When you’re in the gym and looking at yourself in the mirror, have you ever said ¨Why am I so small?” or “Why haven’t I made any gains?” Have you ever looked at the person next to you, and all you see is their huge arms and a chest that pops out? The reality is, that that person has probably been in the gym for years. Just because you don’t have veiny forearms in the first month of the gym doesn’t mean it won’t come later. Gaining muscle mass takes a while, from bulking to cutting, getting the right amount of sleep and working hard is a difficult thing to do. Rome wasn’t built in 1 day, so don’t expect to be big on the first day. Also don’t ego-lift, ego-lifting is lifting more weight than you can handle to make you look strong, start small and work your way up.  

Bulking and Cutting 

Bulking and cutting both have to do with a food plan and tracking weight, everything you eat will affect how you lose or gain weight. Check your mentality as well, if you have a mentality where you give up after the first day, then you have to check yourself.

For the “skinny ones”/fast metabolism people, calories are a big thing. 3,000-4,000 calories for men and women daily, this also implies training your stomach and trying to eat past your limit. Just because I say to eat 3,000 calories a day doesn’t mean eat junk food. When it comes to breakfast, eat more than what you need, same for lunch and dinner. Eat two lunches, and eat more than what you would normally eat. Just make sure you eat full meals; vegetables, protein, and carbs. School is a good way to eat two meals, get breakfast here even if you had breakfast at home. If you brought lunch, get lunch at school as well. When you think about it, it’s better to get a second lunch here because it’s free, but make sure you get a good meal. Pizza is not going to cut it, get a wrap, and throw your desires into a wrap or sandwich, just make sure it has protein, vegetables, and carbs in it. High-calorie meals are such an important part of bulking. Smoothies are also a great way to bulk because you’re blending foods into one mixture. Dinner, be greedy, take 2-3 pieces of steak. Just don’t take everything, because leftovers are also needed for a second lunch. Dessert is a choice, ice cream is part dairy but it’s also sugar; so it’s your choice if you want dessert. Cutting helps maintain solid muscle mass and reduce body fat.

For the “plus-sized people”/slow metabolism people, your job is to lose weight. When you cut, subtract 20% of your calorie maintenance/ how many calories you eat daily. Exercise is a huge part of cutting calories, running is the best way: on average people who go for daily runs burn 11.4 calories per minute. Working out is also another way. Working out can turn that fat into muscle. There are many foods for cutting, but try to stay away from high-fat foods. Staying active will help burn calories. What body-builders do is they first bulk to get all that fat and then they cut to turn that fat into muscle. Water is also a crucial part, of your muscle growth has to do with water, but after working out it’s the resting stage that’s the most effective part of muscle growth.

Bulking and cutting are both a process, and it’s not just going to happen overnight, it’s a grind that can take a while!