bulking and cutting. interesting article. your thoughts plea
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waxon81
Posts: 198 Member
Below is a copy and paste ive done of an interesting article regarding bulk/cut cycles. Anybody tried the bulldozer method? It seems legit enough, and surely it would be easier to stay ontop of fat gain on a shorter cycle.....
The human body doesn’t seem to care where your calories come from, as long as they come. Bulk with clean foods, and you will pack on muscle. Bulk with dirty foods, and you will pack on muscle. When using the Bulldozer Bulking System, eat foods that suit your needs. If you want to bulk 100% clean, by all means do so. If you want cheeseburgers and pizza, start warming up your pie hole.
But this isn’t the end of the story. There is more to bodybuilding bulking then just mere calories. The most important aspect to bulking is timing and cycles.
The Cycle. The Bulldozer Bulking System is simple. You bulk for 2 weeks, then cut for 2 weeks. But this is not merely a haphazard system, thrown together in an effort to be unique and stand out from the crowd. Science backs up the Bulldozer Bulking System.
In study after study, science reveals that the human body is equipped to handle an excessive caloric intake for short periods of time. During shorter bulking periods, the body packs on muscle mass, becoming extremely anabolic.
Let’s take a look at a few of the available studies…
The 12 Day Study. In a 1996 study, Changes in macronutrient balance during over- and underfeeding assessed by 12-d continuous whole-body calorimetry, researchers found that a 12 day bulk resulted in a 4.38 lean muscle mass gain and a 2 pound fat mass gain. The amazing aspect of the study…participants did not perform any form of resistance training. The Rochester Study. The University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry studied the hormonal response to mixed-diet bulking. Results revealed a significant boost in anabolic drive. Participants experienced rocketing levels of insulin, testosterone, and IGF-1, and experienced a significant increase in muscle mass. As in the “12 Day Study”, resistance training was not involved. The Short Term Study. In the study, Short-term, mixed-diet overfeeding in man: no evidence for “luxuskonsumption”, following a 13 day caloric maintenance period, 5 male subjects ate bulking diets for a 9 days period. During this time, subjects gained an average of 7.04 pounds. 3.1 pounds of this gain was muscle mass. (Please note that this bulk followed a maintenance period, and not a cut)
Protein Intake and Bulking. So, does it matter what you eat during a bulk? Do you need to increase protein intake dramatically? The answer is no. A study by Chiang and Huang revealed that an overall caloric intake was the key to boosting the body’s nitrogen balance.
In this study, participants were placed on a fixed protein intake diet. When daily caloric levels were increased by 15%, nitrogen retention levels tripled. When subjects consumed 30% more calories, nitrogen retention levels spiked to nearly 5 times the starting level.
So, when bulking, it is not necessary to eat more protein. Upping your protein levels during a bulk is still a suitable means of packing on muscle mass, but the body doesn’t really care where you get the extra calories from. During a bulk, the body responds to a bag of Doritos in the same way it responds to 5 extra chicken breasts.
Why a 2 Week Bulk? Why the need to limit a bulk to 2 weeks? In the “12 Day Study“, spiked insulin, testosterone, and IGF-1 levels reached a summit after 14 days, and began to decrease.
Simply put…the body is not built to process bulking for periods longer then 2 weeks. It can handle short term caloric increases extremely well, but eventually, the anabolic benefits from bulking disappear.
Why a 2 Week Cut? Why follow a bulk with a cut? Why not just slide back into maintenance mode and eat normal calorie levels? In most cases, 2 week bulking diets produce more muscle gain then fat gain. And during short term cutting periods, the body loses more fat then muscle.
So, a bulk produces mostly muscle. A cut reduces mostly fat. A 4 week period of bulking and cutting increases your muscle mass while adding minimal fat.
Of course, some of the muscle mass added during a bulk with be lost during the cut, but cycling between bulking and cutting makes it much easier to exit a long term bulk without having to shed 20 to 40 pounds of fat. Again, after 2 weeks of bulking, the anabolic benefits of excess calories decrease.
Bulldozer Bodybuilding Bulking Diet. Cutting through the studies and statistics, here is the bottom line…
Cycle. Bulk for 2 weeks, then cut for 2 weeks. Continue this cycle ad infinitum. Calories. You do not need to up your protein intake during a bulk. You can bulk clean, or dirty. Calories build muscle during bulking periods. Bulking Calories. Eat 1.4 to 1.6 times your daily caloric maintenance levels. Cutting Cycles. Eat 0.6 to 0.8 times your daily caloric maintenance levels.
Determining Maintenance Levels. To determine your daily caloric maintenance level, multiply your lean body mass (your weight without any bodyfat) by 20. This is a starting point. Mileage may vary.
So, if your base lean body weight is 165 pounds, your daily caloric maintenance level would be 3,300 calories. You would eat the following during a bulk and cut…
Bulk. 3,300 x (1.4 to 1.6) = 4,620 to 5,280 calories Cut. 3,300 x (0.6 to 0.8) = 1,980 to 2,640 calories
Again, mileage many vary based on age, metabolism, etc. It is recommended that you stick in the “middle of the road” for the given ranges and see how your body reacts.
The human body doesn’t seem to care where your calories come from, as long as they come. Bulk with clean foods, and you will pack on muscle. Bulk with dirty foods, and you will pack on muscle. When using the Bulldozer Bulking System, eat foods that suit your needs. If you want to bulk 100% clean, by all means do so. If you want cheeseburgers and pizza, start warming up your pie hole.
But this isn’t the end of the story. There is more to bodybuilding bulking then just mere calories. The most important aspect to bulking is timing and cycles.
The Cycle. The Bulldozer Bulking System is simple. You bulk for 2 weeks, then cut for 2 weeks. But this is not merely a haphazard system, thrown together in an effort to be unique and stand out from the crowd. Science backs up the Bulldozer Bulking System.
In study after study, science reveals that the human body is equipped to handle an excessive caloric intake for short periods of time. During shorter bulking periods, the body packs on muscle mass, becoming extremely anabolic.
Let’s take a look at a few of the available studies…
The 12 Day Study. In a 1996 study, Changes in macronutrient balance during over- and underfeeding assessed by 12-d continuous whole-body calorimetry, researchers found that a 12 day bulk resulted in a 4.38 lean muscle mass gain and a 2 pound fat mass gain. The amazing aspect of the study…participants did not perform any form of resistance training. The Rochester Study. The University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry studied the hormonal response to mixed-diet bulking. Results revealed a significant boost in anabolic drive. Participants experienced rocketing levels of insulin, testosterone, and IGF-1, and experienced a significant increase in muscle mass. As in the “12 Day Study”, resistance training was not involved. The Short Term Study. In the study, Short-term, mixed-diet overfeeding in man: no evidence for “luxuskonsumption”, following a 13 day caloric maintenance period, 5 male subjects ate bulking diets for a 9 days period. During this time, subjects gained an average of 7.04 pounds. 3.1 pounds of this gain was muscle mass. (Please note that this bulk followed a maintenance period, and not a cut)
Protein Intake and Bulking. So, does it matter what you eat during a bulk? Do you need to increase protein intake dramatically? The answer is no. A study by Chiang and Huang revealed that an overall caloric intake was the key to boosting the body’s nitrogen balance.
In this study, participants were placed on a fixed protein intake diet. When daily caloric levels were increased by 15%, nitrogen retention levels tripled. When subjects consumed 30% more calories, nitrogen retention levels spiked to nearly 5 times the starting level.
So, when bulking, it is not necessary to eat more protein. Upping your protein levels during a bulk is still a suitable means of packing on muscle mass, but the body doesn’t really care where you get the extra calories from. During a bulk, the body responds to a bag of Doritos in the same way it responds to 5 extra chicken breasts.
Why a 2 Week Bulk? Why the need to limit a bulk to 2 weeks? In the “12 Day Study“, spiked insulin, testosterone, and IGF-1 levels reached a summit after 14 days, and began to decrease.
Simply put…the body is not built to process bulking for periods longer then 2 weeks. It can handle short term caloric increases extremely well, but eventually, the anabolic benefits from bulking disappear.
Why a 2 Week Cut? Why follow a bulk with a cut? Why not just slide back into maintenance mode and eat normal calorie levels? In most cases, 2 week bulking diets produce more muscle gain then fat gain. And during short term cutting periods, the body loses more fat then muscle.
So, a bulk produces mostly muscle. A cut reduces mostly fat. A 4 week period of bulking and cutting increases your muscle mass while adding minimal fat.
Of course, some of the muscle mass added during a bulk with be lost during the cut, but cycling between bulking and cutting makes it much easier to exit a long term bulk without having to shed 20 to 40 pounds of fat. Again, after 2 weeks of bulking, the anabolic benefits of excess calories decrease.
Bulldozer Bodybuilding Bulking Diet. Cutting through the studies and statistics, here is the bottom line…
Cycle. Bulk for 2 weeks, then cut for 2 weeks. Continue this cycle ad infinitum. Calories. You do not need to up your protein intake during a bulk. You can bulk clean, or dirty. Calories build muscle during bulking periods. Bulking Calories. Eat 1.4 to 1.6 times your daily caloric maintenance levels. Cutting Cycles. Eat 0.6 to 0.8 times your daily caloric maintenance levels.
Determining Maintenance Levels. To determine your daily caloric maintenance level, multiply your lean body mass (your weight without any bodyfat) by 20. This is a starting point. Mileage may vary.
So, if your base lean body weight is 165 pounds, your daily caloric maintenance level would be 3,300 calories. You would eat the following during a bulk and cut…
Bulk. 3,300 x (1.4 to 1.6) = 4,620 to 5,280 calories Cut. 3,300 x (0.6 to 0.8) = 1,980 to 2,640 calories
Again, mileage many vary based on age, metabolism, etc. It is recommended that you stick in the “middle of the road” for the given ranges and see how your body reacts.
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Replies
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check out this! this is me :-)
http://www.uk-muscle.co.uk/natural-bodybuilding/150044-short-bulks-bulldozer-bulking-have-you-tried.html
read through :-)
i think i gained 6kg in 3 months and lost 2-3kg of fat with it! i cant remember exactly. that was my journal for it
i would say that it work well if your a newbie or have lost mass, im not sure if it work awell for people who are already quite muscular,0 -
Sounds interesting, and if that works for some people that's great. I'm not giving that a try anytime soon though, I prefer longer bulks as I bulk for strength as well and (last time anyway) it took at least a month after I started bulking before moving up on lifts, and then they went up quite quickly.
I did a really long first bulk (6 months) gained 16lbs, and apparently around 6lbs was lean mass (men would no doubt gain more muscle than that) Calories were around 2600 net at first, but increased to 2800 net after 1-2 months. I don't have an issue with losing 10lbs of fat though and spending a few months doing so, that's not excessive in my eyes.
I also find it incredibly hard to believe that they gained 3.1lbs of muscle in 9 days! Maybe a month and I'd possibly believe it.
I agree with the clean/dirty bulk though. As long as you're getting the minimum macros you need and sufficient calories (and you're training!) you will put on weight/muscle.0 -
Bump0
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Don't like it. Lbm can't be added that quickly. See article by lyle mcdonald called what is my generic potential.
I do like the idea of a short term cut of 2 weeks during a bulk for psychological reasons though. I have am upper limit of caliper reading at abs, once I hit that I do short term but.0 -
In study after study, science reveals that the human body is equipped to handle an excessive caloric intake for short periods of time. During shorter bulking periods, the body packs on muscle mass, becoming extremely anabolic.
I don't like the idea mainly because I don't believe that the above is true, specifically the last sentence above. Quoting both sentences because I'd like to also see the studies.
Thanks for posting it though, and if you DO have the studies from the same place you got the above post, would like to see them.0 -
In study after study, science reveals that the human body is equipped to handle an excessive caloric intake for short periods of time. During shorter bulking periods, the body packs on muscle mass, becoming extremely anabolic.
I don't like the idea mainly because I don't believe that the above is true, specifically the last sentence above. Quoting both sentences because I'd like to also see the studies.
Thanks for posting it though, and if you DO have the studies from the same place you got the above post, would like to see them.
Other than the studies mentioned in the middle paragraph there were no links to external documents or anything to elaborate further. Im sure that with a bit of digging around online, we could verify their validity. Sounds like effort though.lol. I will get round to it Im sure0 -
Don't like it. Lbm can't be added that quickly. See article by lyle mcdonald called what is my generic potential.
I do like the idea of a short term cut of 2 weeks during a bulk for psychological reasons though. I have am upper limit of caliper reading at abs, once I hit that I do short term but.
Agreed, unless it's roids. Although it states it's not. And surely to add 7 lbs in 2 weeks they must have been eating 10000 cals a day.
Which admittedly sounds like fun.
I did the Lyle McDonald article. Very interesting and informative.
I may end my current 12 week cycle and then try the 2 week cycle, if not for any other reason than I m dreading cutting for an extended period, and 2 weeks sounds easy0 -
check out this! this is me :-)
http://www.uk-muscle.co.uk/natural-bodybuilding/150044-short-bulks-bulldozer-bulking-have-you-tried.html
read through :-)
i think i gained 6kg in 3 months and lost 2-3kg of fat with it! i cant remember exactly. that was my journal for it
i would say that it work well if your a newbie or have lost mass, im not sure if it work awell for people who are already quite muscular,0 -
check out this! this is me :-)
http://www.uk-muscle.co.uk/natural-bodybuilding/150044-short-bulks-bulldozer-bulking-have-you-tried.html
read through :-)
i think i gained 6kg in 3 months and lost 2-3kg of fat with it! i cant remember exactly. that was my journal for it
i would say that it work well if your a newbie or have lost mass, im not sure if it work awell for people who are already quite muscular,
Very interesting. And unless I missed something, successful. Good job0
