DIRTY BULK VS CLEAN BULK... What are they & which is better?

Gaining muscle means growing new cells, & you need enough building blocks to grow them. These building blocks are known as calories. Being in a calorie surplus is key if you want to see your body's most rapid rate of muscle gain, as your body prioritises giving calories to other bodily functions first.

But some people find that surplus impossible to achieve (especially if your young & active) without resorting to calorie dense, ultra-processed foods (UPF), high in saturated fat, salt, sugar or simple carbs (aka "dirty bulking").

Big Macs make big backs, right? Or do they? Today we're exploring whether or not being in a "clean" surplus has any difference on your body & muscle gain when compared to "dirty" bulking.

Clean Bulking

Eating a high protein calorie surplus (around 300-500cals above maintenance) made up of nutrient dense whole foods, often low in saturated fat, sugar & salt. Clean bulking is also commonly higher in fibre, meats with complete amino acid profiles & complex carbs.

Pros - Better performance & energy, easier for your body to process & make use of, prevents injury & lowers risk of disease.

Cons - For most, it can be incredibly hard to get enough calories in to reach that surplus through "clean" foods. Due to their satiating effect (feeling full) & low allowance for treats, it risks making your food a chore.

Dirty Bulking

Also eating a high protein calorie surplus (around 300-500 cals above maintenance) made up of calorie dense, often UPF, commonly labelled "unhealthy" & nutrient poor.

Pros - Much easier to reach a surplus without creating a resentful relationship with eating, due to not needing to eat as great a mass of food to achieve the same calories. Many people find it more enjoyable & easier to achieve protein targets.

Cons - Commonly leads to over-gaining, meaning you put on more fat than intended & end up "fluffy". Higher injury & illness rate due to low nutrient levels, plus potential long term health risks. Much harder to then reduce calories for a cut/maintenance due to UPF's addictive qualities.

Do they affect results?

YES! There is a difference, the most apparent being for both groups to gain the same amount of muscle, dirty bulkers will almost always gain more fat in the process. If you are okay with the longer (& more challenging) cutting process that follows a dirty bulk, then I'm in no place to advise against it. In fact, I have done both & find dirty bulking far easier. However my personal preference is to go clean due to my long-term goals & desire to always perform well. Dirty bulking also really can sap your energy, even sometimes affecting sleep.

However, all of this doesn't quite display just how hard clean bulking really is. To get that many calories from whole foods is HARD! Which is why we see poorer communities buying cheaper UPF options & ending up with more than twice the level of obesity than those more well off... "dirty" food is much easier to over-consume.

The higher performance of muscle in clean bulkers is true, however that's not to say you can't come out of a dirty bulk & improve muscle function relatively easily. So, as you can tell, I'm a little on the fence with this one!

Caveats

1. There's no such thing as "clean" & "dirty" food, only foods with more of certain nutrients or less of certain nutrients. For example, an eggs lack of fibre doesn't make it unhealthy. Nor does a cheese boards high calcium levels make it healthy. They are both higher in certain nutrients than others, with "clean" foods simply containing a wider variety of required nutrients than most "dirty" food.

2. Calorie needs are different for each of us. At 5ft9, I could eat in a 500 calorie surplus & put on less muscle than my friend who is 6ft3. Equally, I might put on more, we're all different & will all go through a certain amount of trial & error.

3. If you're bulking correctly, it WILL come with some fat gain. We just want to try our best to make sure it's the smallest amount possible without sacrificing muscle gain. That's the nature of being in a surplus.

My advice, therefore, is to look at your goals, time frame & calorie needs before making an educated decision on how you want to gain muscle. In fact, most of us (me included) will probably swing both ways depending on the day, with a balance between the two methods being a good compromise between enjoyment, ease, & results.

Elliot Hutchinson // 22.06.2025

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