From a nutrition perspective, getting big is often boiled down to “eating big,” a philosophy iron hoisters have lived by for years. In reality, for many bodybuilders, big eating implies packing away plenty of food, which can be an equally effective fat-gaining plan. Therein lies one of the biggest dilemmas facing a bodybuilder: how to gain mass without getting downright sloppy looking.

Avoid the following 10 missteps, and you’ll bulk up without the bulge.