Bulking Up

Nomomush

So I am here on MFP to help me lose weight by tracking my diet and exercise...along with support from "friends." Now my husband wants my help to help him bulk up....which I know nothing about.
Here's a little background. He is 5'10" and currently weighs 185-190. He has lost over 20 lbs and does cardio fairly well (ex-military).

Does anyone have any suggestions on food (diet), supplements, protein shakes and workout regimen to help him get to his goal?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

thanks

cacrat

Unfortunately, if his goal is weight loss, bulking will not be possible (not without a highly specific diet and workout plan, aka cyclical ketogenic diets). But if he's ok with eating more than necessary to gain some muscle, good. That's a start, eat more than his resting metabolic rate. He should make sure he gets plenty of protein, I'd say somewhere in the 1.5g/lb of body weight. Yes, many people will claim this is high, but if he's working out hard enough, he'll need it. Then set a decent amount of carbs and fats. Second, he should be working out, HARD!. As a guideline, each lift should be at about 85% of his one rep max on that lift. Which means about 4-8 reps. At 3 or 4 sets he should be good. And a whole body workout would be good too. Working out every other day will make sure he gets the proper rest:growth ratio.

Granted this is bulking in a very small nutshell. Questions?

InfamousQ

I am bulking up tell him to go to Bodybuilding.com that place has thousands of articles plus videos showing him to bulk it I love that place....

audjrey

Tell him to consume 1.5 grams of lean protein (egg whites, white fish, salmon (omega 3,6 & 9's), protein powder) for every pound he weighs, keep his sugars reasonably low (very little fruit, mostly raw veggies, absolutely no sugary snacks), increase his "good" fats, and start pumping iron.

When and if he does consume fruits, it should be right after an intense workout, be it weight training or cardio and within 20 minutes of exercising to ensure essential mineral and electrolyte recovery.

Cardio burns fat but does little to increase muscle mass. Approximately 4 days of cardio and 4-6 days of heavy split training, meaning working two muscle groups one day for 8 reps, 3 sets at a weight that fatigues him by the end of each set. He'll have to play around with his weights until he finds a weight that is suitable for him - and tell him to record each workout with the exercises he done and how much weight he uses for whatever number of reps and sets. He can google bodybuilding.com for examples of split training routines and exercises.

One day should be set aside for complete rest and the fifth week should be set aside for active recovery.

Diet should be approximately 40% protein, 40% fat, 20% carbs, though many people have success with 40% protein, 30% fat and 30% carbs.

Pre-protein and post-protein shakes (before and after he works out) to ensure proper muscle repair and growth.

Arginine (a supplement) helps in protein development and thereby increases recovery time between workouts, meaning he can work out more often.

That's about it for now.

Nomomush

Unfortunately, if his goal is weight loss, bulking will not be possible (not without a highly specific diet and workout plan, aka cyclical ketogenic diets). But if he's ok with eating more than necessary to gain some muscle, good. That's a start, eat more than his resting metabolic rate. He should make sure he gets plenty of protein, I'd say somewhere in the 1.5g/lb of body weight. Yes, many people will claim this is high, but if he's working out hard enough, he'll need it. Then set a decent amount of carbs and fats. Second, he should be working out, HARD!. As a guideline, each lift should be at about 85% of his one rep max on that lift. Which means about 4-8 reps. At 3 or 4 sets he should be good. And a whole body workout would be good too. Working out every other day will make sure he gets the proper rest:growth ratio.

Granted this is bulking in a very small nutshell. Questions?

Thanks cacrat.

I am trying to lose weight while he is trying to bulk up. This really gives him a good guideline. Thanks for your help.

Nomomush

Thanks audjrey! That's VERY useful information. THANK YOU !!!!!

Thanks infamousq. That site is very useful.

cacrat

Of course! And if he has more specific questions, let me know. Or like has been said, bodybuilding.com is good too.