No need to bulk?

sugamonstaa

I've been told constantly you have to eat above maintenance to grow muscles and to "cut" (eat less than maintenance) and maintain as much muscle you can while losing fat.

The thing is, I find it hard to believe this is the only way. I ask some people that compete and some fitness people on Instagram and they have told me they never bulked, just kept high protein and lifted heavy. I don't know if they ate at maintenance or what...
So the lady with the big muscles have me advice she doesn't bulk...so I feel like bulking isn't the only way to get more defined.
Google Lorraine haddad. She's the one that told me this and she has shapely body.
So what's the truth???

daybehavior

I've read that eating a lot of protein and staying within your calories is sufficient; there is no need to bulk/cut, which is what the lady friend told you.

http://scoobysworkshop.com/bulking-and-cutting/

chubby_checkers

Are you asking about building muscle or just maintaining muscle and achieving better definition?

erockem

Always check with your brofessor.

How To Bulk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeOh18mWWzg (TV: MA-L)

Yes, I know your not a 'bro' but still.

erickirb

Most likely she was eating slightly above maintenance, but not necessary trying to bulk, just a by-i-product of eating above maintenance and lifting heavy.

My question would be what happened to her weight? If she gained weight, then she was bulking with a caloric surplus, if she gained muscle but stayed the same weight she did body recomp, eat maintenance and get adequate protein (much slower than traditional bulk and cut cycles to gain the same amount of muscle)

homeyjosey

bulking and getting definition are two different things

JoRocka

well- she's not big- so of course she doesn't bulk- bikini models cannot be to big- or to defined- they lose at that point.

So I can she how she never bulks.

She certainly lifts- but she has no respectable size- not really.

what she has is some quality dense muscle- and an uber low body fat.

It's not saying what she does on her site- but she's bikini or figure- I'm leaning toward bikini- she doesn't look like she has enough size for figure.

lrmall01

I ask some people that compete and some fitness people on Instagram and they have told me they never bulked, just kept high protein and lifted heavy.

Bulking is a somewhat generic term. My guess is that the Instagram people you refer to don't consider themselves to bulk but they likely eat many more calories than the average person. Really no way to know without understanding their TDEE and calorie intake.

Your comment has a lot of conflicting types of questions that are difficult to answer. At the end of the day you need material (food) to build things (muscles). You said :

So the lady with the big muscles have me advice she doesn't bulk...so I feel like bulking isn't the only way to get more defined.

That is right, bulking doesn't get you more defined by itself. Bulking then cutting multiple times is a viable way to get more defined. Eating at maintenance, or re-comping, is another way to get more defined. There are differing opinions to which one is more efficient.

What doesn't work is eating below TDEE at all times. As an extreme example, a 500 calorie per day diet of 100% protein will not build muscle or help you get more defined although you are certainly keeping your protein high. Well I guess you could get really low bodyfat % doing that and appear more defined. You'd be very small and weak though, which doesn't sound like the people you describe.

At any rate, I hope that helps give you some things to think about.

Good luck!

sugamonstaa

Eating slightly above maintenance I have always thought was considered bulking.