How many calories should I eat on a dirty bulk?

November 9, 2025 •

4 min read

Bodybuilders and serious lifters often intentionally consume a calorie surplus to build muscle mass, a phase known as bulking. While a 'clean bulk' is a calculated approach, a 'dirty bulk' involves a larger, less controlled calorie intake from a wide variety of foods, including fast food and sweets. Understanding how many calories should I eat on a dirty bulk is crucial, but it comes with unique health considerations.

Quick Summary

A dirty bulk uses an aggressive calorie surplus, typically more than 500 calories above maintenance, for rapid weight gain. While it ensures enough fuel for muscle and strength gains, it also leads to significant body fat accumulation and requires a longer, more challenging cutting phase afterward. Excessive intake of processed foods also poses several health risks.

Key Points

Calculate Your Maintenance Calories: Start by finding your daily caloric needs to maintain weight, using an online calculator or a formula based on your metrics.
Add a Large Surplus: For a dirty bulk, add 500+ calories to your daily maintenance target to drive aggressive weight gain.
Expect Significant Fat Gain: A high surplus will fuel muscle growth, but a larger proportion of the extra calories will be stored as body fat compared to a clean bulk.
Prioritize Protein Intake: Ensure a high protein intake (1.6-2.2g/kg body weight) to maximize muscle protein synthesis, even with poor food choices.
Understand the Health Risks: A dirty bulk can negatively impact cholesterol, blood sugar, and overall health, leading to a harder cutting phase later.
Consider Healthier Alternatives: For most people, a controlled clean bulk (200-500 calorie surplus) with nutrient-dense foods offers better long-term results and minimizes fat gain.

Calculating Your Calorie Target for a Dirty Bulk

Unlike a meticulously planned clean bulk, a dirty bulk is defined by a less restrictive, higher calorie surplus. The objective is to maximize weight gain as quickly as possible to fuel intense training and muscle hypertrophy. The key to starting is to first determine your daily maintenance calories, which is the number of calories you need to consume to maintain your current body weight. You can use online calculators or a simple formula to get a rough estimate based on factors like age, weight, height, and activity level.

Once you have your maintenance number, a typical dirty bulk involves adding a large surplus—often 500 calories or more per day. For example, if your maintenance is 2,500 calories, your daily target would be 3,000+ calories. While some proponents suggest simply eating as much as possible, this can lead to excessive fat gain and unnecessary health risks. Monitoring your weight is key; a rapid increase of several pounds per week is a common outcome, but a substantial portion of this gain will be fat.

The Role of Macronutrients in a Dirty Bulk

Even in a dirty bulk, macronutrients are still important, especially protein. Protein is essential for muscle repair and growth, so it's vital to meet your daily intake goals. While carbohydrates and fats are less meticulously tracked, they are what typically make a bulk "dirty," coming from less nutritious, calorie-dense sources. These can include:

Sugary cereals and baked goods
Fast food burgers, fries, and pizza
Full-fat dairy products like ice cream and cheese
High-sugar sodas

For a general macronutrient breakdown, aiming for a high protein intake (around 1.6-2.2g per kg of body weight) is a solid starting point, with the remaining calories filled by a high percentage of carbohydrates and fats. This strategy provides the constant fuel needed for hard training sessions and recovery.

The Downsides and Health Risks

While dirty bulking can deliver rapid weight gain, it comes with several drawbacks and potential health consequences. The significant amount of extra calories often leads to a less favorable muscle-to-fat gain ratio, meaning you gain more fat than is necessary for muscle growth. This excess fat will need to be addressed later in a potentially lengthy and difficult cutting phase. Furthermore, consistently consuming high levels of processed foods with excessive saturated fats and refined sugars can lead to:

Elevated cholesterol and blood sugar levels
Increased risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes
Disrupted nutrient partitioning, reducing your body's efficiency at building muscle
Feelings of sluggishness and fatigue from blood sugar fluctuations
Poor digestion and potential issues with gut health
The development of stretch marks due to rapid weight gain

Comparison: Dirty Bulk vs. Clean Bulk


Feature	Dirty Bulk	Clean Bulk
Calorie Surplus	Large ($>$500+ daily)	Moderate ($200-500$ daily)
Food Quality	Low focus; high in processed foods and sweets	High focus; nutrient-dense, whole foods
Weight Gain Speed	Fast, often several pounds per week	Gradual, often 0.5-1 pound per week
Fat Gain	Significant; excess fat accumulation is expected	Minimal; aims to maximize muscle-to-fat gain ratio
Health Impact	Higher risk of negative health markers (cholesterol, blood sugar)	Better overall health and nutrient intake
Cutting Phase	Longer and more difficult due to higher fat gain	Shorter and easier due to minimal fat gain

Is There a Better Way to Bulk?

For most individuals, a more strategic approach is preferable for sustainable progress and better health. A clean bulk, with its moderate calorie surplus and focus on nutrient-rich foods, allows for quality muscle gain while minimizing fat storage. Starting with a lower calorie surplus and adjusting as you go is a smarter method. If you find yourself struggling to meet your calorie goals with clean foods, a 'smart dirty bulk' can offer a middle ground. This approach involves a controlled, higher surplus but still prioritizes nutritional quality and overall health. Using high-calorie but still relatively healthy foods, like nuts, dried fruits, and high-quality can be an effective compromise.

Ultimately, building muscle takes time, and there is a limit to how fast your body can synthesize new muscle tissue. Trying to force faster gains with an excessive calorie surplus primarily results in fat accumulation, making the long-term process less efficient. Patience, consistency, and a mindful approach to nutrition are the true keys to a successful and healthy bulk. Learn more about the differences between dirty and clean bulking.

Conclusion

Deciding how many calories to eat on a dirty bulk is less about hitting a precise number and more about embracing a substantial calorie surplus, typically 500 or more above maintenance. While this strategy can lead to rapid weight gain and increased strength, it comes with the undeniable cost of significant fat gain and potential health drawbacks. For the majority of lifters, a more measured, clean-bulking approach is a healthier and more effective path to long-term muscle development. By prioritizing consistent, sustainable gains over quick, aggressive ones, you can build a more impressive and healthier physique without the excess baggage.

Frequently Asked Questions

A dirty bulk involves eating a large calorie surplus (500+ calories above maintenance) with little regard for food quality, often including processed foods and sweets. A clean bulk uses a smaller, more controlled calorie surplus (200-500 calories) focusing on nutrient-dense, whole foods to minimize fat gain.

While a dirty bulk may produce more rapid overall weight gain due to the higher calorie intake, it does not necessarily build muscle significantly faster than a clean bulk. The extra calories often result in more fat accumulation, as there is a physiological limit to how quickly the body can build muscle.

First, calculate your daily maintenance calories using an online calculator that considers your weight, age, height, and activity level. For a dirty bulk, simply add 500 or more calories to that number to create a large surplus.

Health risks include excessive fat gain, elevated blood sugar and cholesterol levels, insulin resistance, feelings of sluggishness, and increased risk of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Yes, because a dirty bulk results in significant fat gain, you will likely need a longer and more challenging cutting phase (calorie deficit) to lose the excess body fat gained during the bulk.

A clean bulk focuses on whole, nutrient-dense foods, but it doesn't mean you can never enjoy less healthy options. The key is moderation. Including a few treats in a controlled manner is fine, but the majority of your diet should consist of healthy food sources.

For most people, a dirty bulk is not the most effective or healthy approach. However, some who are 'hard-gainers' and struggle significantly to gain any weight might use a temporary, large surplus to kickstart weight gain, though a controlled approach is always recommended.