Build Muscle WITHOUT Bulking if You Want "Lean Gains" | Ep 384

Wits & Weights | Fat Loss, Nutrition, & Strength Training for Lifters

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You MUST "bulk" to build muscle... right?

Eat more, gain weight, accept getting fluffy, then cut it all off later with a fat loss phase... right?

Not necessarily.

What if bulking is inefficient for YOUR goals? What if you could build muscle while staying lean year-round?

Learn why you might NOT need a calorie surplus to build muscle and a unique approach called aggressive maintenance where you can skip bulking entirely while getting the strong, lean, aesthetic body you're going for.

Main Takeaways:

Traditional bulking optimizes for throughput (total muscle gain), while aggressive maintenance optimizes for efficiency (muscle gain per unit of input)
You CAN build muscle at maintenance calories when 3 things are dialed in
Certain individuals partition nutrients more efficiently toward muscle vs. fat and are better candidates for skipping the bulk
There are "hidden" but powerful factors that enable muscle growth without bulking

Episode Resources:

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Timestamps:

0:00 - Rethinking the bulking dogma
2:06 - Speed vs. efficiency in muscle gain
7:00 - Throughput vs. true efficiency explained
10:15 - MPS limits and surplus reality
12:20 - Age, partitioning, and staying lean
14:10 - How muscle grows at maintenance
16:20 - Energy partitioning and activity
18:10 - The aggressive maintenance protocol
21:00 - Protein, training, and carb strategy
24:30 - Glycogen, neural gains, and energy flux
26:40 - Who should skip the bulk
29:10 - Pitfalls, expectations, and precision

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Chapters

1. Rethinking Bulking Dogma (00:00:00)

2. Show Intro & Host Setup (00:01:06)

3. Speed vs Efficiency in Muscle Gain (00:02:06)

4. Reviews, Resilience, and Community (00:05:00)

5. Bulking’s Throughput vs True Efficiency (00:07:00)

6. MPS Limits and Surplus Reality (00:10:15)

7. Age, Partitioning, and Staying Lean (00:12:20)

8. How Muscle Grows at Maintenance (00:14:10)

9. Energy Partitioning and Activity (00:16:20)

10. The Aggressive Maintenance Protocol (00:18:10)

11. Protein, Training, and Carb Strategy (00:21:00)

12. Templates, Coaching, and Tools (00:23:20)

13. Glycogen, Neural Gains, and Flux (00:24:30)

14. Who Should Skip the Bulk (00:26:40)

15. Pitfalls, Expectations, and Precision (00:29:10)

16. Giveaway, Recap, and Closing (00:31:30)

551 episodes

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