Thread: Clean Bulking 101 By Dave876

Clean Bulking 101
By Dave876

Since I have had so many requests in the last few weeks to help people out with a "clean bulking diet" I figured I would write alittle something up so this could be easily understood, and so the user can make his own diet up using my protocols. Fist let me state that I follow John Berardi’s methods of Nutrient timing so the way it works is this:

A.) meals will consist of Protein/Carbs(P+C), or Protein/Fats(P+F). Therefor while eating a P+C meal you will try to eat no more then 10-15g of fat at that time. The same will go while eating a P+F(ie: no more then 10-15g of Carbs)
B.) Since this is a "clean" bulk ALL sources of food should be from, you guessed it clean food( I will provide a list later)
C.) You should aim for 7-8 meals/day.. Not only will this supply a steady level of quality food, but eating often will keep metabolism, and fat burning trucking all day.
D.) The three most important meals of the day are Breakfast, 1st Post weight training, and 2nd post weight training. These meals should NOT be neglected in anyway to be successful.

Of course while dieting in ANY sense it is a good idea to monitor your progress, and adjust calories as needed( remember we are all different so what I am listing are in fact general guidelines ). Be sure to monitor your progress on the scale, in the mirror, and with body fat tests if you have exposure to them. While either gaining or losing weight you should shoot for no more then 2 lbs. Gain or loss per week. If you are bulking and gaining more then that chances are you are gaining fat and you need to look at your diet to make adjustments. What I suggest for "baseline" numbers are these: (I will use a 160lb example)

Protein- 1.25- 1.5gram X 1 Lb. body weight = 200-240g/day
Fat- .6-.75gram X body weight = 96- 120g/day
Carb- 1.5-1.75gram X body weight = 240-280g/day

If you feel that you are gaining fat then start cutting carbs, and fats down, but never protein! I suggest for a leaner person(10%BF or lower) to start at the higher number X body weight, and work your way up or down as needed, as for a "not so lean" person start on the lower end, and adjust as needed.

A typical weight training day should look like, and I will use a 5 p.m. workout time as an example:
M1- P+C
M2- P+C
M3- P+F
M4-(pre workout) P+ light amount of carbs( ex. Smaller version of Post workout shake)
Train
M5 P+C Preferably bring this in a shaker bottle to the gym and drink a.s.a.p.
M6 -P+C approx. 1-1.5 hours later
M7 P+F
M8 P+F pre bed meal preferably slower acting protein sources ex: casein protein powder, or cottage cheese + a small amount of fat

The post workout shake should consist of:
25-40g of Whey protein powder
50-75g Dextrose powder(powder version of Gatorade will work)
5-10g of glutamine powder ( for recovery)
?g of Creatine if you are using it.

Protein sources:

Chicken breast(grilled with seasoning)
Lean Red meats(count as a P+F meal)
Lean fishes(Tuna most commonly)
Fatty fishes(salmon P+F meal)
Whole eggs(P+F meals)
Egg Whites(P+C meals)
Turkey
Low fat cottage cheese(1-2%)
Protein powder
Jerky

Carb sources:

Oatmeal(not instant)
Yams
Sweet potatoes
Brown rice
Whole grain bread/wraps
Steamed/grilled vegetables
"Healthy" Fibrous cereals ( Fiber One, granola(low sugar) Smart Start, Uncle Sams)

Fat sources:

Nuts( preferably Raw almonds, walnuts, cashews etc…)
Flax seeds/ Flax seed oil
Fish oil caps
Natural peanut butter(Don’t make it a staple fat though)
Olive Oil
Fats from animals(again not as a staple)

Tips:
-When taking in carbs try to take in a bulk of them during meals 1,PWO,and the meal after so basically make the carbs in M2 your smallest P+C meal.
-Pre-bed meal should be slow digesting protein like casein protein powder, or get used to eating 1-2% cottage cheese To make this alitte easier if you don’t like cottage cheese(trust me I used to HATE it) What I do is mix ½ Cup of cottage cheese with ½ scoop of Chocolate protein powder, and pretend it is pudding!
-Make sure you eat every 2-3 hours.
-Take your vitamins!
-Limit alcohol as it reduces Testosterone levels, and also halts the fat burning progress until ALL alcohol is burned.
-Have a cheat meal or two per week. I like to make mine over the weekend. While I actually even cheat "clean" you DO NOT have to as well. When I say that I cheat clean I mean that I will just eat my normal foods except in a larger amount, or I will go out to a restaurant and get say Chicken, Rice, and beans. I am also human, and will splurge once in a while on something that has been tempting me like PIZZA!!
-Try to take in a salad or some steamed vegetables with your P+F meals, the vitamins, and fiber are very important.
-Non- weight training days I feel that you should eat 2 P+C meals(3 if leaner) and they should be the earliest meals of the day. All of your other meals should be P+F.
I recommend either signing up at Fitday.com , or picking up a Calorie guide book so you know how many grams you are getting from particular foods.
-Keep a food log if possible for atleast a few weeks to get a feel of how close you are hitting your numbers, and to also see what is, or isn’t working for you.
If there are anymore questions feel free to ask, I hope this will allow you to make your own menu, and help you to understand when to time your meals.

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