There are a ton of fitness-related goals out there to choose from. In January, I chose to commit to an extended “bulk.”

What’s a bulk? Pretty simple… I’m trying to put on muscle and, accordingly, weight.

This is a pretty common goal for many people, so I figured I’d share some information on how I’ve structured this bulk with my training and nutrition with the hope that it can give you some good tips and strategies to apply to your goals.

Training

First, comes training. This provides the stimulus for muscle growth, which your nutrition can contribute to in order to build muscle and add weight.

I’ve been running the Wendler 5-3-1 strength program for almost six months and have seen my main lifts — the squat, bench press and deadlift — improve dramatically in this time.

Before I began the program, my max lifts were pretty uninspiring:

• 200-pound bench press
• 210-pound squat
• 300-pound deadlift

When it comes to those numbers, I never really committed myself to a program long term. Up until six months ago, my training fit into what most people would consider a bodybuilding style program (push, pull, legs split; sets of 10-12 reps). Now, I’m continually working with heavier weights while still getting volume in, and it has paid off.

That would be my No. 1 recommendation from a training standpoint for anyone trying to build muscle. Find a program and stick to it, even when you feel like you want to change things up. For the most part, your training should be structured in an orderly fashion if you have a goal you’re working towards. If it’s not, and you’re switching things up all the time with no focus, you’re not going to be maximizing your potential.

I’ll be testing my new one-rep maxes in a couple of weeks, so I’m excited to see what the numbers end up looking like. Projections of my new one-rep maxes based on rep work look something like this:

• 225-pound bench press
• 315-pound squat
• 370-pound deadlift

In addition to focusing on those three lifts, I programmed accessory work throughout the week to add in volume. Because of work and grad school, my current split is a little bit weird, but here’s the breakdown:

Day:	Time:	Focus:
Monday	AM	Delts, Biceps, Forearms, Calves
	PM	Bench Press, Triceps
Tuesday	AM	Back, Abs, Cardio
	PM	Rest
Wednesday	AM	Biceps, Forearms, Calves
	PM	Squats (Legs – Quad Focus)
Thursday	AM	Chest, Delts
	PM	Rest
Friday	AM	Back, Abs, Cardio
	PM	Rest
Saturday		OHP
Sunday		Deadlifts (Legs – Hamstring Focus)

That probably looks like a lot. It might look like overtraining.

I promise it’s not.

I love being in the gym and am fortunate to have one at work and at home. Therefore, I schedule a few two-a-days each week. I’m not in the gym for several hours each workout, though. All of these sessions are much shorter than your average stay at the gym, and they’re hyper-focused.

That, plus being in a caloric surplus (which we’re about to dive in to), helps me keep training at a high intensity.

Nutrition

While the training aspect of my bulk is what sparks the process for building muscle, my nutrition and habits outside of the gym are really what create progress over time.

Working out and being in the gym encompasses approximately an hour of your day. If you’re not optimizing the other 23 hours of your day, then you’re not going to get the most optimal results for whatever goal you’re working towards.

For me, I know my maintenance level of calories is right around 2,400. In order to get into a “bulk” and try to add weight and muscle, I need to be above that 2,400 calorie number.

Calculating these numbers is a process of trial and error. Over the years, and through meticulous tracking of my food on a daily basis, I’m pretty aware of the calorie and macro-nutrient values my body needs. Thus, I bumped my calories up to 2,800 and have been sitting at that number for months while seeing a lot of progress.

Within those calories, my macronutrient totals are as follows:

• Protein: 180 grams
• Fats: 80 grams
• Carbohydrates: 350 grams

There’s no magic when it comes to those numbers, and I wouldn’t recommend anyone go by those macros. This is all very person-specific, and it takes time to get it right. If you’re interested in figuring out your macros and structuring a meal plan to work towards your goals, feel free to contact me and we can discuss your options.

I usually eat about five meals a day. There’s no magic to that, either. Just personal preference, and it’s kind of common sense that if you want to build muscle, you’ll need to be consuming calories on a regular basis each day.

Takeaways

The takeaways here are hopefully that I gave you an idea of how training and nutrition can be melded together to work towards a specific goal. Both of these factors need to be operating in sync in order to get optimal results.

If you’re trying to add weight, you need to be in a caloric surplus. If you want to get stronger and increase the amount of weight you’re lifting, you’re most likely going to need a consistent caloric surplus for that as well.

As you can see from the image at the top of this post, my weight has fluctuated pretty significantly from day to day. However, over the long term (in this case, three months) there is a gradual increase in weight. A little more than three pounds gained in three months is exactly in line with what my goals have been — to put on muscle, but not take on an inordinate amount of excess body fat in the process.

Slow and steady progress. That’s what you should aim for.

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CG