Bulking Diets

[MaxRep]

There seems to be significant discussion here on how to get bigger and what products to take. That's logical enough but newcomers often overlook the most anabolic product available... food!

In honor of this most anabolic product, I thought I'd post my personal bulking diet. The rest of you who talk the talk and have walked the walk... feel free to post what you actually eat day in and day out while you are on a cycle and seeking to maximize your size through a muscle building diet.

Those of you still seeking the secrets of muscle growth, may want to pay more attention to what follows than the latest and greatest hormone or peptide being advertised.

After all, most of us can only dream of looking as good as Arnold, Oliva, Viatar, Mentzer, Zane, Columbo, Ferrigno, Nubret, etc, and they all did it with nothing more than a lot of food and the basic anabolics such as; Test/Deca/Primo/Dbol/Aanvar/Winny/AD-50. Nothing fancy, just the basics and who wouldn't love to have a physique like one of the great BB's of the '70's?

MaxRep bulking diet:
(I'm a little guy - 5'7"/220/12%BF - so if you're taking at least 500mg of Test/week but not eating this much, don't talk about taking more anabolics, more GH, the newest peptides or anything else. Just eat more and get your butt in the gym everyday for the next several years )

6:30am- immediately upon waking... 60 gram (g) protein drink in Milk with 60 g carbs from powder and fruit or juice (some fat (5g ~) in protein powder OK) + 4g fat from Carlson’s fish oil. (1 teaspoon oil)

8:30am- 6 eggs, 6 ounces of your choice; ham/turkey/chicken/steak and 2 slices toast w/jam, drink 16 ounces of lowfat or nonfat milk + coffee if desired.

10:30am- 40 g protein w/40 g carb from powder/fruit drink (some fat (5g ~) in protein powder OK) + 4g fat from Carlson’s fish oil.

12:30pm- sandwich w/8 ounces of your choice; tuna/ham/turkey/chicken/beef, plus 8 ounces pasta salad or potato salad and 16 ounces of lowfat or nonfat milk

3:00pm- 2 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches w/ 24 ounces milk

5:00pm- 40 g protein w/40 g carb from powder or banana/fruit drink (some fat (5g ~) in protein powder OK) + 4g fat from Carlson’s fish oil.

6:00pm- workout (estimated, adjust diet program accordingly for different workout time)

7:15pm- workout done, 60 g protein w/ 60 g carb drink from powder or fruit w/minimal fat ~ 5g + 4g fat from Carlson’s fish oil

8:30pm- 12-16 ounces or your choice; steak/chicken/fish and potato or rice and green salad, drink water - OK to occasionally sub spaghetti or something else for main dish.

10:00-pm- large bowl of oatmeal w/raisins plus protein drink, 40 g protein and 40 g carbs from powder/banana or other fruit minimal fat ~5g + 4g fat from Carlson’s fish oil

10:30-11:00pm- Bedtime

Over 400 grams Protein
Over 550 grams Carbs
Approx. 130-140 grams Fat (110-120 grams dietary, 20 grams fish oil)

Depending on exact portion sizes, this provides roughly 4,500-5,000 calories

I know a lot of you guys are bigger than me so you should be eating even more! Those of you my size or smaller, should make no excuses but simply eat this much and train hard.

Best regards,
MaxRep

 

[Cory W.]

Max,

Much respect to you. It's a simple but extremely helpful post. I printed this out ha ha.



With respect,


Cory

 

[Grizzly]

I know a lot of you guys are bigger than me so you should be eating even more! Those of you my size or smaller, should make no excuses but simply eat this much and train hard.

Best regards,
MaxRep

I think I'd starve trying to eat like that, buddy. I just at 3lbs of corned beef and I'm about to tackle 3 tamales. LOL Ahhhhhh, being fat is so much fun.

 

[MaxRep]

I think I'd starve trying to eat like that, buddy. I just at 3lbs of corned beef and I'm about to tackle 3 tamales. LOL Ahhhhhh, being fat is so much fun.

Well you 300 pounders are in a special category... in fact it's such a special category I think I'll call the "special" bus to take you around...

Seriously, Grizz is right... this is not so much food. This is what I eat in the real world with a good job and wife and kids. Those of you who are students should be able to eat even more. And those of you who are in the real world like me, don't have an excuse. Unless you just don't want it bad enough...?

Grizz, great to hear from you! Hope life's treating you right! Grizz has been there and done that... big guy feel free to show the rest of us how a 300 lb guy eats! We will try not to faint!

Best regards,
MaxRep

 

[prodigy06]

I was wondering why no one posted a thread like this before. Sticky it

 

[Prsident]

Very good post.Thanx. It takes a lot of discipline to eat the right food at the right amount every day. For me ,planning my meals(on sunday) for the rest of the week is the secret to ensure that i will eat correctly every day.

 

[Ironhorse]

Excellent post! I have much respect for you Maxrep, and admire where you dedication has gotten you! Just dont let it go to your head. Aw screw it, youve earned every bit of it! I second the sticky. This is a great subject. Thanks again.....

 

[jsupstarz]

Great post. That's a good plan, and mostly all good food, not nasty shit either. STICKY THIS ONE!!!!

 

[NPayette]

Nice post, but don't you find it hard to keep yourself lean with that much carb after 6-7h PM?

a big bowl of oatmeal before bed... Hard night trying to sleep haha.

 

[Reinheart]

Sticky!!!

 

[Reinheart]

Hey Cory, what are your stats bro???

 

[Cory W.]

Im 19...5'4''....171 lbs....chest is 39''...arms are 16.50''....thighs are 23.50''.....calves are 15.50''.....8% bf....Im completely natural....itching to do a cycle but I am going to wait a few because of all the smart advice given to me on this site.



Cory

 

[Reinheart]

Good enough bro. you probably have bigger arms than i do in 5'11. Do you grow easily?

 

[dennis]

Max...I noticed you are eating alot of bread in your diet..is it wheat or do you eat white breads? I have cut bread out of my diet worrying about it making me fat..I say cut it out..not completely but have cut way back on it.You also mentioned potatoe..do you eat regular baked potatoe or sweet potatoe ? Maybe one reason I am not gaining satisfactory in my bulk cycle is that i am too anal about the types of food i am eating?! Later today i want to send you the info off my muscle milk bottle and see if 3 of those per day is giving me too many fats.Also about your oatmeal..is the type with sugar already added or is it sugar free?tell me more about the fish oil you are using..Thanks..great info as usual from a pro.

 

[prodigy06]

Maxrep, when you say "6 eggs" do you mean whole eggs?

 

[dennis]

One of my problems is that i walk around feeling full all the time.One thing I found that helps is working out and doing light cardio 1st thing in the morning..when i lift at 5 am I feel like a hungry tiger all day.A hungry but tired tiger anyways..[)]

 

[MaxRep]

WOW! I'm honestly quite surprised and I mean happily surprised at such a positive response. My thanks to all of you.

Nice post, but don't you find it hard to keep yourself lean with that much carb after 6-7h PM? a big bowl of oatmeal before bed... Hard night trying to sleep haha.

NP,
Keep in mind this is my bulking diet so being real lean isn't the goal. However, I never go above about 12-13%BF and eating carbs later in the evening at this level of BF isn't a problem.
Also, the reason I eat a large bowl of oatmeal with my protein drink before bed is I find the next day my muscles are much fuller and tighter feeling, plus I have more strength and energy in the gym, than when I do not eat like this.

Président Very good post.Thanx. It takes a lot of discipline to eat the right food at the right amount every day. For me ,planning my meals(on sunday) for the rest of the week is the secret to ensure that i will eat correctly every day.

Excellent idea. One of my favorite quotes/sayings is "Failing to plan is planning to fail" Personally, I list out my training/eating schedule every night for the next day. That way when I get up, there's no thinking... my day is all laid out and I just do it.

jsupstarz Great post. That's a good plan, and mostly all good food, not nasty shit either.

Thanks Jsup. Something I want to address is lightly touched on with your comment. I would prefer myself and recommend to others, to drink fewer protein drinks and eat more actual food.
However, with a job where I work roughly 9-5:30 (it's my own company so I have some latitude ) and wife and kids and training... this schedule is the best I can do. We all have to make compromises to support our lifestyle, have family time, train and eat right. So is my diet the optimum... NO... it is however real life livable.

dennis Max...I noticed you are eating alot of bread in your diet..is it wheat or do you eat white breads? I have cut bread out of my diet worrying about it making me fat..I say cut it out..not completely but have cut way back on it.You also mentioned potatoe..do you eat regular baked potatoe or sweet potatoe ? Maybe one reason I am not gaining satisfactory in my bulk cycle is that i am too anal about the types of food i am eating?! Later today i want to send you the info off my muscle milk bottle and see if 3 of those per day is giving me too many fats.Also about your oatmeal..is the type with sugar already added or is it sugar free?tell me more about the fish oil you are using..

Dennis, good questions. As shown, I usually have some toast with breakfast (although sometimes I'll have steamed rice instead) and then a sandwich for lunch and PB&J sandwiches mid-afternoon. I eat a thick whole grain wheat bread for toast and then regular wheat bread for the sandwiches.
I often have a large baked potato with dinner although sometimes I have a yam instead.
I confess the oatmeal I have in the evening is 2-3 packets of oatmeal with the sugar already added, plus a handful of raisins mixed in. Is the other oatmeal better for you... yes... if you can eat it every day that's great, however, I don't like it and as I function and grow better with the oatmeal... I have to choose what I can live with and actually eat every day. I should also mention a good alternative which I'll sometimes have is Cream of Rice with some raisins and brown sugar mixed in.
The fishoil I use is "Carlson's" with lemon flavor, from Norway. The teaspoon in each of my protein drinks is not noticeable. In the research I did this brand came out on top. You have to be careful with which brand you use because some have been tested and found to contain toxins. Unfortunately our seas are becoming more polluted and it is carried right through the food chain to us.

prodigy06 Maxrep, when you say "6 eggs" do you mean whole eggs?

Yes, the entire egg. Cholesterol from eggs is a false concern in most cases and the fat content isn't enough to be concerned about when on a bulking program. Saturated fats are the bad fats and there's very little of this type of fat in eggs. In addition to the protein there are many vitamins and minerals in eggs.

Again, I encourage other vets here to post your bulking diet. Everyone's situation is a little different and other thoughts and diet programs are useful in helping someone new formulate their own diet.

Keep the questions coming. For those of you who have actually lived with a diet, day in and day out for at least 3 months, and you felt it was successful, please post it up.

The best to you all!
MaxRep

 

[Gman2004]

I am not as big as max rep, but I just came off a bulk and this is what I ate. I started at 185lbs around 6-7% bf and I ended up at 210lbs @ 12-13%. I have dietrf back down to 200lbs @7-8% now. I am 5'10"

Meal 1:
2 whole eggs and 6 egg whites
4 large pancakes
2-3 strips bacon
Glass of 2% milk

Meal 2:
4 scoops Muscle Milk (any flavor)
16oz milk
2tbsp flax oil

Meal 3:
*8oz lean ground beef with taco seasoning
*2 cups rice and bell peppers
Milk

Meal 4 PWO:
16oz grape juice
2 scoops whey protein
1 tbsp creatine
1 tbsp glutamine

Meal 5:
2 chicken breasts
8oz Pasta cooked in olive oil
Add broccoli and veggies to meal
Milk

Meal 6:
2 scoops Muscle Milk
8oz milk
2tbsp flax oil

 

[375Ranger]

MaxRep- One of the absolute best posts I have read! Time to get BACK to the basic's for some of us! PLease make this one a Sticky.

 

[Striated]

There is alot of respect to be had for those guys that can stick to clean bulking diet instead of most who go with fat boy off seson bulk. It is what seperates the dedicated from the guys that dont have what it takes to be a bodybuilder.