Chris Bumstead has ample experience building muscle through proper nutrition and training. In a recent YouTube video published on March 19, 2025, he detailed his ultimate bulking guide, revealing how to approach a calorie surplus for optimal gains.
As the reigning six-time Classic Physique Olympia, Bumstead has learned the ins and outs of maximizing progress throughout preparations. Whether he was navigating off-seasons or shredding down for contests, he knew how to leverage dieting principles to find success at the highest level.
Below, he dives into when is the right time to bulk, how to do it, and answers common questions fans have about the topic. This included whether cardio should be included in a routine while bulking and how to remain committed to a nutrition plan for better gains.
Chris Bumstead Explains When to Bulk and How To Make Steady Muscle Gains
During the YouTube video, ‘CBum’ highlighted that knowing when to bulk is situation and person-dependent. He believes if your goal is to put on muscle you should bulk. However, if you’re not satisfied with your body fat percentage, he said to steer clear of bulking.
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“I have no fuckin clue when people should bulk. It’s very situation-dependent, person-dependent, and goal-dependent. But as a whole, I would say obviously if your goal is to put on muscle, you should bulk and if you’re not fat, you can bulk.”
Ideally, he prefers to be around 12% body fat before starting a bulk. He adds that for women, this is usually around 15-20%.
“If you’re unhappy with the level of body fat you’re at, that’s super important I don’t think you should bulk yet. Coming down to a body fat that you’re happy with maybe a little bit below even, then working your way back up. But as a general rule of thumb, I like to be around 12% body fat for me, maybe 15-20 for women.”
He believes when you can no longer see your abs, consider stopping the bulk. In addition, he shared that if your appetite has plummeted, it might be time to slow down.
“Similar to when you know you should bulk when you start to lose your abs or you get too much of a high body fat percentage, then you know it’s time to slow down. There’s a few other things like when your appetite is absolutely in the shitter, you can’t eat at all, it’ll be tough to eat when you’re bulking really hard.”
“Sometimes you just need to take a step back,” he shared. “If your weight is stagnating, all these different things, it’s kind of time to give your body a little bit of a break, whether it’s a week or a full cut, it kind of depends on your situation.”
Overall, if you have abs and are happy with how you’re looking, Bumstead says continue pushing for more weight.
“If you have some abs and you’re still happy with how you look, you’re not too fat yet, then you can keep pushing that weight.”
One of the most important aspects of bulking is understanding your macronutrient intake, says Bumstead.
“The more you measure, the more you can manage and the more you can adapt. And then you know what changes you’re making are causing the changes in your body. The first step to anyone’s fitness journey really is tracking everything you eat consistently.”
While this could differ from person to person, Bumstead believes it’s best to practice cardio during a bulk as it can help increase appetite.
“Everything is person-specific, but if I had to give an overarching answer, it would be yes. For many reasons, especially as a bodybuilder, the bigger you get you want to take care of your heart,” he said. “Keeping up with that is super important.
“If your goal is to eat more, cardio helps you eat more,” explained Bumstead.
Lastly, he drove home the importance of commitment, emphasizing that those who switch quickly between cuts and bulks never make significant progress.
“If you bulk a little bit and your abs are a little less shredded, I want to cut, then you start cutting, then it’s I want to be bigger, if you start flip-flopping back and fourth, you’re going to make zero progress and there’s no point to doing that. Start something, commit to it, and understand what your goals are.”
If the goal is to add muscle, he advocates for a slow and steady bulk, focusing on clean food and ab training.
“If your goal is to put on muscle but you hate when you lose your abs, do a really slow long bulk, very slow increase in calories, make sure your abs are staying there, stick to training your abs, stick to doing your cardio and eating good food.”
Former four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler has also offered bulking advice. Similar to Bumstead’s methods, Cutler favors a ‘lean’ bulking approach. He says nowadays most people desire leaner physiques and prefer eating clean over testing fate with dirty bulks.
Meanwhile, other legends of the sport like Frank Zane, offer blunt advice about the practice, suggesting simply to not bulk at all. He believes it typically results in excessive weight gain and doesn’t inch individuals toward their physique goals.
As the most successful Classic Physique athlete to emerge from the IFBB Pro League, Bumstead’s bulking wisdom is backed up by years of preparation. He believes monitoring macronutrients, body goals, and exercise are essential to effectively building muscle.
Watch the full video from the Chris Bumstead YouTube channel below:
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