It's BULKING Season!!! - The Beginning...

Well, I'm a month and ten days post-show. Yesterday I experienced for the first time the "Bod Pod". The Bod Pod is a giant egg looking thing that you sit in and somehow based on the air pressure within the pod it can calculate your body fat percentage and your lean body mass as well as your basal metabolic rate. It's been hailed as the second most accurate way to calculate your body mass with the water submersion test being the first.

The Bod Pod has me weighing at 199 lbs with 16% body fat. Based on it's calculations, 31lbs of my 199lbs was FAT. Unreal to me but the numbers don't lie. My logic to my percentage being so much higher is because since my contest, I've been more liberal in my diet, I've cut out cardio because I'm working on gaining more weight during my "bulk" and I'm taking supplements such as creatine and beta-aline which are known for retaining water.

With that being said, I am in the best season for the bodybuilding world - BULK SEASON :)

(this is when I deadlifted 405lbs for the first time in over a year, I broke this two days ago with 425lbs. Always push yourself)

Pretty much, this is the point in your lifting cycle where your goal is to gain as much mass as you can, mainly lean muscle mass so that when you "cut" again, you will look bigger, leaner, and better on stage.

When you start bulking a few things change up. For me, it means death to most cardio. I love doing cardio, but at the same time, it's hard for me to gain weight if I'm running because of the amount of calories I burn when doing my cardio. Many people may agree or disagree with my logic, but this has worked for me and I continue to practice little to no cardio during my bulk.

Another thing I change up is my diet. I increase my overall macronutrient goals so now I'm taking in nearly 3000 calories a day shooting for about 300 grams of Protein! This is when you develop a love-hate relationship with your diet because now you need to eat more but in turn, you spend more on groceries. I'm trying to do a "clean" bulk where I'm still being smart on my food choices and where I'm getting my calories from. This is in hopes that it will reduce the amount of fat I put on during my bulk so it will be a faster and leaner cutting period once I start to lose the excess weight again.

My workouts change too. I have decreased the amount of repetitions in my workouts from between 8-15 reps depending on the workout to 4-8 reps depending on the workout. I do this so  I can lift heavier and build more mass. A classic rule of thumb to gain mass is to lift heavy in small repetitions while you want to lift a moderately light weight for many repetitions if you want to get leaner and tone up.

I'm still lifting 5-6 days a week and focusing on two body parts a day.

Leg Press: approx 400lbs if you include the mechanism the weight rest on that I push. (I did this after doing 5 sets of regular squat and 4 sets of front squat...yes my legs are still sore lol)

This bulking season I'm working hard on increasing the size in my legs and back because I felt that those were the two big things I lacked on stage for my contest. I want to make my legs borderline bodybuilder size and have enough mass on my back that you can see more than just my traps, delts, and lats when I do my back pose.

This was taken earlier this week. I have a long way to go...

If things work out I want to shoot for another show in June. The NPC East Coast Classic and the Maryland State Championships is June 18th so that's what I have my sights set on. Whether I'm doing a show in June or not I'm going to schedule my lifting and cutting so I am show ready by June because at the very least I'll be ready for the beach :P

My supplementation has changed a good amount too. To give you an Idea here's a breakdown of my ideal day as far as protein intake and what my supplementation is - Notice I still gain most of my nutrition form food. Do not use supplements as your sole source of nutrition! There is a reason why they're called "supplements".

Morning: 
Wake up:
I take the following in pill form: Creatine, Fenugreek, Multivitamin, Yohimbine, Fish Oil, CLA, Lysine, L-Arginine, Chromium
Then I take 2 scoops of Optimum Nutrition's 100% Whey Protein - About 48g Protein.

Breakfast:
1 cup liquid egg whites - 27g protein
6oz nonfat greek yogurt - 18g protein
slice of all wheat toast with Crazy Richard's Peanut Butter - About 13g Protein
1/2 cup old fashioned oats - 5g protein

Snack: 
1 scoop whey protein - 24g protein

Lunch:
Take the following pills: CLA, L-Arginine, Fish Oil, Chromium, Lysine, Yohimbine
8oz Chicken Breast - 52g protein
Sweet Potato - 2g protein
Salad - 2g Protein

Gym:
Pre Workout - 2 scoops Beast Sports "Beast Mode" and Glutamine
Intra-Workout - 2 Scoops Cellucor BCAA
Post Workout - 1 scoop whey protein - 24g Protein and Glutamine

Snack:
Peanut Butter on an Unsalted Rice Cake / 6oz nonfat greek yogurt with granola - 30g protein

Dinner:
4oz Chicken Breast - 26g Protein
Sweet Potato - 2g Protein
Mixed Vegetables - 2g Protein

Pre-Bed Snack:
Pills: L-Arginine
2 scoops Optimum Nutrition 100% Casein Protein - 48g protein

Daily Protein Total: 323 grams

I try to shoot for this every day. I also shoot for about 200g carbs and about 65g fat.
I'm living on the road and out of hotel rooms for the next month so it is a challenge to find food that I can travel with. Fortunately I have done this enough that I can easily prep meals even in my hotel room with just a microwave, refrigerator, and sink. With the help of my 6-Pack Bag It makes traveling on the road doable.

Here's what my hotel bathroom counter looks like right now:

If I can manage to make good meals and hit my nutrition goals on the road, then you have no excuse why you can't do it at home with a full kitchen.

I have a long way to go but I'm pushing every day to be better than what I was yesterday.

If anyone has any questions please feel free to comment here or message me on my page at :https://www.facebook.com/iwant2btheinspiration <---don't forget to like it too!

Some Motivation to Keep Going and Not Give Up!!!!

I apologize everyone for not posting on here the last ten days, things have been hectic between work and college finals that I've had just enough time to prep meals and hit the gym yet alone write up blogs. But without further or due, here's a little something to remember and hold on to during this holiday season and carry with you into the new year....

The video below spoke to me in more ways than I thought. This motivational video hit home for me because the speaker brought up many hardships I've had to experience during my contest prepping and are still things I must battle today. No matter what your goals are for fitness or in life, stay true to your goals, stay MOTIVATED, and even if the ones closest turn on you and you're left alone, keep going. I've learned in the worst ways that you have to learn to aim for goals that you want to attain for YOU and no one else. Keep pushing yourself every day to be your best and to do your best. You should be doing this for you and no one else. Stay positive and never quit.

Macronutrient Ratios! Time to put it all together!

From my last few posts, you should be able to figure out your BMR and how many calories you need to consume in order to either lose or gain weight. You should also now know the difference between proteins, carbohydrates, and fats and how each macronutrient plays an important role in overall health. The final piece to the puzzle is trying to figure out how many of your daily calories should be proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. So my friends, here is the world of Macronutrient Ratios! Remember these are just guidelines and each person's body responds differently to changes in diet!

MACRONUTRIENT RATIOS

(Source:caloriesperhour.com)

Now that you know calories come from protein, fat and carbohydrates, and how many calories each of these macronutrients provides, you will want to know how much each macronutrient should contribute to your diet. The answer is commonly expressed in percentages and referred to as micronutrient ratios, or simply nutrient ratios (caloriesperhour.com).

                In order to obtain optimal health, and the slim body that comes with it, you need to eat healthy foods. But it's not enough to simply eat healthy foods; the foods must provide a healthy balance of all three macronutrients.

There is no one set of numbers that is best for everyone, and the percentages that are best for you can change with your circumstances. At different times your goal might be to lose body fat, gain muscle, or both.

The USDA Food Guide recommendations, based on a diet of 2000 calories per day, include 91 grams of protein, 65 grams of fat, and 271 grams of carbohydrates. This equates to 18% of calories from protein, 29% from fat, and 53% from carbohydrates.

While one of the goals of the Food Guide is to reduce consumption of fat, many would consider 29% too high for optimal health. But perhaps it's a good compromise for the average American who might not be willing to reduce fat consumption further.

USDA: 18% protein, 29% fat, 53% carbohydrates

This is a decent guideline, but it’s based on a 2,000 calorie diet and is tailored for the general public to follow. As stated earlier, each person’s caloric intake and macronutrient ratio is different and cannot be tailored to a whole group.

With that being said the best ratios that I have discovered are as follows:

Burn the Fat: 70% Protein, 20% Fat, 10% Carbohydrates

Build the Muscle: 50% Protein, 20% Fat, 30% Carbohydrates

Please note that these radios are known as “Baseline Ratios” where these are just a mere starting point to begin a clean eating lifestyle. Each person’s body reacts differently to certain ratios so change up your ratios every three weeks to gauge what may be working for you. A 50% protein 30% carb 20% fat ratio worked for me.

Another way to calculate your ratios is to classify yourself as an Ectomorph, Mesomorph, or Endomorph. This process is called “Macro Morphing”

Each body type or combination of body types will have a different reaction to various macronutrient ratios. If you're not sure which type you are—or how to even begin thinking about your macros—here are the International Sports Science Association (ISSA) recommendations:

Ectomorph: If you're an ectomorph, you're naturally thin with skinny limbs and a high tolerance for carbohydrates. Usually, your metabolic rate is fast. A good starting macronutrient ratio for you would be something like 25% protein, 55% carbs and 20% fat.

Mesomorph: Mesomorphs are naturally muscular and athletic. They have a moderate carbohydrate tolerance and a moderate metabolic rate. Mesomorphs can usually start at a 30% protein, 40% carb, 30% fat macronutrient ratio.

Endomorph: If you're naturally broad and thick, you're probably an endomorph. Endomorphs have a low carbohydrate tolerance and a slow metabolic rate. If you're an endomorph, try a ratio of 35% protein, 25% carbs and 40% fat.

Converting Percentages to Grams

                Now, I know that knowing these percentages are great to know, but how do you implement these percentages into measuring your caloric goal? Simple. As stated above in the Macronutrients section, 1 gram of Protein and 1gram of Carbohydrates equals 4 calories whereas 1gram of Fat is equal to 9 calories.

Once you have determined the macronutrient ratios you will be using, it's easy to calculate how many grams of each macronutrient you should be eating.

daily calories x percent protein / 4 calories per gram = grams protein

daily calories x percent fat / 9 calories per gram = grams fat

daily calories x percent carbs / 4 calories per gram = grams carbs

For example, if your daily calorie needs are 2000 calories and you choose proportions of 30% protein, 20% fat and 50% carbohydrates:

2000 x .30 / 4 = 150 grams protein

2000 x .20 / 9 = 44 grams fat

2000 x .50 / 4 = 250 grams carbs

This tells you how many grams of each macronutrient you should be eating to achieve the ratios you have chosen. Another way of looking at it is to calculate the ratios of what you are eating, and then make adjustments accordingly.

Other Formulas that is handy to know:

(Grams protein x 4) + (grams fat x 9) + (grams carbs x 4) = total calories

(Grams protein x 4) / Total calories = percentage of calories from protein

(Grams fat x 9) / Total calories = percentage of calories from fat

(Grams carbs x 4) / Total calories = percentage of calories from carbs

Everything stated thus far is information I have gathered from various websites and books as well as personal experience. By these principles you can begin to start a healthy diet eating lifestyle (I HATE THE WORD DIET) and transform your body.

Also: Keep salt intake and Sodium levels low as well as artificial sweeteners.