I remember when I was still a skinny hardgainer, asking people on forums questions like, “When bulking, do you eat less on rest days?”. I’ve learned a lot since then about bulking up and building muscle, but I still find myself wondering whether I actually have it right or not sometimes. I mean, it’s always good to question your own long-held ideas, right? Well, I decided to find out if I was full of it by researching the benefits and drawbacks of eating less on rest days when bulking. After reading for a while, the answer was pretty clear.
No. Bulking is not an action that you take daily in order to achieve some specific, short-term goal (muscle building, in this case). Rather, bulking is an extended phase of caloric planning in which you are putting yourself in a constant state of caloric surplus for a limited period of time (usually months) in order to gain maximal amounts of muscle. Small, daily fluctuations in caloric expenditures do not matter if you are making consistent gains on a weekly and monthly basis.
So, with that being said, let’s dive deeper into the question and see if we can make sense of this.
But first, watch this video from fitness YouTuber and influencer Sean Nalewanyj on How to Diet on Rest Days:
Should You Bulk on Rest Days?
While bulking, it is critical to always be consuming above the caloric amount you need to maintain weight. If you have a rest day and a workout day and no other factor is changed besides one being a day where you workout, then of course on your workout day you will burn more calories. So, you will technically need more calories in order to be above maintenance level than on your rest day. However, you still need to eat above your maintenance level of calories on your rest days.
The easiest way to do this is to eat the same amount of calories each day. If that amount is above maintenance on your workout days, then it is certainly above maintenance on your rest days. Keep in mind that the way your body builds muscle is idiosyncratic. Muscle is not built in the gym. It is built when you are resting and recovering. Staying consistently in a caloric surplus guarantees that you get the calories you need to recover, whenever your body decides to repair that muscle tissue.
Prioritizing Your Goals
Behind the question, “When bulking, do you eat less on rest days?”, is the idea that you want to gain as little weight (aka fat) as possible while bulking. I believe this approach is mistaken. Remember what the goal of bulking is, as I defined it earlier. The goal is maximal muscle gain for a limited, extended period of time. If you are concerned about gaining fat on your rest days, then you have taken your eye off the prize.
Big time muscular gains do not come easy. It takes time and repetition in the gym and in the kitchen, over and over, to get really big and strong. By having your focus partially on making maximal muscle gains, and partially looking over your shoulder to see if you’ve gained any fat is a surefire way to hinder your gains.
With the time frame of an average bulking cycle being months long, lowering your calories to maintenance level on your rest days seems to conflict with your overarching goal of building muscle. Bulking goals are achieved after months, not days. You should be aiming to make consistent weekly weight gains while bulking. If you are aiming to make weekly gains, then adjusting your diet to consume only maintenance calories on certain days just doesn’t make sense.
Another factor to consider is you don’t always know how many calories you’ll be expending on rest days. What if you do some type of physical activity unexpectedly? Again, it’s better to make sure you are in a constant caloric surplus to prepare for unexpected calorie expenditures.
I know I am always really hungry after a workout, and it’s pretty easy to consume more naturally on those days. But on rest days, especially for us skinny hardgainers, those extra calories won’t come as easy. It’s important to have the mindset of consistently eating above maintenance. Again, the best way to do this is to be consistent with the amount of calories you are eating every day.
Summary:
• You technically need more calories on your workout days, but these small fluctuations don’t matter much on a longer timescale
• Focus on making weekly and monthly weight gains and you won’t need to worry about small, daily fluctuations in calories
• Muscle is built while recovering on your off days, so staying in a caloric surplus is important
• Bulking phases take months to see results, so don’t waste energy adjusting your diet every day for a small amount of calories
How do I figure out how much to eat to stay in a caloric surplus?
First, check out this calorie calculator from the Mayo Clinic. This calculator estimates your theoretical daily calories needed to maintain your body weight. So, for example, I put in the following metrics:
Age: 30
Height: 5’10
Weight: 200
Sex: Male
I selected “Active” for activity level, and it came back with 2900 calories. Now, I know this is wrong. I estimate I eat over 4000 calories a day to maintain around 200 pounds bodyweight (probably closer to 5000).
These calculators cannot know all the details of your body and your life, so take them with a huge grain of salt. Still, they are a good starting point to figure out about how many calories you might need in order to grow. You can always start with the estimate, and work your way up from there if it isn’t enough.
The best calculator in the world won’t tell you what a simple body weight scale will. The scale is probably the best piece of equipment for knowing how much you have to eat to maintain and gain body weight. It’s simple.
Let’s take my numbers and say you start off with 2900 calories. You do that for two weeks and weigh the same after those two weeks. Then you bump it up to 3300 calories. You gain maybe half a pound in the next two weeks. That’s not enough. So you bump it up to 3600 and you end up gaining three pounds over the next two weeks. Using this method, you just found the rough amount of calories you need to be above maintenance and gain weight.
I recommend bumping up by 200-300 calories for 2-3 weeks at a time, before increasing again, if you are not seeing the weight gains you want. You don’t want to make huge jumps because you may miscalculate and then put on unnecessary body fat. Definitely don’t be afraid of putting on some body fat, but there’s no reason to go overboard. 2-3 weeks should be plenty of time to figure out if that calorie range works for you.
I shoot to gain 1-2 pounds each week. I wouldn’t go much lower than one pound a week or higher than two pounds, as you will either not be making maximal muscle gains with the former, or else making unnecessary fat gains with the latter.
What Should I Eat on Bulking Rest Days?
Your diet shouldn’t change much on rest days. Just like on your training days, it is important to get enough protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats. I recommend not cutting carbs on rest days so your muscles have enough glycogen to stay full and strong. Remember, bulking is about maximizing muscle growth, so no cutting carbs!
I made the mistake of “carb cycling” when I was a skinny newbie hardgainer, thinking I was being smart by lowering my carbs on off days. Instead, I just didn’t make gains. Now, I don’t recommend eating tons of simple carbs on your off days, even though simple carbs can be beneficial on your training days.
Just make sure you’re eating all the good stuff: lentils, beans, oats, sprouted grain bread, etc. Bulking is supposed to be fun! You’re not limiting yourself like you are while cutting, so don’t be afraid to indulge here and there. Nothing wrong with eating an Impossible Burger to make some gains. Still, this isn’t a pass to go eat pizza and cookies every day!
Summary:
• Check out Mayo Clinic’s calorie calculator, to get a baseline estimate of calories needed to be above maintenance level, but take it with a huge grain of salt
• The scale is your best method for knowing how many calories you need to stay in a caloric surplus and make gains
• If not gaining desired weight, bump up calories by 200-300 and for 2-3 weeks at a time, and keep doing this until you are gaining 1-2 pounds per week
• Eat the same macronutrients on your off days, with plenty of complex carbohydrates
Bulking Tips
Bulking Tip #1 – Weigh yourself once every 2-3 days. I used to recommend weighing yourself every day, not to make sure you’re gaining weight, but at least to make sure you’re not losing weight. But, I’ve realized that you can get into your head too much weighing yourself so frequently, and even if you see a slight fluctuation downwards from one day to the next, that may not affect your weekly gains. You definitely want to make sure your weight isn’t going down every 2-3 days.
Bulking Tip #2 – Measure progress on a weekly and monthly basis. Because so much can change on a daily basis, you want to use extended periods of time to measure progress. Base your weight progress on a weekly basis, even though you’re weighing yourself every 2-3 days just to be sure you’re not losing weight. As long as you are gaining 1-2 pounds weekly, you are good. Take progress pictures monthly to further assess where you are.
Bulking Tip #3 – Eat 3-4 large meals per day. This is highly individual, but I’ve found this is what works for me. When I try to eat more meals per day, it’s hard for me to stay hungry and actually finish or enjoy all my meals. Eating less meals per day is better for me because I can actually finish them.
Bulking Tip #4 – Eat a small breakfast. Every time I eat a large breakfast, I feel more full that day than usual. I’ve had days where I’ve eaten huge bulking breakfasts and literally couldn’t stuff anything to my mouth for the entire day. Keeping my breakfast light also keeps my energy levels up because there is no crash from a huge meal.
Bulking Tip #5 – Eat a large meal as your last meal of the day. Notice how weight loss experts often tell you to eat less before you go to sleep? I’m sure you’ve heard of “carb cutoffs” after 6pm or fasting for a number of hours before sleep. Well, since our goal is the opposite here (to gain weight), I say we ought to do the opposite. This tip has probably been the most helpful thing I’ve done to gain weight throughout the years.