At one time or another, most bodybuilders indulge in the satisfying but often unhealthy practice of bulking. It’s been used since the 1950s as a method to add a great deal of muscle to the frame, and many believe it works fairly well.
It’s always amusing to see pictures of the professionals when they were still building up their size. They start by winning their pro card as a lightweight with plenty of lines and cuts, but not a lot of muscle. They get wiped out during their first pro show, and then they disappear for 2 years. When they return, ala Victor Martinez or Phil Heath, they are 25 pounds larger. The photos along the way show them looking almost obese. The level of muscle they carry, accompanied by the fact that bulking brings, makes them look almost not human.
The tenets of bulking are simple. You eat, lift, and sleep BIG. The sleeping part is the easiest. Turn off the television each night an hour sooner than you normally would, and get the rest your body needs. The lifting is a bit tougher. Heavy free weight workouts, repeated 4 to 5 times per week. The eating part is the toughest. Part of the reason you’re currently a skinny person bulking is that you’ve never been a big eater. You can eat everything on the menu, but most experts agree that won’t work either. You’ll gain mass, but most of it won’t be muscle. You need to bulk, but you need to do it carefully, particularly if you are wise enough to be concerned about your health.
“Healthy Bulking” can be a bit of an oxymoron. The healthiest practices involve consuming a minimal amount of calories. Healthy dieting is low in fat, and moderate on carbs. In fact, the 350 or more grams that most bodybuilders consume per day on a bulking cycle are generally considered unhealthy as well, as the kidneys do have to work a bit harder to process all those grams of protein.
Healthy bulk dieting involves eating many more calories than your body needs, but being very selective in the sources you choose. Most bulkers will consume fast food a few days a week, and have no problem sprinkling junk food throughout their diet. Bodybuilders interested in preserving their health to the greatest degree will prepare large piles of healthy food, then eat them every three hours with complete discipline. It won’t be easy to eat that much or that frequently, but they will do it because the goal means that much to them. They want to change what nature has given them – and they can do it – provided they eat the right foods with a tremendous amount of consistency.
Health training isn’t going to be that much different from standard training, but there will be some differences. With all-out bulking, you train with what is almost a ‘kamikaze’ method. In other words, you don’t worry much about injuries or long-term wear and tear. You treat training just as you do dieting – as extreme as possible. And it’s true that training in this reckless manner really does lead to greater gains. However, it also opens the door to a greater likelihood of injury. Be smart, and push yourself to new boundaries, but never past the point where you risk injury.