Lean Bulk Playbook

How to run a muscle-gain phase without the fat gain that usually comes with it.

1. 1

   Start small

   Set your Meal Architect goal to Muscle Gain with a 5–10% surplus above your maintenance calories, not the 500+ calorie surplus older advice recommends.

2. 2

   Hit protein every day, not most days

   Aim for roughly 1.8–2.2g per kg of bodyweight, the Meal Architect’s plan will already be built around this.

3. 3

   Weigh in weekly, not daily

   Track the weekly trend in your dashboard. Gaining more than about 0.5% of bodyweight per week usually means the surplus is too large.

4. 4

   Let training drive the adjustment

   If your lifts are stalling and weight isn’t moving, increase calories slightly before assuming the program is the problem.