"Winter is coming" my friends and while thats a Game of Thrones reference it is also the time a lot of us fitness folks like to bulk up, well most of us anyways. Now if your a follower of mine and have been for a while you will know that I'm not really a fan of bulking for just winter because the truth is being natural you need a good 3 years in a constant surplus to make solid gains but with that said i know most of us are transitioning into our gaining season so today i'm going to present you with 7 tips to make the most out of this time.
Its Time To Gain
The cold months often bring a new mentality of training and nutrition with them and that is to eat a lot and train a lot. It makes sense to if you think about it. I mean the winter has less sunlight and less time outdoors. We also are all in long sleeve and baggy clothes so why not put on some extra mass and submit to some extra training. Now like i said in the intro i really recommend for almost everyone to spend a solid 3 years in a surplus as that will make a huge difference in your physique so feel free to use these tips if your going the full 3 years as well and get ready for GAINZ city!
7 Tips To Maximize Your Gains This Season
1. Eat About 16-18 calories Per Pound of Bodyweight
When it comes to amount of calories you should eat in a gaining phase there are many different schools of thought out there. There are some people that like adding an additional 300-500 calories, there are some people that like doing an extra 500 calories on training days and less on rest days, there are honestly so many approaches it would be impossible to cover them all so I'm going to just state what has worked best for me and most of all my clients as well. That is eating about 16-18 calories per pound of body weight. So for example;
180lb male wanting to gain and has a fast metabolism should eat 3,000-3,200 calories
130lb female wanting to gain would be about 2,000-2,200 calories.
The faster your metabolism the more calories per pound but this will give you a starting point at least. If your gaining to quick drop 100 calories a week till you find your sweet spot and if you are not gaining at all add an additional 100 calories a week till you start gaining the right amount. Also know that as you put on more muscle you will probably have to up the calories more anyway, Typically i might start a gaining phase with 2400 calories and several months later i might be up to 2700 to still gain. Play with it and understand your number will change. When it comes to macros to target i recommend
1 gram - 1.5 grams of protein per pound
.45 grams of fat per pound
fill the remaining calories with carbs.
The Quick Start Guide Explains this in more detail for you.
2. Get On A Training Program
While nutrition is important i think more important is the training. You can't gain any quality muscle that will stick around with a bad training program. The program you choose is up to you but i recommend it have the following.
- 4-5 training days a week with 2-3 rest days a week
- Work every muscle group two times a week
- Incorporate Heavy and Light Days in a week
- Incorporates a de-load week every 4-6 weeks
- Higher volume programs typically are better during gaining seasons
- Must be sustainable and you have to have fun!
Bodybuilding.com has a ton of great free programs you can check out and if you want a program i developed myself that has all this built into it, then check out SHDUPA
3. Have Most of Your Carbs Around Training
"But Shawn nutrient timing is irrelevant and the only thing that matters is calories in an entire day!"
That is true to a point..... When your cutting the above stated holds true 100% but when your in a surplus then the timing of your carbs can really benefit you. If your in a surplus i recommend using the majority of your carbs around your training. That is when your body is going to get the most out of them. For example i eat only 2 times day, my pre workout meal has about 160 grams of carbs and then i eat after the gym and that meal has an additional 150 grams of carbs. So for me since i only eat two times a day it makes this incredibly easy but for those of you that like more meals then i would try and do your best to save the majority of your carbs for around your training. This can really benefit your workout performance and recovery allowing you to maximize gains and utilize your carbohydrates to the best ability.
4. Keep Calories High On Rest Days
So you may be thinking why not drop your calories on rest days since you won't be training. This is something that took me forever to learn but once i discovered this it changed my training performance forever, I used to always drop calories on rest days and then 8 times out of 10 the next training day would be a terrible session. I could never understand why this was. That was until i decided to just try keeping my calories the same as if i were training and that was a total game changer. I started to have amazing sessions following rest days and i made so many more gains than when i used to cycle my calories. You may be thinking that this is a one way trip to more fat gain but you will be surprised. If your training hard enough then you need to eat as much on your rest days. Don't believe me? try this - eat a pizza on your next rest day and then watch how well you perform the next day. TOLD YA :D
5. Raise Your Training Volume
If your eating hard then you have to be training hard. With all that extra fuel your giving yourself you should easily be able to train with a higher volume approach. For example when I'm cutting i do about 30 sets per workout when I'm in a gaining phase i train with about 45 sets per workout. Increase in volume with increase in food = more muscle! If you follow a program like my SHDUPA then you will easily get the right amount of volume per training session. Also you may notice that your workouts are longer in a gaining phase as well and thats fine. For me when I'm cutting my workouts are about an hour, when i'm gaining they can go anywhere from 1 1/2 hours to an occasional 2 hours. If time allows for you then thats fine.
6. Have More Focus On Gaining Strength
One of the things that really ends a gaining phase quick is when you notice some fat gain and you start to feel like you don't even lift anymore so you decide and drop calories. I know that feeling completely. The best way around this is focusing on strength and increasing strength during these times of gaining, If you get stronger you will not care about having a bit more fluff because you actually have a gauge that shows you are making improvements. NEVER GO OFF THE MIRROR IN A GAINING SEASON. Your going to gain some fat so just deal with it.
7. Stay With The Bulk Don't Give Into Mini Cut Temptations
What stopped me so many times in the past from making progress was the constant temptations to just go back to cutting after bulking for a few months. This lead to no long term gains and really messed with any progress i was making. It's so freaking easy to get side tracked from your progress your making and just focus on the added fat making you want to lean out but i tell you - STICK WITH THE BULK! My First 3 years i did the long bulk and not cutting in the summer was crazy hard. I remember i even had to have conversations with myself telling myself to stay in a surplus. All i wanted was to lean out but i stayed with it and i'm so glad i did as i am the most muscle dense now than i have ever been. If you have the temptations to cut and you really can't stop yourself then just do a mini cut - cut calories by 500 for a week. this will allow you to drop some water and make you appear leaner and it will motivate you to get back to the bulk the following week. Just don't mini cut all the time. Once every 2 months is fine tho.
Bulking is hard, Cutting is easy
If it was up to me i would love to just remain lean all year round. For me eating less is super easy and it always has been. Leaning out is extremely easy for me but gaining muscle is extremely hard for me. The past 6 years it has been a lot better but i had to completely re-wire my brain and make myself understand i needed to eat more if i wanted to gain. Understand being natural and choosing not to use drugs you have to make a sacrifice on your leanness if you ever want to make improvements. Trust me when i say you don't want to get old and your still looking the same and lifting the same weights. Take the time when your young to eat big and train big, and reap the rewards as you age with more muscle and strength. I missed a solid 5 years of training when i began lifting because i constantly ate in a deficit and trained in circuits with no structure. Don't make the mistakes i made. Get on a solid program and eat more food. You won't be sorry. You can always loose extra fat in the future. Gaining Muscle when your old is hard. But leaning out you can do anytime. Remember that.
If you guys enjoyed this weeks blog let me know and feel free to share on your social media as i greatly would appreciate it. Till next week guys...
Stay Strong,
Shawn Fausey
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- Shawn Fausey is the Founder and CEO of Fausey's Fitness. With Over 6 years experience in Bodybuilding, Powerlifting and Nutrition. Shawn offers services of online fitness coaching, programing and consulting. Shawn is also a Graphic Designer and can be reached for graphic services on www.rev-graphics.com
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