Thread: Winter bulk

You are going to gain fat with a bulk. Doing some cardio won't hurt.

Just decrease your food intake a bit.

You may not be able to get exact, but if you're eating the same thing every day you should be able to ballpark it and get reasonably close.

Thats the problem, it isn't possible for me to eat the same thing every day because its a dining hall and it changes. There's a stir fry station, but they don't always have it, so I end up having to eat their mass made crap. Thanks for your help guys.

Don't worry about the "softness" of bulking. You need the extra calories to build muscle, and, unfortunately, this means you WILL put on fat. Of course, you don't need to turn into a fat-ass, but you're not going to be lean, either. From personal experience, I say learn to embrace this fat -- love it, even! I know this sounds silly, but, seriously, if you can learn to acknowledge and appreciate what this extra fat will do for your performance you won't even care anymore. This doesn't equate to "letting yourself go", either; this is just appreciating the complex formulae of muscle-building!

As for the cardio, go right ahead. However, if you're considering cardio to maintain your body fat then it sounds like you don't really know your goals. Remember, if you really want to bulk you'll still need to replace those calories burned from cardio. If you want to include cardio for general balanced fitness then by all means do it. Just make sure to not go overboard. HIIT is your best bet. Nevertheless, many people don't realize that intense lifting (at any rep range, really) is quite the cardio workout. After three sets of deadlifts today I was more worn out than after a 20 minute run! And, as a former long-distance runner I don't go sissy on my runs, either! So, what does that tell you about the relationship between bodybuilding and cardio?

To sum up, don't worry about a little extra fat. Biologically speaking, we're not designed to be lean and ripped, right? So, really, you're not hurting yourself at all, especially if your fat gain is via controlled means (i.e. strategic bulking). Embrace the fat! The fat is your buddy!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have copious amounts of bloody red meat to tend to.....

Thanks for the input Phineas! Its tough for me because I have always been pretty lean since I started lifting. I was slowly gaining size and maintaining around 8% bodyfat. When I finally decided to submit myself to a serious bulk the extra padding is just tough getting used to haha. Very happy with my gains so far though, 3/4 of an inch on each arm, and 2 inches on my chest/back, didn't measure legs, but they have definitely grown as well (except for calves, very stubborn bodypart for me) in the past 3 or 4 months I have gone from around 200 to 220, and the goal is to hit 230 or 235 by March. With the calorie surplus I have seen my strength greatly improve.. set a personal bench record of 255, rack pull record of 495, and have been repping out 315 for squats (going to try to set a new personal record for that tomorrow!)

I'll take your advice and just deal with the extra fat.. only a couple more months of bulking anyways so I might as well get the most I can out of it while its the shirts-on season haha.

Originally Posted by Phineas

Nevertheless, many people don't realize that intense lifting (at any rep range, really) is quite the cardio workout.

If you do a couple of reps of calf raises, and you're huffin and puffin, you need some cardio work.

Originally Posted by Phineas

After three sets of deadlifts today I was more worn out than after a 20 minute run! So, what does that tell you about the relationship between bodybuilding and cardio?

Nothing.
Tells me that deadlifts require some cardio fitness. I also feel it when doing squats. I don't feel it or can feel very little when doing pull-ups/chins, bench, arms, calves. My point being it's exercise specific, some lifts involve a decent amount of cardio fitness, some don't.

Of course deadlifts have cardiovascular benefit, they work pretty much every muscle. Big compound lifts will get your heart rate higher than sitting somewhere doing isolation curls because your recruiting more muscles to lift the weight. Your heart is working over time supplying blood to the muscles, and it takes a lot more blood to go to all the muscles in your body than just one or two.

Somewhat agree.
Some big compound movements give you cardio some don't. Deadlifts and squats do, bench and pull-ups don't.

Originally Posted by PushAndPull

If you do a couple of reps of calf raises, and you're huffin and puffin, you need some cardio work.



Nothing.
Tells me that deadlifts require some cardio fitness. I also feel it when doing squats. I don't feel it or can feel very little when doing pull-ups/chins, bench, arms, calves. My point being it's exercise specific, some lifts involve a decent amount of cardio fitness, some don't.

I didn't say all lifts require equal aerobic effort. The more muscles your working and the more intense the effort the more aerobic it will be. My point is simply there IS an aerobic element to bodybuilding. It's not like serious lifters are chatting it up while lifting. It still works your heart and lungs a decent amount. When I run I go for about 15-20 mins at around 3:30 min/km - 3:50 min/km, which is fairly fast -- especially for a nearly 200 lb guy. When I run my breathing is moderate. When I finish a set of deadlifts, pullups, etc, I'm breathing heavier. Not saying it's more of a cardio workout, which is highly unlikely. All I'm saying is if you refrain from cardio and stick to intense bodybuilding it's not as though your cardio is going down the drain. Hell, even walking is good for your cardio! I think there's a little more gain for the heart and lungs in deadlifting 225 lbs ten times than there is walking for 25 minutes.

As for calves, I don't know how YOU train your calves, but I don't screw around when I do. I load that Smith Machine and I extend until my calves are nearly bursting. Afterwards, I'm pretty tired....

Originally Posted by PushAndPull

Somewhat agree.
Some big compound movements give you cardio some don't. Deadlifts and squats do, bench and pull-ups don't.

You're generalizing.

How much of a cardio benefit there is in lifting depends on the lifter's respective intensity. If Joe over in the corner is arm curling for sets of 2 x 15 at 20% intensity and I'm in the power cage deadlifting 3 x 8 @ 70-75% intensity, I'm gonna be huffin and puffin a hell of a lot more. And, as a former Boston Marathon qualifier, I'm pretty experienced at assessing my own cardio condition, and it's grade A.

Don't underestimate the benefits of bodybuilding. I'm not saying it's an alternative for elile runners in training. All I'm saying is, HEY! weight lifting actually helps your heart and lungs too. You muscles need that oxygen-rich blood, after all, right? Of course they do. Otherwise, you'd be in the corner with Joe shoulder pressing 2.5 lb'ers while discussing politics and the cost of gas.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a chicken sandwich to consume

Originally Posted by Phineas

As for calves, I don't know how YOU train your calves, but I don't screw around when I do. I load that Smith Machine and I extend until my calves are nearly bursting. Afterwards, I'm pretty tired....

Being tried doesn't translate into cardio. If you're doing calves on the smith machine and getting winded, then you need to do more cardio.

I agree that some exercises have an element of cardio but certianly not all.