Bulking and Cutting

Bulking and Cutting

had some requests to do a post on this! so here goes:
I'll start with bulking as it's what I'm currently doing (and have been for a long time)

Lets get rid of some bulking myths!

One big myth is that..the more you eat, the more muscle you gain. Okay, so this is true to an extent, BUT there's only a certain amount of muscle that can possibly be gained in a period of time. There's only a certain amount of food that will be put towards gaining muscle. It's easy for some guys to think JUST EAT EVERYTHING AND I'LL GET BIG (girls aren't as much like this, although occasionally I adopt this mentality on refeed days) Yes, eat big..eat a calorie surplus THAT'S ESSENTIAL. But too much of a calorie surplus..that's not all gonna go to muscle I'm afraid, It will be gained as fat. But, there are actually benefits to some fat gain on a bulk (don't fear it entirely, it happens..and it's not permanent) It means when you eventually cut down on calories you're burning off that additional fat, not the muscle. Pretty neat huuuuh? You'll often observe the phrase 'eat big to get big bro' whilst some guy eats over 6000000 calories because he's 'bulking'.. this is calorie surplus, yes he will gain muscle, but his careless approach will also lead to a big fat gain. So pretty much, you wanna be doing things smartly. 

Complete neglect of cardio..This works for some, a lot of people swear by it on a bulk. I get so often questioned about doing cardio whilst bulking. The reason they do this is so that they make sure they're in calorific surplus so muscle gain is possible (which makes sense) So, if like me you like a little cardio, make sure you're still consuming more than you burn. So I've gathered a few advantages of cardio on a bulk: You will maintain some level of fitness whilst bulking, some guys NOT all (before I get attacked hahah) they're huge, they call themselves fit, they may be strong..but try challenging them to a little cardio,they're completely gone within a few minutes. Is that 'fit?' It seems the concept of what fit is was lost along the way, a healthy heart is paramount. Another advtantage is that cardio sends blood to your muscles, getting rid of waste products, nourishing your muscles and promoting growth! (woo) You can also monitor your fat gain on a bulk, I use cardio is a tool to maintain my fitness and keep an eye on fat gain. So how much should you be doing? Of course, strength training should be your main concern..you don't need to do cardio everyday. I recommend1-2  HIIT sessions a week, or replace on of those with some gentle cardio like a fast walk. I've posted my HIIT sessions before but here's an example anyway: 30 second sprint, 30 second walk repeat 10x. (my HIIT workouts are usually 15mins max)

Leading off my first point, muscle growth is SLLLOOOOOW. So stick to it, eat a calorific surplus and maintain this for a few weeks, women especially don't gain muscle fast but it's very damn possible and attractive, so lets do this! To workout what you should be eating..calories/macros/fat/protein/carbs..my advice would be to check out the online IIFYM calculator. You can enter your height/weight/exercise level/goals and it'll tell you exactly how much you should be eating to gain. (or lose) I will tell you my macros as I have to often  but they will not really help you, they're suited to my body type and they've worked for me, go calculate yours! mine are 2300 calories, 50g fat, 300g carbs, 130g protein. My current program is one refeed/cheat day a week, the every other day I stick to these macros. I keep an eye on sugar/sodium intake and I stick to MAINLY wholefoods with the occasional treat. 

My advice is to bulk smart, eat enough, but eat foods that target muscle gain (I have a post about it) this will make you feel better on your bulk, you won't feel so sluggish, you'll have plenty of energy and you'll slowly gain that muscle. Please please please make sure you're getting enough food in, you CAN bulk with minimal fat gain, you just have to be patient and accepting that some fat gain is okay. It's not there forever, it's a process and as much as I'd love to be lean, I've made that sacrifice because I'm determined to gain some well needed muscle! When you eventually lean out..you'll look a lot better for gaining some muscle, you'll have stronger abs and more tone/definition. It's all worth it in the end.



Cutting

Okay, so here..the aim is fat loss and minimal muscle loss. 
LETS BUST SOME MYTHS..dun dun dun. 

A lot of people think you need to be doing 30-60 minutes of cardio daily on a cut! That's crazy, don't put your body under that kinda stress. Doing too much cardio would be detrimental to all that muscle you've built, you should be doing enough to target the fat, but not to over work yourself so that your muscle tissue begins decrease. I began on a cut..when I first started I wanted to lose fat so I did 30-60 minutes of cardio daily, the result was that ..I lost weight, but not good weight. My body held onto all the fat it could, I kept it on my tummy but lost all muscle mass I had! (we don't want that) So, on my cut.. I plan to do about 2-3 cardio sessions per week, 2 of those will be HIIT. The other will be a low intensity session for about 30 minutes! I'll still be doing more weights than cardio and I won't be killing myself in order to burn the fat. 

Another myth is that you have to get rid of carbs completely, that's a bad idea..people tend to this and they also tend to do it quickly after their bulk. It's just like ..lots of carbs..mm..lots of carbs..happy happy carbs oh yes i love carbs BAM ..no carbs. Bad move. Your body will be like oh hell no, it'll hold onto all the carbs it can get its hands on! You may want to reduce carbs a little on your bulk, but you don't need to reduce them like crazy. Don't damage your metabolism in the process, gently lower them and don't lower them too much. In my case, I'm on 300 now, I'll probably eventually lower them to around 230-250 (I'm undecided) but that's still a lot. I still need to fuel my workouts and I need to feed my muscles. Again, calculate your marcros on IIFYM.com I find them most helpful! 

Bad habits can be picked up on cuts..obsessive relationships with food etc. Try not to stress about it, it shouldn't be a stressing thing. Have a clear idea in your head, don't over do things, be kind to yourself but ensure a calorie defecit (burn more than you eat) you'll be burning fat and maintaining health and this is the ONLY way to do it. If you do it too fast, if you put your body under too much stress I guarantee you a lot of that weight you lose will be lean muscle that you've spent so long to build.  


So, bulk smart and Cut smart..Bulking and cutting isn't as simple as eating a LOT and eating TINY amounts. If you want the best results, commit yourself to it, and don't forget to look after yourself.