Winter Bulking

We are at that time of the year where most start to think of stopping the Summer cutting and think of packing some extra pounds of mass over the Winter period and really start to bulk up! So how can we break down the term bulking?

It is mainly seen as a time when your calorie intake is higher and your focus is on building muscle, increasing your strength or gaining weight. Many will find that a good bulk sees that they improve on all of those things whilst ensuring that they don’t stray too far away from their fitness plan and health goals.

For some the idea of packing on some extra slabs of meat can seem daunting and a pretty hard thing to try and plan for. The main thing is to try and avoid a mass pile on of added fats and bad foods during a heavy bulking phase. A little extra fat around a strong muscular base is OK and you should try to not add too much during a bulking phase.

With the naturally colder weather in the Autumn/Winter months it is a good time to add a few extra pounds as you generally cover up a little more and not many people relax on the beach in December! It is after this bulking phase that you can think about shredding the extra pounds come the Spring/Summer time and really show off the muscle mass you have developed underneath over the previous months.

You can however bulk the wrong way and we will touch on some further points later in the month but I have listed some points for you to consider here.

There are a few things to keep an eye on when thinking of bulking and this is a list of potential slip ups to avoid whilst bulking up;

• ​Never believe that is going to happen instantly- Good quality muscle takes time to build
• Cut out the junk food – Eating high in fat foods is not a good way to add to your bulk. Remember to still keep an eye on your diet.
• Cardio is still your friend – Not doing any cardio will drastically reduce your overall health. Pack your running trainers!
• Keep the nutrients coming – Don’t forget to keep your body nutritionally sound within your diet intake.

The key focus to remember when taking part in a bulk is that, yes your goal is to add a significant mass of muscle, but you have to think about that word, muscle. A lot of people when bulking try to too quickly add a lot of bodyweight to their frame but they do this by cheating themselves and adding false weight and bad weight. Adding many pounds of added fat or non-nutritious calories is a good way to add bodyweight but it cannot be classed as a successful bulking period. Keep a real focus on an increased nutritional calorie intake balanced with your usual high quality protein consumption. And try to remember to keep the absolute basics of staying fit in your training like, stretching, staying hydrated and good repetition movement range.

Use it as a tool to maximize your optimum body goals when you come to shredding away the excess pounds and really showing off you hard work in the sunnier months. It should be as clean a bulk as possible and you should see slow but constant progress when gaining weight. Shoving several greasy takeaways down you neck will not be classed as a bulk! Keep it clean and go hard people!