7 Best Bulking Exercises For Muscle Gains

LAST UPDATED: December 6th, 2023

As a personal trainer, I often get asked about the best exercises to build muscle mass.

The key to bulking up and increasing muscle mass is to focus on exercises that target multiple muscle groups.

You need to follow a bulking workout plan that includes compound exercises, isolation exercises, rest, and recovery.

You also need to consume enough calories and protein to support muscle growth.

Nutrition Rules For Bulking

You should eat healthily and increase calorie intake before and after a workout in order to bulk.

Supplementation for Bulking

I am using only natural supplements and the most effective is D-bal.

D-Bal is the best natural alternative to the steroid Dianabol.

Thanks to the mix of powerful ingredients D-Bal increases nitrogen retention in your muscles.

Nitrogen is essential for protein synthesis. You can check more about this supplement here.

What to eat before a workout?

What you eat before training is equally important as what you eat after that.

Unfortunately, most of you, especially beginners, don’t pay much attention to this.

If you want to avoid high body fat percentage you should eat smart.

It’s very important to include nutritious ingredients in your meals before and after training and to eat them at a proper time.

You should eat before a workout:

• Complex carbs – brown rice, sweet potato;
• Proteins – eggs (whites), poultry, beef;
• Fats – tuna, avocado.

Eat 1-2 hours before a workout.

What to eat after a workout?

What you eat after your training affects protein synthesis which takes place a few hours after your workout is done.

The intake of carbs and proteins after exercising positively affects your workout result whereas eating proteins that digest slowly (casein) before sleeping helps your muscles recover during the night and it improves your health by providing essential amino acids.

You should eat:

• Complex carbs – orange juice, cherry juice, potatoes;
• Proteins – whey protein.

The combination of proteins with carbs that are quickly absorbed is recommended to intake 30 minutes after your training at the latest.

You can read my detailed nutrition guide here.

My List of the Best Exercises For Bulking

So, let’s what are the best exercises for bulking and muscle gains:

1. Overhead Press

The overhead press is a compound exercise that targets your shoulders, triceps, and upper back.

It is also effective for your core and stabilizer muscles.

How to do this exercise?

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a barbell or dumbbell at shoulder level.

Press the weight overhead until your arms are fully extended, and then lower it back down to your shoulders.

2. Deadlift

The deadlift is one of the most effective exercises for building overall strength and muscle building.

It targets your back, glutes, hamstrings, and core.

To perform the deadlift, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and grip the barbell with your hands just outside your knees.

How to do a deadlift?

Keep your back straight and lift the weight by pushing your hips forward.

Lower the weight back down to the floor.

3. Squats

Squats are one of the most popular exercises for building leg muscles.

This exercise is effective for the quads, glutes, hamstrings, and core.

How to do this exercise?

To perform a squat, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a barbell on your upper back.

Squat down by bending your knees and pushing your hips back, keeping your chest up and your back straight.

Return to the starting position.

You can also mix up your squats by incorporating Bulgarian squats or split squats.

4. Bench Press 

The bench press is one of the most popular exercises at the gym for building chest, shoulder, and triceps strength and muscle mass.

It also engages your core and stabilizer muscles.

To perform the bench press, lie on a bench with your feet flat on the floor and grip the barbell with your hands shoulder-width apart.

Lower the weight to your chest and then press it back up to the starting position.

You can also mix up your bench press by incorporating an incline bench press, which targets your upper chest, or a close grip bench press for the triceps.

5. Lying Leg Curls

Lying leg curls are an effective isolation exercise that targets your hamstrings.

To perform lying leg curls, lie face down on a leg curl machine with your ankles under the padded bar.

Curl your legs up towards your glutes, keeping your hips and upper body flat on the machine.

Lower the weight back down and repeat.

6. Pull Ups

Pull-ups are one of the best exercises for building upper body strength.

To perform pull-ups, hang from a pull-up bar with your hands shoulder-width apart and palms facing away from you.

Pull your body up towards the bar until your chin is above it, and then lower yourself back down. s.

You can also mix up your pull-ups by incorporating different variations such as wide grip pull-ups, close grip pull-ups, and chin-ups.

7. Standing Calf Raise

Standing calf raises are an isolation exercise for your calves.

How to do this exercise?

To perform standing calf raises, stand on a raised platform with your heels hanging off the edge.

Raise your heels as high as you can and then lower them back down.

How many sets and reps for bulking?

In bulking phase, you use weights that are 70-80% of the maximum rep (1RM – repetition maximum).

What is 1RM?

That’s the biggest weight you can lift only once while doing a certain exercise.

So, if you are doing a squat with 200 pounds and you manage to do only 1 rep that’s 1RM.

And 80% of 1RM, in this case, is 160 pounds.

If your goal is strong hypertrophy and muscle strength you need to work out with a weight that is 80% of RM.

On the other hand, if you want moderate hypertrophy you need to work out with a weight that is 60% of RM.

So, if you work out with a weight that’s 80% of RM, you should do 5-10 reps per set.

And if you work out with a weight that’s 60% of RM, you should do 12-15 reps per set. (1)

The number of sets can vary from 3 to 5 sets per exercise.

So, the general tips if you want to gain muscles are:

• No of sets: 4
• No of exercises per muscle group: 3
• No of reps: 8 – 12 (10 ideally)
• Weight: 60 – 80% of 1RM
• Rest between sets: 60 – 90 seconds

Supplementation for Bulking

While it’s important to consume enough calories and protein in your diet, supplements can also be useful for bulking up and supporting muscle growth.

Some of the best ingredients for bulking include:

• BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids)
• Beta-alanine
• L-arginine
• Plant extracts

The supplement I’m using in my bulking phase is D-bal.

D-Bal is the best natural alternative to the steroid Dianabol.

Thanks to the mix of powerful ingredients D-Bal increases nitrogen retention in your muscles.

Nitrogen is essential for protein synthesis.

Here you can see the ingredients:

• L-Isoleucine – an amino acid that boosts your nitrogen level.
• Magnesium – The most important mineral for lean muscle, and the nervous system; it helps you recover faster.
• Vitamin D3 – Improves your immune system, and contributes to the maintenance of normal muscle function.
• Suma root – Plant extract, a powerful antioxidant.
• Ashwagandha – Plant extract, increases muscle mass and strength.
• MSM – Reduced muscle and joint pain after a workout.
• Hyaluronic Acid – Speeds up tendon to bone healing.
• Tribulus Terrestris – a plant extract, the strongest natural testosterone booster.

You can read more about D-Bal and check the price here.

Best 7-Day Bulking Workout Plan

Here’s a sample 7-day workout plan for bulking based on the above-mentioned exercises:

Day 1: Chest and Triceps

• Bench press (3-4 sets of 8-10 reps)
• Incline bench press (3 sets of 10-12 reps)
• Close grip bench press (3 sets of 10-12 reps)
• Tricep pushdowns (3 sets of 12-15 reps)

Day 2: Back and Biceps

• Deadlifts (3-4 sets of 8-10 reps)
• Pull-ups (3 sets of 10-12 reps)
• Wide grip pull-ups (3 sets of 10-12 reps)
• Standing bicep curls (3 sets of 12-15 reps)

Day 3: Rest

Day 4: Legs

• Squats (3-4 sets of 8-10 reps)
• Bulgarian split squats (3 sets of 10-12 reps)
• Lying leg curls (3 sets of 12-15 reps)
• Standing calf raises (3 sets of 15-20 reps)

Day 5: Shoulders and Abs

• Overhead press (3-4 sets of 8-10 reps)
• Side lateral raises (3 sets of 10-12 reps)
• Rear delt flys (3 sets of 10-12 reps)
• Plank (3 sets of 1-minute holds)

Day 6: Rest

Day 7: Full Body Training

• Pull-ups (3 sets of 10-12 reps)
• Deadlifts (3-4 sets of 8-10 reps)
• Bench press (3-4 sets of 8-10 reps)
• Squats (3-4 sets of 8-10 reps)
• Standing bicep curls (3 sets of 12-15 reps)
• Triceps pushdowns (3 sets of 12-15 reps)
• Plank (3 sets of 1-minute holds)

Remember to warm up properly before each workout and to stretch afterward to prevent injury.

If you want a more advanced training program you can download it here for free.

Best Bulking Exercises – Bottom Line:

Incorporating the best bulking exercises into your workout routine, along with a proper diet, eating healthy and supplementation, can help you gain muscle mass.

When it comes to supplementation I suggest only natural supplements like D-bal.