How should you bulk this winter?
The winter season is right around the corner, and you know what that means, time to bulk up. In the winter there is less pressure to be shredded with visible abs, as you are not taking your shirt off as much. That being said, the colder months are the perfect time to cover up, eat more, and put on some serious size. Now, the goal of a winter bulk is to put on strength and muscle mass, but be prepared because you will put on a little body fat with that. Now, one thing to keep in mind are the different body types, because each body type will react to a bulk a bit differently.
Let’s dive in.
What is a Winter Bulk?
The mentality behind a winter bulk is pretty simple, increase your caloric intake with and lift as much as you can, all of those extra nutrients should be going towards some serious training. There are also two ways of approaching your winter bulk, dirty bulking or clean bulking.
Dirty Bulking
This is where an individual will eat as much as possible, and put on great amounts of mass, but a lot of it will be body fat because they do not focus on macros or food sources. Take a look at old photos of Mr. Olympia champion, Jay Cutler during his dirty bulk. This way of bulking however is no longer set in stone, as it is seen as relatively healthy. More and more people are waking up to the fact that you can stay lean and have massive gains, with a lean bulk.
Lean Bulking
Now, the lean bulk is where there will be slight caloric increases, and it will be mostly clean food sources. Protein, fat, and carbs will be monitored, and the goal is to put on size but not too much body fat, and be able to make some serious strength gains as well. Maintaining a look of aesthetics and 10-12 % body fat is no longer considered unattainable but desirable and quite soon commonplace.
Different Body Types Going Into a Bulk
However, when it comes to bulking there’s no one size fits all. The winter bulk variations in training and nutrition vary as much as the people training them. Each bulking program should be adapted to your specific needs and goals, and even body types.
With that being said, we’ve broken down a general bulking program for the three basic body types, Ectomorphic, Mesomorphic, and Endomorphic.
Let’s break it down.
Ectomorphic: (A.k.a. hardgainers)
– Narrow hips and shoulders, wirey frame, thin joints (wrist/ankles)
As far as nutrition wise, an ectomorph might be the most envied during a winter bulk. Because it’s so hard to gain and keep on muscle with this body type it’s often encouraged to eat everything and anything. Closer to the old school way of bulking this body type has more leeway with sweets, pizza, etc., it can be like a nonstop cheat meal diet.
HOWEVER, you still want to get a bulk of your calories from good quality foods such as lean meats, sweet potatoes, brown rice, etc. Often times this can be the most unhealthy body type because their thin frame gives the illusion of health, don’t be fooled.
Advice: Lift hard, eat much, but don’t overdo it. Eat healthy, just more of it. Keep cardio to a minimum.
Mesomorphic: (Athlete)
– Narrow hips, wide shoulders, thinner joints, long and round muscle bellies
If the ectomorph is the envy for nutrition the mesomorph is the envy for aesthetics. With a naturally pleasing shoulder to waist ratio (v-taper) as well as not finding it too hard to gain muscle or shed fat, this body type tend to make great athletes as they walk the fine line of strength and athleticism. The winter bulk diet for this type is to eat clean with one or two cheat meals a week depending on your goal. You want to lift heavy but you don’t want to over train either, sometimes less is more.
Advice: Lift heavy, eat clean, have a cheat meal but keep it HONEST and make it a treat not a staple.
Endomorphic: (More Mass)
– Blocky, thick rib cage, hips as wide as shoulders, thick joints.
If you were always the stocky kid in class from as long as you can remember then this is probably you. This body type has no problem with gains but unfortunately they’re not always the right kinds. Just as easily as you can gain muscle you can pack on stubborn fat that cover up that six pack you’ve been trying so long to make show. This type should try to eat as clean (and lean) as possible, substituting things like salads instead of rice and sweet potatoes instead of simple carbs like bread. While you want to build muscle size is probably not going to be your issue but aesthetic. Get some form of cardio exercise that you enjoy and is good for you joints, and seriously incorporate it into your routine.
Advice: Lift, eat clean, cheat meals to a bare minimum (primarily sugars) , and incorporate cardio into your routine.
The Importance of a Winter Bulk
Now, you may be wondering if you even need to partake in a winter bulk, and the answer will vary on your goals. If you are looking to pack on strength and size, then perhaps a winter bulk will do you some good. However, if you want to stay shredded year round or aren’t really looking to get bigger and stronger, then just staying in shape is the better option.
Supplements to Help With a Winter Bulk
Diet is great when it comes to your winter bulk, but sometimes it is not enough to get you the nutrients that you need, so if you want to really help yourself out supplementation is huge. Supplements are designed to give your body the nutrients they need in adequate amounts. What supplements should you use?
Nutricost Creatine
Get all of the benefits of micronized creatine without breaking the bank and activate muscle building quickly.
Creatine is great for a winter bulk, as it helps to raise muscle ATP energy to power growth while recharging muscle for your next session. Creatine monohydrate has been shown to help with things such as promoting strength, increasing endurance and preventing lean muscle loss. This is all while helping to decrease fat mass in the body.
Check out our individual review for Nutricost Creatine Monohydrate.
MUTANT Flex Food
When you lack time, forget to prep meals - or s#*t just happens - be ready with fast, flexible and complete real food macros on-demand. Designed from real bodybuilding meals for real gains!
A meal replacement is ideal for a winter bulk, as you may not always feel like preparing and eating a full meal, nor do you have the time. Flex Food is a product that is quality, containing whole food ingredients and great macros, but also extremely convenient. Mix it in your shaker cup, and you have a full meal!
Read our full review of MUTANT Flex Food.
Transparent Labs ProteinSeries Mass Gainer
Transparent Labs ProteinSeries Mass Gainer is great for packing on muscle and healthy weight. Perfect as a meal replacement or a mass gaining supplement, this product is pumped with protein and no added artificial substances.
When on a winter bulk and trying to put on mass, why would you not have a mass gainer? It is literally in the name, MASS gainer. Transparent Labs Mass Gainer is loaded with essentials to give you serious growth and better overall health and wellness. It is designed to enhance lean muscle growth and athletic performance, this is a safe and effective way to pack on muscle and healthy weight
Read our full review of review for Transparent Labs ProteinSeries Mass Gainer!
Tracking Your Metabolism
While bulking seems easy, with the mentality of “eat more, grow more”, there is much more to it than that. You have to take your metabolism into consideration, how fast you can break down food. Tracking your metabolism makes it much easier to know how much you need to eat, and Lumen is just the tool to do it.
Lumen is a device-to-app metabolic health coach that measures your metabolism through your breath to help you make the right choices for your body.
It gives you real-time insights into how nutrition, sleep, exercise, and stress affect your metabolic health and provides tailored lifestyle recommendations so you can make high-impact changes.
Check out the full review for Lumen here.
Wrap Up
While we provide the above advice as a guideline this is by no means the bulking bible. Many people fall in between multiple body types and every person reacts differently. Things like age and genetics are also major factors so get to know your body and lift responsibly. Hopefully you can use these breakdowns as a guide to finding what works best for you.
Let us know what you think in our comments or hit up Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter. Stay pumped.
