2943: Your Bulk Is Not Working! Here Are the 5 Signs You Are Doing It Wrong

September 11, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

In a recent episode of Mind Pump, the hosts tackled a topic that sounds simple but is frequently misunderstood: the art of the bulk (or "reverse diet," as it is sometimes called to soften the branding). The core premise is that bulking is no longer just for hardcore bodybuilders trying to get massive at any cost. More people than ever—especially women—are attempting to eat in a calorie surplus to build muscle, balance hormones, boost metabolism, and set themselves up for a more effective fat loss phase later. But the hosts argue that most people are doing it wrong, held back by fear of the scale and a misunderstanding of what a successful bulk actually looks like. The conversation is less about a strict protocol and more about recognizing the clear, objective signals your body sends when the process is working—or failing.

The First and Most Obvious Red Flag: Losing Weight

Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.

Read Full Summary →

Free • No credit card required

Listen to Audio Summary Open in App

Never miss an episode of Mind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth

Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

What you'll learn

1 (03:16) **The 5 Signs Your Bulk Isn't Working** - The hosts introduce the main topic: five clear red flags that a calorie surplus or "reverse diet" is failing, and how to fix it.
2 (07:55) **Sign #1: You're Losing Weight or Not Gaining** - The core principle: if the scale doesn't go up at all, you are not in a surplus and are missing the benefits.
3 (12:01) **Sign #2: You're Hungry All the Time** - A proper bulk on whole, natural foods should leave you feeling satisfied, not hungry.
4 (14:33) **Sign #3: Your Strength Isn't Going Up** - This is the most objective red flag; if you're in a surplus, you should be getting clearly stronger.
5 (16:46) **Sign #4: Your Energy Isn't Better** - A proper surplus should give you more energy for daily life and workouts, not less.
6 (23:14) **Sign #5: Your Sleep Isn't Better** - A chronic deficit often leads to restless, unrefreshing sleep, while a proper surplus should improve sleep quality.
7 (24:41) **Old vs. New Gym Machines** - A brief tangent on how older weight stack machines were designed for bodybuilders and are significantly heavier than modern machines.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

MAPS Abs and Butt: ⁠ https://mapsabsandbutt.com⁠

Code: LAUNCH for 40% off. Includes Butt Building Diet Guide, Women's Supplement Guide, at-home dumbbell version and a free second program at checkout (Muscle Mommy or Muscle Mommy 15).

In this episode the guys break down the signs that your bulk or reverse diet is not working — losing weight on the scale, still feeling hungry, strength not going up, energy not improving, and sleep not getting better. They cover why strength is the single best metric to track during a bulk, why under eating during a supposed surplus leads to binge cycles on garbage food, and why women especially resist the scale going up even when building muscle is the goal. They also get into why old gym machines from the 90s with their heavier stacks were built for bodybuilders and how modern machines are designed for ease and safety, Paleo Valley bone broth protein in coffee that Sal's uncle has been doing for months without knowing it was a protein supplement, a new dating app exclusively for people who were never vaccinated for Covid, TBPN and how AI companies are buying podcasts to control public narrative — plus the William Hearst and cannabis prohibition parallel showing this is a 200-year-old game, pheromone maxing and the viral trend of guys skipping showers before dates, Arthur Brooks on the happiness data showing kids reduce daily enjoyment but dramatically increase meaning, and Vuori now making pickleball paddles as pickleball hit 479% growth and 24 million players in 5 years. Then they answer questions from Instagram.