Bulking up pertains to adding muscle mass to the body. This comes in handy when you play contact sports like football and rugby. The challenge comes in when you are naturally skinny. This is often referred to as being a "hard gainer." To be successful in your bulking plan, you must make changes to your diet and do the right type of weight training.
Step 1
Determine your daily intake of calories and add 500 to it. For example, if you currently consume 2,200 calories a day. Make your new total 2,700 calories. This will give you excess fuel for packing on weight. Utilize an online calorie tracker to track your calories for a day and find your staring point.
Step 2
Include foods in your diet that are quality sources of protein and complex carbs. You will need the carbs for energy and the protein to promote muscle growth. Skinless chicken breasts, eggs, bison, venison, lean beef and cottage cheese are quality protein sources. Fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains are quality sources of carbs.
Step 3
Eat more often to help fit your extra calories into your diet. Have a healthy meal for breakfast and eat five or six more times throughout the day. Balance each meal with a serving of protein and complex carbs. A chicken breast wrap with chopped up raw vegetables and light Italian dressing is a meal example. Try not to go more than three hours without eating.
Step 4
Execute multi-joint exercises instead of isolation exercises. Multi-joint exercises work more than one muscle at a time which leads to fast, sizable gains in mass. Isolation exercises only work one muscle. Add exercises like lunge and presses, deadlifts, bench presses, dips, squats and bent-over rows to your workouts. Shoot for eight to 12 reps, use heavy weights and do four or five sets of each exercise. Take two days off in between your workouts.
Step 5
Pack a shaker cup into your gym bag. Add one or two scoops of whey protein powder and a serving of creatine before you go. As soon as you are done lifting, take off the lid to the shaker and pour in eight to 12 oz of ice cold grape juice. Attach the lid tightly, shake it up until the contents are consistent and chug it down.
Step 6
Choose sleep over partying. Typically, adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep a night, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Make sure to bide by these guidelines to allow your muscles time to recover and to give yourself adequate energy levels during your workouts.
Tips and Warnings
- The whey protein and creatine in the post-workout shake help torn muscle fibers recover and the grape juice restores depleted glycogen. This is another term for stored carbohydrates which are used for energy.
- Make sure you clear it with your doctor before starting a new eating and lifting routine. Be aware that protein powder and creatine are supplements. Use them as directed.
Things You'll Need
- Shaker cup
- Whey protein
- Grape juice
- Creatine
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