If you're like a lot of women, most of us think that the way to get a leaned out, hot body is to diet and do tons of cardio. Maybe we'd lift some light weights or do body-strength exercises, but we're not supposed to lift too heavy in fear of looking too bulky.
Okay, this isn't normally the kind of thing that I write about, but I wanted to take a break from the everyday existential dread. I've come to really enjoy fitness overall as a part of my life, and it's helped me achieve the aesthetic goals I wanted I could never get with endless dieting.
But if you're like me, you find that you're not satisfied with your body even when you've slimmed down. I always thought that I'd look awesome if I just lost enough weight. I was always slim throughout adulthood, but I always thought I just needed to weigh less and less. But even sub-100 lbs, with almost no fat left to lose. I was still flabby and soft, I'd lost my ass. I felt weak from the constant calorie restriction. And I had no muscle to give definition to my body.
Enter bulking.
Bulking is a fitness term for eating in a caloric surplus with the intent of being able to grow muscle.
To most women, it's a dreaded word. At least it was for me. The thought of "bulking" was nauseating.
But most of the women in the "Fitspo" tag have probably bulked at some point. You don't get that lean, defined look by doing endless cardio.
The second picture is of a fitness model named Nikki Blackketter, who does regular bulk and cut cycles. Muscles can only grow if it has enough food to fuel them, and unless you are a beginner, it's very difficult to lean out and gain muscle at the same time. That's the only way to get that coveted, shapely look.
I'm about three weeks into my first bulk, and so far I feel amazing. It's rare that I give my body the nutrients to actually grow, as the thought of eating too much goes against everything that I've learned my adult life. The first week was very hard, and it can be difficult to cram in food when you're not hungry. But my stomach has slowly expanded and the other day I had a cheat day and was able to slam down 3 sushi rolls. I enjoy being able to eat more and I feel in general calmer and more focused during the day.
Also, I look the best I ever have. I hadn't lifted since I was in college (Although I was gaining muscle from kung fu), but even three weeks in I'm already seeing results. My stomach is a little bigger, but other then that I'm way more defined, less flabby, and can see the muscle growth in my legs and muscles.
In order to bulk:
- Make sure your body fat is low enough (I took a DEXA scan). If you're just starting out in fitness, you can probably cut and lift weights to grow muscle mass at the same time. But if you've been working out a lot, are relatively lean, but not seeing the progress you want, bulking might be for you.
- Calculate your TDEE You will probably want to do a lean bulk so you don't have to cut so much fat after your bulk is finished. It's recommended to eat about 250-300 calories above your maintenance level. Women can usually gain about a pound a month of muscle, so you don't want to gain too much weight too fast. You can use an app like MyFitnessPal to log your calories.
- Determine ahead of time how long you want to bulk. I'm going for 3 months. Some people bulk for up to 6 months or a year. But you want to have an end goal so that your bulk doesn't just turn into an endless fat gain.
- Plan to eat enough protein. It's recommended generally about 1 or 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body fat. You need that protein to grow your muscles during the bulk. It's good to have some whey protein if you find you're not going to hit your protein goals so you can just throw together a quick protein shake. My favorite proteins are: Chicken breast, imitation krab, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, tuna, whey protein isolate, and eggs.
- A bulk is still a diet, and you need the right nutrients to full you and your workouts. Bulk on healthy foods to meet your macros. You can calculate macros here.
- Think about taking creatine. It's a supplement, but it's not a steroid, and it's almost completely safe (Just make sure to drink more water than normal on it). Creatine is an amino acid naturally found in people, and it facilitates ATP through the muscles, which means you'll have more energy. You will gain a few pounds of water weight but it goes to your muscles. Creatine is generally mild, but it'll help you push out a few more lifts.
- You need to be lifting heavy during the bulk. I lift 4 times a week (Upper and lower body split) and do Kung Fu about 6 days a week. You can tone down the cardio during this time because it means you'll have to eat more. But if you're not lifting and stimulating your muscles, then your bulk is just a fat gain program. Some good lifting programs are Stronglifsts 5x5 or Strong Curves. I'm not part of a gym and lift at home, so I follow FitnessBlender videos.
- Embrace the fluff. It is inevitable you will gain some fat. Embrace the fluffiness that is inevitable, and the loss of definition. It's difficult to do after a lifetime of thinking that thin = better, but I imagine that as I get bigger, I'm getting stronger. Picture yourself like a sculpture that you will eventually chisel away.
- Cut at the end of your bulk period. (Eating 300-500 below TDEE) while still lifting to reveal your glorious muscles.
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