Lessons from a 30lb bulk: from 🫃to 💪

6 Months: From Beefcake to Not Quite Shredded

The Bulk🫃🏼

Picture the scene: it's July and there I was, a semi-respectable 173lbs, living my best summer life. I had worked hard to cut to 173. Probably my leanest since I was a pinner little b1t%# at the ripe age of 18 (29 now). Mid-July I was happy with the cut. But the summer I always seem to get away from my normally disciplined diet.

Fast forward to October. With the sweet haze of summer behind me, I found myself clocking in at a slightly plumper 180lbs. Summer was fun. And usually fun means I lost a little muscle and gained some beefcake.

180 lbs and staring down the barrel of the most aggressive winter bulk of my life. Picture a bear loading up for hibernation - that was me. I embraced the weight rack and the dinner plate with equal passion. The result? I got big(ger) - duh 🙄. By February, the scales boasted a hefty 210. Again, for my fairly average height, I could barely ski down a hill without wheezing. My lungs were in equal pain.

The Cut ✌🏼

But what goes up, must come down, and so as February drew to a close, I began the descent. The only reason I want to share this story is to share the general lifestyle changes I made cutting from 210 to 185 (and I still have weight to lose).

1. Farewell to Fatty Foods 🍟

   • Completely eliminated calorically dense foods like peanut butter. Once a staple, see you in the fall.

   • Cooking methods got a health upgrade. I drastically cut back on cooking oils and fried foods (I still eat lots of chicky tendies)

2. Carb Conscious

   • Less rice and potatoes. I still eat them all the time, just less.

   • I eliminated the oats in my morning protein shake.

   • More vegetables. I bulked up my meals with nutrient-rich, low-cal veggies for volume without the calorie blowout.

3. Cardio Committed

   • Upped my cardio game. I introduced at least 15 minutes of cardio after every weightlifting session.

   • Instead of taking rest days during the week I do 45 mins of cardio.

4. No Rest for the Ripped

   • My weekends in the spring/summer are hectic and usually don’t exercise at all.

5. Walk This Way

   • I walk as often as I can. Usually two long walks per week.

6. Mindset Magic

   • I still enjoy the stuff I like. I eat lots of ice cream. I just try to eat it on days when I burn more cals.

   • My weekends I am still super irresponsible with my diet but am conscious of what it means at the end of the day.

Other than that I really didn’t change much. Other than trying to drink less beer when I go out… That one I haven’t been to strict on. Mans gotta live. 🤷🏼‍♂️

Next Phase Insights: Key Lessons for My Upcoming Bulk/Cut Cycle

Your Boy’s Lessons From the Bulk 👨🏻‍🔬

Bulk Lesson #1: Aim for a Marginal Surplus

• Pushing for an excessive calorie surplus is counterproductive. Rather than achieving more muscle growth, an excessive caloric surplus (more than 500 calories per day) often leads to excessive fat gain with no added muscle benefit. The science backs this up: research shows our bodies can only synthesize a certain amount of muscle in a given time frame, and any additional calories will just turn into fat. So, in my next bulk, the focus is on a marginal surplus of 200-500 calories. This is the difference in a clean or dirty bulk. Dirty bulks ain’t it.

Bulk Lesson #2: Mini-cuts are Your Friend

• Introducing mini-cuts during a bulk can be a game-changer. I found that continuously bulking without consideration for my body's feedback led to unwanted fat gain. Implementing a brief mini-cut could have preserved leanness while also allowing for more muscle growth over the longer term. In the future I’m going to do 2 weeks in an intense deficit. As long as you’re still training hard and eating your protein you actually won’t lose much (if any) muscle. It’ll make the end of the bulk a lot more bearable. Being that fat ain’t fun.

Lessons From the Cut ✂️

Cut Lesson #1: Prioritize Protein Every Single Day

• Protein is king when it comes to maintaining muscle mass during a cut. Missing my protein targets led to muscle loss, which was disheartening after the hard work put into gaining it during the bulk. Prioritizing protein intake will be a non-negotiable in my next cut.

Cut Lesson #2: Meal Prep is Key

• Having high-protein snacks and meals readily available simplified the process of hitting protein targets. I’ve started almost every single day for the last 3 months with a protein-rich, low-cal shake (80g protein, 500 calories) to set the pace, making it easier to hit the daily target with subsequent meals. Ensuring you have protein rich snacks is also 100% necessary. Also having lots of fruit and veg on hand helps for low cal easy snacks. For me it was low-fat Greek yogurt, Fairlife Milk, Chicken Sausages, and good simple meal prep recipes. If you want some of them just drop a comment and I’ll send you some.

Cut Lesson #3: The Booze Effect

• Heavy drinking weekends take a serious toll on progress. Two back-to-back bachelor parties led to noticeable muscle loss. While these events are non-negotiable and totally worth it, they are a reminder that balance is key. Committing to a routine of exercise, work, and outdoor activities during non-event weekends has been crucial to mitigate the effects of occasional indulgence.

Cut Lesson #4: Sleep is Crucial

• In the midst of all the diet and exercise changes, one factor that can often be overlooked is the power of quality sleep. Poor or inadequate sleep just seems to F up my entire day.

Cut Lesson #5: Low Volume, Super High Intensity

• During this cut, I've focused on a low volume but super high-intensity training methodology, and the results speak for themselves. Despite losing a significant amount of weight, I've maintained about 95% of my peak bulk strength. I’ve written about this before but just want to emphasize the empirical success I’ve had. You should try it if you haven’t.

Where to from here? 📍🗺️

Well, I’m going to push for another 5 pounds and get down to 180. At that point I should be much leaner than I was last July and 7 pounds heavier. Will I still look like a white pool noodle? Perhaps.

But there’s only one way to find out. 🏃‍♂️

Until our next time my friends. I hope you found today’s newsletter insightful for your next cut.