I know its not technically fall yet but the weather says other wise.

It’s getting a lot colder out and that means the hoodies are coming back, which means its bulking session.

No longer are we on a calorie deficit diet. It’s time to eat like Kings and pack on muscle.

This is the way I used to think when I was younger and first started out training serious.

Back then I didn’t count macros, I would just go off of what I knew at the time, which was to eat a diet high in carbs; moderate in protein and low in fats to add on some muscle mass.

Unfortunately every time I did this I would gain a good amount of fat. Way more fat then I wanted to add.

And when spring came around I would work my ass off to burn it off, but unfortunately with it went my newly developed muscles. You know where this led me.

To the same exact spot I was in before I started bulking. You see I would add all this weight (some muscle but mostly fat) during the bulking session. Then I would burn it all off (some fat and some muscle), leaving me weighing and looking the same as I did last year.

But I guess ignorance is bliss because I would repeat this bulking and cutting cycle bull shit every year.

So if you haven’t guessed it yet I didn’t see much progress during this time frame, which I think was between 8th grade through the end of sophomore year of high school, I call these the lost years 🙁

It wasn’t until I came across carb cycling (for people that don’t know what carb cycling is, it’s basically alternating your carb intake from day to day).

So on days when you have an intense training session at the gym your carb intake would be the highest. Then on days when you do a small conditioning session your carbs intake should be moderate.

On your off days you would have the smallest intake of carbs.

But personally I like to keep it simple, so I use high carb and low carb days

I take my rest days serious, I like to relax and stretch/foam roll when I can. (I know a lot of people are really busy and can’t stretch or foam roll everyday but try to make a 5 to 10 minute window before bed where you can spend some time stretching and foam rolling) I promise you, you’ll thank yourself for doing it down the road.

So back to what I was saying…

When I learned about carb cycling I was excited to try it. I went into carb cycling after a period of bulking so I was a little on the chubby side.

After 6 weeks of eating this way (high carb on days I work out and low carbs on days I rest)

I was a little leaner then when I first started and my strength increased.

You see during the bulking season a lot of people increase their carb intake but keep it at the same amount of macros through out the whole phase.

Yes this will get you bigger but it will also get you fluffier (who the fuck wants to be fluffier?)

The way I look at it; lifting is a life long thing for me (as I assume it is for you). Why am I going to inhale all these carbs (yes I inhale food, I’ve been told) to try to gain as much muscle as I can at once when I can take my time and gradually add on muscle mass while keeping my body fat on the low end all year around.

When you add IF (Intermittent Fasting ) into the mix. That’s when shit gets real.

Your results increase tremendously.

Since IF is known to help keep hormonal levels in check it only makes sense to add it into your diet. It keeps your digestive system happy and that in itself will get you better results in fat – loss and muscle mass ( because your digestive system will be able to absorb the nutrients from the foods you eat a lot better).

Should YOU be bulking?

First let me just say not everyone should be bulking or at least trying to add on muscle.

If you’re over 15 percent body fat concentrate on decreasing that number. ( You can still carb cycle and use I but obviously your carb intake on both days would be a lot lower than if someone were trying to add on muscle. Remember you have to keep your calorie intake below maintenance if you want to burn body fat)

If you are close to 10 percent body fat it’s time for you to start bulking!

Your body’s primed for bulking because at that BF percentage you’re able to handle carbs a lot better (meaning the insulin spike you get from eating carbs wont lead to fat stores)

Ok Josh… now tell me how to bulk

Ok now that you know if you should bulk or not it’s time for the meat and potatoes of this article.

On high carb days you want to eat around 1.5 – 2 grams per pound of LBM; depending on your BF percentage. Leaner guys that are way below 10 percent can go up to 2.5 even 3 grams per pound of LBM.

On low carb days I would stick to around .75 – 1 grams per pound of LBM; Remember if you’re a little on the heavier side stick to .75, if you’re on the leaner side stick to 1

Protein should make up 30 percent of your total calories and fats should make up the other 20 percent. And if you’re going to add in IF make sure you stick to eating protein and fats during the day and post workout is when you eat your protein and carbs.

By eating your carbs after training it helps with recovery, better sleep and having some good ass dinners

Buffalo steak with organic jasmine rice, sauerkraut and home made guacamole

I hope you enjoyed today article.

If you are about to start your bulking season avoid the traditional approach of gorging yourself with food through the whole muscle building phase.

Instead, carb cycle and use Intermittent Fasting so you don’t add a shit ton of body fat with a shit ton of muscle.

Just a shit ton of muscle.

Remember eat big to get big

Talk to you later,