Lean Bodies Consulting

So in the previous post about bulking we touched on what determines whether or not you should consider doing a ‘bulk’ (I really dislike this word by the way), or not.

Again, let me just say to drive the point home, that bulking is not an excuse to get fat, get sloppy, etc. The point to a bulk is to simply gain muscle - obviously. However, a free-for-all caloric onslaught is a quick way to unnecessary fat gain.

I get asked questions like these quite often:

How long should I bulk?
How long do I have to bulk?

My previous answer was a simple, ‘it depends’, and the truth is, it does. How long a person bulks is going to be influenced by a number of things:

1. How much muscle do you want to gain? Clearly this is going to one of the big determining factors. The more muscle you need or want, the longer it’s going to take. To put that into context, the following are some generally accepted average rates of muscle gain for both males and females:

Males
Year 1 - 20-25lbs
Year 2 - 10-12lbs
Year 3 - 5-6lbs

Females
Year 1 - 10-12lbs
Year 2 - 5-6 lbs
Year 3 - 2.5-3lbs

You can see two things from the above quite clearly:

1. Males obviously have the potential to gain at a quicker and more substantial rate, all else being equal. (women averaging out to half the gains of males)

2. Muscle growth is a very slow process.

Don’t believe the hype behind those who say they’re packing on pounds and pounds of muscle - and staying lean at that - month in and month out; at least not drug free. They’re not. They may be packing on the weight, but I guarantee they’re gaining more fat than they should be. Yes, there are some who can gain at a quicker rate than others, but the above represents the average.

Now 10-12 lbs in a female is going to result in a very significantly improved physique, no question about it. Noel gained 11lbs of competition weight in one year, and the results were very obvious. So much so that it helped take her from an ‘also ran’ to a top contender.

But take a look at that - 10-12lbs of muscle sounds awesome doesn’t it? But look what it averages out to - about one pound per month. Doesn’t seem very significant anymore does it? But the reality is, it is.

More next time …

Top 5 finisher at the 2008 IFBB North Americans - I just posted the Before & Afters (14 weeks) of Lisa Peper on the main site’s Client Picture page.

Here’s one of the befores.

Check out the ‘Afters’ as well as some more pictures here.

Lisa Peper Transformation

I get asked a variety of bulking-type questions a lot – mostly from females – so I thought I’d just cut and paste a question and answer it here for reference. My opinions here would not be gender specific, applying both to males and females.

Q: Still tossing around the idea of doing a figure competition. Would I have to do a bulk and how long would I bulk for?

A: Ok, just to put some context to the term ‘bulk’ here, it simply means eating at a caloric intake that is above your assumed maintenance calorie requirements for an extended period of time – with the obvious goals of adding some size and strength to your physique. It is NOT an excuse to get sloppy.

To address the first question – would you have to do a bulk? This is entirely dependent on three primary things:

1. What do you look like now relative to what a figure competitor (or whichever your goal physique is) generally looks like? For some, it will be obvious that yes, you definitely need more muscle if you’re going to hope to be competitive. Competing isn’t just a fat-loss contest. Good competitors have well developed physiques with strategically emphasized muscle groups (lats, delts, etc) in addition to carrying contest-levels of body fat … and yes, the developmental aspect takes time.

2. Do YOU want more muscle? What are your own goals and preferences for your physique? Some people like the idea of being more muscular than they are now; some people don’t. It comes down to your goals first and foremost. Only you can determine if you want more muscle.

3. Are you willing to gain a least some body fat? Or, are you presently lean enough right now that you can stand to gain a little body fat and not lose your mind?

To the issue of how long, the short answer is ‘it depends’. But that’s about as helpful as well, not answering the questions at all. I’ll be back to answer that question tomorrow.

I just posted Ileen Natic’s before and after pictures on the main site’s Client Picture page.

Check it out here.

Ileen Natic Before & After/Current

Came across this a little while ago …

The Grind

The Grind is that time in your physique transformation where you just put your head down and grind it out.

It’s often the time between the initial fast “newbie” results and the final results. Changes are occurring in your body, but you may not see them from week to week.

Mentally, The Grind is also where some of that new program and new diet enthusiasm wears off and it all becomes routine, even boring. There’s nothing left to do or say really; you just work the plan, day to day to day.

But toward the end of The Grind, what’ll happen is that you’ll glance back at your “befores” and realize you’ve made some major changes. Other people will begin to notice. And that positive feedback will reignite the enthusiasm. And that will cause you to kick the training up a notch, leading to more results.

I think The Grind applies to life in general too, not just to losing fat and gaining muscle. There are simply times when we have to put aside all distractions (even the good ones), put our heads down, grit our teeth, and grind it out. At the end of The Grind lies an achievement, something great, or some reward or pay-off. But The Grind always comes first.

Thing is, most people won’t make this sacrifice; they won’t even begin The Grind, much less finish it. And that’s why most people don’t succeed. The Grind is often what separates the great from the average.

It’s as simple as that sometimes.

One of the criticisms I’ve seen mentioned of personal trainers, online trainers or anything that might fall in between is the idea of “selling fish vs teaching someone how to fish”. That’s a cliche way of saying, telling someone what to do instead of teaching them how to do it themselves, so to speak.

I personally don’t think it’s necessarily an either/or case however.

While without clients I’d be out of business, the goal is still to hopefully impart some degree of knowledge into a client over time. Enough so that should they decide to, they can take over the reigns on their own, and continue to be successful in their fitness/physique endeavors. For some, the decision to go solo comes sooner and for others, who simply like not having to do any of the thinking themselves and enjoy the specific training and nutritional guidance, accountability, etc., it comes much later. (Note: I do however think competitors more often than not should have a coach/trainer for multiple reasons) It’s something that will vary from person to person. Take accounting - how many people do their own taxes? Some do, and that’s fine. Others, they simply don’t want to learn or be bothered and just want an established expert to handle it for them. And that’s fine too.

I received a really nice email from a former client of mine which is a testament to the fact that there’s learning (provided you’re paying attention) that comes with training with a professional. And that knowledge is something they can take with them, enabling them to stay in charge of their body, even help others with less knowledge and understanding.

Hi Erik! I just wanted to write you a note to thank you.

Thanks again,

I linked to these before and after pictures of LBC client Sunny Daye in the most recent newsletter, but I thought I’d also post them on the blog.

Sunny went on to win three classes at the Pacific USA Naturals Bodybuilding and Figure Championships, taking first in Figure Short, Figure Masters Short and Figure Masters Overall.