In light on some posters in H&F not seeming to understand these phases, I've decided to take it upon myself to explain it.
Bulking Phase:The bulking phase is the phase in which a bodybuilder consumes a caloric surplus over the amount of calories they burn in a day.
How to determine how much energy (calories) you burn in a day? First off, search google for a Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) Calculator.
Such as this one:
http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/Your BMR is the amount of calories you burn by merely existing (as if you were bed ridden and literally did no exercise). The factors that make up this number is basically HEIGHT, WEIGHT, AGE, SEX.
Once you find that number, you have the base of what you burn in a day.
Now, for your other activity. There are formulas that allow you to get you a good estimate of your TOTAL DAILY ENERGY EXPENDITURE (TDEE, estimate of complete amount of calories burned in a day)
A popular one is the Harris Benedict Formula, which is basically taking your BMR number and multiplying it by a certain number, depending on your activity level (sedentary, light, moderate, etc)...............
Harris Benedict FormulaTo determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:
If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9
Or if you are too lazy to do any of this, there are calculators that do both for you, such as this one:
http://www.muscleandstrength.com/tools/bmr-and-daily-calorie-calculator.htmlYou will then end up with a number which is the estimate amount of energy you burn in a day...EX: 3000 cal.
Now this is your TDEE, your maintenance calories. In order to maintain your current weight you should be consuming this many calories (keep in mind that it's an estimate not 100% exact).
From there if you wish to put on mass you must consume a surplus...more than that amount. In a clean bulk, most will go by a 500 calorie increase from their TDEE, to put on lean mass--you will still put on some fat thats inevitable, but while having a smaller caloric surplus it helps you be able to keep this in check without putting on TOO MUCH.
It is said that an extra 3500 calories = 1 lb of mass on your body. Which is why +500 cal per day works out well as you will be averaging 1 pound per 7 days (1 week)
A dirty bulk is when you don't really count the calories to be within +500...but rather eat as much as you can. While you may pack on a lot of mass, odds are you will put on a bit more fat unfortunately.
Cutting Phase:Since we covered finding your Maintenance Calories (TDEE) in the bulking phase section, I'm going to go right ahead and skip forward.
Basically it is the same idea, except you put yourself at a 500 calorie deficit from your TDEE (-500 calories)
By doing so you will be averaging a loss of 1 lb per week. It is crucial however to be doing Cardio exercise during this period to burn the fat off.
You can put yourself up to a -1000 calorie deficit, but 500 is most recommended to minimize your muscle loss. The object here is to burn the most fat off, while maintaining the most muscle that you possibly can.
On both sides, bulking and cutting the most surplus/deficit that is recommended is 1000 calories. As you don't want to put on too much fat or lose too much muscle.
Here are pictures of both phases, a well known natural bodybuilder Kris Gethin (Trainer from BB.COM and pro natural bb)
bulk and cut
