Bulking by T-Nation Standards

Nutrition
21

I gained 70 lbs last year (185 to 255), then I cut off 60 lbs in 6 months after that on a slow paced SMART diet.

After all this, I was 6% bodyfat @ 196 lbs at a height of 6 foot 3. STILL NOT BIG ENOUGH (to me). My arms were(are) still above 17 inches at this time, but what happens to your body is absolutely amazing.

Clean bulking works just fine, you just need to eat the right stuff and the right amounts at the right time.

For instance, red meat is NOT BAD FOR YOU! Having 1.5 lbs of ground semi-lean beef(low 90%) spread out with 6 - 7 meals a day is a good amount of calories from protein and fat alone, not even including your carb intake. the TIMING is key:

My “Clean Bulk”:

Meals:

1.PRE Workout- 1/2 Cup flavored oatmeal, or unflavored with add. honey, 2 scoops whey protein ASAP. Creatine

2.During/after workout - 2 scoops whey protein, creatine, aminos, caffeine add 2 spoons of sugar to your shake.

  1. 10:30 am - 200g potato, 8 oz ground beef, decent amount of salt.

  2. Lunch - Meal Replacement powder with 1 scoop whey protein additional, Raw green veggies

  3. 3 pm - 8 oz ground beef, decent amount of salt, Raw Green Veggies

  4. 6 pm - 8 oz ground beef, decent amount of salt, Raw green veggies

  5. before bed - Meal Replacement powder

Getting most of your carbs near your workout is key, and complex carbs(Veg) the rest of the day. This way you technically have 6 post workout meals, rather than maybe 2 or 3, followed by 8 hours of fasting at night.

22

[quote]Sarev0k wrote:
I gained 70 lbs last year (185 to 255), then I cut off 60 lbs in 6 months after that on a slow paced SMART diet.

After all this, I was 6% bodyfat @ 196 lbs at a height of 6 foot 3. STILL NOT BIG ENOUGH (to me). My arms were(are) still above 17 inches at this time, but what happens to your body is absolutely amazing.

Clean bulking works just fine, you just need to eat the right stuff and the right amounts at the right time.

For instance, red meat is NOT BAD FOR YOU! Having 1.5 lbs of ground semi-lean beef(low 90%) spread out with 6 - 7 meals a day is a good amount of calories from protein and fat alone, not even including your carb intake. the TIMING is key:

My “Clean Bulk”:

Meals:

1.Post Workout- 1/2 Cup flavored oatmeal, or unflavored with add. honey, 2 scoops whey protein ASAP. Creatine

2.During/after workout - 2 scoops whey protein, creatine, aminos, caffeine add 2 spoons of sugar to your shake.

  1. 10:30 am - 200g potato, 8 oz ground beef, decent amount of salt.

  2. Lunch - Meal Replacement powder with 1 scoop whey protein additional, Raw green veggies

  3. 3 pm - 8 oz ground beef, decent amount of salt, Raw Green Veggies

  4. 6 pm - 8 oz ground beef, decent amount of salt, Raw green veggies

  5. before bed - Meal Replacement powder

Getting most of your carbs near your workout is key, and complex carbs(Veg) the rest of the day. This way you technically have 6 post workout meals, rather than maybe 2 or 3, followed by 8 hours of fasting at night.[/quote]

No offense man, gaining 70lbs to keep only 10 isn’t worth it for me at all. I regret getting as fat as I did when I have bulked prior.

23

[quote]austin_bicep wrote:

[quote]Sarev0k wrote:
I gained 70 lbs last year (185 to 255), then I cut off 60 lbs in 6 months after that on a slow paced SMART diet.

After all this, I was 6% bodyfat @ 196 lbs at a height of 6 foot 3. STILL NOT BIG ENOUGH (to me). My arms were(are) still above 17 inches at this time, but what happens to your body is absolutely amazing.

Clean bulking works just fine, you just need to eat the right stuff and the right amounts at the right time.

For instance, red meat is NOT BAD FOR YOU! Having 1.5 lbs of ground semi-lean beef(low 90%) spread out with 6 - 7 meals a day is a good amount of calories from protein and fat alone, not even including your carb intake. the TIMING is key:

My “Clean Bulk”:

Meals:

1.Post Workout- 1/2 Cup flavored oatmeal, or unflavored with add. honey, 2 scoops whey protein ASAP. Creatine

2.During/after workout - 2 scoops whey protein, creatine, aminos, caffeine add 2 spoons of sugar to your shake.

  1. 10:30 am - 200g potato, 8 oz ground beef, decent amount of salt.

  2. Lunch - Meal Replacement powder with 1 scoop whey protein additional, Raw green veggies

  3. 3 pm - 8 oz ground beef, decent amount of salt, Raw Green Veggies

  4. 6 pm - 8 oz ground beef, decent amount of salt, Raw green veggies

  5. before bed - Meal Replacement powder

Getting most of your carbs near your workout is key, and complex carbs(Veg) the rest of the day. This way you technically have 6 post workout meals, rather than maybe 2 or 3, followed by 8 hours of fasting at night.[/quote]

No offense man, gaining 70lbs to keep only 10 isn’t worth it for me at all. I regret getting as fat as I did when I have bulked prior.[/quote]

My fault man, I thought I typed in when I got sick. I got that new strain of flu for a couple weeks and lost a lot of weight over that period of time(~ 15 lbs). I probably would’ve kept a lot more mass, but what are you gonna do. It almost felt like i shat out 20 lbs of muscle, mostly because i felt flabbier than before I lost the weight.

I also forgot to mention that the 70 lb gain was dirty bulk, and all my lifts went up like crazy. I hit a 300 lb bench for the first time in my life, a 505 deadlift, and a 405 box squat.

But I still did get to the mid 196 @ 6% bodyfat, and I’m bulking back up now, until january to do my first contest in June. I was 12% bodyfat at 185 back then, so the net lean mass I gained was well over 15lbs

24

[quote]Sarev0k wrote:

[quote]austin_bicep wrote:

[quote]Sarev0k wrote:
I gained 70 lbs last year (185 to 255), then I cut off 60 lbs in 6 months after that on a slow paced SMART diet.

After all this, I was 6% bodyfat @ 196 lbs at a height of 6 foot 3. STILL NOT BIG ENOUGH (to me). My arms were(are) still above 17 inches at this time, but what happens to your body is absolutely amazing.

Clean bulking works just fine, you just need to eat the right stuff and the right amounts at the right time.

For instance, red meat is NOT BAD FOR YOU! Having 1.5 lbs of ground semi-lean beef(low 90%) spread out with 6 - 7 meals a day is a good amount of calories from protein and fat alone, not even including your carb intake. the TIMING is key:

My “Clean Bulk”:

Meals:

1.Post Workout- 1/2 Cup flavored oatmeal, or unflavored with add. honey, 2 scoops whey protein ASAP. Creatine

2.During/after workout - 2 scoops whey protein, creatine, aminos, caffeine add 2 spoons of sugar to your shake.

  1. 10:30 am - 200g potato, 8 oz ground beef, decent amount of salt.

  2. Lunch - Meal Replacement powder with 1 scoop whey protein additional, Raw green veggies

  3. 3 pm - 8 oz ground beef, decent amount of salt, Raw Green Veggies

  4. 6 pm - 8 oz ground beef, decent amount of salt, Raw green veggies

  5. before bed - Meal Replacement powder

Getting most of your carbs near your workout is key, and complex carbs(Veg) the rest of the day. This way you technically have 6 post workout meals, rather than maybe 2 or 3, followed by 8 hours of fasting at night.[/quote]

No offense man, gaining 70lbs to keep only 10 isn’t worth it for me at all. I regret getting as fat as I did when I have bulked prior.[/quote]

My fault man, I thought I typed in when I got sick. I got that new strain of flu for a couple weeks and lost a lot of weight over that period of time(~ 15 lbs). I probably would’ve kept a lot more mass, but what are you gonna do. It almost felt like i shat out 20 lbs of muscle, mostly because i felt flabbier than before I lost the weight.

I also forgot to mention that the 70 lb gain was dirty bulk, and all my lifts went up like crazy. I hit a 300 lb bench for the first time in my life, a 505 deadlift, and a 405 box squat.

But I still did get to the mid 196 @ 6% bodyfat, and I’m bulking back up now, until january to do my first contest in June. I was 12% bodyfat at 185 back then, so the net lean mass I gained was well over 15lbs[/quote]

I’ve lost like 20 pounds and all my lifts are up so much, like I’m around a 600+ pound deadlift and was at 500ish when I was 260, same with benching I should be good for 400+ going by what I am repping, was around 380ish heavier etc…

But anyways bro, what contest are you looking to do?

25

[quote]Sarev0k wrote:
I gained 70 lbs last year (185 to 255), then I cut off 60 lbs in 6 months after that on a slow paced SMART diet.

After all this, I was 6% bodyfat @ 196 lbs at a height of 6 foot 3. STILL NOT BIG ENOUGH (to me). My arms were(are) still above 17 inches at this time, but what happens to your body is absolutely amazing.

Clean bulking works just fine, you just need to eat the right stuff and the right amounts at the right time.

For instance, red meat is NOT BAD FOR YOU! Having 1.5 lbs of ground semi-lean beef(low 90%) spread out with 6 - 7 meals a day is a good amount of calories from protein and fat alone, not even including your carb intake. the TIMING is key:

My “Clean Bulk”:

Meals:

1.Post Workout- 1/2 Cup flavored oatmeal, or unflavored with add. honey, 2 scoops whey protein ASAP. Creatine

2.During/after workout - 2 scoops whey protein, creatine, aminos, caffeine add 2 spoons of sugar to your shake.

  1. 10:30 am - 200g potato, 8 oz ground beef, decent amount of salt.

  2. Lunch - Meal Replacement powder with 1 scoop whey protein additional, Raw green veggies

  3. 3 pm - 8 oz ground beef, decent amount of salt, Raw Green Veggies

  4. 6 pm - 8 oz ground beef, decent amount of salt, Raw green veggies

  5. before bed - Meal Replacement powder

Getting most of your carbs near your workout is key, and complex carbs(Veg) the rest of the day. This way you technically have 6 post workout meals, rather than maybe 2 or 3, followed by 8 hours of fasting at night.[/quote]

Did you mean preworkout for number 1?

I’m thinking about changing my current clean bulking routine from 40/40/20 P/C/F to the low carb approach you followed. I’m a former fat boy (FFB) and have read about much success in gaining muscle on a low carb approach.

What was your training schedule like?

26

[quote]austin_bicep wrote:

[quote]Sarev0k wrote:

[quote]austin_bicep wrote:

[quote]Sarev0k wrote:
I gained 70 lbs last year (185 to 255), then I cut off 60 lbs in 6 months after that on a slow paced SMART diet.

After all this, I was 6% bodyfat @ 196 lbs at a height of 6 foot 3. STILL NOT BIG ENOUGH (to me). My arms were(are) still above 17 inches at this time, but what happens to your body is absolutely amazing.

Clean bulking works just fine, you just need to eat the right stuff and the right amounts at the right time.

For instance, red meat is NOT BAD FOR YOU! Having 1.5 lbs of ground semi-lean beef(low 90%) spread out with 6 - 7 meals a day is a good amount of calories from protein and fat alone, not even including your carb intake. the TIMING is key:

My “Clean Bulk”:

Meals:

1.Post Workout- 1/2 Cup flavored oatmeal, or unflavored with add. honey, 2 scoops whey protein ASAP. Creatine

2.During/after workout - 2 scoops whey protein, creatine, aminos, caffeine add 2 spoons of sugar to your shake.

  1. 10:30 am - 200g potato, 8 oz ground beef, decent amount of salt.

  2. Lunch - Meal Replacement powder with 1 scoop whey protein additional, Raw green veggies

  3. 3 pm - 8 oz ground beef, decent amount of salt, Raw Green Veggies

  4. 6 pm - 8 oz ground beef, decent amount of salt, Raw green veggies

  5. before bed - Meal Replacement powder

Getting most of your carbs near your workout is key, and complex carbs(Veg) the rest of the day. This way you technically have 6 post workout meals, rather than maybe 2 or 3, followed by 8 hours of fasting at night.[/quote]

No offense man, gaining 70lbs to keep only 10 isn’t worth it for me at all. I regret getting as fat as I did when I have bulked prior.[/quote]

My fault man, I thought I typed in when I got sick. I got that new strain of flu for a couple weeks and lost a lot of weight over that period of time(~ 15 lbs). I probably would’ve kept a lot more mass, but what are you gonna do. It almost felt like i shat out 20 lbs of muscle, mostly because i felt flabbier than before I lost the weight.

I also forgot to mention that the 70 lb gain was dirty bulk, and all my lifts went up like crazy. I hit a 300 lb bench for the first time in my life, a 505 deadlift, and a 405 box squat.

But I still did get to the mid 196 @ 6% bodyfat, and I’m bulking back up now, until january to do my first contest in June. I was 12% bodyfat at 185 back then, so the net lean mass I gained was well over 15lbs[/quote]

I’ve lost like 20 pounds and all my lifts are up so much, like I’m around a 600+ pound deadlift and was at 500ish when I was 260, same with benching I should be good for 400+ going by what I am repping, was around 380ish heavier etc…

But anyways bro, what contest are you looking to do?[/quote]

austin, you are a machine.

27

[quote]dgallagher88 wrote:

[quote]Sarev0k wrote:
I gained 70 lbs last year (185 to 255), then I cut off 60 lbs in 6 months after that on a slow paced SMART diet.

After all this, I was 6% bodyfat @ 196 lbs at a height of 6 foot 3. STILL NOT BIG ENOUGH (to me). My arms were(are) still above 17 inches at this time, but what happens to your body is absolutely amazing.

Clean bulking works just fine, you just need to eat the right stuff and the right amounts at the right time.

For instance, red meat is NOT BAD FOR YOU! Having 1.5 lbs of ground semi-lean beef(low 90%) spread out with 6 - 7 meals a day is a good amount of calories from protein and fat alone, not even including your carb intake. the TIMING is key:

My “Clean Bulk”:

Meals:

1.Post Workout- 1/2 Cup flavored oatmeal, or unflavored with add. honey, 2 scoops whey protein ASAP. Creatine

2.During/after workout - 2 scoops whey protein, creatine, aminos, caffeine add 2 spoons of sugar to your shake.

  1. 10:30 am - 200g potato, 8 oz ground beef, decent amount of salt.

  2. Lunch - Meal Replacement powder with 1 scoop whey protein additional, Raw green veggies

  3. 3 pm - 8 oz ground beef, decent amount of salt, Raw Green Veggies

  4. 6 pm - 8 oz ground beef, decent amount of salt, Raw green veggies

  5. before bed - Meal Replacement powder

Getting most of your carbs near your workout is key, and complex carbs(Veg) the rest of the day. This way you technically have 6 post workout meals, rather than maybe 2 or 3, followed by 8 hours of fasting at night.[/quote]

Did you mean preworkout for number 1?

I’m thinking about changing my current clean bulking routine from 40/40/20 P/C/F to the low carb approach you followed. I’m a former fat boy (FFB) and have read about much success in gaining muscle on a low carb approach.

What was your training schedule like?[/quote]

PRE workout is #1 haha thanks for catchin my typo man. Meal #1 is eaten on awakening.

28

[quote]austin_bicep wrote:

I’ve lost like 20 pounds and all my lifts are up so much, like I’m around a 600+ pound deadlift and was at 500ish when I was 260, same with benching I should be good for 400+ going by what I am repping, was around 380ish heavier etc…

But anyways bro, what contest are you looking to do?[/quote]

There’s an INBF Amateur BB competition/pro qualifier in early June I believe. Stu said it’s a pretty impressive show, and it’ll be my first one. I’m pretty happy overall with my shape, except for my calves, they just take so long to grow.

29

Sarev, have u tried the DC principles for calve training?

30

I’d say it depends… If you have a faster metabolism and have a hard time gaining weight (fat or muscle) then throwing in some fast food/junk food might not be detrimental so long as you’re making sure you get enough protein… However, if you’re more naturally inclined to be a fat ass then I’d say it’s probably a good idea to bulk up cleanly as body fat levels can get out of hand quickly for some of us… I for one have both clean and dirty bulks; I’m a naturally fat guy with inhibition control problems, so my dirty bulk got out of hand and granted me some nifty little love handles… So, in the future I’ll be sticking to strictly clean bulks; much easier to keep your body fat levels under control when you’re not all that excited about the foods you have to eat.

31

[quote]Sarev0k wrote:

PRE workout is #1 haha thanks for catchin my typo man. Meal #1 is eaten on awakening.
[/quote]

That’s what I figured, anyway would you recommend a low carb approach for clean bulking opposed to the typical 40/40/20 split PCF? Would this eliminate the need for bulking/cutting cycles by keeping my body in a ketosis mode even if my calories are in a surplus.

What was your training schedule like during your bulk?

32

40 40 20 is pretty good IMHO man. just make sure that you get most of your daily carbs around your workout. Say you need 200g of carbs per day.

PREWORKOUT(breakfast) 50g
PERI 50g
Post(within 3 hrs of end of workout) 50g

and spread the last 50g evenly throughout the rest of the day via veggies and protein powders or meal replacements.

33

[quote]solidkhalid wrote:
Sarev, have u tried the DC principles for calve training?[/quote]

Yeah it worked a bit at first, I gained about a half inch on my calves in 6 months or so, but then my body stopped responding to it. 6-8 reps and 6 sets have been doing me pretty good so far, esp on the donkey calf raise machine. i gotta get em past 16.5 though at least!

34

A little forgotten gem by Berardi,

Read parts 1 and 2.

35

Can someone please define “clean” and “dirty” for me?

If you mean “clean” as in “not eating everything you see and keeping your calories/macronutrient breakdown in relative order”, then I can agree with that.

36

Clean just meaning, having a definite caloric surplus for growth, keeping track of it, and increasing it steadily over time when necessary. instead of eating everything in sight.

37

[quote]dgallagher88 wrote:

[quote]Sarev0k wrote:

PRE workout is #1 haha thanks for catchin my typo man. Meal #1 is eaten on awakening.
[/quote]

What was your training schedule like during your bulk?[/quote]

5 days a week, sometimes 6 if i wanted to do some more work on calves.

M - Legs, Calves
W - Back, forearms
T - Chest, Abs
T - Shoulders, Traps
F - Biceps, Triceps
S - Calves again
S - Off

38

[quote]Sarev0k wrote:
40 40 20 is pretty good IMHO man. just make sure that you get most of your daily carbs around your workout. Say you need 200g of carbs per day.

PREWORKOUT(breakfast) 50g
PERI 50g
Post(within 3 hrs of end of workout) 50g

and spread the last 50g evenly throughout the rest of the day via veggies and protein powders or meal replacements.[/quote]

So are you saying macro nutrient splits are irrelevant and total carb intake in timing is what matters. I’m bulking on about 2800 calories at about 265g of carbs/protein each and 75g fat. Would cutting carbs in half to near 100g and upping my fat to around 130g result in leaner gains?

As for the 5 day split I’m looking for something without a day just for arms. I’ve been on the typical back/bi, chest/tri, legs/calves, shoulders/traps, arms split for about 10 weeks and want to change things up

39

I’m under the Impression eating clean is tightly restricted to bodybuilding staple foods.

Chicken
Beef
Eggs
Whites
Fish

Oats
Potatoes
Rice
Berries and a few other fruits
Beans

Fish oil
Olive oil
Flax
Peanut butter
nuts

Whey
Dextrose/Waxy
Casein (hydrolyzed now too)

Basically that.

40

Thanks dude :slight_smile:

When I refer to clean eating on a bulk, I am basically saying, don’t stuff your face whenever you feel like it. If you have a choice between some cake and cookies or a beef and potato meal opt for the beef and potato meal. Try to stay away from processed and fast foods as much as you can. Yeah you can hit up MacDons from time to time, but don’t let that get out of hand. Be smart, make the majority of you food come from natural sources, beef, rice, yams, chicken, etc. Just because you are bulking doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have some plan about what you are eating, the idea is to pack on as much muscle as possible while trying to remain as lean as you can , obviously some fat gain will come on a bulk, which is totally fine, and those of us who have fast metabolisms can get away with eating more junk, but I think people would be healthier overall and gain more good weight efficiently by steering toward more home cooked meals than dominos meat lover pizzas every night, even though I love pizza…haha