You know them, the harbingers of the cold season – falling temperatures, frosty morning air, and the daily pressing question of the right outfit (how many locations can there be today?). The message outside is clear; winter is beginning to arrive. For many of our animal contemporaries, e.g., brown bears, autumn and the beginning of wintertime are characterized by foraging and food intake to provide a respectable fat cushion. Then the long and deep hibernation can come. Although we are not allowed such a long break for strength athletes, we also regard winter as a period in which one can eat abundantly and should do so! Bulking is the seasonal motto. At this point, I want to give beginners and advanced ones five useful tips on the way.
Tips for bulking for beginners
Eat sufficiently bulked is synonymous with the increase in mass and strength. This, however, requires a considerable amount of strength and energy. What does the valuable energy provide us with? The food. More than sufficient food intake is, therefore, a basic requirement. It would help if you tolerated the small but unavoidable fat-pölsterchen as temporary winter guests.
Eat balanced
To start with, we distinguish the so-called “clean” bulk from the “dirty” variant. Simply put, the daily walk to Burger King, McDonald’s, and co don’t miss its effect on body circumference. Whether, however, the force values rise in the same move is more than questionable. Success only promises a proper diet plan based on foods such as natural rice, wholemeal pasta, and oatmeal, containing sufficient vegetable and fruit content and, of course, protein sources.
Train hard
Proper nutrition is only one component of success. It would help if you also had a lot of strength at this stage. Your training plan should be tailored to this. The focus should be on more sets with lower repetition intensity. For example, the usual 3 sets of 12 repetitions will become 5 sets of 5 repetitions each. You should switch 1-2 minute rest periods to regenerate sufficiently out of consideration for these shorter but hard intervals. Growth is guaranteed!
Schedule time-outs
Heavy training is not without effects on the body. The muscles have to regenerate, and the joints and ligaments have to get used to the new intensity of stress. Your training plan should therefore provide for rest days. A training day is followed by a rest day alternately. Your body will thank you.
Sleep slack enough
Maybe this is even the decisive tip when it comes to first bulk. In well-dosed sleep, the key to strength and energy gains lies. The regenerative processes in the muscles require time and energy. Your body uses sleep time, not alone, to regenerate but to significantly improve the current account. There is an agreement that 7 hours of sleep should not be undercut; it may be a little more.
Tips for bulking for advanced users
You already have an elaborate training and nutrition concept to get the best profit from the bulking phase? Perhaps the following tips can still make a small contribution to success.
Communicates
The winter period promises to be a difficult phase for you and your immediate surroundings. Informs the surrounding area in good time about the project, which requires rich meals and a lot of sleep. Your parents or your partner certainly won’t be surprised by exploding budgets for weekly shopping!
Netflix, amazon prime, media libraries, and co
You don’t have an account yet? You should make up for that. You don’t want to risk the lavish snacks to put you to sleep after training. Therefore, worry about distraction e.B. in the form of series, ideally seasons with several single episodes – but do not forget sleep. If you prefer to be sociable, you can also enjoy games evenings with friends or treat yourself to a good book. After all, the latest thriller isn’t just a sleep-in aid.
Cars
The car will be your constant companion these months. For shopping? By car. Visit the gym? By car. To the neighbor, because the protein stocks are used up? By car. Alternative forms of mobility that require increased physical use should be taboo because cardio is not on your program in winter!
Sex
Hopefully, you’ve taken Tip 1 and informed your partner of your bulking plans. Because intimate lovemaking is one of the cardio activities, but certainly one of the more pleasant. Nevertheless, in just under half an hour, 101 kcal are burned, which have to be fed back to the body. So, perhaps some abstinence is required (or consider the diet plan:)).
Setup
The local ambiance also influences your bulking efforts. Climbing several times to higher floors is synonymous with an extra meal. So either you move to Grandma’s apartment, sleep in the living room or take care of a stairlift :). Of course, a strong partner is welcome to take over the lift function. However, you should avoid repeated and intensive stair climbing, no matter where!
So let it taste you, with a balanced, healthy. Still, a rich diet allows you enough sleep (it gets dark early anyway) and reduces as few cardio activities as possible in the everyday environment.
One of the other bacon rolls (the emphasis is on rolls) maybe, but too much of the stored fat should not be the target of your bulking phase. Even for hard-training bodybuilders, these are difficult to break down afterward. A good combination of nutrition and training ensures the necessary success – then the definition phase can come in spring for the summer season.
