When progressing through one\u2019s lifting career, it\u2019s common to go through gaining or \u201cbulking\u201d phases to gain as much muscle as possible. The use of earning degrees is not for everyone; however, if you are on a quest to maximize muscle growth and increase performance metrics that are\u2014at times\u2014closely related to being heavier, like strength, then they can be worth exploring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The only caveat with using gaining phases is that they can sometimes be counterproductive when a strategy is missing from one\u2019s plan. This entails the lifters that say they\u2019re \u201cbulking\u201d and use that as a blanket for eating whatever they want and neglecting dietary habits that they had established before their gaining phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite being in a gaining phase, we should still make a conscious effort to utilize strategy and to track metrics along the way. This can ensure we\u2019re efficient with our plan and mitigate excessive fat gain that doesn\u2019t necessarily need to occur at a rapid rate. If we track metrics as we go, we can shift our plan up or down based on the goals and trends we\u2019re noticing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before diving into tracking progress when bulking, let\u2019s first discuss what bulking is. Bulking or gaining is the process of increasing caloric intake past one\u2019s Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) to maximize muscle growth. Bulking diets will often be accompanied by a training plan designed to maximize growth potential with the surplus of calories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bulking or gaining phases will generally be determined by a set amount of time or weight gain goals one wants to accomplish. These are important to acknowledge as they can play into the strategy used to determine how large one\u2019s surplus will be and if it\u2019s a realistic and feasible plan that coincides with a lifter\u2019s lifestyle and habits.\u00a0Weight gainers\u00a0can help you reach your daily caloric intake if you struggle through diet alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As we dive into tracking bulking progress, it\u2019s essential to recognize that we\u2019ll need a few variables established before haphazardly diving into a gaining phase. These variables include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once you\u2019ve established these basic tenants, you can then begin selecting how you want to track bulking progress. Do note, in this article, we\u2019re explicitly talking about monitoring progress, and you\u2019ll have to set up your bulking structure based on the context of your life, goals, and needs!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While tracking progress is essential, we also need to establish starting points because this can highlight how far we\u2019ve gone on multiple fronts when gaining. It\u2019s a good idea to have the following logged when starting a gaining phase.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once you have these logged, there are multiple ways to track progress when bulking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My advice is to use bodyweight and then another metric provided below. Using two metrics, we can stay a bit more objective with our progress and gain better insights into the bigger picture of our goals and gaining phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first and easiest metric to track is your body weight. With body weight, it\u2019s normal to see daily fluctuations, especially when consuming more, so it\u2019s wise to log your body weight a minimum of three days a week as this can provide you with an average. Trends and standards will always be preferred over special days \u2014 remember, we want to make small, educated shifts, not glorious reactive ones, and trends help us do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When tracking your body weight, try to do so first thing in the morning when you wake up before consuming food or fluids. This will provide you with a better idea of where your weight is likely consistently sitting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Try to use weekly bodyweight trends to dictate shifts about body weight and shifting bulking parameters. For example, if you notice from week 3 to week four you\u2019ve gained much more than you wanted and your weight is consistently higher through week 4, then scale back intake slightly. Vice versa for situations where gaining is going slower than desired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another helpful tool is taking progress photos. These require little effort and can be used for additional motivation during a gaining phase. Ideally, you\u2019ll want to take progress photos in the morning when you\u2019re weighing yourself so before you eat or drink anything.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can take progress photos during the day, too, and after workouts (I encourage you to do so!), but for progress tracking purposes, try to streamline images reserved for morning shots to gauge where potential muscle and fat gain is occurring accurately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With morning progress photos specifically, try to take them a minimum of 1-3 times a week. Remember, we\u2019re going off of trends, and one shot may not be able to paint the whole picture for our progress!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you want to get more accurate with your progress, then using third-party body fat testing tools can be an excellent way to dial in your accuracy. One can use multiple devices to track their body fat levels and the amount gained during a bulking phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some popular options can be seen below. I\u2019m listing them from more accurate to less!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All of these options are fantastic to use in addition to bodyweight metrics. If you\u2019re going to use some of the more accurate and expensive options, then using them once every three or four weeks is usually a good bet. You can also use them before and after your gaining phase if you have limited resources for utilizing them (they can be expensive!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A great bulk should be composed of strategy and multiple metrics for tracking progress. It\u2019s usually good to use two methods from the above list for monitoring progress to ensure excessive fat gain is mitigated during a bulk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some fat gain is inevitable when bulking, and that\u2019s okay; however, we want to be mindful of how much we\u2019re putting on regarding our starting points and what will make us feel and perform our best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When in surplus phases, remember to optimize things like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These are only a few aspects to consider when bulking. If you\u2019re in a surplus phase, use the additional calories for growth and get after it. Happy bulking!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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