When bulking or trying to gain more muscle and size, bodybuilders use heavy weights and consume more calories than they need for their daily activities. This often leads to an accumulation of belly fat. An increase in fat levels is inevitable when going through the bulking phase. However, the right training program and nutrition plan can ensure fat gain is not excessive and help keep belly fat at bay.
Muscle Building
To maximize muscle growth during your bulking phase, focus on targeting the major muscle groups of the chest, shoulders, back and legs. Use heavy weights for six to 12 reps. According to natural bodybuilder and personal trainer Tom Venuto, a repetition range of six to 12 brings cellular and metabolic adaptations, which result in optimal hypertrophy, or muscle growth. Your primary exercises should be the bench press, dumbbell press, overhead press, dumbbell shoulder press, bent-over rows, T-bar rows, pullups, lat pulldowns, deadlifts, squats and leg presses. Other exercises should include barbell curls, dumbbell curls, close grip bench press, lying triceps extensions, leg extensions, leg curls and calf raises.
Bulking Nutrition
Do not eat anything and everything as you try to consume enough calories to bulk up. You will accumulate excessive body fat and belly fat. Eat up to six meals a day, comprising "clean calories," or healthy, nutritious foods. Complex carbohydrates such as oatmeal, whole grain rice, pasta, bread, sweet potatoes, potatoes and yams will provide sustained energy to power your workouts, together with fiber, vitamins and minerals. Avoid simple carbs such as french fries, candy, doughnuts and fast foods. These will cause sugar and insulin spikes that drive excess energy into your fat stores and give you a fat belly. Protein from lean cuts of meat, poultry, fish, whole eggs, beans and legumes will repair and encourage muscle growth. Healthy fats from olive oil, flaxseed oil, hemp seed oil, coconut oil, avocados and almonds provide calories and energy without compromising your heart and artery health.
Cardiovascular Exercise
Perform 20 to 30 minutes of low intensity cardiovascular exercise two or three times a week to burn calories and lose fat. Use a variety of cardiovascular equipment, such as the treadmill, stair climber, stationary bike and elliptical machine. Do your cardiovascular workouts after your bodybuilding workouts. Incorporate high intensity interval training, or HIIT, into your cardiovascular workout once or twice a week. For example, include a number of 30- to 60-second sprint intervals in a 15-minute run on a treadmill or 15-minute ride on a stationary bike. HIIT boosts your metabolism post-workout and accelerates fat loss.
Abdominal Exercises
Do regular abdominal exercises such as crunches, reverse crunches and hanging leg raises. These will not help you lose belly fat while bulking, but will keep your stomach muscles tight and toned and give you a semblance of a six-pack as you go through the bulking phase of your bodybuilding.
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