2862: Why Your Bulk Is Making You Fat (And How to Fix It)
2862: Why Your Bulk Is Making You Fat (And How to Fix It)  
Podcast: Mind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth
Published On: Thu May 21 2026
Description: In this episode the guys break down exactly how to bulk and build muscle without gaining excess body fat. They cover how to find your maintenance calories, how much of a surplus to eat, where those extra calories should come from, why sleep is the most overlooked factor in a bulk, how protein helps minimize fat gain, why junk food will derail your bulk even if the calories look right on paper, and why staying active with daily steps actually speeds up muscle building rather than working against it. MAPS MACRO Find your macro targets in under 5 minutes: ⁠⁠https://mapsmacros.com⁠⁠ SPONSORS Troscriptions (methylene blue) — ⁠https://troscriptions.com/MINDPUMP⁠ Code: MINDPUMP — 10% off first order MAPS 15 BOGO — ⁠https://maps15bogo.com⁠ Buy 1 get 1 FREE — limited time (all 7 MAPS 15 programs same price) LINKS Mind Pump Store: ⁠https://mindpumpstore.com⁠ Maps Fitness Products: ⁠https://mapsfitnessproducts.com⁠ Instagram: @mindpumpmedia 0:00 - Intro 1:51 - How to bulk without gaining body fat — the full breakdown 5:57 - Step 1: Find your maintenance calories (two ways to do it) 9:44 - Step 2: How much above maintenance to eat — 300 to 600 calories 11:54 - Where should the extra calories come from — protein, carbs or fat? 13:42 - Step 3: Train for strength — compound lifts are the priority 15:03 - Step 4: Sleep consistently — how poor sleep skews everything toward fat gain 18:32 - Step 5: Bump protein even higher — why protein is the fat-burning macronutrient 20:12 - Step 6: Avoid junk food — the 20% FDA labeling loophole that will wreck your bulk 21:50 - Step 7: Keep your daily steps up — why movement speeds up muscle building 24:13 - Tip: Eat smaller more frequent meals when calories are high