What are you more in favour of: a) a maingaining approach (a slow accumulation of weight) b) a true bulk (attempting to maximize the total amount of muscle built over a period of time)

Great video dude. You know what they say “friends who bulk together…stay fat together”

Omar: I’m Bulking Also Omar: Bulking is NOT the answer

Awesome video. The part about looking at novice vs advanced body parts, and anchoring progression with benchmark lifts across those body parts was great.

So happy to see you posting more often! I love me some Alan Thrall too.

Good video and a great perspective. I'll be bulking alongside you! Been lifting for about 10 years and this is my first actual bulk. 7 weeks in and sitting at 87 kg. Let's build those wheels 💪🏼💪🏼

I spent the better part of my bodybuilding focused training maingaining (5-6 years), but I plateaued. For reference, I first started training 25 years ago, but didn't start the main barbell movements for a couple years after that. In the past 18 months I did a true massing phase. I went from a body weight of about 220 lb fasted to a peak of 236 lb. I didn't get fat, and in fact, I brought up several lagging body parts including my delts, arms, and quads. I leveled up my physique. Recently had a DEXA and came in at 19% bodyfat which I think is about right based on visual estimate. I'm gym clothes, I still look pretty lean (arms were 15-16% range, legs 17-18%, I store most in my low back and glutes). My arms are now a strong point, sitting at 18" pumped at a height of 6'2". Interestingly, I made most of the gains on a powerbuilding, more strength focused split after several years of more traditional hypertrophy work in a push-pull-legs split. I've spent the past few months maingaining in preparation for a slow, extended fat loss phase and transition back to hypertrophy work without focus on the big 3. There's no way I'd be where I am now, on the precipice of being an advanced natural bodybuilder, if I hadn't bulked. Bulking is really the one tool a natural has to break plateaus. I think it needs to be phasic and extended over a long time course with some periods of maingaining to establish a new set point. Losing fat is much easier than gaining muscle the more advanced you get. Even if you lose a little muscle when you cut, you'll regain it once you're out of a surplus and back at maintenance for your new body weight.

You a whole man now. I have not watched you in years. You are one of the OGs, even though you are still young.

Excellent commentary. This fits perfectly in my current training. I'm bulking up any weak points, so I can acheive maximium size/stregth per my weight class. And when time comes I will lose the extra fat and be an absolute unit on the scales.

At 65 years of age, 5'9" & 195 lbs, it's far too hard to shed the fat I put on 'bulking'. I've trained non-stop for 7 years now, so I'm pretty sure I'm past the novice or intermediate stage. Training is in the 3 RIR to failure range on all sets. Anyway, cast my vote for recomp/maingaining. My goal is mostly longevity, so it just makes sense.

If someone restricts calories too hard long term it can restrict bone mass growth, and not really getting closer to full potential on their frame even if they get decent muscularity. Especially once someone gets better at controlling the lats more and the body starts to widen out from the chest and back, is probably much better to eat more and your give your body a proper amount of volume to account for the expanded mass (Breathing techniques help with this as well). Especially with intense workouts often and training study it's just not enough resources for healthy growth. Being fat phobic can hold back progress greatly.

This was a great video so thanks a lot. I am main gaining as i don't have a dedicated workout schedule having 2 kids and i think a lot of the mass i pick up would just be fat. Plus no gym to train at close so i can commit to progressing lifts

If you’re not a beginner, and fairly lean, maingaining is pointless and spinning your wheels

Im a girl who's been mostly maingaining the last 4 years. Currently my Squat is at 100kg(225) deadlift 140kg(315) and bench:60kg (135) And ik these numbers are considered pretty high for females, but I honestly wanna get stronger and build more muscle, and at this point I feel like it's gonna be rly hard to add any considerable amount of muscle or strength without bulking. So I've started a lean bulk this month. It's definitely rly scary and kinda uncomfortable. But I've already noticed my strength, energy and sleep are improving. This video is very insightful cuz there's a lot of body parts that I've always negelected, and now ik I need to work on them during this bulk. Rly hope I can keep buliking before my insecurities start to hit

I’m just getting back to cycles of cutting, bulking and maintaining throughout the year with hopes of focusing on bodybuilding again for the first time in about 8 years, coming from the last several years of doing powerlifting, triathlon and CrossFit. I’m using the RP hypertrophy app for my training and already love it.

loved this video

Is 15 lbs in a year really that aggressive? Just over a lb a month I think would be considered a lean bulk by most.

Response to Omarisuf: Why tanning is NOT the answer

Omar deadass been watching you since 2011, if you train calves idk wtf im going to do with that reality 🤣 never thought I'd see the day!!! love you man!

You made a video like a decade ago the bulk then then the mini cut. I still think that's probably the best way to do it

Wise to take a period/block/year to go for hypertrophy to potentiate a strength phase that will hopefully see new PRs

Been interesting switching to BB training from Equipped PL. So many "novice" bodyparts have seen so much rapid prphress.

I would say most people should strive to maintain and they will likely fluctuate in weight throughout the year anyway

I'm just finishing off a dirty ass bulk. Before this, I had a PL total of 1100lbs within the next month or so I'm going to be over 1200.

Fantastic discussion sir 🤘

My take on it is that when you bulk and do strength training, you put on muscle mass and fat at some ratio and the better your programming is, the more favorable that ratio will be towards muscle mass. But the reality is that the longer you bulk for, the more you risk putting on enough fat to go into adiposity. So for me it makes sense to bulk for a few months at a time and then do short (say 4-6 week) cut to try and bring the fat back down again. Bulking for longer periods kind of forces you to cut for a longer period of time and I find that a lot harder to do. After 6-8 weeks of cutting, my brain and body just start rejecting the whole thing and I go into maintenance anyway.

Omar got all the good vibez damn...god luck on your second noobie gainz

For newer lifters, I dont think its controversial at all to say that aggressive bulks probably work better, especially if you are skinny/underweight and have a long way to go towards building your lifetime muscularity. This assumes your training is on point and you arent just "fulking" (fat bulking). For more experienced lifters who are closer to their genetic potential, slower bulks that fit your category of "maingaining" are probably more sustainable and efficient, but in many cases I have seen, aggressive bulks work for them too. Team aggressive bulk ftw

What about how aggressively to bulk, rate of gain, how big of a calorie surplus etc?

Maingaining or gaintaining is the way for me, I cant handle my face getting rounder and fat building up on my body mentally so in order to sustain the surplus I have to go slow. Great video as usual.

I'm 1.77m (5'10), around 86 kgs fairly lean. I've been training with weights for around 5 years, never went to the gym, not even once. I feel like my room to grow is limited as I'm already fairly heavy for my size, but since I only train with a very limited set (barbell and dumbbell and a half rack for squats and bench press that's it), I feel like there is still something to be gained. I started bench press only a year ago because I didn't have a rack before, and I can 1 RM 120kgs any day (i've been doing dips for the better part of a decade though). I'm 27, waiting for a bigger condo or even a house to have proper equipment to grow even further, hopefully I'll do !

For myself the more aggressive bulk makes the most sense. I’m about 240lbs with a goal to fill out the 264(120) weight class. The catch is I’m 36 years old. While I have a relatively young training age, at some point, in the near-ish future, putting on muscle is going to be difficult because of my age. Am I really going to put on THAT much more muscle in a more aggressive surplus… I don’t know for sure, but I wanna maximize everything I can at this point in my life.

Omar is looking Tan!!!! Lol love the video your staple of information

He's really back

Hell ya we getting a return of Omar. We needed the OG back...

Will you reply to Natural Hypertrophy? He says your physique could be better but you focus on strength when you can get good at size or strength or mediocre at both Oh seems like you kind of did

ive always considered maingaining to not be lean bulking but instead is literally eating at maintainance and hoping you gain muscle mass

If you want to build muscle deffinitely BULK.....People either bulk excesively(for too long of a period or to too high of a body fat) or cut and maintain all the time, both groups are shorting themselves of gains one due to excessive weight gain getting too far on the bodyfat scale which results in more muscle loss during weight loss and the other for not pushing calories and progression far enough to make gains. Bulk and cut is the best way to make gains long term, bodybuilding is about pushing up bw and performance, after that you get lean lean while maintaining performance and then repeating the process, key is progressing in every part of this "cycle".

The great thing about a "true bulk" is being able to eat ice cream or a pizza with some friends and not have to worry about how many scoops or slices you had. I just can't maintain a restrictive mindset year-round.

It is.

Gotta keep the calves small and the coefficient high 👌

Omar being my mom's doctor, plumber, and personal trainer makes so much sense now...

Maingain lead to difficulty with recovery when I pushed hard (lifting since 2002). Now lean bulking. I envy your ego, Bro.

Omar, Alan, Joey D. All naturals switching to a bulk.

If my math is right, a 15 pound weight gain over a year would only be an extra 150 (approx) calories a day. That doesn't sound like what most people mean by an "aggressive bulk". Am I crazy?

Dude, your skin is glowing. I've never looked so healthy.

The main reason for surplus is because it's impossible to get exact daily maintenance calories and every nutrient.

If u don't bulk hard u won't gain shit gotta hold the weight for a year or more before you cut to keep the size

0:42 Please record that single! 🤓

I like being fluffy and I like bulking. Maingaining is a great way to spin your wheels and make zero progress.

"build a bigger engine" right there with you dude. I'm bulking with needed mini cuts over the next three or four years. Let's become monsters.

Ok. I'm going bulk to

The music sounds very similar to Alan's old videos. Coincidence?

main gaining won't work if you're lean while natty, hence why revival fitness saids "you either get fat, maintain it and grow stronger or grow stronger at a slower pace while lean" also says: main gaining lean works for people on steroids.

The right answer is bulk and become a unit

I also dont train my calves😢

BUULK boii

You should sue whoever tanned you.

Naturals need to move past the fixation of leanness. You can get way more muscle and way more strength getting a little chubby. Plus you actually look like you lift when wearing a shirt. Someone like Eric Helms is DYEL when in a shirt.

I REALLY need to start cutting 😢 No more "yolo bulking"

You should start training calves and documebt the growth 🦵🏼

“Maingaining” refuses to die

am I the only one that liked Alan's fluffy bulk? 👉👈

Im 5'11 182 10% bf.. im trying to gain 10 pounds by next year.

Stop misinforming everyone. Bulking IS the answer.

I've been bulking for about 10 years. I'm basically a professional bulker. (I'm obese.)

Round Commonsense talk

1.5 lbs a month in an aggressive bulk for a male?

Hey, Isuf. Whats with the content lately? Are you trying to apply for the honorary Noble Natty title?

Greg doucette was somewhat right all along! Booyah!! I totally agree with you bulking or maingaining all depends if your a beginner or advanced. I think beginners and slight intermediate bulking would be more efficient and maingaining for advanced lifters is the way to go if they ve been training properly. Yea i also think a lot of us have more gains to be made in lagging muscle groups or muscles not trained properly or hard enough. Maingaining bulking, cutting all have a place depending on the situation Keep up the goodwork Omar!

This is my first omarisuf video in many years.

I actually built a lot of muscles throughout the months thru cutting/maintaining. But then again I only started training since February this year. But u must workout very hard if u wanna build muscles while cutting

Lol, in what world is adding 1kg per month an aggressive bulk? What Omar is doing is lean bulking, entirely different from maingaining/recomposition. Weird that he lumped them together.

I like bulking

Bulking works for me 🙂

!!!

Far too humble calling your muscle development a 5/10. Looking at people I trust, I don't think average height naturals (without a myostatin deficiency or some other anomaly) can get lean arms bigger than right around 17.0 inches. And your shoulders look more like 9/10-10/10 compared to other competitive naturals.

bulk

Heavy walking lunges for glutes. ✌🏼

Maingain and lean bulk are not the same, why are you putting them in the same bucket? Leas bulk is smth like 3-500 kcal a day of surplus while maingaining is NO SURPLUS. Dirty bulk is shit for health long term and maingaining is worse than lean bulk for gains long term, but they are all different things.

THE BULK IS GONNA BE INSANE BROS

i have a genuine question. let's consider the following 2 scenarios: 1) you do a lean/slow/(insert appropriate nerd voice)"science-based" bulk, and you slowly up your caloric intake from x to y within a time period z. in that time period, you build an amount of muscle equal to g. 2) you do a dirty/aggressive/yolo bulk, where you up your calories from x to y within a very short time period (practically from one day to the other), and maintain that caloric intake for time period z. in that time period, you build an amount of muscle equal to g'. in both scenarios, you train exactly the same way. furthermore, stress levels, non-exercise activity thermogenesis and all that jazz remain constant. the question is: *how does g compare to g'?*

Yeah No Yeah

Adult industry? U did 🌽?

The majority of that 15lbs is going to be water and fat unless you plan on getting on the sauzuuullle.

I think you underestimate how much stress has already been placed on your calves via a decade+ of squats and deadlifts. I doubt you have as many "free" gains to be had, even if you haven't really trained them directly.

I gained a little less than15 lbs in 2-3 months this year. Barely put on any noticeable fat, still got sharp abs. Bulking quite agressively can be incredible if you still have plenty of muscle to gain

I plan on getting strong, lean, and athletic and attracting my waifu lara croft!

Coach Greg coming

Bulking is better. Maingaining is for guys who want to take 10 years to go from 170 to 175 😂

That's a long explanation to justify a bulk lol

You can't gain more than a couple of hundred grams of muscle per week on average so why is eating so much protein or calories daily promoted so much? Also a large percentage of muscle mass is water.

Copium levels are high with this one

so greg was right all along🤔

being natty is a tragedy lol