Thoughts on bulking?

[SirGoldfish]

What do you guys think about Bulking?

Is it worth it? Past experience? Pros/Cons?

Just wanted to know before I do.

 

[Almighty]

If you start just make sure you stick to it, definitely worth it after a good amount of time invested.

 

[TheKnowner]

Always bulk during fall/winter
Cut during spring/summer

 

[Not Stable]

Most of the bulking methods are not healthy

People who are 170 pounds 6'1 asking for tips on bulking are not clever, not trying to sound like a individual with alot of knowledge about bulking but.

You won't get alot of information from sythe members due to the fact there's so much about bulking loads of different methods, I don't think someone will write a paragraph on site and give you tips, your better off looking for a guide on youtube or a bodybuilding site, not doubting that there's people on sythe that have experience in bulking just no hate pls

 

[DMR]

Bulking worked great for me. I didn't go the common way about it by eating whatever food insight. I actually ate a precise calculated number of calories and the calories came from lean clean food and barely from saturated fatty foods. In all my bulks, I've not put on much fat at all. By eating unhealthy and putting on fat, you're only taking longer when cutting and you lose some of the muscle you gained with the fat too. The clean way is obviously harder but its the most effective way to go about it.

 

Like DMR said, if you're going to bulk do it clean. My buddy is currently toward the end-phase of his bulk and he didn't listen to me, he's just been eating pizza and whatever the fuck he wants. He still looks like a lanky fuck, hasn't gone up much in his lifts, and honestly looks like he's developing a gut. So, his "bulk" did nothing for him.

You have to do it smart. Do it clean, and don't forget to push your lifts harder than ever or else it'll all be for nothing. So many people just do the same shit they did in summer/fall, except now they're eating a lot. Then they wonder why they're at the same bench weight for 3 months, lol.

As for actual thoughts on bulking, I don't believe in it. For bodybuilders it's definitely required, but if you're after strength, you should only be looking after what you need. If you need more carbs in your diet, you do that, but that wouldn't be bulking as it's not a "phase". Getting the nutrients you need without phasing is the healthier option in my opinion. If you want big arms and a 6 pack, there are also ways you can achieve that without phasing, though it's harder. Personally I'm just not fond of putting my body through overwhelming stresses like that.

 

[SirGoldfish]

Thanks for your thoughts guys, going to start Bulking clean this Febuary and see how I go.

And I totally agree with DMR.

 

[oldrunepker]

Ive never bulked, but ive seen people bulk and stay bulky lmao.

 

[Oculus Gold]

I really don't like the traditional bulk cut cycle, It can mess up your hormones especially when you take small breaks from lifting. When I started working out I was a twig, 5'10" tall and weighted 126lbs.... I "bulked" by eating high calories and working out as usual. But once I hit the 135lb point, I didn't notice any change in my physique even though I was climbing in weight... This is cause my bf% went up so much faster as I reached a normal weight. Now that I'm in my 150's (please note this was all done over a year and few months now) I've changed around my diet. Try this and you may like it...

I constantly measure my bf%. I look lean around 10% and under, but over 13% I start to get a marshmallow body... So I bounce my bf% as I bulk, eat normal food but high calories until I hit around 13-14%, then eat my maintenance calories (calculating with a 8% bf for this count) and keep working out as usual. I'll end up gaining 5lbs before this time but loose around 2 or 3 depending on how high my bf got. I do this because I want to constantly look lean and I do not want to stop gaining until I'm at a lean 165+...

So "bulk" cleanly for aprox. 1 or 2 months, then "cut" for around 1 month. It takes longer to reach a goal but its worth it to be the only guy who has abs slightly showing and a defined chest year round. Now this spring I'm going to cut down to 7-8% bf and attempt to stay there for a while, want my abs to be CLEARLY visible.

 

[Inva]

Bulking is a great method if done correctly. If it isn't done correctly, that is when it can get very dangerous.

 

[Shoegazer27]

I don't calorie or macro count but eat 4 meals a day and hit the gym
5 days a week.

I've done this for a year and seen big results. You just need to find what works best for you.

 

[Trigs]

Bulking/Cuttting is not nearly as important as consistency.

W/e you do, just do it and do it consistently. Eat a little more to gain weight, a little less to lose weight.

 

[SellerOfGP]

Work out your TDEE, go from there, add 100-200 calories when you see stalls in weight gain. (aim for 100-200 as bigger jumps in caloric intake will mean you're more susceptible to fat gain).

Ensure you utilize some form of progressive tension overload for hypertrophy and stay as consistent as you can.

 

[convuLt]

It depends though, there are dirty bulking and lean bulking. Lean bulking is also eating above their maintenance but it isn't too much like in dirty bulking, dirty bulking is great as they said it helps you make more gains yet pain in the ass while dieting because you'll take longer to lose the fat.

 

[escorted]

Of course its worth it. Is it worth it for you? No idea because you gave us no information on yourself.

 

its easy to lose motivation later on though. I did it for 6 months then got lazy and stopped.

 

[SellerOfGP]

Like DMR said, if you're going to bulk do it clean. My buddy is currently toward the end-phase of his bulk and he didn't listen to me, he's just been eating pizza and whatever the fuck he wants. He still looks like a lanky fuck, hasn't gone up much in his lifts, and honestly looks like he's developing a gut. So, his "bulk" did nothing for him.

You have to do it smart. Do it clean, and don't forget to push your lifts harder than ever or else it'll all be for nothing. So many people just do the same shit they did in summer/fall, except now they're eating a lot. Then they wonder why they're at the same bench weight for 3 months, lol.

As for actual thoughts on bulking, I don't believe in it. For bodybuilders it's definitely required, but if you're after strength, you should only be looking after what you need. If you need more carbs in your diet, you do that, but that wouldn't be bulking as it's not a "phase". Getting the nutrients you need without phasing is the healthier option in my opinion. If you want big arms and a 6 pack, there are also ways you can achieve that without phasing, though it's harder. Personally I'm just not fond of putting my body through overwhelming stresses like that.

Eating 'clean' is a very poor term to use really. People interpret it different ways. No food is clean, no food is dirty. However some foods are more macronutrient friendly and superior to others. 100g of chicken from McDonalds will be more dense in calories than 100g of fresh chicken breast from the supermarket or butchers. The key to gaining weight or losing weight is calories in and calories out. Not one type of food makes you gain fat, only eating too much of any food can do that (in relevance to your own individual energy intake needs). The goal when bulking, cutting or just maintaining your bodyweight is to maintain a healthy relationship with food and not label things as bad or good, but to limit yourself on the so called 'dirty' foods as they will take up the majority of your calorie intake and make it very difficult to hit your macronutrient goals each day.

So called dirty foods can only present negative to your health, such as blood pressure, cholesterol etc. No food really have any effect on your body composition unless you eat to little or too much. OP eat your pizzas, eat your fatty foods, have the occasional 'candy bar', eat 1 or 2 a day, eat a pizza or a couple of slices a day, if it fits your macros. Just be sensible with the way you eat. Personally 70-80% of my diet is foods that are considered 'clean' by poorly educated and aware fitness enthusiasts and 20-30% are foods I enjoy. Some days I can't fit things into my macros and I just eat the 'clean' foods.

Also to the use I quoted your friend is probably still a lanky guy because he didn't eat enough calories to gain weight and some other reasons for his poor progress could be... he didn't utilize progressive overload to gain muscle, he didn't consume enough protein to maximize muscle protein synthesis, he didn't stay consistent at the gym, his genetic make-up may make him hold a bit of fat around his abdominal region. It's nothing to do with the 'dirty' foods.

He could of consumed too much of a calorie surplus and had a lackluster training routine, in return he ate too many calories for his TDEE and only gained fat. It's not the foods, it's the calories.

Also bulking isn't 'overwhelming' stress, you're not starved of nutrients, it can provide stress to your heart and joints, but that isn't really unless you're a very heavy person. Also it easier for your body to adapt to the stress when bulking. Overwhelming stress is deep into contest preparation with drug free bodybuilders who's hormones are all over the places at really low levels, due to the low body fat percentage and small amount of calories they are consuming.

 

[Jiwi]

Eat a lot and train hard = gain size

When using the "eat whatever you want" you have to make sure your macros are tracked here. Because you could be eating a large quantity of food, but you could hit 700 carbs and only 50 protein and 150 fat. You need to make sure your'e getting the right amount of each macro regardless of whether you're clean bulking or "hard bulking."

 

[Polvik]

Bulking is a great method if done correctly. If it isn't done correctly, that is when it can get very dangerous.

 

[Mueky]

Bulking helped me put on great mass and my lifts excelled while I bulked. Now, I did a dirty bulk as I find that clean bulking doesnt allow you to fulfill your caloric needs. Muscles neeed those calories to grow. Bulking is up to you and what your fitness goals are. Lookup Chris Jones (physiques of greatness) on youtube, hes a pretty awesome dude. He talks alot about bulking and cutting