Bulking season is among us! In this week's episode, I dove deep into everything you need to know about bulking. Here's the summarization:
What is a bulk?
Bulking is a period of time where you eat in a caloric surplus with the intention of building muscle.
What is a caloric surplus?
Our maintenance (or total daily expenditure) is the total amount of calories we burn in a day. A caloric surplus is anywhere between 100-500 calories over your maintenance. Maintenance is based off of your weight and your activity level.
What eating habits do I implement while bulking?
I'll do one of two things when I'm bulking:
increase portion sizes
choose more calorie dense ingredients/foods
How long do I bulk for?
Whether cutting or bulking, there needs to be an end point. Our bodies aren't meant to be in a surplus or deficit forever. When enough time has passed, they adapt to the surplus and change will cease. I typically bulk for 5 months personally.
How do I train while bulking?
No matter what phase I'm in, I am ALWAYS training to progressively overload. While bulking, the only change I make is cutting down on cardio. I do some sort of cardio all year round because its important for heart and respiratory health but while bulking, I'll reduce the intensity.
Mentally, how do I cope with gaining some weight?
I'm not going to play God here, gaining weight can be a mental struggle. I have to be in the right mindset before I start bulking. A healthy mindset I might add. At any point if bulking is having a bad affect on your mental health, you can stop. This is temporary and the intention is to gain. But knowing you have the option to stop if you need to is comforting. Oh and also, putting on a big t-shirt or sweatshirt helps a LOT. Step away from that damn mirror!
Okay, now for the fun part! If you're tuning in this week, you'll hear all the details about my trip to West Chester, PA to visit my cousin. It's such a cute and quaint area and I truly loved all the places she took me to. Here's a list so you can drop by if you're ever in the area:
Sedona Taphouse (locations in other states too!)
Dia Dulce (coffee and cupcakes)
Nudy's (diner)
Barnaby's (bar)
That's it for this week! Make sure to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode!
Xoxo,
Liz