If you are a gym-goer, you must need stages called amplification and drying. What is amplification? What is drying? Are there pros and cons to these two stages? What foods are recommended, and what are the limits required to be consumed in both cases? What exercises are associated with each of them? Is there a specific limit at which one should stop?

This article reveals the ins and outs of the bulking and drying process, including some pros, cons, and recommendations for implementing it.

Let's start by learning about amplification!

What is Bulking?

Inflating, my dear, is eating food with a strategic surplus of calories. This means that you will bulge, because you are eating more calories than you burn. Why would you do that? So you gain weight, primarily due to focusing on increasing muscle mass.

Combining hypertrophy with high-intensity resistance training often results in enhanced muscle building and strength gains.

You can do this in a strictly supervised manner, or within a targeted program, until you achieve the goal of eating more calories than you burn to promote muscle gains.

Now we move on to cutting.

What is Cutting?

It's time to learn about cutting, which is the process of eating while reducing calories in your food as a way to lose body fat while maintaining as much muscle mass as possible.

Muscles are a common factor between the two phases, but the method differs. There is no doubt that resistance training continues to play a role during the drying phase, but you may not be able to lift weights with the same intensity that you can lift during bulking.

Female bodybuilders and athletes often perform the drying phase after the bulking phase, or before the start of the official competition or competition.

How to Start Bulking?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. When starting out, the first step is to determine the calories your body needs to maintain your weight (how many calories you need to maintain your weight). Various online calculators can help you estimate this number. For example, an average-sized woman weighing 135 pounds (61 kg) may add about 200-400 calories.
2. Amplification requires you to eat protein daily in the amount of 0.7-1 gram per pound of body weight (1.6-2.2 grams per kg) to support muscle mass, and it is okay for the rest of the daily calories to consist of carbohydrates and fats, although this depends on your preferences. Some It benefits from tracking daily food consumption using one of the many smartphone applications.
3. It is necessary to weigh your body regularly to monitor your progress. You should increase your weight by 0.25-0.5% of your body weight weekly.
4. If the number on the scale doesn't change within two weeks, gradually increase your weekly calorie intake by 100-200 calories. Female trainees typically benefit from pairing their upper body with high-intensity resistance training to maximize muscle gains.

The bulking phase can last anywhere from 1 month to over 6 months or more, depending on your goals.

How to Start Cutting?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. To start the cutting process, it is also useful to determine the calories you need to be safe, or the number of calories you need to eat daily to maintain your weight.
2. Here, instead of adding calories, you will subtract a certain number of calories each day. In other words, you will eat foods with fewer calories than you need to maintain your body weight, and this will help stimulate fat loss.
3. An average-weight, active woman needs about 2,000 calories, however calorie needs to maintain weight can vary greatly due to body size, genetics, and activity level.
4. To stimulate weight loss, a general rule of thumb is to consume 500 calories less than your body's required amount. While it has traditionally been thought that this would help you lose approximately 1 pound (00.45 kg) per week, actual weight loss varies between people and may change. by the time.
5. Research suggests that a gradual weight loss of 0.5-1% per week may be best for increasing muscle building, and to help maintain muscle mass, it is best to keep your protein intake fairly high at 0.6-1.4 grams per pound (1.4- 3.1 grams per kg) of body weight and continue doing resistance training.
6. In addition to gradually restricting calories through diet, the cutting phase usually includes some form of cardio exercise or step count (walking) to provide additional calorie burning and fat loss.

In general, this stage usually lasts from 2 to 4 months, provided that the drying program is adhered to for the least possible amount of time that enables you to achieve your goals, in order to preserve your muscle mass.

Pros and Cons of Bulking and Cutting

It is beneficial to combine both bulking and cutting with a proper resistance training program, however there will be some downsides that you should be aware of. Let's start by talking about:

Pros and Cons of Bulking

1. It promotes muscle gain, but on the other hand, it may lead to fat gain.
2. Increased general strength, on the other hand can affect blood values.
3. Increased bone density, on the other hand,  may make you feel sluggish.
4. Allows effective recovery from exercise, and can reduce insulin sensitivity.
5. It promotes healthy sexual desire, on the other hand, it may reduce the quality of athletic performance.

Pros and Cons of Cutting

1. Promotes fat loss, and slight muscle loss is common.
2. You may find that it improves the appearance of your muscles, and it can reduce some sex hormones and libido.
3. It may raise your blood values, but you may feel hungry.
4. It can increase insulin sensitivity, but it can reduce bone density.
5. It allows for better athletic movement and therefore may affect the quality of sleep.

Food Effect on Bulking and Cutting

Some foods may help increase size, and others may help reduce size. Let us learn about them and start with the foods suitable for the inflation stage.

As we enter the bulking phase, it is best to focus on foods that are high in nutrients and calorie content to promote rapid muscle and strength gains.

In general, stay away from high-calorie processed foods. Some people may eat them in large quantities, as excess fat is not a concern for them. However, this is not recommended.

Foods for Bulking 

Lean Protein

• Beef
• Chicken
• fish
• Turkey
• Greek yogurt
• Cottage cheese
• Low-fat cheese
• Protein powders
• Tofu
• Tempeh
• eggs

Healthy Fats

• olive oil
• Avocado
• Nuts
• Nut butter
• Fatty fish
• Seeds such as chia seeds, hemp seeds, and flax seeds

Legumes

All types of beans, including garbanzos, navy beans, black beans, and great northern beans.

High-quality carbohydrates:

• Oats
• Quinoa
• Pasta made from whole grains
• Rice cakes
• Breakfast Cereal
• White and sweet potatoes
• White and brown rice

Fruits

Non-starchy vegetables

• Pepper
• Asparagus
• Green Beans
• Mushrooms
• Onions
• tomatoes
• Courgettes
• carrots
• Celery

Cruciferous vegetables

• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage

Dark leafy vegetables

• Spinach
• Swiss chard
• Cabbage
• Turnip

Drinks

• water
• Soda
• Diet soda
• Tea
• Coffee
• Kombucha
• 100% fruit juice

Incidental foods

• Pizza
• Regular pasta
• baked goods
• Full fat cheese
• High-sugar breakfast cereals
• Fried meat.

Foods to Avoid during Bulking

Highly processed foods

• Fried foods
• Potato Chips
• Fast food
• Full fat ice cream
• In addition to processed meats such as sausage, salami and pate.

Saturated fat

• Ghee
• Some oils

Drinks

• Soft drinks
• Sweetened coffee
• Sweet tea
• Lemonade
• Other sugary drinks

Foods for Cutting

When you are drying, your focus should be on eating foods that are high in nutrients and low in calories. This will support gradual weight loss and muscle preservation.

You will notice that some of the foods designated for the drying phase are similar to those designated for the bulking phase. The difference lies largely in the amount of these foods consumed. Let us learn about them, my dear:

• Lean Protein

Chicken breast, lean ground turkey, lean cuts of beef, fish, firm tofu, high-protein plant-based meat substitutes, low-fat cottage cheese, low-fat cottage cheese, and eggs and egg whites.

• Healthy Fats Limited

Olive oil, avocado, nuts, nut butters, and seeds.

• Legumes

All types of beans, including garbanzo beans, navy and black beans, and great northern beans.

• Fibrous carbohydrates

Brown rice, quinoa, sweet potatoes, whole-grain pasta, oats, low-sugar cereals, rice cakes, and quinoa.

• Low-sugar fruits

Apples, pears, peaches, raspberries, watermelon, grapefruit, oranges, figs, kiwi, and peaches.

• Non-starchy vegetables

Asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, green beans, cauliflower, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, cabbage, zucchini, carrots, peppers, and celery.

• Dark leafy greens

Spinach, Swiss chard, kale, and kale.

• Drinks

Water, sugar-free flavored sparkling water, mineral water, and unsweetened coffee and tea.

Foods to Avoid during Cutting

• High-calorie foods

Pizza, fried foods, creamy pasta sauce, gyros, fast food, ice cream, baked goods, and some casseroles.

• High-fat proteins

Fatty cuts of beef, regular ground chicken and turkey, bacon, chicken wings and thighs, and fatty fish.

• Sugar-sweetened beverages

Soft drinks, iced tea, lemonade, nectar, juices, sweetened coffee and tea.

• Processed foods

Most packaged frozen meals, chips, ham, pate, salami, packaged cakes and cakes, and packaged ramen noodles.

Bulking and Cutting Tips

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When deciding whether bulking or drying is right for you, consider your starting point and long-term goals.

If you're new  to exercise and dieting, it may be best to start by improving your food choices and slowly increasing the intensity of your exercise before bulking up or cutting back.

Once you have developed good eating and exercise practices, you can consider whether bulking or drying is right for you. For individual guidance, consult a specialist dietitian.

Can We Do Bulking and Cutting at the Same Time?

In certain cases, some people may want to gain muscle while losing fat. People call this process body recomposition.

While this may seem achievable in theory, it is generally only possible in a few cases:

• If you are a beginner in training.
• If you are overweight or obese and have a large amount of body fat.
• If you use steroids.
• Athletes who have done a lot of training find it difficult to build muscle efficiently and lose fat at the same time.

The Way to Get the Best Results of Bulking and Cutting

• To optimize the results of bulking and drying, it may be best to alternate them in cycles, for example, if you are initially looking to increase muscle size and strength, you may want to start with a period of bulking.
• During that time period, although you may have gained a significant amount of muscle, you may have also gained some fat in the process.
• At this point, you can begin a period of toning to lose the excess fat you have gained while maintaining the new muscle you have built.
• In theory, this method of cycling will allow you to gradually gain muscle while preventing you from gaining excess fat.
• Usually people bulk up for a certain period of time followed by a drying period to reduce excess fat. Most people with training experience find it difficult to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time.

Bulking Exercises

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When it comes to gaining weight, food is only part of the battle. Consuming enough calories and protein is important, but if you want to gain hard muscle instead of fat, you need to supplement your diet with the right exercise program.

How do muscles grow?

To bulk up your muscles, you need to put enough pressure on them to cause small tears in the protein strands in your muscles.  This is known as myofibrils, which happens during resistance exercises like squats and deadlifts. During the rest period after exercise, your muscle cells repair themselves.

This is done by creating new protein strands that fuse together and gradually form new layers of muscle, this is known as hypertrophy.

This is when your diet comes into play, as you need to eat enough protein, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals to enable your immune system to repair muscles quickly, and this is also the reason why those exercises can be painful the next day, because your muscles are actively regenerating.

Five main exercises are particularly effective in blocking: squat, deadlift, military press, bent-over row, and bench press.

These are known as compound exercises, because they train several different joints and muscle groups at once, and aim to do about four sets of each of the following exercises. When bulking up, the repetition range will be between 8-12 repetitions for each set, as this range is considered the best. To inflate muscles.

First: Squad

This popular move targets almost every major muscle group in your body but is well known for adding mass and definition to your thighs, hips, and buttocks.

Steps:

1- Stand straight with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart.

2- While keeping your spine straight and your buttocks prominent, bend your knees until your thighs are parallel to the ground, then dip them slightly.

3- It is important to keep your spine straight and not bend forward, which will transfer pressure to your knees and lower back instead of pressure on your leg muscles and buttocks.

4-Weighted squat is when you carry free weights or an Olympic bar on your shoulders.

Second: Deadlift

Basic deadlifts simply involve lifting a heavy Olympic-weight barbell off the ground and placing it back down.

Steps:

1- When the bar is at your feet, bend your knees so that your butt sticks out, and hold the bar with both hands about shoulder-width apart.

2- Make sure you keep your spine straight.

3- In one controlled movement, stand up straight and raise the bar to rest slightly below hip level, then bend your knees again and return the bar to the floor.

4- Look forward throughout the exercise, not up at the ceiling or down at the floor.

Third: Military press exercise

This movement addresses the muscles of the upper body and core.

Steps:

1- Hold the weighted Olympic bar at your upper chest with your hands slightly more than shoulder width apart, before raising it above your head and extending your arms fully.

2-While raising the bar above your head, your elbows should be in line with your wrists, you should have a straight spine, and your head should be facing forward.

3- Your legs and hips should not move during this, which means your upper body has full control of the weight.

Fourth: Row bending exercise

This exercise uses a loaded Olympic bar to work the major muscles in your back.

Steps:

1- Stand in front of your bar with your feet shoulder-width apart.

2- Bend your knees and use your abdominal muscles to bend forward, while keeping your back straight.

3- Hold the bar a little wider than shoulder width.

4- With the force coming from your shoulders, pull the weight up toward your chest, straightening slightly, but not completely, as if you were rowing a boat.

5- Then, in a controlled motion, return the tape to its original position.

Fifth: Bench press exercise

The bench press is probably the most famous exercise, as it trains your chest, shoulders, and arms with the help of a weighted Olympic bar raised above your body. This is done while lying on a bench, which is a low, padded table specially designed for lifting weights, and through the following steps:

1- Lie on the bench on your back, with your feet flat on the floor.

2- The weight rack will be above your head.

3- Once you hold the bar, lower it to your chest until it gently touches, then push it up until your arms are straight.

4- Do not arch your back – keep your butt on the seat at all times.

Cutting Exercises

It is important to exercise while drying so that you can maintain as much strength and muscle mass as possible. Focusing on lifting weights instead of cardio will help prevent muscle loss during the drying process and can also help build muscle mass!

Eating enough protein will also help maintain and build muscle mass during injuries, because it provides your muscles with the essential elements needed to repair and rebuild themselves. Aim to consume at least one gram of protein per pound of body weight.

– Exercise breaks down muscle, and eating enough protein throughout the cutting phase provides your muscles with the essential elements needed to repair and rebuild themselves,  – Without enough protein on the cut, the body can break down muscle instead of fat.

You can exercise through a special nutritional program for both the bulking and drying stages. Following this plan according to a program studied by a specialized expert will enable you to reach your goals, whether in increasing and enlarging muscles or in drying fat and maintaining muscle maintenance. Stay well.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bulking and Cutting

How long does drying take?

Bodybuilders follow a muscle drying system for a period ranging from two to four months.

How do I know when to bulk up and when to dry out?

If the fat percentage is 15% or more (20% for girls), then drying is your ideal goal, but if it is in the range of 10-12%, focus on bulking up.

When do muscles appear for beginners?

Beginners can notice up to 2 and a half pounds of muscle per month.

Written by: Hasan Babi

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