Alright so I have officially been bulking for 1 year straight, with no mini cuts, no plateaus, and a steady weight gain of 2-3 pounds per month starting at 165 in September 2022, all the way up until today at 197, still relatively lean and somehow not looking like fat Mac after 17 chimichangas. So how exactly did I do it and what is my plan from here? Well here are some of my tips. First, you’ll notice that I only actually gained about 30 pounds in those 12 months, meaning my daily caloric surplus wasn’t actually that high. So no, I am not dirty bulking and no I don’t just eat whatever I get my hands on, I actually stick to a pretty strict diet eating the same thing pretty much every day. Yes, I am currently eating a little over 4000 calories, but you guys have to remember I started at 120 pounds, nearly half of what I weigh now, so it makes sense that I just have to eat a ton of food in order to keep gaining weight. Does it suck? Yes. Is it a dirty bulk? No. Even though my total calories are high, it's not like I’m gaining 5-10 pounds a month, eating like crap. I am still very disciplined, I log my weight every morning, I weigh out my food every meal, I track my progress every workout, and I assess myself accordingly. And this is exactly what you should be doing as well. Bulking is not an excuse for your habits to go out the window, sure you get to eat a little bit more, and you can afford being a bit more flexible, but you still need to stay diligent if you want to maximize muscle growth. Now, did I gain 30 pounds of pure muscle? Of course not, right? You can clearly see some fat gain in my stomach, my cheeks, my other cheeks, and some other parts of my body, and this is inevitable during any bulk. You’ll never be able to prevent fat gain completely, but you can limit the amount you put on by sticking to a lower calorie surplus, gaining roughly 2-4 pounds per month. Anything more and you’re likely gaining more fat than muscle, and anything less, you probably could’ve gained more muscle without the fat. But how long should you actually maintain that surplus for? In my opinion, as long as you possibly can, until you get to around 20% body fat. For some people this may be around 5-6 months, and for others it may be a little over a year, it really just depends on how lean you started at, and exactly how much fat you gain. But I wouldn’t recommend going too much longer than 1 year, because at that point, you’re definitely getting up there in body fat, diet fatigue will start to set in, your insulin sensitivity will worsen, and your overall ability to keep building muscle productively will get worse. Now when you reach this point, you have 2 options. You can do a mini cut where you shred 2-5 pounds a week for 3-5 weeks, or you can just do a normal cut where you shred 1-2 pounds a week, for however long it takes you to look sick. Now the difference between them is that a mini cut is much shorter allowing you to get back to bulking sooner, whereas a normal cut is much more sustainable and likely for those who want to maintain a leaner physique for a longer period of time. Now both are completely viable options, however the one I am currently choosing is option A. This will allow me to shred off a bit of fat so I don’t end up looking like Bubble Bass, and then get right back to bulking to build some more muscle. So here is the current plan. By the end of this year the goal is to reach 205 pounds, again at around that 2-3 pound per month rate. Then in January of next year I will start my minicut in hopes of losing 21 pounds by February 1st, and from then until December, I will continue the bulk at 3 pounds per month reaching a peak weight of 218 by the end of 2024. And then, and only then, I will start my actual cut, to prep for my first natural bodybuilding show. I haven’t picked one out yet, and I haven’t fully committed to it, but depending on how this mini cut goes and how good I am mentally that is the plan. So, always remember folks, do not be afraid to take the time to grow, building muscle is a painfully slow process, and it’s something you have to endure over a long period of time. Results do not come quick, but they do come to those who are consistent, with a clear goal in sight.
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About Me: I'm a college student with a passion for fitness hoping to make it my career. I started training in early 2019 and have devoted a big portion of my life to it ever since. Now, with the help of this amazing community I've been blessed to be a part of, I will try my best to give back the information I've learned for those hoping to embark on a journey of their own.
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