The Bulking Primer

Blown_SC

The Bulking Primer
By LeanMeOut & rambo @AR

First things first:
There are many reasons that bulking diets fail but here are a few of the most common reasons:
1) Calories are not high enough and putting on muscle mass fails
2) Calories are too high and macros percentages are not in check. This in turn leads to putting on sloppy weight (fat) as well as muscle.
3) You are BULKING, not CHEATING. Cheat days will be factored in, but your food choices should still be healthy. All diets, whether cutting or buking, need to be monitored. This means that watching your insulin spikes and TYPE of carb intake is still important.
4) You are what you eat. It’s just that simple. To simplify, you eat crap and you will look like crap.
That being said let’s talk calories and figuring out daily needs

Harris Benedict Formula for Calorie Calculations
“The Harris Benedict equation is a calorie formula using the variables of height, weight, age, and gender to calculate basal metabolic rate (BMR). This is more accurate than calculating calorie needs based on total body weight alone. The only factor it omits is lean body mass and thus the ratio of muscle-to-fat a body has. Remember, leaner bodies need more calories than less leaner ones. Therefore, this equation will be very accurate in all but the very muscular (Harris-Benedict will under-estimate calorie needs) and the very fat (Harris-Benedict will over-estimate calorie needs).”
That being said, there are is no concrete number of daily calorie intake your body needs, however using this formula will give you can idea of what you do need.

Harris Benedict Formula for Men
BMR = 66 + (13.7 X weight in kilos) + (5 X height in cm) - (6.8 X age in years)
Notes:
1 inch = 2.54 cm.
1 kilogram = 2.2 lbs.
Example of BMR
You are 25 years old
You are 6 feet tall
Your weight is 220 pounds
Your BMR is 66 + (1370) + (914) - (170) = 2180 calories

Harris Benedict Formula for Men - STEP 2
To determine your total daily calorie needs, now multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:
If you are Sedentary - little or no exercise
Calorie-Calculation = BMR X 1.2
- If you are Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week)
Calorie-Calculation = BMR X 1.375
- If you are Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week)
Calorie-Calculation = BMR X 1.55
- If you are Very Active = BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/week)
Calorie-Calculation = BMR X 1.725
- If you are Extra Active (very hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training)
Calorie-Calculation = BMR X 1.9

Total Calorie Needs Example
If you are lightly active, multiply your BMR (2180) by 1.375 = 2997
Your total daily calorie requirement is therefore 2997 calories.
This is the total number of calories you need in order to MAINTAIN your current weight.
If you want to gain body weight, you must consume more calories than you burn. One pound of body weight is roughly equivalent to 3500 calories, so eating an extra 500 calories per day will cause you to gain one pound a week. Etc….
We have included an excel document created by Elliot @ AR that will calculate your calorie needs for you, using the Harris Benedict formula.
Elliot's Harris Benedict Calculator for Males:
http://www.geocities.com/arelliotness/
Download the document named: harris-elliot.xls
Alright so now we know that you need extra calories to gain weight. So what should these calories be comprised of?? Well before we go there, let’s talk diet basics.

The BASICS-

1. Postworkout Nutrition- I’m a firm believer that PWO nutrition is hands down the most important aspect of dieting. It is within the 15 minutes after a workout that your body is in dire need of nutrients. It is a completely anabolic state, and what you take in can be optimized to ensure maximum results. A general rule of thumb is 40-60 grams whey protein, and double the amount of whey in carbohydrates (50% dextrose/50% maltodextrin).

2. Carbs- carbohydrates are a very helpful macronutrient when you are trying to gain lean mass. However, carbohydrates are only useful if they are used at the correct times. In my opionion carbohydrates are only necessary for 3 meals of the day. These meals include breakfast, your PWO Shake, and your PPWO Meal. Your breakfast and PPWO meals should be comprised of slow burning complex carbs that are low on the glycemic chart. Some good examples of low glycemic carbs are brown rice, yams, and oatmeal. Others may include whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta.

3. Protein- Just like when you are cutting, you need plenty of protein. For bulking, a good rule of thumb is 2-3g of protein per pound of lean bodyweight. You should take in a good portion of your protein in the source of real meals, avoid intaking too many shakes, as real food comes to a better benefit. The list foods with high protein bioavailability is extensive, and I will only cover a few, (Egg whites, Lean steak, Chicken breast, the list goes on forever….).

4. Fats- EFA’s (Essential Fatty Acids) are extremely important in any diet. The list of benefits from taking in dietary fats I extensive and I am not even going to get started on it. I will just say that a diet which includes EFA’s will yield much better results. Good sources of fat are ( Flax Oil, Nuts, Salmon, Olive Oil). EFA

5. The separation of Carbs and Fats- This is a hotly debated issue, but again, in my opinion, an important aspect nonetheless. Remember that it is often when you eat items and with what you eat them that is more important than what you are eating. A mouthful, I know, but stay with me. Remember that when you take in certain carbs, you can spike your insulin levels. If you are taking in fats when your insulin has been spiked, you are allowing the basic laws of physiology to act out, and you allow for a higher propensity for fat storage. Separation is key. The sample diet will give a good example of how to separate them.

6. Supplements-
Glutamine: Helps prevent catabolism. Best used in dosages of 10grams daily, 5 grams before cardio, 5 grams at another interval, but not after workout as it fights for absorption with the glutamine peptides in whey.
ALA/R-ALA- Gets my supplement of the day award. R-ALA is effective in lowering the spike of insulin when certain carbs are consumed. I could give you a dissertation on the stereoentisomeric properties of the R, but all you need to know is that it has been found to shuttle carbohydrates away from adipose and into myocytes. Translation: Away from fat cells, into muscle cells. It’s a supplement, however, not a miracle worker. It’s not a crutch, and won’t do anything about fat intake. ALA and R-ALA can also aid in the expedition of the ketogenic state. Remember that if you buy R-ALA that you supplement it with Biotin. Glucorell-R is prepackaged with it. If you can afford it, go for it. As far as dosage, with the R, you are looking at 1-2 pills of Glucorell R for each 30-40grams of carb intake.
Protein and Carb Shakes: I’m not going to cover protein, because even if you can’t afford it, you should sell a kidney to get some. Carb drinks are rather convenient, and companies offer pre mixed dosages, (CarboHit, Glycoload, UltraFuel). Dextrose and Maltodextrin can be bought from most supplement stores or online.
Creatine: Unlike while cutting, creatine can be used while bulking since the water retention from its use will not be an issue since you are “bulking”. In the body, creatine is synthesized from the amino acids glycine, arginine and methionine. Taking supplemental doses of creatine monohydrate can increase muscle creatine and phosphocreatine (PC) concentrations by up to 40%. These increases can lead to improvements in muscle energy production and recuperation.

7. Cheating- Cheating is essential. Why? Remember, the body runs on homeostasis, it likes to keep balance. After eating so well after a week, your body begins to adjust, and lean mass gain / fat burning over time will not be as rapid. The other extremely important aspect is mental sanity. So many diets crash and fail because people don’t give themselves a chance to breath. Remember, cheating is not an opportunity for you to pillage the entire mall food court. Shoot for a cheat meal, not an all out binge. A fast food value meal can be 2,000 calories. Eat that 3 times on one day, and you’ve consumed 6,000 calories. And that’s not good in any case.

8. Cardio- D*mn right cardio!! Yes even when bulking. Why? Because cardio works the most important muscle of all – YOUR HEART. Not only that, but doing cardio 3 times a week will help keep the fat you will gain in this diet to a minimum. Cardio should be performed on an empty stomach first thing in the am. The proper cardio for burning fat is done by staying in your target heart rate for fat burning which is 65-70% of your max heart rate for a period of 45-60 minutes. To figure this out you can use the following formula:
220 – your age * .65
220 – your age * .7
Example for a 22 year old:
220 – 22 * .65 = 128.7
220 – 22 * .7 = 138.6
From this we can conclude that for a 22 year old target heart rate for fat burning should be between 129 and 138 beats per minute for 45-60 minutes.
Why 45-60 minutes?? Because fat burning (lipolysis) doesn’t typically kick in until the 20 minute mark, so only doing 30 minutes of cardio yields 10 minutes of fat burning. You get the point.
**Cardio Disclaimer: Some people have a harder time gaining weight than others, and doing cardio might not be the best idea for these people. For others who wish to use the fat burning abilities of cardio but still gain size, 30-35 minutes of cardio 1-3 times a week may be a better choice. Remember it is your body and only you know what works for you.

Now The Sample Diet:

Note: This is a sample diet for our 26 year old, 6ft tall, 220 pound gentleman mentioned in the example above for figuring out calorie needs. This diet will NOT work for you if those criteria don’t apply to you; however it is easy to customize the below diet to take in account your own statistics. It is the principles that are applicable.. I am not going to post the total amount of calories, only the carb, protein and fat macros for the whole day.
Based on the Harris Benedict formula above, our friend here needs 2997 calories a day to maintain his current weight. So in order for him to gain 1 pound a week, we need to increase his calories to right around 3500 a day since that will yield 3500 calories over his maintenance numbers needed for the week.


Meal 1: Pro/Carb
8 Egg Whites, 1 Scoop Of Whey Protein, 1 cup oatmeal
50g protein / 54g carbs / 5g fat

Meal 2: Pro/Fat
Lean Ground Beef, ¼ cup swiss cheese, green veggies
55g protein / 2g carbs / 20g fat

Meal 3: Pro/Carb
Chicken Breast, 1 and a half cup Brown Rice
55g protein / 84g carbs / 3g Fat
**Disclaimer: Meal 3 can be a pro/fat meal if you are ultra sensitive to carb intake.

Meal 4: Pro/Fat
2 Cans of Tuna, 1 Tbsp Full Fat Mayonnaise, Veggies
60g protein / 2g carbs / 13g Fat
Workout

Meal 5: PWO Nutrition
2 Scoops Whey Protein / 80g of Dextrose
40g protein / 80g carbs / 0g fat

Meal 6: PPWO
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, ½ cup Brown Rice (Measured Uncooked)
50g protein / 70g carbs / 3g fat

Meal 7: Pro/Fat
Lean Protein of your choice, 2 Tbsp Natural Peanut Butter
50g protein / 5g carbs / 18g fat

Meal 8: Before Bed
3 Scoops of Whey Protein, 1.5 Tbsp. Flax Seed Oil
60g protein / 3g carbs / 21g Fat
That turns into approximately 420 grams protein, 270 grams Carbs, and 83 grams of fat. This is roughly 3500 calories

*Reminder: This is a PRIMER. It’s not mean to be comprehensive. Everyone is different, to find out what works for your body takes trial and error.
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Here comes the fun part: Question and Answer….

Q: What about dairy?
A: This is totally dependant upon your goals. If you don’t mind the bloat from milk then go for it. Skim milk is a better choice as far as mixing fats and carbs go. Remember you are bulking so you have more freedom in your dietary choices.

Q: How often should I eat?
A: You’ll have to do the math to see how often you will have to eat to get your 7-8 meals a day in. If your up for 16 hours a day, then every 2 hours is how often you need to eat.

Q: Is sodium an issue?
A: Outside of the bloating issue, or if you have high cholesterol, no.

Q. How do I make my meals not taste like cardboard?
A. Be creative. Mix in some sugar free jam or splenda in your oats, some hot sauce or soy sauce on your meats, or pick up some sugar free ketchup.

Q. I don’t like old fashioned oats. Can I eat the pre mixed oats with fruit?
A. No. Be a man. Those mixes have ridiculous amounts of sugar.

Q. What about fruit?
A: Go for it, like with dairy you are BULKING. You have more freedom in your dietary choices.

Q: What are some good sources of Lean Protein?
A: Eggs, Fish, Chicken, Steak, Ground Beef, Whey Protein, Turkey….. the list goes on forever. Do a search and look through other people’s diets for ideas on protein

Q: What are some good sources of complex carbohydrates?
A: Rice, Pasta, Whole Wheat Bread, Yams, Oatmeal…. Same as above
As a final note we would like to thank SwoleCat and the rest of the diet forum participants for their help and influence on this post.
And we will end this sticky with a quote:

“Your desire to change must be greater than your desire to stay the same.”
LMO & Rambo
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Sources:
http://www.weight-loss-i.com/calorie-needs...is-benedict.htm

pharon

AWESOME...one of the greatest posts i've ever read on dieting
great work BSC

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LESS I HAVE...THE MoRE I GAiN

Blown_SC

I didn't write it. It was written by LeanMeOut (Senior Mod here) and rambo (Vet here)....

I only copied and pasted it over...

Glad you liked it!

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pharon

now i know that, i just read your post first :)

still a great job all of u guys...rambo, leanmeout and BSC

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LESS I HAVE...THE MoRE I GAiN

amature225

awsome post!

Vidooch

One of the best threads/information on any bodybuilding site IMO.

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Cycle #2 (currently in progress)

Week 1-13: Test Enanthate 500mgs/week
Week 1-12: EQ 400mgs/week

Nolva 10mgs ed
L-Dex 0.25mg ed

Pheedno's PCT Protocol

.Nutz.

thanks for all the work you guys put into this stuff

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Gentlemen, Welcome to IFL.

First rule of IFL is... you do not talk about IFL.

Second rule of IFL is... YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT IFL...

hicktown

i dont think ive ever read this thread. absolutely hands down the best diet thread ive read. the elliotness.xls is simply awesome. and wouldnt you know it im "dead on" with my bulking diet. woo hoho

LMO & Rambo you guys rock!

Mass

Nice thread.

Big Show

New here but so far that thread has some great info. Have to make some changes and try out some new stuff tomorrow!

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jjjxmmmxbbb

good luck bro

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KiNg Of MisSpElLeD wOrDs

kyur4thich

I like... i like it a lot. Werd.

dannyboy9

Definitely a good read but I'm a bit confused with this part:



I thought before a workout you wanted a meal consisting of mainly carbs with some protein and a minimum amount of fats

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"Bodily training is beneficial for a little but godly devotion is beneficial for all things..." - 1 Tim 8:4

Blown_SC

It's an individual thing, do what works best for you...

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dannyboy9

Oh I see....

I know the "whatever works for you" concept is applied for things like workout techniques, routines, etc. but I didn't know it was like that for pre-WO meals?

Correct if I'm wrong, but I'm just trying to put the reasoning to this. I thought too much protein pre-WO leave you feeling sluggish during your workout and carbs would be what you would need to have the energy to apply the intensity to your workouts? What do fats do for you pre-WO?

I've heard of having some whey + milk for the amino acid availability and even BCAAs but never a protein-fat based meal.

I know I know

lol I apologize. I just want to know if there's something to it other than "Whatever works for you"

Thanks in advance

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"Bodily training is beneficial for a little but godly devotion is beneficial for all things..." - 1 Tim 8:4

Big Show

Theres nothing wrong with your comment. Im 33 years old have been working out for a good amount of time in my life am 5'8 and 265lbs AND STILL ask more questions then you can imagine. Knowledge is power baby!

I drink a PWO shake that has 8oz water/4oz 1% milk with 1.5 cups of oatmeal and 3 scoops whey (60g protein). I try to drink it one hour before my workout so the sluggishness isnt too bad. On back days or shoulder day it can be a bitch, but most other days I get by just fine. Try something similar to this and if you feel like ass in the gym then cut down until you find something that suits YOUR needs.

Of course I could be wrong HA!

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bmg

this is one mans post. it reflects his opinion on how to best set up a base diet.

if your not comfortable taking the advice, then dont take it.

you can go either way. do a 30 g whey/ 50 gram carbs combo if its suits you best.

all your tring to do with this meal is fuel your work out. it doesnt matter how... albeit im sure you prefer not to workout bloated. hence- do what works for you.

try thinking out side the box alittle.

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america has spoken... pile my food in a bowl.

Loz

Definetly. When I get all set for my next cycle I am using a diet far from this. The Anabolic Diet. I am sold on it in theory. Pro/fat 5 days a week and pro/fat/carbs on Sat and Sun.

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bmg

i like to do rotations also. my carbs will flux from 200- 600 through out the week.

different from what your doing, but far away from your basic cookie-cutter routine.

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america has spoken... pile my food in a bowl.

dannyboy9

Thanks for the advice Big Show. I'm not typically a fan of shakes except the essential one after a workout but Pre-workout, I tend to eat a bagel with a big glass of milk and a banana maybe. Alot of times I have 2 bagels and skip the banana. I've been looking into this cereal @ this organic supermarket by my house that is made up of blueberries and flax. I might start having a bowl of that with some milk and a banana and see how it goes. I've never really tried throwing fats into the mix but I guess we'll have to experiment and see how that works out in the gym

BMG: I wasn't saying that I was "uncomfortable" with his suggestions. I just wanted to know what was the reasoning for it because I was interested. I was actually trying to think outside the box Sorry if I came across any other way BMG. I just thought for energy, complex carbs would be anyone's best bet because that's what carbs do don't they: provide you with energy?

Thanks for all your responses!

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"Bodily training is beneficial for a little but godly devotion is beneficial for all things..." - 1 Tim 8:4

Big Show

Yea I dont think you want to eat bagels really. I believe that kind of carbs, bread too is something you really dont want. Eat oatmeal and cereal may work too. I would love to just eat a bagel and a glass of milk but I dont think thatll cut it. If you want to put on size you gotta eat plain and simple. And shakes are necessary bro. You may not like them and I dont either but drink a few a day... I drink usually 3-4 every day.

Dont worry about BMG, he means no harm just grumpy sometimes! :)

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bmg

lol

seriously though, i like to eat carbs before i train. i dont know what else to tell ya.

bump for blown to give a detailed explaination why he didnt include carbs in the pwo meal.

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america has spoken... pile my food in a bowl.

Big Show

Hey BMG tell him what you eat maybe? Like what kind of carbs such as bagels, oatmeal and such.

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bmg

lol, sure

you might find this hard to believe though, but... ahh... i dont really eat any bagels before i lift.

if i eat right before i train, ill take down a half serving of ultra fuel. its 2/3rds multodextrin and 1/3 fructose = 50g carbs. works just fine for me.

if i have more than a half an hour im most likely to eat rice. i can digest rice fine with in this time frame... so it works just fine for me.

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america has spoken... pile my food in a bowl.

Big Show

I didnt think you ate bagels which was why I recommended you tell him what you eat. Bagels really arent the right choice before the gym if at all. Oatmeal, rice, pasta... If you have the time its all good :)

I may have to try that Ultra Fuel. Thanks BMG!

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bmg

no problem man.

by the way, i was kidding around with the bagel comment.... but the ultra fuel is really convenient. i would definately recomment it.

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america has spoken... pile my food in a bowl.

dannyboy9

So you mean a bagel isn't going to cut it because I should be eating more pre-workout? A bagel is something likee 30-40 carbs and a banana is like 20 carbs if I'm not mistaken. Oh well. I think a nice cup of rice with a banana and some hard boiled eggs sounds nice for a pre-workout meal now

You guys are making me hungry now!

And BMG:


j/k bro. You're an asshole and I like it. Do your thing brother.That Ultra Fuel you're talking about is more of an insulin spike than anything right? Considering the ingredients? I myself use Mega-Pro's Carbo Hit.

Big show: I do take in shakes throughout the day and they consist of grinded up oats, a banana and lots of milk (can't forget! gotta have some of that whey)

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"Bodily training is beneficial for a little but godly devotion is beneficial for all things..." - 1 Tim 8:4

BearStrengthWit

Sorry but why so little carbs?It almost seems like a cutting diet to me . Yea i eat like this... When i CUT. I could just not imagine gaining any weight on a diet like this. I eat carbs every meal! When i eat like the diet posted here i lose weight and strength. Could you give me any feedback why you wouldn,t eat carbs every meal? I guess your comment would be bloat well i dont get any bloat but i guess whatever works for you guys. This def wouldn,t be my kinda thing.

Big Show

There are good carbs and there are bad carbs. Bagels, bread, shit like that are considered bad carbs which is why I said to stay away from them. Eat some rice, pasta with light butter, or a nice fat potato.

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dannyboy9

I thought whole wheat/grain bread & bagels were good carbs? White bred and all was I believed to be bad carbs

Wow...nothing is what I thought it was anymore

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"Bodily training is beneficial for a little but godly devotion is beneficial for all things..." - 1 Tim 8:4

Big Show

Whole wheat grain bread and that stuff is definitely better carbs then plain white bread, but trust me oatmeal, rice, and pasta are king when it comes to the carbs you want to add some meat on your bones (no offense meant there lol).

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bmg

stop whoring the sticky danny.

take any additional nutrition Q's to the forum.

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america has spoken... pile my food in a bowl.

Loz

The logic behind low carbs for me is in the absence of insulin release more GH is released. However since insulin is a better bulker than GH the carbs come in on the weekend. So it is like the best of both worlds. GH 5 days a week, and insulin on the weekends. It can be used as a bulker or cutter with a simple calorie adjustment. The advantage is insulin also lays down fat where GH wont. So the whole concept behind the Anabolic diet (the one I am describing) is it is a lean bulker resulting in les body fat gained during your bulker and no need to yo-yo with gaining fat and muscle while bulking then having to lose fat and some muscle while cutting.



1500 surplus calories on the anabolic diet will (in theory) provide more muscle and less fat and a calorie deficit on the anabolic diet vs. the pro/carb cutter will result in les muscle loss because keto diets are muscle sparing (fact). Again on paper it looks perfect and the handful of people that have done it correctly seem to agree.

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dannyboy9

Take a nap big guy.

I'll end my noobness here now. Thanks for all your answers anyways!

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"Bodily training is beneficial for a little but godly devotion is beneficial for all things..." - 1 Tim 8:4