Anyone done a bulk?

[everycowandagain]

I am 6 weeks into a 20 week bulk, working to add muscle and gain strength.

Feeling stronger on all my lifts, squat bench and deadlift have all definitely benefited.

I am up a couple of kg and my coach is talking about increasing calories again.

Anyone else done a bulk? How did you find it? Any tips for that stage when you really start going outside your comfort zone??

I did a few years ago, and really benefited from it in the long run.

I found the eating part relatively easy, and didn't feel like I was having to stuff myself like people sometimes report.

I found the clothing side easy enough to manage, stretchy jersey dresses for work, leggings or joggers at home, anything with a stiff waistband or tailored, non-stretchy items were put to one side for a few weeks.

It was definitely an interesting mental process though. I am fortunate to never have suffered much from body image issues, but there was something about getting bigger on purpose that felt a bit wrong, and I had to keep reminding myself of my goals, and that bigger = stronger so I wouldn't freak out and quit. It made me realise how much I had internalised that society tells us to be small (even though I disagree with it and I'm proud of my gains).

Seeing my strength improve definitely helped, as well as better recovery from the added calories.

I also discovered that most people are liars 😁. Especially at work, or generally outside of the fitness space, people who have no real understanding of the concept of bulking will deny that you are gaining weight. So you might tell someone that you have gained 2kg, but before you can explain why it's actually a good thing, most people will take great pains to tell you that no, you can't have, if anything they think you might have lost weight, etc. That was a strange experience!

Good luck for the rest of your bulk, I wish you all the gains! 💪💪

Oh, that's fun - how many calories are you having? Makes a change from the MN 1000/day!

I'm on a fairly permanent bulk (haha) but it is more of a lean bulk than when I first started.

As to coping with it...I bought a lot of 'Kinda Fit, Kinda Fat' crop t-shirts because they make me happy, and repeated gotta eat big to get big to myself every meal. Now my body looks the way I want it to look and I know I did that as much by eating as anything else, that really helps.

I'm v interested to see how this develops.
I'm starting with a bodybuilding PT soon as I need to build my leg muscles back after an RTA 18 months ago. Mechanically I'm fine but my quads are much smaller and weaker than they were before the accident despite regular weight training
From what has been said, I think I'm going to be told to bulk to build the muscle and I really don't fancy the muscles I've worked hard to build disappearing under a layer of fat - I'm quite small at 8st 7lb 5 5 and maintaining

I’m on a slow bulk, I’ve put on about 6lb since the start of the year and the plan is to just keep going. I’ve actually dropped body fat though so I’m looking leaner which is bizarre.

Aaaaah amazing, replies from people who get exactly what I am doing! I thought I might just get told I should eat low carb!!!

@PenelopeTheShroudWeaver today I pulled out a few less stretchy trousers that are getting too tight and put them to one side for now. Definitely need some new tailored trousers for work in the next size up I think. I definitely add more fat on my lower half! I am completely with you on the mental process - I have a pretty uncomplicated relationship with food and in theory I am completely fine with getting bigger but deep down I have definitely internalised the pervasive female obligation to be as small as possible so I am regularly reminding myself of why I am doing this. I am also trying to detach myself mentally from my body fat levels which is really interesting!

I did realise the other day that I do have a fear that people will see I have gained weight and judge me because I am known as a gym girl, you know like "oh I thought she exercises a lot, it's clearly not working"! Definitely something I need to get over.

@Flavourflava I am on 2500 a day (sorry mumsnet but muscles need food and 1200 is toddler calories!!!). My maintenance is about 2150. My coach is pushing me on my strength and total training volume for the next few weeks so he did say to add another couple of hundred to that if I could. It took me a while to find good high carb snacks but I think I have settled into it now. Love those tshirts! So glad you got the results you wanted, I really hope that happens for me! I think i can see some muscle appearing under there!! I have realised I can't cut my way to the muscular body I want, I need to build it.

@wwyd2021medicine my coach is a powerbuilder so he can coach bodybuilding as well as strength. Definitely good to work with a coach that has the right knowledge for your goals. You can 'lean bulk' in a smaller surplus and see how the fat gain goes and adjust calories up or down as you need. But I spent 6 months at maintenance when I started with my coach while we got to know each other and talked about how we wanted to approach building muscle. There's no rush to bulk.

@ImBrian sounds like you have some good recomp going on!! I am much smaller at this weight than I would have been before I started lifting weights so I know my muscle mass has increased.

So great to hear from people who have done it before, I know I am building muscle but I definitely need to hang in there, not freak out and trust the process!

*@PenelopeTheShroudWeaver today I pulled out a few less stretchy trousers that are getting too tight and put them to one side for now. Definitely need some new tailored trousers for work in the next size up I think. I definitely add more fat on my lower half! I am completely with you on the mental process - I have a pretty uncomplicated relationship with food and in theory I am completely fine with getting bigger but deep down I have definitely internalised the pervasive female obligation to be as small as possible so I am regularly reminding myself of why I am doing this. I am also trying to detach myself mentally from my body fat levels which is really interesting!

I did realise the other day that I do have a fear that people will see I have gained weight and judge me because I am known as a gym girl, you know like "oh I thought she exercises a lot, it's clearly not working"! Definitely something I need to get over*

Doing a bulk really opened my eyes to how conditioned we are as women and how nutrition is about so much more than just calorie balance but can also be a mental battle. If putting mass on can mess with people like us with no existing ED or body image issues, it's hard to even imagine how hard it must be for others. It definitely made me a lot more sympathetic to people who struggle with their body image, diet etc.

@PenelopeTheShroudWeaver yes 100% agree. I follow a couple of pretty no nonsense female fitness trainers on Instagram who talk a lot about women usually needing more muscle, but they both emphasise that bulking is both a choice and a privilege.

My coach sent me my next 4 week training block over and it's pretty intense, we are putting all the food to good use! He has told me to try for 2700 per day and hopefully we will be hitting some PBs! Heavy squats are a mental game for me, so I need to stop thinking about how heavy it is and just do it...

Hope everyone has a good week of picking up heavy things and putting them back down again in a variety of different ways 😀

I’ve just come to the end of mine and now in to a cut. The weight gain was hard. I feel so heavy. Very little fits. But hoping it will be worth it and excited to see what’s under the fat!
However now I’m used to so many calories cutting brings a new challenge! I’m stronger in all my lifts so I think it will have been worth it for sure

@Gymmum82 glad to hear you got stronger, and no doubt you'll see some of that extra muscle appearing as you cut. Interesting to hear how you adapt to the lower calories and whether being post-bulk makes it harder or not.

I expect I will be feeling very ready to cut by the time I get there although today I am enjoying some loose elasticated combats I just bought and will be living in for the foreseeable.

I'm really interested in this. I struggle with maintaining a lean physique - I'm 165 cm and weight around 72 kilos. I'd like to drop around 5 kilos for health purposes. I'm 64.

But I lift heavy and was at around 74 kilos when I first pulled a 100 kilo deadlift just before Christmas last year. I commented to my PT that "bulk lifts bulk." He sort of grimaced and said "Actually it's muscle that lifts weights". If I want to get an unassisted pull up (I don't think I ever will), I also need to drop weight.

I eat well, and a lot, mostly vegetables, Greek yoghurt, and lean protein, nuts & seeds, and fruit, & try to eat within an 8 hour window. I eat around 1500-1800 calories a day. I lose weight slowly if I can maintain under under 1500 cals per day.

So how do you bulk without gaining unwanted fat? I've watched YT vids on people bulking, and I love to eat, so it's an attractive prospect!

Do you train more & heavy? I do 2 x 30 minute strength sessions per week with my PT - the other 30 mins is metcon/HIIT/Crossfit style training (so strength, agility, and cardio). I also do a fun Bootcamp class each week, where I slow down & lift heavy-ish (eg benchpress 20 kilos), but I know that's mostly cardio, not focused strength training.

I'm thinking of adding a 3rd strength session on my own each week, but I worry about the stress on an ageing body.

Ahhh just read further about following a bulk with a cut. I think I need to cut ... But I really really hate feeling hungry (emotional comfort eater).

Have you been in reduced calories/dieting much of your life @EveryWitchWaybutLoose ?

That sounds like low calories already to me. If you've been doing it a long time my understanding is your metabolism may be affected, and you need to eat more to get it better and still lose weight. I don't know much about it as it doesn't apply to me but I see lots of talk about it. I think it's called reverse dieting? Lots of what the diet industry has been based on for decades is a load of crap and is why people struggle.

If you're cutting you reduce calories and your training may well be lighter as a result. But I can't see you've many calories to cut. Have you ever seen a nutritionist?

That sounds like low calories already to me. If you've been doing it a long time my understanding is your metabolism may be affected, and you need to eat more to get it better and still lose weight.

No, I haven't been doing calorie restriction at all! I'm a comfort eater, and can eat a packet of chocolate biscuits in one go. I have always had a terrible sweet tooth & was very skinny till I was around 35. Since then it's been a typical 'gain a kilo a year without noticing " sort of creep up in weight. I wouldn't say I'm a binger, just that on occasion I'm not very sensible.

I don't diet in terms of strict calorie control, but given my propensity for eating chocolate & pizza, I need to keep an eye on intake. My current intake is based on eating a lot of vegetables & lean protein, and cutting refined "white" carbs almost completely - and to find satiation without a huge calorific intake. My PT & I have discussed this (he's got good qualifications in nutrition) and he's not fussed about me counting calories; he is fussed about me eating a packet of marshmallows on Friday night! My main aim is to eat healthily while avoiding feeling hungry. Around 65-68 kilos is where I feel lean & it's easier to move. And it's a better BMI - or fat percentage - I've been scanned and have a fat % of 37% so I"d like to reduce that a bit.

Argh - this is turning into weight loss chat - sorry to go off topic. But I'm intrigued by the bulk and cut, and I'm wondering if the second 6 months of last year which culminated in some PBs - 100 k DL, almost 70 k back squat - was a result of a "bulk" and now I need to "cut" to get a bit lean. I certainly have visible arm definition, hammies definition, quad definition, and those visible parallel vertical abdominal lines (not a visible 6 pack though!)

@EveryWitchWaybutLoose I helped take it off topic too!

A bulk is literally a calorie surplus and you will also gain fat alongside muscle and a cut is calorie deficit to show reduce fat and reveal the muscle built. You train the same but you'll likely lift heavier in a bulk and won't be able to in a cut.

I have had my first PT session (body building coach)- worked on a better split for me, pre exhausting muscles for more gains - and he's told me I need to eat carbs.
This is anathema to me. I didn't put on significant weight with pregnancy or menopause because I am v controlled over what I eat. I eat very clean (to the point that sometimes I have to have a word with myself). Body fat probably about 22.
It seems that I will need to eat oats at breakfast and looking at fruit carbs metabolism, fruit is not a suitable substitute for rice or pasta or potatoes. It's hard enough getting all my protein in and I'm just making my headache with all this.

@EveryWitchWaybutLoose you probably did hit those great PBs on your lifts because you were well fueled and building some muscle. I am absolutely smashing my lifts at the moment, and my recovery is so much better. Even my coach looked surprised at some of the weights I was moving easily in my last session!

But yes unfortunately bulking/building muscle does involve adding some fat, and I am really starting to feel quite big now. Plan to sit here for a while longer though, before I lose some of it.

I guess it depends what season you're in ie do you want to prioritise strength or drop some fat. No right or wrong answer!

@wwyd2021medicine give yourself time to ease into it. It was an adjustment for me too.

I am the same, never gained a lot of weight in pregnancy or menopause and have always been pretty controlled about my diet. I have really had to adjust to eating more, particularly getting all the carbs in. I do eat a lot of fruit/veg and pretty "healthy" food out of preference so I had to find ways to up my carbs while still eating the food I prefer. I do overnight oats for breakfast, a chicken sandwich and salad for lunch (swapped the mixed leaves for carrot and baby sweetcorn for more carbs!!), and I have a bigger portion of rice etc with my dinner now.

I am struggling to find a high carb afternoon snack/small meal that I can take to work. A stream of snack food out of packets isn't filling me with joy at the moment. I have a fridge at work but no microwave, suggestions welcome! Might try a couple of weetabix with blueberries but I don't have a hugely sweet tooth.

The snacks I take to work are oatcakes and cottage cheese/baby bel. And fage yogurt, oats and blueberries/maple syrup

And @EveryWitchWaybutLoose I am working towards that 100kg deadlift! Will be a couple more months I think but it's coming.... there was a lady doing 120kg deadlifts in my gym the other day, I love seeing it.

Although my coach pulls 265kg, which is a whole other thing!!

Thanks @RayKray, oatcakes are a good idea for carby but not sweet. Just the sort of thing I am looking for.

@everycowandagain Aldi do high protein porridge pots which I find really convenient for taking to work.
The chocolate ones are my favourite but they always run out first!

Thanks! I often find my afternoon snack needs to be quite carb heavy, I usually hit my protein fairly easily. Bought some weetabix!!

@ArucanaWing @endless

God, I hate this website 🤣 @endlessdark

And just generally boosting this thread up to escape MN's absolute calorie insanity.

How's everyone going? I took a selfie today where my shoulders look yuuuge and it's made my week!

thanks!