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Breakthrough: The Truth About FitnessDate: 17.11.2006
Posted by: Anabolic Info Team United States
Bulking Up: Putting on the Most Muscle Possible
BY DARREN COLANANNI
Elm Columnist
Bulking up is a part of bodybuilding. All the pros and amateurs bulk up and then cut down for a competition. Without bulking up, your progress and muscle gain would never reach its full potential. When it comes to weight gain or fat loss it is very important to wrap yourself around the law of energy balance. It states:
quot;To lose weight, you must burn more calories then you consume each day. To gain weight, you must consume more calories then you burn each day.quot;
When bulking up, you need an organized eating plan. First off it is important to form a ratio. Through years of experience, I've found that the 50/30/20 ratio (carbs, protein, and fat) works best for gaining quality weight. This ratio simply means that 50% of total calories come from carbohydrates, 30% come from protein, and 20% from fat. Also, there are 4 calories in every gram of protein and carbohydrates, and 9 calories in one gram of fat.
The first week that you start bulking you will want to increase your calories by roughly 500 calories above your maintenance level. If you feel you need to increase your calories more or you have a harder time gaining weight, then simply add another 300 calories to your diet. Let's say your maintenance level is 2,500 calories. First you will add 500 calories to your diet and then 300 calories as you progress. You can find your maintenance level by using the formula below:
Men: Maintenance = (66 + (13.7 x wt in kg) + (5 x ht in cm) - (6.8 x age)) x 1.375
Women: Maintenance = (655 + (9.6 x wt in kg) + (1.8 x ht in cm) - (4.7 x age)) x 1.375
Note:
1 inch = 2.54 centimeters
1 kilogram = 2.2 lbs.
Use 1.725 instead of 1.375 if you exercise regularly
Once you have you're total caloric intake, it is important to spread these calories over 5-6 meals a day. These meals should be spaced every 2-3 hours and must consist of carbs, protein, and fat. By consuming 5-6 meals a day, your metabolism will stay high and will burn a higher number of calories a day then simply eating 3 meals. Let's say that our bulking caloric intake is 3,000 calories and we spread these calories over 6 meals throughout the day: Our meal plan would look like this:
Meal 1 : 700 calories (88 g of carbs, 53 g of protein, and 16 g of fat)
Meal 2 : 600 calories (75 g of carbs, 45 g of protein, and 14 g of fat)
Meal 3 : 600 calories (75 g of carbs, 45 g of protein, and 14 g of fat)
Meal 4 : 600 calories (75 g of carbs, 45 g of protein, and 14 g of fat)
Meal 5 : 600 calories (75 g of carbs, 45 g of protein, and 14 g of fat)
Meal 6 : 500 calories (63 g of carbs, 38 g of protein, and 11 g of fat)
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As you can see, I made breakfast the biggest meal because it is the most important meal and jumpstarts your metabolism. The last meal is also the smallest meal because it is the meal you consume before you go to sleep. Keep in mind that there are 4 calories in every gram of protein or carbohydrates and 9 calories in every gram of fat. Now don't worry about fat gain because if you have a sound nutrition plan and a solid weight training program then fat gains will be minimal. Next week, I'll identify the good and bad sources of protein, carbs, and fat and will provide examples of ideal meals to consume whether you are bulking or trying to burn fat.
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