Disclaimer: this piece was fully written listening to THIS song ALAP (as loud as possible) so all bets are off.
Bulking rocks, period. For those who aren’t familiar with the lingo, bulking simply means to gain weight by intentionally overeating. I know, I know you’re probably thinking “but why would anyone wanna do dat”?
To gain serious amounts of muscle of course. It’s how bodybuilders – as in the shreddestest hoomans on earth - and athletes have done it since time immemorial. The caveat though is you need to be – even if you weren’t a pro - within that category, or are already somewhat lean, a hard-gainer, skinny fat/ or just skinny. In one of my previous 6 lives, I remember my clients always wanting to directly jump on the “cutting” wagon to look jacked. Being always the bearer of bad news – only in training – I’d be “so your gonna melt that fat down, do you really wanna show what’s underneath?.
Tiz True, being jacked/ shredded/ ripped/ diced …etc has A LOT to do with diet, but that only comes after building a decent amount of muscle. No one wants to be the male version of Kate Moss …. IN THE WEIGHT ROOM.
Having said that, bulking does not mean you are gonna get fat. Think of Bulking as a tool you can use whenever you hit a plateau, stop seeing results, OR want better results.
Who should bulk (Assuming you know how to train to start with):
1- You want more gains. Period. EAT MORE. Caloric surplus is the main driver for muscle building. You will gain some fat in the process, but always remember losing fat is actually EASY and not that special. Building serious muscle on the other hand is. There is a HUGE difference between building a physique and just being thin. YET, don’t go this route if you don’t train HARD. Most people to be honest considering how they train could bulk up on an extra banana a day. You wanna push that body hard to utilize those extra nom noms. So just be honest with yourself. Now This is the route I am on now, more about this later.
2- You are in great shape, BUT started to look flat. Your muscles are tight but lacking roundness/ fullness. Time to give your slave, aka body a break and amp up those carbs (mix up clean and dirty bulk). This usually happens if you are on endless cuts, are keto or low carb
3- You are training hard but gassing out fast. Carb up – clean carbs only - AROUND YOUR WORKOUTS and don’t count those calories. And watch magic unfold in the gym. (My tip, white potatoes are da bomb)
4- You wanna improve your performance, aka KILL it in the gym. Up your carb and protein intake 2-3 hours before hitting the gym. Load up on fruit at night.
5- Hard gainer/ skinny fat/ skinny/ newbie but not overweight. Dude you need a plan, but my recommendation would be to increase caloric/nutrient density. Please don’t go for the milk jug, or listen to those who steer you towards chicken “breasts”. I say go “nut” crazy, peanut/almond butter sandwiches on bagels or toast, protein pancakes, big shakes ….etc.
6- Want to get in DA BEST SHAPE OF YOUR LIFE. A clean bulk is what you need. AND your training should be fool proof.
7- You have not seen any change/ improvement no matter how hard you hit the weights. Play with your training routine a bit, and give your diet an overhaul. Look for rich nutrient dense food that improve your body from the inside out. Be wary of any nutrient deficiencies you may have, and certainly increase your carb and protein intake.
My Bulking:
My last bulking pre-COVID
Because the goal is to build as much lean muscle as it’s naturally possible for me, and I have a very high metabolism, and I am vegan, meaning the majority of the food I consume is naturally low in fat and very high in fiber, I need to eat more than my counterpart omnivore/ carnivore. Yet, it’s not all about stuffing my face with goodies (though that’s part of the lure) it’s about nutrition being on point. Now this is my first bulk as a vegan (I’ve been vegan for almost 4 years now) so I am kinda experimenting, and boy, day to day I see how different food affect my body. I realized there were food that would fill my muscles like crazy (glycogen and water of course) and I’d look SWOLE which I love, while others kinda dry things up and I look more cut and shredded. I also started to notice differences in terms of energy, for example, potatoes of all sorts are awesome on leg and back day. Starch (not sugar as I used to assume) is what keeps me going for hours if I wanted. And yes my all-time favorite pre-workout, a double espresso.
Food is still ain’t on point though because I’m just eating without much thought or restriction (within the boundaries of my naturally whole food lifestyle). Now here is where I am putting all the emphasis:
1- Calories, lots of them. Again I need to eat A LOT to get the caloric surplus I need to build mass. I’m loading up on lentils, chickpeas, tofu/ tempeh, potatoes (all kinds), nuts, tahini, bananas, avocado, coconut, protein chocolate bars …etc
2- Add some super foods/ supplements. Athletes and people who train hard need more vitamins and minerals than the average person does, I added chia seeds, flax seeds, zinc, selenium, a plant protein source, D3. I also think I need to add magnesium.
3- Eat tons of greens (for calcium)
4- Train as hard as I can (I do that anyway)
Things I’m still considering but haven’t decided on yet
1- Creatine (there are pros and cons)
2- Omega 3 supps
3- Iron supp
Now I have been doing this for 2 months, I probably need one more month to go. Calories will have to go up and down according to energy levels and performance.
More to come …..