Want to add muscle without the fat I gained last bulk. How big should the calorie surplus actually be for a lean bulk? Last time I went way too aggressive and regretted it on the cut.
For a lean bulk past the beginner stage, a small surplus of ~10-15% over maintenance (roughly 200-350 cals) is the sweet spot. Aim for about 0.25-0.5% of bodyweight gained per week. Faster than that is mostly fat you'll have to diet off.
So slow scale movement is the target, not big weekly jumps.
Exactly. If you're gaining a kilo a week, that's not all muscle. Slow and steady keeps the bulk lean.
And keep progressing in the gym - a surplus only becomes muscle if you're overloading the lifts. A lazy bulk is just fat gain. Eat slightly over, train hard, watch the scale and the mirror, adjust monthly.
Start at the low end and only bump calories if the scale genuinely stalls for 2-3 weeks. Most people overshoot the surplus and blame 'bulking' for the fat. Small surplus, patience, adjust off real data.
Small surplus, slow gain, keep overloading, adjust off the scale. Doing it properly this time. Thanks all.