A fixed surplus
A calculator number plus a surplus. Simple, but it does not change when your weight runs ahead of the plan.
Lean gain
A lean bulk app: gain at the rate you planned, not faster.
NOTANOTR, an iPhone app launching soon, reads your 7-day weight trend against the plan line you set for a lean gain, re-measures your maintenance every week, and when the gain runs ahead of the plan, the Sunday check-in proposes one change with the number behind it.
The short answer
A lean bulk is a rate, so the app has to read the trend.
A fixed surplus from a calculator does not notice when you gain faster than you meant to. NOTANOTR measures your maintenance from what you eat and what the scale does, reads the trend against your plan line, and reads your lifts and measurements next to it.
An adaptive calorie app
Adjusts your target from intake and the weight trend. Whether it also reads your training depends on the app.
NOTANOTR
Maintenance re-measured every week, the trend against your plan line, and every set, e1RM and tape measurement in the same file.
Side by side
Three ways to run a lean bulk.
The first two columns describe the approaches in general. NOTANOTR as its front page describes it.
| Feature | A fixed surplus | An adaptive calorie app | NOTANOTR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calorie target | A calculator number plus a surplus | Adjusted from intake and the weight trend | Maintenance re-measured every week; the target follows your plan line |
| Rate of gain | Whatever the scale does | Steered toward a goal rate | The 7-day trend against your plan line, so a gain that runs ahead shows in the week it starts |
| Water and glycogen | Counted as gain | Smoothed in the trend | A carb-up, sodium or creatine moves the scale but is not fat; the trend is read before anyone touches calories |
| Training | Not part of it | Depends on the app | Every set, e1RM per lift and weekly sets for 13 muscles in the same file |
| Tape and photos | Not part of it | Depends on the app | Waist, arms and chest, and check-in photos with a guide for every pose |
| The week’s change | You decide | A new calorie target | One change, which can be calories, training or sleep |
The first two columns describe the approaches in general, not a named app. For named apps, see the other comparisons below.
Honest limits
What NOTANOTR does not do.
- No AndroidiPhone only, for now.
- Not for beginnersIt reads what you already log. It does not teach you how to train or how to count food.
- Not in the App Store yetIt launches soon. Leave an address on the front page and we tell you when it is live.
- Not freeUSD 39.99 a month or USD 299 a year, with 7 days free (CHF 39.95 or CHF 299 in Switzerland, EUR 39.99 or EUR 299 where the App Store charges in euros).
How fast should a lean bulk go?
That is your plan line: you set the rate, alone or with your coach, and NOTANOTR reads the 7-day trend against it every week.
What happens if I gain too fast?
The trend runs ahead of the plan line, and the Sunday check-in proposes one change with the number behind it. It reads water first: a carb-up, sodium or creatine moves the scale without being fat.
Does it show whether I am gaining muscle?
It reads what shows it in your log: the estimated 1RM of every lift, weekly sets per muscle, and your arm and chest measurements next to your waist.
Does it read my sleep during a bulk?
Yes. Sleep and HRV come in from Apple Health and are read next to every lift, so a flat week can turn out to be recovery rather than food.
More comparisons: Hevy, Strong or MacroFactor · MacroFactor alternative · Progressive overload · Weekly check-in app · MyFitnessPal alternative · Apps for advanced lifters · Body recomposition · Contest prep · Blood work tracking · Fat loss stalled