Physical fitness and proper food sustenance are two topics that have global interests and will continue to do so. Aside from the fact that they are the basis of general good health, they can also make you attractive and subtly promote your appearance wherever you show up. There are many ways you can achieve this state of health and appearance and bulking diet is one of them.
What is a Bulking Diet?
Bulking is one of the terms that came to be as a result of the use of social media to spread the benefits of physical fitness. It simply means gaining weight – eating more calories than you need. Depending on what you eat and how physically active you are, you might gain weight in fats or muscles. In this case, the idea is to eat more calories than you need, stress the heck out of your muscles through exercises, and then gain some pounds in muscle mass.
A person who has successfully maintained a bulking diet plan for some time looks ripped, is stronger, and is less likely to fall sick compared to another person who does not eat as much or workout as much. Talking of which, there are two different ways you can do this – clean and dirty bulk.
What is a clean bulk?
This means eating a surplus amount of healthy foods to help one to power through exercises and build muscle mass. The definition for bulking still holds in this case, but with more specification and emphasis on healthy foods. The workout routine does not come into play, what matters is your nutritional plan. For a clean bulk up diet, you’re expected to eat the types of foods associated with cutting or maintaining a lean body.
According to research, a clean bulk is usually healthier, which is why it is referred to as clean in the first place. Plus, it leads to a leaner bulk as well.
What is a dirty bulk?
This means eating a surplus amount of both healthy and unhealthy foods in order to build excess calories which help during exercises to build muscle mass. As you may have imagined, this bulking diet meal results in the growth of less lean muscles and may cause some eating disorders if care is not taken. It involves foods that are calorie-dense but are often low in nutrition. On another note, this method of bulking can also lead to some health complications.
Who is Bulking Meant for?
Before it became a popular matter, bulk diet plans were most common among athletes. Not just any athletes, but those of them who really need it like wrestlers and boxers. However, these days, just about anyone can lay hands on an effective nutritional plan that can help them achieve this, thanks to the internet.
A lot of people do not really need such a plan to achieve that ripped feature they desire. But for some others, it is an uphill task seeing as they are hard gainers (ectomorph body types). This group of people are usually advised to try a bulking diet plan to help them add some weight and grow some muscle mass.
Also, gone are the days when it was the “in thing” to look so lean and anorexic. These days, people want to look thick, especially women. This is a good option for those who may want to join this trend as opposed to just eating and working out very little or not at all.
What to Eat And What Not to Eat?
There are some foods that are great for a bulk diet plan. There are also some others you should avoid. Here are some of them.
Foods for clean bulk:
- White chicken breast
- Turkey breast
- Low-fat yogurt
- Rice
- Pasta
- Bread
- Steak with all the fat cut off
- Fish
- Tuna
- Milk
- Cheese
- Eggs
Foods for dirty bulk:
- Pizza
- Hamburgers
- Cheeseburgers
- Steak
- Peanut Butter
- Chicken Strips or Chicken Nuggets
Some of the foods that should not make their way into your bulking diet meal plan include fries, candy, sweets, potato chips, fast foods, etc. Just to keep things on the smoother lane and to make sure you’re not slacking, you can try some supplements to help you achieve the results you desire.