We’ve talked a lot about how you don’t have to get bulky from weightlifting, and therefore weightlifting should be part of everyone’s routine. But what if you want to bulk up? Is that still a healthy and viable way to get health benefits from weightlifting? The answer is: sure, if you do it right.
First, you should be aware that some people have a very difficult time building muscle enough for it to be bulky. This is common for women and slightly less common for men. It’s just a matter of body type – a body type that doesn’t bulk easily can still be as fit and strong as you want to make it. If you do what you need to do to bulk up and still don’t have the kind of bulk you’d like, take a good hard look at the results you are seeing before you get disappointed. You may look leaner, but you’ll still look strong and fit.
The trick to weightlifting for bulk is pushing your muscles to maximum capacity without injury. Here are some tips:
- Don’t work any individual muscle group more than once a week. After working a particular group, it will feel sore for a day or so. This is your body’s signal that you should rest that group so it can heal the tissue. This repair is, in fact, how muscle growth happens.
- Avoid sugars and processed foods. Eat whole grains instead of processed “white” breads and pastas. If a bread’s ingredient list mentions “enriched wheat flour”, it’s had all the natural nutrition sucked out of it in the milling process and replaced with synthetic nutrients. Seek out real breads, cereals and grains.
- To make sure your defined muscles are visible, your diet ratio should be 40% on both protein and carbs and 20% on fat. You need low body fat to make the muscles visible.
- Though new studies suggest animal fat may be better for us than we’ve been told in the past, you can’t go wrong with the “good” fats like avocados, nuts and olive oil.
Filed in Strength Training
Updated: August 11, 2010
Copyright: Aug. 02, 2010
