better results staying in a surplus for several consecutive days and I get better results staying in a deficit for several consecutive days.
I see, so it’s more about personal preference. I think I’d actually like your approach better too.
Thanks!
great article ! , but i wanted to ask you something , can someone make lean muscle mass increased by 2 pounds per month like you said just with body weight training and a set of dumbbells or do you have to go to the gym ?
Good question! It’s possible but it’s going to be a lot harder. You need to ensure you’re making steady strength gains a few different movements. As well, once you can do 12 reps of an exercise you have to increase the intensity if strength and muscle growth is the goal.
Interesting concept. A couple of questions if you don’t mind:
1. Do you eat 500 calories over maintenance in your non-training days too?
2. Do you track the ratio of fat & carbs? Or you just make sure that you hit your protein goal and fill the rest of calories with fats and carbs?
3. Can you recommend the most accurate (from your experience) formula for calculating a calorie intake? I’ve tried different approaches and results can vary a lot (even a variance of 700-800 calories).
4. Have you ever tried eating 3700 cal and doing IF?:) It’s freaking hard, I almost cried lol.
Thanks for running this blog, good stuff!
1. Yes for the most part. Your body is in a recovery/growth mode 24/7 so it’s perfectly alright to be in a daily calorie surplus
2. I track my fat and carb intake but I’m not that strict with it. My fat intake may fluctuate between 25-33%. I don’t really go lower or higher than that.
3. I’d suggest using 15 calories per pound as a starting point. This may take some adjusting but usually it’s within 100-300 calories if not bang on.
4. No I haven’t. The highest I would go is 3200. That said I’ve had some days where I’ve done around 4000-5000. Wasn’t the cleanest foods but I made it happen.
Hi Greg,
When calculating the maintenance calorie level, do you use you current weight or goal weight (if you want to gain or lose weight).
Thanks!
Matt
I use current weight. You may need to readjust maintenance calories every couple of months if your weight is going up or down.
Hi Greg,
When you say that getting stronger in the gym is the main indicator/driver of muscle growth, I noticed that in the Visual Impact muscle building course by Rusty Moore (which you advocate), phase I is focused on burning out muscles for maximum growth as opposed to concerning oneself with strength gains. In other words he argues that you don’t need to get a great deal stronger in order to pack on some major muscle mass. Do you think this is slightly misguided? Just wanted your thoughts on this cheers.
Well with the high volume visual impact phase one style training – you can add some decent muscle size quickly, but progress soon stops and you need to get stronger to keep adding muscle. So yes, you can add some muscle without getting stronger by targeting sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, but this only really accounts for a small amount of muscle growth.
Ok, would you also say that phase I type training is only really effective if you are an absolute beginner in the gym? I have been going to the gym very casually for the last 2 years on and off and seen some muscular development so i’m not starting from scratch. I already have your muscle building course, should I just get started with that or would I also benefit to first start with the phase I type training and then go onto your programme? Thanks.
Well I’d say phase one style training is beneficial for anyone who hasn’t done much pump training. You’ll get some good size gains for the first couple of months. But it’s not my favorite approach. I actually prefer to hit most of my muscle groups heavy and hard and just use pump style training on a couple stubborn groups like shoulders for example. This way I’m getting stronger each week and gaining muscle while also getting some extra growth in the stubborn parts.
Hey Greg! What are your thoughts on doing 3 workouts a week? As in Workout A on Monday, B on Wednesday and C on Friday. Which is better for muscle growth and strength gains? Doing a workout A and B split during the week or an A,B & C split?
Appreciate it man!
I’ve done both and have made great gains with both options. When you’re at the intermeditate level I prefer to do a Workout A and B split. This is because you hit your main compound movements more frequently, every 4-5 days instead of every 7 days. This means faster gains. The A, B C workout is better if you’re more advanced and are going to gain strength and muscle at a slower rate.
Ever noticed that you lose fat the fasted at the start of a diet? Did you mean ‘fastest’?
Good catch, thanks!
Great idea, smart way of approaching both muscle gain as well as staying relatively lean in the process. Do you recommend working out 4 days a week or do you still prefer the 3 day a week approach, with weights that is
I like the three day approach. The only time you’d want to do a 4 day approach is if you want to hit the legs two times per week hard. I opt for less volume on my legs so once per week is sufficient and usually I do legs with a bit of shoulders or biceps.
Hi greg would this approach be better than the diet approach you outline in the kinobody muscle building program?
Both work very well but after testing this new approach I find it to be a little more effective and preferable. Definitely give this a run through with the muscle building workouts from the course.
okay thanks so much ill give it a try for a couple months and see how it works out. Thank you for all that you have done for me and everyone so far!!!