Bulking: 6 golden tips for a successful bulking phase!

Summer is over, which means that for many athletes bulk season is slowly about to start again. Bulking means eating more calories to build more muscle mass and more strength. It's easy to think you can now eat whatever you want, but like getting lean, bulking is a very controlled process. Of course you don't want to get fat, you want to get muscular. For a clean bulk, in other words building muscle mass without raising your body fat percentage too much, training and nutrition are extremely important!

WHAT EXACTLY IS BULKING?

Bulking is the opposite of cutting. The goal of bulking is to gain muscle mass, while cutting is about lowering your body fat percentage. Extra calories help you build muscle mass and give you more strength to handle an increasingly heavy training programme. If you only eat as many calories as you burn, there's nothing left over for building muscle.

But watch out: don't make the calorie surplus too big, or your body fat percentage will rise a lot. If you want to cut later on, it will take you extra time and effort to bring it down again. Use a calorie calculator to work out how many calories you need each day to maintain your weight. Then work out the ideal amount of calories for bulking. Aim for roughly 200 to 500 calories above what you need. Yes, bulking takes consistency and discipline, but we have a few tips to help your muscles grow as much as possible this coming winter!

BULKING: THE TIPS!

#1: EAT PLENTY OF PROTEIN AND VARY YOUR SOURCES!

Protein is an essential part of the fitness world, because it's the building block of your muscles. Protein helps maintain your muscle mass and contributes to strong muscles and recovery. The building blocks in protein are known as amino acids. You can divide these into essential and non-essential amino acids. Your body doesn't make the essential amino acids itself, so you get them from food. To get enough every day, you need to eat a variety of protein sources, because the amount and make-up of essential amino acids differs per source. Examples of good protein sources are: chicken, turkey, salmon, prawns, lamb, quark, soya beans and pulses.

It's also important that you eat enough protein. A sports diet usually contains more protein than a regular diet. But how much protein do you need? Everyone is unique, so everyone needs a different daily amount of protein. For optimal muscle recovery, it's best to aim for 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilo of body weight.

#2: GO FOR COMPLEX CARBS AND DON'T FORGET FAT!

But a healthy diet isn't only about protein. Carbs and fat matter too. During a bulking phase, carbs are the biggest part of your macronutrient split. It's recommended to get at least 40% and at most 60% of your calories from carbs. Do choose complex carbs! Complex carbs, also called slow carbs, are digested slowly, so the energy is released steadily. They fit perfectly in a clean bulk phase, because they help keep your blood sugar level stable and help prevent fat storage. Foods to think of include brown rice, wholegrain pasta, oats, quinoa and sweet potato.

The smallest part of your macronutrient split is fat, but it's certainly no less important! You need fat to build muscle, because it's important for hormones such as testosterone. It also increases insulin sensitivity and so improves how insulin works. This means the sugars in carbs are processed better, so they're less likely to be stored as fat. Foods that provide healthy fats are: nuts, salmon, mackerel, avocado, seeds and kernels.

#3: GET YOUR MEAL PREP IN ORDER

You're unlikely to go wrong if your meal prep is in order! Plan your meals for the whole week to avoid slip-ups. Meal prepping leads to the best results! It also makes sure you get the best split of protein, carbs and fat. At first it takes a lot of time, because you have to come up with your menu and make it. Don't have time for that, or simply don't feel like it? Then we have the solution! You can simply order a ready-made meal prep in our shop!

#4: THIS IS WHAT YOUR TRAINING LOOKS LIKE

During a bulk, everything is about building muscle mass. That's why it's important to increase your training volume by training heavier. Your body needs plenty of stimulus to actually change. There are various training schedules in terms of sets and reps that lead to muscle growth. Make sure you keep challenging yourself!! So change your exercises every now and then, so your muscles don't get used to them but keep getting stimulus. Keep cardio to a minimum, because combining strength and cardio training makes it harder to build muscle. Rest is just as important! Don't feel well, or have a lot of muscle soreness? Then stay home for a day, or give the sore muscle group a day of rest by working with a split schedule.

#5: TRACK YOUR PROGRESS

For a clean bulk, you want to gain weight gradually. Preferably as little body fat as possible, but as much muscle as possible! So track your results, so you can manage the process well. If you gain 200 to 400 grams per week, you're on the right track. Only start bulking when your body fat percentage is low, at roughly 14% or lower. Once you reach 20% fat, it's time to start cutting again. For women, it makes sense to start bulking at a body fat percentage of 22% or lower. Do this until about 28%, then switch back to a cutting phase.

#6: SPREAD OUT YOUR MEALS

In fact, how you spread your meals matters in every phase. You've probably heard that you should eat 6 meals (large and small) per day. It's not a must, but it is handy if, for example, you want to eat a large amount of calories per day but quickly feel full after one meal. It's best to eat a large meal about 1.5 hours before training. That way you're sure of a dose of energy and you can really go for it in the gym!

A FEW EXTRA TIPS FOR BULKING

• COUNT YOUR CALORIES ACCURATELY WITH AN APP, BECAUSE IT'S EASY TO MAKE A MISTAKE

• DON'T EAT TOO MANY CALORIES, SO YOU DON'T GAIN TOO MUCH FAT

• GET ENOUGH SLEEP SO YOUR MUSCLES CAN RECOVER (8 HOURS A NIGHT)

• HAVE A CHEAT ONCE A WEEK TO REWARD YOURSELF

• SET GOALS TO STAY MOTIVATED

• DRINK ENOUGH WATER SO YOUR GUT CAN ABSORB NUTRIENTS WELL, WASTE TRANSPORT RUNS SMOOTHLY AND YOUR BODY TEMPERATURE STAYS AT THE RIGHT LEVEL.

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