What to keep in mind when bulking

[Kärnfysikern]

I have a few guidelines that I will follow next time I bulk and I thought I might as well share it here.

GI control

I feel that controlling GI at EACH AND EVERY meal is the most important part. Honestly most of us really don’t want to separate fats and carbs year round. It works very good to stay lean. But it’s a mental strain (atleast to me). What one can do instead is to keep the GI low on the meals that combine fats and carbs. If the GI is low enough it will be almost as good as separating.

1. The first thing to do is to try and replace all rice and pasta with Lentils and beans. Most beans and Lentils have a GI lower then 45. They are also cram packed with bioflavonoids, fibres, phytochemicals and minerals. Substances that all lower LDL cholesterol. Something we all would gain from when bulking and juicing. Don’t buy baked beans though they have higher GI.
Buy dried and soak and boil them at home. They also generally have a protein content between 20-30%(meat usualy contain 18-21% protein). The protein is not the best but it won’t hurt.
Brown rice is the best choice if you hate lentils and beans. Brown rice is rich in fibres and Zink.

Whenever you can buy ecologically grown beans, lentils and brown rice.

2. Add fibres to each and every meal. They lower GI.
Easiest way to do this is to add seeds to the meal or just swallow them before. One good way is to take a mouthful of flax seeds and chew it down. That will give you natural anti estrogens, good fats, some other good natural things and it will get the stomach going and release more digestion enzymes. So when you get to the real food the body will be ready to process it.
Different seeds are rich in different things. Sesame seeds are a good source of calcium for instance. Read up on them and use an appropriate mix of seeds to your meals.

3. Add alot of veggies. This will add even more fibres to the meal along with all the other benefits we know veggies have.

4. Drink something sour before the meal (be careful if you are prone to get ulcers). A low PH in the stomach lowers GI so drinking apple cider vinegar, ascorbic acid or eating a lemon before a meal will lower GI.

5. Eat things that increase insulin sensitivity. Cinnamon, R-ALA, chrome is 3 good examples.

Micronutrients

We often are way too obsessed about macro nutrients forgetting the fact that micronutrients are even of higher importance. If you are lacking in one or a few vitamins and minerals you ability to process food might be hindered, your ability to build muscle will be lowered, your health will be diminished, your metabolism will be lowered, lipolysis will be hindered, I could go on and on. The point is if the micro's aren’t in check the macro's won’t be able to help you build the lean mass you want. Fortuna it’s rather easy to make sure you get everything you need.

1. Eat super foods. Super foods are foods very rich in micronutrients. Example of super foods is sprouts (alfalfa being the king of sprouts), wheatgrass, spirulina, garlic. They all contain alot of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and bioflavonoid’s in a far grater extent then even veggies. Adding one or a few of those each day will do alot to keep your body in balance. It’s easy and cheap to make your own sprouts. Doesn’t taste all that good but if mixing down in food (just before eating when food is not to hot) it’s not noticeable.

2. Supplement with a good multi vitamin mineral. The best form is those rich in colloidal minerals and micellised vitamins. Micellised fat soluble vitamins can have an absorption 500% higher then non micellised.

3. Supplement extra of these vitamins and minerals.

Vitamin C (atleast 5grams/day)
Vitamin E (200-300mg)
Niacin 500mg/day
Pantothenic acid 500mg/day (important for fat metabolism)
Folic acid 400-800mcg/day
Vitamin B2 25-50mg/day
Vitamin B12 50-100mg/day
Beta-carotene 30-40mg/day

Selenium 200-300mcg/day
Magnesium 500-600mg/day
Potassium 3000-4000mg/day
Zink 30-40mg/Day
Manganese 10-20mg/day (important for protein metabolism and a part of SOD one of the main antioxidants in the body)
Chrome 300-400mcg/day

4. Super foods should take care of this but you could add an antioxidant combination pill along with a bioflavonoid combination.

5. Already mentioned veggies in the GI control but I mention them here again. They are crucial along with fruits.

Good fatty acids

This should be obvious but many only eat EFA's when cutting for some reason. They are even more important when bulking since you usually get alot of saturated fats when bulking.

Consume flax oil every day.
Eat avocadoes as often as you like (putting them into shakes make the shake very creamy and nice).
Drink some olive oil.
Don’t forget about MCT oils. Virgin coconut oil is the best natural MCT oil source.
Eat a handfull or 2 of mixed nuts every day. Preferably not roasted.

NEVER EVER EVER use hydrogenated fats when preparing food. They are found in margarine, all veggies oils that are not cold pressed, in most frozen microwave dinners.

Cardio

This is another thing that should be obvious. But many slack on the cardio. Doing a few short HIIT cardio sessions every week, 2 or so, will keep you in excellent cardiovascular shape. That will mean increased insulin sensitivity, the body being better at utilising fat, better strength gains, and better general health. Main point of the cardio when bulking to me isn’t about fat burning. It’s more about general health and as a gains booster.

I think that was about it. Following these guidelines will keep you fit, decently lean, strong and most of all healthy.

[Kärnfysikern]

One more adition. Probiotics. To make sure the bacterial fauna in the digestive track is as it should be. Will improve digestion, make you fart less, improve absorption of vitamins, minerals and macro's.

[collar]

interesting cool
thx for that..
how we ment to know what has low gi??
and isnt low gi for ppl that wanna lose weight??

[Kärnfysikern]

collar just dig upp a good GI table online. Have no link sorry because I only have swedish sites.

GI is good for both gaining and lossing weights. Low GI foods should always be used(except pwo and maby ppwo). The only differnece betwen cutting and gaining in carbs is the ammounts not the GI.

If you bulk with high gi food you will have a very unsatble bloodsugar, your insulin sensitivity will go down the drain and so on. That can hurt gains.

[stocky121]

another great post bro

dam i hate you

[Kärnfysikern]

thanks bro I hate you to

[stocky121]

thanks bro I hate you to

[Benches505]

Excellent post Johan! I'm going to try clean bulking for the first time. I mainly just want to maintain my weight but shed 2-3% body fat.

[collar]

smart man this johan

[MatrixGuy]

Good info bro. Keep it up. Remember, i may have to slap you silly.....

[Kärnfysikern]

could have used that slapping yesteday. I "cheated" a bit. A meal that was suposed to consist of 200grams of meat and some veggies ended beeing 400 grams of meat

[Dally]

Holy FUKbaclot JOHAN ... this post makes me wanna marry you... too bad your just abit too big for my taste...

[Kärnfysikern]

I bet Im also to hairy for your tast. Atleast I hope so

[Dally]

well wip em out big guy?

or well no.... actually DONT.

[collar]

LMAO
this is going somewhere
where it shouldnt lol

[JdFlex]

Nice post Johan. You really know your stuff.

[Kärnfysikern]

well wip em out big guy?

or well no.... actually DONT.

Dont tease me like that

[Dave321]

interesting cool
thx for that..
how we ment to know what has low gi??
and isnt low gi for ppl that wanna lose weight??

What is the Glycemic Index?
The glycemic index is a ranking of carbohydrates based on their immediate effect on blood glucose (blood sugar) levels. It compares foods gram for gram of carbohydrate. Carbohydrates that breakdown quickly during digestion have the highest glycemic indexes. The blood glucose response is fast and high. Carbohydrates that break down slowly, releasing glucose gradually into the blood stream, have low glycemic indexes.



What is the Significance of Glycemic Index?


• Low GI means a smaller rise in blood glucose levels after meals

• Low GI diets can help people lose weight

• Low GI diets can improve the body's sensitivity to insulin

• High GI foods help re-fuel carbohydrate stores after exercise

• Low GI can improve diabetes control

• Low GI foods keep you fuller for longer

• Low GI can prolong physical endurance



What is Glycemic Load?

• Glycemic load builds on the GI to provide a measure of total glycemic response to a food or meal

• Glycemic load = GI (%) x grams of carbohydrate per serving

• One unit of GL ~ glycemic effect of 1 gram glucose

• You can sum the GL of all the foods in a meal, for the whole day or even longer

• The GI database gives both GI & GL values

[Dave321]

DESIRABLE FOODS:

Breads:
Coarse European -Style, Whole Grain wheat or Rye Pita Bread, Cracked or Sprouted Whole wheat


Cereals:
Compact noodle-like high bran cereals (All-Bran, Fiber One) Coarse Oatmeal, Porridge, Coarse Whole Grain (Kashi) Cereal mixed with Psyllium (Fiberwise)



Pasta, Grains and Starchy Vegetables:
Pasta (all types) Barley, Bulgur, Buckwheat (kasha) Couscous, Kidney Beans dry, (Lentils, Black-eyed peas, Chick-peas Kidney beans, Lima beans, Peas, Sweet Potato, Yam (soybeans lowest) Most Vegetables.



Milk Products:
Skim, 1%, cottage cheese, (lowfat or regular), Buttermilk, Low-fat plain yogurt, Low-fat fruited yogurt, Low-fat frozen yogurt ( artificial sweetener)



Fruit:
Most fruit and natural fruit juices, including apple, berries, cantaloupe, grapefruit, honeydew, oranges, pears, grapes, peaches, applesauce, (Cherries, plums and grapefruit lowest).



Meats:
Shellfish, "white" fish (cod, flounder, trout, tuna in water), Chicken, turkey, cornish hen, venison (white meat no skin), Egg substitutes (cholesterol free) cottage cheese

MODERATELY DESIRABLE

Breads:
100% Stone Ground whole Wheat, Pumpernickel, 100% whole grain Rye Crisp Cracker


Cereals:
Grape-nut cereal, medium-fine grain oatmeal, (5-minute variety)



Pasta, Grains and Starchy Vegetables:
Rice, Boiled Potato, Corn Navy beans, Kidney beans (canned), Baked beans. Beets.



Milk Products:
2% milk, cheese, Regular plain yogurt



Fruit:
Banana, Kiwi, Mango, papaya, orange juice.



Meats:
Higher fat fish, (salmon, herring, lean cuts of Beef, Pork, Veal. Low-fat imitation luncheon meat, low-fat. cheese, Eggs.

LOW DESIRABLE FOODS

Breads:
White bread, most commercial whole wheat breads, English muffins, bagel, French bread, most commercial matzoh


Cereals:
Corn flakes, puffed rice, puffed wheat, flaked cereals, instant "Quick" or pre-cooked cereals. Oatbran, rolled oats. Shredded wheat, Muesli.'



Pasta, Grains and Starchy Vegetables:
Instant rice, instant precooked grains, Baked potato, micro-waved potato, instant potato, Winter squash (acorn, butternut), carrots, parsnips.



Milk Products:
Whole milk, ice milk, ice cream, Yogurt sweetened with sugar, Low-fat frozen desserts with sugar added, Low-fat and regular frozen yogurt with sugar added. Tofu ice cream.



Fruit:
Pineapple, raisins, watermelon, fruit juices sweetened with sugar.



Meats:
Most cuts of beef, pork, lamb, hot dogs (including "low-fat' versions) cheese, luncheon meats, peanut butter.

[Dave321]

http://www.centerfornaturopathic.co...mic%20index.htm

[S.P.G]

I have a few guidelines that I will follow next time I bulk and I thought I might as well share it here.

GI control

I feel that controlling GI at EACH AND EVERY meal is the most important part. Honestly most of us really don’t want to separate fats and carbs year round. It works very good to stay lean. But it’s a mental strain (atleast to me). What one can do instead is to keep the GI low on the meals that combine fats and carbs. If the GI is low enough it will be almost as good as separating.

1. The first thing to do is to try and replace all rice and pasta with Lentils and beans. Most beans and Lentils have a GI lower then 45. They are also cram packed with bioflavonoids, fibres, phytochemicals and minerals. Substances that all lower LDL cholesterol. Something we all would gain from when bulking and juicing. Don’t buy baked beans though they have higher GI.
Buy dried and soak and boil them at home. They also generally have a protein content between 20-30%(meat usualy contain 18-21% protein). The protein is not the best but it won’t hurt.
Brown rice is the best choice if you hate lentils and beans. Brown rice is rich in fibres and Zink.

Whenever you can buy ecologically grown beans, lentils and brown rice.

2. Add fibres to each and every meal. They lower GI.
Easiest way to do this is to add seeds to the meal or just swallow them before. One good way is to take a mouthful of flax seeds and chew it down. That will give you natural anti estrogens, good fats, some other good natural things and it will get the stomach going and release more digestion enzymes. So when you get to the real food the body will be ready to process it.
Different seeds are rich in different things. Sesame seeds are a good source of calcium for instance. Read up on them and use an appropriate mix of seeds to your meals.

3. Add alot of veggies. This will add even more fibres to the meal along with all the other benefits we know veggies have.

4. Drink something sour before the meal (be careful if you are prone to get ulcers). A low PH in the stomach lowers GI so drinking apple cider vinegar, ascorbic acid or eating a lemon before a meal will lower GI.

5. Eat things that increase insulin sensitivity. Cinnamon, R-ALA, chrome is 3 good examples.

Micronutrients

We often are way too obsessed about macro nutrients forgetting the fact that micronutrients are even of higher importance. If you are lacking in one or a few vitamins and minerals you ability to process food might be hindered, your ability to build muscle will be lowered, your health will be diminished, your metabolism will be lowered, lipolysis will be hindered, I could go on and on. The point is if the micro's aren’t in check the macro's won’t be able to help you build the lean mass you want. Fortuna it’s rather easy to make sure you get everything you need.

1. Eat super foods. Super foods are foods very rich in micronutrients. Example of super foods is sprouts (alfalfa being the king of sprouts), wheatgrass, spirulina, garlic. They all contain alot of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and bioflavonoid’s in a far grater extent then even veggies. Adding one or a few of those each day will do alot to keep your body in balance. It’s easy and cheap to make your own sprouts. Doesn’t taste all that good but if mixing down in food (just before eating when food is not to hot) it’s not noticeable.

2. Supplement with a good multi vitamin mineral. The best form is those rich in colloidal minerals and micellised vitamins. Micellised fat soluble vitamins can have an absorption 500% higher then non micellised.

3. Supplement extra of these vitamins and minerals.

Vitamin C (atleast 5grams/day)
Vitamin E (200-300mg)
Niacin 500mg/day
Pantothenic acid 500mg/day (important for fat metabolism)
Folic acid 400-800mcg/day
Vitamin B2 25-50mg/day
Vitamin B12 50-100mg/day
Beta-carotene 30-40mg/day

Selenium 200-300mcg/day
Magnesium 500-600mg/day
Potassium 3000-4000mg/day
Zink 30-40mg/Day
Manganese 10-20mg/day (important for protein metabolism and a part of SOD one of the main antioxidants in the body)
Chrome 300-400mcg/day

4. Super foods should take care of this but you could add an antioxidant combination pill along with a bioflavonoid combination.

5. Already mentioned veggies in the GI control but I mention them here again. They are crucial along with fruits.

Good fatty acids

This should be obvious but many only eat EFA's when cutting for some reason. They are even more important when bulking since you usually get alot of saturated fats when bulking.

Consume flax oil every day.
Eat avocadoes as often as you like (putting them into shakes make the shake very creamy and nice).
Drink some olive oil.
Don’t forget about MCT oils. Virgin coconut oil is the best natural MCT oil source.
Eat a handfull or 2 of mixed nuts every day. Preferably not roasted.

NEVER EVER EVER use hydrogenated fats when preparing food. They are found in margarine, all veggies oils that are not cold pressed, in most frozen microwave dinners.

Cardio

This is another thing that should be obvious. But many slack on the cardio. Doing a few short HIIT cardio sessions every week, 2 or so, will keep you in excellent cardiovascular shape. That will mean increased insulin sensitivity, the body being better at utilising fat, better strength gains, and better general health. Main point of the cardio when bulking to me isn’t about fat burning. It’s more about general health and as a gains booster.

I think that was about it. Following these guidelines will keep you fit, decently lean, strong and most of all healthy.

you see this is what this site is all about posts like that exultant ,,

[BeerBaron]

could have used that slapping yesteday. I "cheated" a bit. A meal that was suposed to consist of 200grams of meat and some veggies ended beeing 400 grams of meat

That's almost half a kilo. I'd hate to go in the bathroom after you just got done.

[Kärnfysikern]

well on eating days I easily eat 1-1,5kg of meat, often almost 1kg in one meal so its not that horrible. I LOVE meat. Especialy now when Im living on shakes. Eating meat now for me is like going to heaven.

[BeerBaron]

often almost 1kg in one meal

Wow, On my wo days I eat 1kg over the course of a day with 3 shakes. I couldn't imagine 5kg in one day, that is a ridiculous ammount of meat. Maybe thats why I only weigh 193....

[Kärnfysikern]

lol no no not 5kg. 1kg to 1,5kg thats on cheat days!! When I ate the most meat regulary and found it cheap I ate maby something like 300-400 grams in each meal 5 times a day so close to 2kg/day at the most.

nowdays I get about not meat at all in my diet.

[Kärnfysikern]

when cheating I somedays make a nice pasta sauce out of like 1kg of groundbeef and finish maby 70% of that in one BIG meal and eat the rest later in the evening.