To Bulk Up Or Not?
I have this question always running through my head. I wonder how many people have been successful at gaining muscle without doing a bulk peroid.My weight seems to be stuck at 135 and although I am increasing calories somewhat, I feel I should be gaining some. Currently I am taking in 150g of protein and 120 carbs. Anyone been successful with this?
May 28, 2008 at 8:10 am
I’ve been struggling with that same question for the last 6 months. While I’ve increased strength a lot, I’ve only made incremental gains in size with really bulking, so I think it’s tough. I’m far from a nutrition expert, but 120g carbs sounds on the low side for gaining muscle. Timing is important in terms of when you take carbs - if you are so inclined, check out "Nutrient Timing" by John Ivy. It’s pretty instructive. Take care and good luck. You look great!
May 28, 2008 at 8:11 am
oops, that was supposed to be "withOUT really bulking"
May 28, 2008 at 8:14 am
I always love hearing that comment from people!! I’m in My BULKING stage! Wow, that sounds so good doesn’t it. But if you really get down to it all they are doing is putting on Body Fat! OK maybe if you are using drugs to help you will put on muscle, but if you’re a natural person then it is mostly fat.
If you can put on 1 to 3lbs of muscle a year; then you are doing great. And you don’t have to put on fat to do it. You just increase your calories a little bit. You should be ok with the intake you are at. Just keep training hard and you will see the changes.
Good luck Kevin
May 28, 2008 at 8:14 am
Hey, I tried what Gunter was preaching and it worked great for me…If you check my pics from 3-4 months ago and new ones you’ll notice I lost BF while actually gaining muscle mass…Now what works for Gunter or me might not work for you or next Joe there but its worth a shot I think. I boosted my calories from 2000(cutting diet) to 2800cal mostly protein and complex carbs. I also added red meat(50-50%). Then I increased cardio. So instead of eating 2000cal/day I ate 2800 but burned extra…It reflected in newfound muscle mass and drop in BF level.
Hope I helped a little.
Dejan
May 28, 2008 at 8:44 am
Amy… it’s funny that you say you are considering "bulking." Personally I hate the term. You want to add lean body mass without adding much excess fat right? For some, bulking is an excuse to eat huge quantities of food much of which is unhealthy.
I think putting on some lean body mass and adding some body fat would not hurt you at all. I’d suggest adding about 500 extra calories per day with good healthy food. Keep the same nutrient ratios as you have now, just more of each type.
Also, set some specific goals. What body fat percentage is an upper limit? How many pound of lean body mass do you want to add?
What lifting strategy do you want to use? During my off-season, I generally go heavier with higher intensity and lower volume.
Best of luck.
May 28, 2008 at 9:46 am
I’m planning on doing the same now that I’ve gotten so far on a "cut". However, for the most part I simply am going to be throwing in more carbs around workouts and keeping my same diet of low glycemic carbs + protein meals and some fat here and there in oils/almonds.
Its a balancing act, but I think you can still put on decent muscle quicker than 1-3lbs a year…
May 28, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Amy, I am not an expert AT ALL….just doing what my trainer says….he raised my calories significantly…400-500 calories (clean calories) with the same ratio that you seem to be on…but i need to keep my fat grams under 30. Funny thing is this…since I increased my calories, I am losing more weight. I blogged about the same thing a week or so ago.
May 29, 2008 at 9:01 am
Are you willing to gain about 30-50% of the weight as fat and then cutting back down? If not, gaining 3-5 lbs a year clean bulking is something you wanna do Amy.
Also, as we’ve discussed before, it’ll be hard to gain size/mass/weight if you keep hitting the same exercises everyday as opposed to doing maybe a 5×5 program or only hitting the major muscle groups at most twice a week. You need rest to grow.
May 29, 2008 at 9:38 am
I have never bulked up without getting fat. i dont’ know what to do either.
May 30, 2008 at 7:09 pm
I think you may want to increase your protein intake. From what I’ve always been told, and it seems to work for me is to take in 1.5-2 times of grams per body weight. It sometimes gets a little hard, but I’ve been eating 6 eggs every morning (two full and 4 egg whites) and I’ve added some peanut butter to my shakes. I’ve also started drinking a shake before and after working out. I’ve just started doing that so we’ll see if it helps or not
June 3, 2008 at 6:09 pm
I want to second some of Daryl’s points. You should increase your intake to at least 1.25 grams per pound ( which is about 175 for you) and possibly even 1.5 grams eventually. Protein builds muscle and prevents catabolism. For the amount of activity you are doing, 1 gram is not enough, especially if you are on low carbs.
I would start by slowly increasing your intake, say 10 grams per day each week, which can take you to 200 grams in five weeks. You can add shakes to your daily diet ( are you drinking shakes as Daryl suggested pre and post workout?), increase portion sizes or add an extra protein meal if possible. Something as simple as adding a six ounce chicken breast to your diet will add 50 grams of protein right there.
June 4, 2008 at 5:48 am
You might want to try the "anabolic diet", it is designed to keep body fat fairly low throughout all the phases. The book recommends that bodyfat doesn’t exceed ten-percent while your bulking (but since it is written for men that number should probably be increased for females). It’s basically a low carb diet 5 days a week, with a 12 - 48 hour carb-up period.
July 1, 2008 at 8:30 am
Hi Amy! I am not an expert but my husband is. He has created a supplement line and many are sports supplements. He is an organic chemist and specialzes in fat loss. I swear its better to be married to a chemst than a movie star! He just came out with a new supplement called AmpedFX. Its 2.5 grams D-Ribose and 2.5 grams Creatine Monohydrate. when I was in training for my last figure competition I used this and also DHEA. I call this combo muscle fertilizer! Not kidding. You will feak out. I will have people just stare in the gym and ask "what the hell are you taking"? Supplements are a must in this sport. If you are interested my husbands site is www.health-fx.net.
July 26, 2008 at 6:34 pm
Hi Amy! I’ve been hearing from lots of folks that I won’t be able to put on the muscle mass without bulking, and going a LOT higher with my carbs.
I’m a low carber like you and aim for the 100 or so range per day (all extremely green & complex). However, I have been able to put on muscle without adding carbs. I’ve gained 7 pounds in about 8 weeks, not sure exactly what fat to muscle ratio I’ve gained but I am a lot more muscular and a lot less fat.
What worked for me was adding about 600 protein/fat calories to my diet per day. I bumped my protein to about 200 grams per day, and increased my dietary fat as high as humanly possible. I’m also not tired at all, I feel good and lift well.
But the funny thing is that when I increase carbs I lose energy and gain weight almost overnight! So I won’t be trying that again unless what I’m doing now stops working for me. Please keep us abreast as to your results, as I’m sure it’s something a lot of us are concerned/curious about. And thanks for your great blog on this issue!
Big hugs,
Demetria