Winter is fast approaching, and we all know what that means right? No more Suns out guns out. It’s that time of year where we can no longer show off our lean gains in a singlet or T-shirt and are forced to cover up. But never fear, bulking season is here! To make this a memorable bulk, Dukes is here to give you some pointers and teach you how to get strong and jacked this winter – not fat!
Firstly, your training and programming will have to be in order. To ensure you’re not spinning your wheels and look the same next time it’s time to get out the guns, solid programming is a must. Focus on training each body part at least twice a week, with as much volume as you can recover from and progress with.
Progress is the key here. If you progress all your lifts with equal or better form in a calorie surplus, you WILL gain new muscle tissue, there’s no way around it. You should ensure that all your lifts in the gym are increasing as the weeks go by. If you’re not doing so already, logbooking is a must! If you’re not keeping track of your numbers session to session, week to week, you won’t be able to look back and see if you’re making any progress even if you think you can remember the numbers. Let your logbook be your guide for programming if your lifts stall for longer than 3 weeks or even regress, you need to re-evaluate if you’re doing too much or too little to ensure muscle gain.
Now that we’ve ensured you’ll be gaining all sorts of muscle and strength this Winter, we need to clarify a few things in regard to bulking nutrition to avoid gaining too much excess fat along with your hard-earned gains. A calorie surplus is a must! If you’re not consuming more calories than you’re expending, you will gain next to nothing, as recovery will be your limiting factor. Aim for a calorie surplus of ~300 calories per day, made up of around 2g of protein per pound of bodyweight, 0.5-1g of fat per kg of bodyweight and fill the rest with carbohydrates. Why so many carbs? Aren’t carbs the devil? Nope, carbs are your body’s preferred source of energy and will grant you gnarly pumps and strength during your workouts!
Try these pointers during your bulk this winter to ensure you’ll be making your best gains yet and ensure you’ll be getting strong – not fat!
