Bodybuilding is the pursuit of changing one’s body composition so that there is an abundance of lean muscle tissue accompanied by very little adipose tissue. Often “bodybuilders” concern themselves more with a number they are seeing on a scale versus what they see in the mirror or pictures when trying to add muscle. With this practice comes a false sense of achievement in that when the number on the scale continues to go up, so does the joy of knowing what you are doing is working.
Is it working?
Are you adding quality muscle or are you just accumulating fat at the same rate or faster than your new muscle? For this reason, it is important to put together a plan of attack with the target goal of adding new muscle with very little to no useless fat. Here are a few things to keep in mind when trying to bulk up and keep fat levels in check.
Clean Eating
The formula for gaining weight is very simple. Calories in must be greater than calories out. The reverse is true when trying to lean down as well. With this in mind, many bodybuilders have stuffed themselves full of calorie rich food thinking this was the sure-fire way to get big. There is only one problem with this. All calories were not created equal and the whole “If it fits my macros” ideology that is floating around out there couldn’t be further from the truth.
To gain quality size and quality mass, you have to eat and eat big that’s for sure. However, the food you consume must be of the highest quality as well. Burgers, fries, and pizza are definitely full of calories, but these calories fail in comparison to foods such as lean red meats, potatoes, lean poultry and rice, veggies, oatmeal and whole eggs.
Yes, it is true to get in a lot of calories you will have to eat a larger quantity of these foods, but your body will be able to process it more effectively and put these clean calories to better use. Not only that, you’ll feel much better overall as well. One more little trick to keep in mind; to put on weight, you are going to want to slow your metabolism down just a little and to do this, you’ll want to eat roughly 4-5 large meals a day versus the standard 6-8 small meals a day more accustomed to weight loss.
Lift Big
Ok, here comes the fun part. When you hit the gym, you are going to want to hit it hard and heavy for only a brief period. The goal is to tax the muscle to the extreme, breaking down every last little muscle fiber you can in the shortest, most effective way possible. To employ this protocol using the most scientific, gym proven method that is available to you, follow the principles of Max-OT training and you will not be disappointed. This type of training is hard, it’s heavy, and it takes a high level of intensity that can only be maintained for a short period. That is why it is a perfect fit for anyone trying to add quality size and muscle without being in the gym for hours on end.
Get Plenty of Sleep
Rest is an element of training that often gets overlooked. Sleep is you going to be one of the most important components for putting on quality size during your bulk up. When you rest, you give your body a chance to recover from all that you have asked of it. It is a time for muscles to heal, it is a time for calories to go to work without being burned up by doing other things you need energy for and most importantly it is a time when growth hormone levels are at their highest. Growth hormone has been shown to increase lean muscle mass while keeping body fat levels low. A good deep sleep for 6-8 hours is the most effective time frame to allow all the good that comes from sleep to occur. Couple this with supplementing with a product such as GABA and you are well on your way to bodybuilding sleep success.
There is one important thing to remember here about bulking up during your offseason, you cannot flex fat. Being a bodybuilder means looking like one year round. If you have been busting your ass in the gym as hard as I know you have been, then why cover up all that hard-earned muscle with a useless layer of fat? Keep things clean, train heavy, get your rest and use your supplements. If you want to be able to tell everyone you are a bodybuilder, you better look like it regardless of the time of year it is.
