Bodybuilding.com - Getting Huge 101: Back To The Basics Of Bulking!

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There is nothing normal about what some do as nationally ranked bodybuilding competitors. Read on to see what some do and consider what you do in the off season. Is it normal? Read on...

Back To The Basics Of Bulking!

By: Dr. David Ryan

In talking to a couple of nationally ranked competitors the other day, I was surprised by what I heard. Both guys were in the "off-season" and decided to stop taking supplements, eating as much, drinking as much water, and more staying out late and partying a little more.

I just laughed at them and said, "What made you big in the first place?" In our sub-culture known as bodybuilding, everyone wants to get HUGE. What is lost is the sense of how that really happens.

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Are You As Strict In The Off-Season? Yes, Of Course. Kind Of - I Relax A Little. No Way - Are You Mental?

Most of us become huge, I mean really huge, by doing some simple things that are in no way normal. Think about it for a moment. When did you really get big? In a gym or was it in the garage?

Did it happen overnight or did you start getting comments from people you know and that are close to you? The big guys start getting that way young.

This demands the question of what age is best. Start too young and you can delay other organs from getting proper development. Start too old and you will miss out on the natural hormones that make you grow.

Age Factor

First of all, let me go on the record and say this. I do not think anyone under the age of 18 should mess with any harsh growth supplements. At that age, you have a balance of hormones that is geared towards making you bigger and most important - taller. Now I have seen lots of supplements, but none of them made you taller.

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Your Body Age: The Key To A Younger You!
You know your chronological age, but do know what your biological age is? Get some helpful information here about lowering your biological age.
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So leave mother-nature alone at that age. Just follow the other steps in this article. Now for those of you over 35, take a hormonal blood test. See what your levels are and then start balancing out the hormones.

For advice on where to go and get that done, contact Rick Cavender, M.D.: drcavender@am-metabolic-med.com. Dr. Cavender is quickly becoming the authority on anti-aging and bodybuilding.

Body Types

Endomorphic, Ectomorphic and Mesomorphic are all body types that have various advantages and disadvantages with gaining mass. Likely if you are full of excess body fat, you gain weight fast, if you are super skinny, you are likely to be a hard gainer.

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By The Types: Learn Your Body Type & Start Getting Results!
Regardless of your body type, the idea is to accept the body type you have and follow a plan of action to eat and train to acheive results!
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Adjusting your diet, sleep and exercise will best target these problems, not just taking a pill. Finally, read the article on Fiber Type Training to achieve the best results on how to make the best gains.

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Fiber Type Training: What Type Of Muscle Fiber Are You?
If you know what type of muscle fiber you have then training programs can be better designed. Here I am going to talk a little about that. It should help clear up a lot of questions.
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Straight To The Point

I know how I got big, I lifted heavy, I mean super heavy, slept like a baby and would eat red meat like it was my last meal. At the age of 26 I was playing rugby for the USA Eagles and weighed 240 and running six miles a day 5 days a week. Was I healthy? No.

The meals I ate were full of calories and fat. Some meals consisted of two or three Big Macs. I would eat 8-9 meals a day and 7 - 8 thousand calories a day. I was sick of eating and sitting on the toilet. Sorry for that visual, but it makes my point.

Getting Back To Basics

There are all kinds of lifts out there, but the Bench Press, Squat and the (best) Deadlift are the keys to getting big. I see guys and gals doing a thousand exercises to shape a muscle, but miss all the basic lifts. Why are you shaping something that doesn't exist?

Build muscles and then shape them. Doing too much exercise, too many sets, too many reps, causes an excess production of myostatin.

What Is Myostatin?
Myostatin is a protein that regulates how much muscle mass is produced. If the gene that encodes myostatin is hindered, mutated or blocked, studies show more muscle mass is developed. These studies suggest that proteins and drugs that interfere with myostatin may be helpful to many.

This chemical inhibits muscular development. See "NO PAIN - NO GAIN" (the movie).

In addition, read this website - it will likely blow over your head, but it is worth the reading: www.thinkmuscle.com.

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Myostatin, The Future Not Yet Here...
Myostatin is described as a protein found in the blood that appears (research is still in the early stages) to set a limit on the muscle your body can build.
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