My Summer Bulk

It is summer and everyone wants to get lean and look fantastic in a Bikini, so do I but my holiday plans changed and I decided that ‘dieting’ needed to go on the back burner as I was already lean enough. So where do I go from here? I am still not totally satisfied with my body composition and that booty I had been longing for still hadn’t grown! I had to rethink my strategy. Most of the time us women think that doing squats and lunges alone is enough to grow a booty, however your body can only work with what you already have. If you don’t feed your body there is no way it is going to grow!

Back to the drawing board

So I started to research and after joining a closed facebookgroup for IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros) I got a lot of inspiration from other lovely ladies and decided it was time to start a bulk. I must say I had tried this once or twice before only lasting one or two days, because I was scared of getting fat! But I worked out my numbers according to the IIFYM lifestyle I have been following and jumped straight into it.

What is ‘BULKING’?

It is the process used by individuals wishing to gain muscle mass. In order to gain muscle mass you need to eat at a SURPLUS of maintenance calories, whilst bulking most people would inevitably gain fat whilst gaining muscle. This is inevitable so if you decide to start a bulk, you will need to accept that!

Typically the increase in calories should come fromCarbohydrates; the rough formula I have been using is as follows:

Protein: 1 g per llb of Body Weight

Fat: 0.5 per llb of Body Weight

And the rest of the calories go to carbohydrates.

You can set your numbers as you like, we all react to macros differently, so just be aware of your body and how it reacts. However most especially for women it is recommended to have a minimum total intake of at least 50g of fat a day, to help hormone balance.

I started at 132llbs and my numbers are as follows:

2125 calories: 250 C, 135 P, 65 F

How did I determine the calories? I used www.iifym.com(IIFYM Calculator)

My above numbers were based on a ‘text book’ bulk and also based on the fact that I weight train 6 times a week (when using the above calculator only input days that you weight train in the activity level). I do not do any formal cardio, apart from the occasional walk. I found that I was losing weight when I incorporated HIIT so I stopped that and one month in I am up to 133llbs J and I’m already seeing great changes!  Not just aesthetically but I have gained a lot of strength and I’ve achieved a lot of PRs! Typically during a bulk you want to aim to gain at least 1 or 2-3 pounds a month, whatever you are comfortable with.

I would advise to stick to your numbers for at least 2 weeks as you will initially gain a lot of water weight due to the increase carbs, after two weeks you can then do a review, if you have not gained any weight you can up your caloric intake, similarly if you have gained too much weight then decrease, always adding or taking away calories from your carbs and leaving protein and fat the same. (if you are on 250 grams of carbs and you want to add 100 calories this translates to: 100 calories / 4 = 25 grams of carbs, thereby your carb intake would now be 275g, the same principle for reducing calories only you deduct the grams from current intake)

So along with eating more food (ALL THE CARBS :-D) during your bulk it is advised to lift heavy! Ladies don’t be afraid to lift heavier than your last session, always aim to do better than your last lift, of course whilst keeping good form.

How long to bulk for?

Typically it is said the longer you bulk the better results you will get, of course because your body has more time to build muscle. It is a lot more difficult for women to build muscle than men so to the female readers aim to do a minimum of 3 (if you’re cautious). I have chosen to bulk for 6 months which will take me into the new year of which I will then review my numbers.

I have two options when I decide to cut in January, typically cutting is when you eat at a deficit, i.e. eating less calories than expand which will initiate fat loss. So I will either reduce my caloric intake and continue with my current training schedule and possibly add 1 day cardio (HIIT) or stay at the same caloric intake and include at least 3x 30 minute HIIT sessions per week. I am enjoying eating so much that I am actually willing to add cardio (which I hate) in order to be at a deficit and lose fat to help expose the beautiful muscles I would have gained during my 6 month bulk. The second option I would say would mean a slower cut but I don’t mind because cutting from January 2015 would mean I have a good 6 months to lose fat.

What to eat during your bulk

Keep your nutrition the same, just increase accordingly and I truly cannot tell you enough how important it is to track your macros using an electronic scale and tracking apps such as My Fitness Pal, or My Net Dairy. Each macro are not made the same and not eating enough of one macro nutrient and over eating another can make all the difference in your body composition goals. Whilst I am following IIFYM I’m not too bothered about when I’m getting my macros as long as I hit them -/+ 5 a day, the one thing I do make sure I do is that I get my protein in after my work out! If you want you can follow the typical ‘bro science’ method of eating (not knocking it) or follow ‘IIFYM’ or whatever you want really, as long as it works for YOU. IIFYM has worked and continues to work for me and I do not see myself following another lifestyle. So I would advise that anyone on a beginning of any journey should make sure you do a lot of research and then decide what works for you.  That said IIFYM is there to allow the little treats, eat 80-90% nutritient dense foods. Most of my 'treats' are made up with supplements I buy from different outlets I.e protein pancakes, protein muffins etc (check out my IG page - @b_fittie) 

Finally I would just say that it is important to trust the process, this takes a lot of patience and commitment, so make sure that try as much as possible to stick to the program, trust me it works and I’m enjoying every single step of it- coming from a former cardio bunny eating 1200 calories a day! Your body needs fuel to grow so fuel it and kick butt in the weights room!!

Below is my progress after one week