Let's be honest, if size is the prize, then were going to need to go back to the basics. The key to mass has always been lower volume, heavier weight...right? That may not be the whole truth, and damnit we want the truth! If your like me, heavier weight and lower volume reps just might not be an option. After two complete pectorial tears from heavy weight lifting...I decided to leave those days behind me and focus on new methods to increase size.
So what actually works?
I've found that diet seems to be EVERYTHING. I know, how redundant from everything your trainer has told you. The truth is, when your looking to add size/mass your going to have to either increase your weights or increase your protein intake and adjust your diet. In my younger days of bodybuilding I'd constantly focus on heavier weights while never dialing in my diet...I figured once I built the "base" I was comfortable with I'd figure out the diet and get it dialed in. The problem with that is, were never really satisfied with how we look.
The best diet that seemed to work for me was eating 4-5 solid meals with a high protein and medium-high carbohydrate content. Shockingly enough, carbohydrates aren't the devil and in fact are fairly crucial in maintaining the energy fullness needed during a bulk up phase. Here is literally what I consumed on a daily basis and I'm going to let you in on probably one of the best tasting meals that nobody has discovered...well, I just added to it and trust me, it's amazing!
Meal #1: Breakfast AKA
1/2 - 3/4 cup oats + 30g Protein powder mixed in. Yes you can add brown sugar. I hate bland, no flavor foods and since were bulking up we can worry about cutting sugars when were actually trying to cut ;).
Meal #2: Pre-Lunch Snackaroo
8-10oz Lean Ground Turkey(or beef) + 6-8oz Instant Rice. This is going to be the main meal I eat on my diet and before you say "OMG that's boring", it's all about the seasoning and "da sauce". This meal is something I consumed 3-4x per day and yes at times the size of the meal either increased by 1-2oz just depending on how my stomach felt. If I feel super full then I stop eating...mainly because I'd rather remain productive vs worthless for an hour or two as my stomach digs itself out of the idea of puking or shitting my brains out.
Preparation is Key!
Some guys meal pre for the week, I usually do this twice a week so the meals stay fresher, otherwise let's me honest the ground turkey sitting in a tupperware container after 4-5 days starts to smell like someone farted in a pringles can...I would know...but back to meal prep.
I buy ground turkey by the pound from Walmart, usually 12-14lbs at a time and I stay between the 85-90% lean ground turkey simply because it's cost effective. I typically cook around 6-7lbs at a time. So here is the step by step process, and remember it's all about the sauce.
Step #1: Grab a large sauce pan and add your ground turkey. Use a spatula to chop the meat up into finer pieces like your making taco meat. Once your ground turkey is browned and cooked through, drain the liquid and then return the pan to the stove. At this point I keep the heat on the lowest setting and I dash a few of my favorite seasonings. I've tried a ton of seasonings and my favorite are Chile Lime and Creole...just not together obviously. Once your meat is fished, grab your tupperware containers and divided it out into your meals.
Step #2: Grab a large pot to boil water for the instant rice. I usually make 6-8 cups of rice; 6 cups of water = 6 cups of rice...simply enough? Let the water boil, then add your rice. I let it continue to boil for 30-45 seconds as I stir in the rice, then turn the heat off, cover and give it about 5 minutes to fluff up. You can add some butter and salt to give it more flavor if you desire. Divide the rice into the containers with the ground turkey for each of your meals and then prepare yourself for step #3.
Step #3: The secret sauce, which is now not a secret - Chic-fil-a sauce. Yes that is 100% correct and most grocery stores now sell the large containers of Chic-fil-a sauce. Does adding it make the meal unhealthy? That really depends on how much you add but IMO the amount I add just gives it the perfect flavor and once I tried it I about cried it tasted so good. Just mix the sauce in with your rice and ground turkey and enjoy!
I do want to point out that this is in no way an endorsement of Chic-fil-a, however if they'd like to donate free sauce I would happily accept ;).
This meal can be eaten spread out throughout the day, I typically would eat this 3-4x per day.
I found this diet to be very effective for bulking, it keeps my protein intake up and enough carbs to make every workout pretty phenomenal. I did want to add in one more personal recommendation and I hate making this sound like an advertisement but adding in GDA-Pro with 1-2 of these meals particularly your preworkout meal prepare for PUMP CITY! And just to be fair, most GDA type products will be sufficient and yes I basically promoted other brands but these blog posts are to help YOU, not just to try and sell something.
Comments