Bulking up is part of bodybuilding. The three phases include bulking up, cutting, and maintenance. In the bulking phase, you consume more calories than you burn to increase muscle gain. It provides the extra energy to increase muscle size while strength training via eating more calories. The next phase is cutting. You cut the calorie allotment to eliminate excess fat gained during bulking. During that time, bodybuilders aim to maintain their muscles while shedding fat. Soda provides extra calories for the bulking phase, but it’s not necessarily the best source for those extra calories.
Bulking starts by identifying maintenance calorie needs and increasing them.
Most diets for bulking include approximately 45-60% of calories from carbohydrates with 30-35% from protein and 15 to 30% from fat. There’s a difference between dirty bulking and clean bulking. With clean bulking, the excess calories come from whole or minimally processed foods. It’s far slower than dirty bulking, where there are no restrictions on diet, which can even include soda. Even though clean bulking takes longer to bulk up, it’s a healthier option. It reduces the time required for cutting.
Dirty bulking can lead to hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and other chronic health conditions.
While the diet is unrestricted, making it a clear favorite for those who love junk food, it can cause a high amount of excess body fat to accumulate and lead to body composition deterioration. The excess sugar in soft drinks and other junk food may offer more calories, but it also takes a toll on the body and leads to inflammation. Much of the fat goes to the belly as visceral fat. That creates a dangerous landscape for chronic conditions. Limiting your calorie intake increase can help reduce the accumulation of body fat. Eating 10 to 20% more calories than you need is sufficient.
There are higher calorie foods that are also healthy options.
Nuts and nut butter are two options that can add extra calories without the negative health effects. Nuts make a good snack. Nut butter on whole wheat toast can boost nutrients and calories. High-quality beef, fatty fish, and avocados are excellent additions to eating clean and increased calories. You’ll keep your diet clean if you limit food or drink with added sugar, fried food, highly processed food, and alcohol.
- Some foods can also improve your workout. Eggs are a good source of high-quality protein and contain folic acid, riboflavin, and B12 which improves your workout endurance.
- Milk products, whether it’s whole milk, cottage cheese, or yogurt, are good options for the bulking stage. They provide a high-quality protein source that provides other nutrients, especially calcium.
- Consider sweet potatoes. They contain a lot of fiber that can improve digestion and have a low GI score to help stabilize blood sugar levels. They are also high in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
- Don’t overlook legumes when planning menus. They’re high in nutrients like fiber, iron, folate, B vitamins, calcium, zinc, and phosphorus. They deliver a steady stream of energy, so are excellent if you have long workouts.
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