Clean vs Dirty

Clean bulk vs dirty bulk what exactly is the difference and does it make a difference.

This week I wanted to take a closer look at bulking- if you’re not yet familiar with the term “bulking” it is typically a period in which a person is ingesting a surplus amount of calories for a set time while training and lifting heavy weights will result in a gain of muscle mass and fat. This will typically be followed by a cutting “phase” which is the exact opposite and calories are restricted to shed mass, both fat and muscle.

After being in the gym and getting those initial results, things get a little more challenging - results wont come by so easily now that your body has become used to the extra physical activity and in order to keep transforming your body you need to put it through cycles to achieve the end goal.

Now that we have a better understanding on the basics of “bulking” we can take a closer look at the difference between Clean vs Dirty.

Typically when people refer to healthy food they’ll reference the word “clean” meaning that it is Whole Foods that are minimally processed and packed with nutritional content. A clean bulk will be just that consuming a surplus of calories mainly derived from foods that are high-calorie carbohydrates and fats, like dairy products, rice, grains, pasta, potatoes, starchy vegetables, and olive oil.

And a dirty bulk is again just the opposite! Eating in a caloric surplus but not being restricted to any specific foods allowing for highly processed foods-burgers, fries, ice cream, milkshakes, fried chicken, doughnuts, candy, and other calorie-dense foods.

Two means with one same objective, to gain mass both muscle and fat. Because it is inevitable to gain muscle without gaining some fat.

 So what’s the advantage of a clean bulk? Besides the obvious health aspects, eating a balanced, healthy diet will be more heart healthy and yield terrific fitness results.

This is an advantage to some but not all- the amount of food you have to consume can be overwhelming. Eating a caloric surplus of just healthy foods can be challenging or enjoyable. Again, it just depends on your personal preference.

Dirty bulk advantages besides indulging in delicious foods that are usually a no go is the fact that you will probably not have to overeat since these foods are so dense in calories eating an extra hundred calories can be easily done. It will also be more taxing on your digestive system since you’ll be making your digestive system work overtime digesting the highly processed foods.

It's important to highlight that during either “clean” or “dirty” bulking training and training hard is KEY. You want to make sure that you’re not just gaining weight but also gaining strength and the best way to ensure that you can do that is through resistance training.

Resistance training is basically just pushing your body a little further than what it is used to every single time. That little bit of discomfort will challenge you in every aspect, both  physically and mentally.

The most important thing is to keep your goal in mind. That you have a clear vision of where you want to be and can be very aware of what you need to go to get there.