It\u2019s human nature to want what we don\u2019t have.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Remember when we were kids and we had to have the latest and greatest toy, video game, or shoes?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Apparently bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts are just overgrown children; we want to be big when we are lean, and want to be lean when we are big.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>So what do a lot of us do?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>We fall short of our goals because it\u2019s such a psychological mind game to stay committed to the initial plan.<\/span><\/p>\n I am just as guilty as the next person.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>After competing I could not wait to enter a true offseason and put on as much tissue as humanly possible.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>In my mind it did not matter as much if I were to gain some extra body fat, because I was ready to get big!\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Here I am now five months post contest, ready to get lean again.<\/span><\/p>\n It seems that social media has had a negative impact on the idea of growing.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>It\u2019s not fun to post a selfie when you are 12 percent body fat looking a little softer than you did a few months back.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Everyone on Instagram is seemingly lean 365 days a year, making it less enticing to gain a little extra body fat.<\/span><\/p>\n There is actually science behind the idea that humans want what they can\u2019t have or don\u2019t have.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>One of these being insecurity, not being satisfied or feeling self-conscious of the present.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>When we are lean we actually think we are not lean enough, making us want to do a 180 and start chasing size.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>The same can be said for being heavier with a little extra softness; we are not satisfied with the current look and want something better.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n We also picture in our minds that being lean is actually more satisfying that what it truly is.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>When I look back at progress pictures when I was single digit body fat I cannot believe I was that lean, but at the time I did not think I really was.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>We romanticize things that are not readily available, so we deviate from the plan.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>We do \u201cmini cuts\u201d and short bursts of calorie cutting to hopefully not get too fat.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Truthfully, all this does is hinder the end game results.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Now, there is some benefit to mini cuts such as increasing insulin sensitivity if the body becomes resistant.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>As far as the prevention of body fat accumulation, the best way to avoid this is to slowly progress calories.<\/span><\/p>\n So let\u2019s break away from the notion that we want what we don\u2019t currently have, and put on considerable muscle mass.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>The key to any mass building program is to progressively increase calories until that caloric intake is higher than what it was before a caloric deficit program, while also being leaner at a higher body weight.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>If fat gain is a concern, then be even more deliberate about small increases in overall calories.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Macros<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Macronutrients are what are going to make up your total caloric intake, and they should be the main goal when building a nutrition program.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>100 grams of carbs is completely different than 50 grams of carbs and 50 grams of protein.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Typically in a mass gaining phase you want carbohydrates to be the highest macronutrient consumed, with protein being a close second.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>As anyone wanting to have considerable muscle mass it\u2019s important to consume a fairly large amount of protein.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>It\u2019s important to remember that one gram of protein and carbs is four calories, and one gram of fat is nine calories.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s necessary to slowly increase macronutrients over time to ensure the most amount of muscle is being built.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>There is an idea that the body will do whatever it can to remain at homeostasis body weight; through different mechanisms in the body this makes it very difficult to vary body weight and composition.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Set point theory assumes that the body will do anything it can to remain at a certain body weight set point.<\/span><\/p>\n So if this is the case, how do people lose weight or gain weight?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>They create new set points.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>By increasing calories and macros to a point that the body has no choice but to move in body weight.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>At this point it\u2019s important to remain at this specific set point for a short period of time before attempting to make another big jump.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>This idea is multi beneficial in that you can gain muscle, but also limit the amount of body fat accumulation.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>The goal is that we can break away from the yo-yo effect of going back and forth between wanting to get bigger and wanting to be lean.<\/span><\/p>\n Training<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Just as it\u2019s important to slowly progress upwards in calories, so should training.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Every week and every phase should see an increase in weight, reps, overall volume, or total workload.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>To gain considerable amount of muscle mass, training intensity should never falter.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Even at the beginning of a bulking phase intensity should be high.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Where the changes occur will be in the aforementioned weights and volume.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Progress your lifts (as long as proper nutrition is in place) and you will see your body follow suit and get bigger.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>The body really has no choice but to adapt if lifts are increasing.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>In a bulking phase a program like the popular powerbuilding program might be beneficial.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>In a program such as this frequency is high and lifts progression is important.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Obviously this goes without saying, but proper form and safety is the most important thing when talking about any training program.<\/span><\/p>\n Supplementation<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Nutrition is number one when it comes to any program, but supplements truly compliment a proper nutrition protocol.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>As calories climb to their peak, it\u2019s difficult to get all calories from solid food choices.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>A product I really like for a big boost in calories is Redcon1 MRE<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Each serving contains 525 calories, 4 grams of fat, 75 grams of carbs, and 47 grams of protein.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Not only is this a great alternative to solid food, but it actually contains real food ingredients like rolled oats, beef protein, salmon protein, chicken protein, yams, sweet potatoes, and real fruit.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>I could argue this is the single greatest supplement ever created!<\/span><\/p>\n