The Fatal Error Of Bulking Too Slowly

Summary

Dr. Mike from Renaissance Periodization discusses the concept of bulking, focusing on the risks of bulking too slowly versus too quickly. He explains that while rapid bulking can lead to excessive fat gain, bulking too slowly may result in negligible muscle growth, making it difficult to assess progress due to statistical noise like water weight fluctuations. Dr. Mike advocates for a moderate approach, suggesting a daily caloric surplus of at least 250 calories to ensure muscle gain, with any resulting fat being easily manageable through a short mini-cut phase.

Takeaways

• 😀 Bulking too quickly can lead to disproportionate fat gain compared to muscle, which may not be worth it.
• 😅 Slow bulking can be problematic as it's hard to discern actual weight gain from water weight fluctuations.
• 😓 A caloric surplus of less than 250 calories may not be enough for effective muscle gain, often leading to slow or no progress.
• 😥 If bulking too slowly, the statistical noise from water weight can mask the actual tissue gain, making it difficult to measure progress.
• 🤔 A slow bulking rate can waste valuable training time, as the body might not be in a true surplus state for muscle growth.
• 🏋️‍♂️ Training fatigue is inevitable with prolonged hard training, suggesting the need for breaks or mini cuts to reset and reassess.
• 📉 A mini cut after a bulking phase can help in shedding excess fat and reinvigorating the body and mind for the next phase of training.
• 💡 A higher caloric surplus (at least 250 calories) is recommended for a clear signal of muscle gain and to avoid the noise of water weight.
• 🚫 Bulking too slowly can lead to a cycle of uncertainty and potential inactivity, as it's challenging to confirm if you're truly in a surplus state.
• 🤷‍♂️ Even with a higher fat gain during a more aggressive bulk, the excess fat can be easily lost post-bulk with a short diet, making it a worthwhile trade-off.
• 🔄 The script suggests a balance between bulking rates and the ease of shedding fat post-bulk, advocating for a moderate approach to maximize muscle gain with minimal fat accumulation.

Q & A

What is the main issue with bulking too quickly according to the script?

Bulking too quickly generally results in gaining fat at a faster rate than muscle. This can lead to disproportionate fat gain, making the muscle gain not seem worth it, and can negatively impact health and training performance.

What are the potential problems of bulking too slowly as outlined in the script?

Bulking too slowly can lead to difficulties in accurately measuring progress, with the risk of gaining mostly water weight instead of muscle. It can also result in wasted training time if the caloric surplus is too low to stimulate muscle growth effectively.

What is the recommended minimum rate of weight gain during a bulking phase as suggested in the script?

The script suggests a minimum rate of half a pound per week as a decent gain rate for most people, with a caloric surplus of at least 250 calories above maintenance.

Why might someone struggle to determine if they are gaining weight during a slow bulking phase?

The struggle arises from the statistical noise caused by factors like water weight fluctuations, which can mask the actual tissue gain, making it difficult to discern real progress from temporary changes.

What is the 'Mike's rule of muscle gainery number 378' as mentioned in the script?

Mike's rule of muscle gainery number 378 states that if you have to use advanced statistical techniques to tell if you're putting on weight after two weeks of lifting and eating, you're probably gaining too slowly.

How does the script address the concern of gaining extra fat during a bulking phase?

The script argues that while extra fat will be gained during a bulking phase, it is typically a small amount that can be easily lost after the bulking phase through a mini cut, making the overall process worthwhile.

What is the purpose of a mini cut after a massing phase as described in the script?

A mini cut serves to lose the extra fat gained during the bulking phase, reinvigorate hunger drive, provide a break from the monotony of eating at a surplus, and ensure that the gains made were indeed tissue and not just water weight.

How does the script suggest dealing with the potential increase in metabolism during a long-term bulking phase?

The script implies that adjustments to caloric intake may be necessary to account for any increases in metabolism, ensuring that the surplus remains effective for muscle gain.

What are some factors that can affect the accuracy of measuring weight gain during a bulking phase as mentioned in the script?

Factors such as changes in physical activity levels, seasonal humidity variations, and the body's adaptation to new dietary intakes can affect the accuracy of weight gain measurements during a bulking phase.

What is the script's stance on the trade-off between gaining extra fat and the benefits of a higher caloric surplus during a bulking phase?

The script suggests that the benefits of a higher caloric surplus, which include a clearer signal of tissue gain and less time spent in uncertainty, outweigh the need to lose a small amount of extra fat after the bulking phase.

How does the script recommend incorporating training breaks during a long-term muscle gain phase?

The script recommends incorporating training breaks, potentially in the form of mini cuts, to manage training fatigue and ensure that the muscle gain phase is productive and maintains a clear signal of progress.

Outlines

00:00

🏋️‍♂️ The Pitfalls of Slow Bulking

Dr. Mike discusses the common mistake of bulking too slowly during a massing phase. He explains that while bulking too quickly can lead to excessive fat gain, bulking too slowly can result in negligible muscle growth. He suggests that a caloric surplus of at least 250 calories above maintenance is necessary to ensure noticeable weight gain, otherwise the gains might be too slow to measure accurately. This can lead to frustration and the potential waste of valuable training time. Dr. Mike emphasizes the importance of a clear signal-to-noise ratio in tracking progress and the use of statistical techniques to discern true gains from water weight fluctuations.

05:00

🔍 Analyzing the Consequences of Inadequate Caloric Surplus

This paragraph delves into the consequences of not consuming enough calories during a bulking phase. Dr. Mike highlights how a small caloric surplus might not be enough to see tangible results, leading to potential confusion between water weight and tissue gain. He mentions the possibility of metabolic adaptation, increased activity levels, and seasonal changes affecting body water, which can all obscure the actual weight gain. The summary underscores the importance of a sufficient caloric surplus for clear progress and the challenges of maintaining a slow bulking pace over an extended period.

10:02

🚀 Balancing Bulking Speed with Fat Gain

Dr. Mike addresses the balance between bulking speed and fat gain, advocating for a moderate approach that ensures measurable progress without excessive fat accumulation. He argues that a slight increase in fat gain is acceptable if it guarantees consistent muscle growth, as the additional fat can be easily lost post-bulking. The summary points out the benefits of a mini-cut after a bulking phase for reassessing diet and training, as well as the importance of considering the overall time and effort required to achieve and maintain muscle mass.

Keywords

💡Bulking

Bulking refers to the process of intentionally gaining weight, typically through a combination of increased caloric intake and resistance training, with the goal of increasing muscle mass. In the video, Dr. Mike discusses the pitfalls of both bulking too quickly and too slowly, emphasizing the importance of a balanced approach to ensure muscle gain rather than excessive fat gain. The script mentions that bulking too quickly can lead to disproportionate fat gain, while bulking too slowly might not provide a clear signal of muscle growth due to measurement errors.

💡Caloric Surplus

A caloric surplus is a condition where an individual consumes more calories than they expend, which is necessary for weight gain and muscle growth during a bulking phase. The video script explains that a surplus of around 250-500 daily calories is recommended for effective bulking, as it allows for noticeable weight gain without excessive fat accumulation. Dr. Mike warns against setting the surplus too low, which can lead to slow or non-existent gains that are hard to measure accurately.

💡Muscle Gain

Muscle gain is the increase in muscle mass that results from resistance training and a positive caloric balance. The video emphasizes the goal of bulking, which is to maximize muscle gain while minimizing fat gain. Dr. Mike discusses how bulking too slowly can make it difficult to discern actual muscle gain from water weight fluctuations, thus making it challenging to assess the effectiveness of one's bulking strategy.

💡Fat Gain

Fat gain is the accumulation of body fat that can occur during a bulking phase if the caloric surplus is not managed properly. The script points out that while some fat gain is inevitable during bulking, the aim should be to keep it to a minimum. Dr. Mike argues that the fat gained during a well-executed bulking phase can be easily lost post-bulk through a short diet, making the temporary fat gain a worthwhile trade-off for significant muscle gain.

💡Measurement Error

Measurement error refers to the inaccuracies that can occur when trying to measure small changes in body weight or composition, especially when the changes are close to the margin of error of the measuring tools or methods. In the context of the video, Dr. Mike explains that bulking too slowly can result in gains that are within the range of measurement error, making it difficult to determine if the weight gained is muscle or simply water weight.

💡Training Shape

Training shape, or being 'in shape,' refers to the level of physical fitness and conditioning that allows an individual to perform exercises effectively and without excessive fatigue. The video mentions that bulking too quickly can lead to a decrease in training shape due to excessive weight gain, which can hinder performance and make it difficult to continue progressing in one's workouts.

💡Maintenance Calories

Maintenance calories are the number of calories an individual needs to consume to maintain their current body weight without gaining or losing. The script discusses how estimating maintenance calories accurately is crucial for setting an effective caloric surplus. If the estimated maintenance is too low, the actual surplus might be higher than intended, leading to more fat gain than desired.

💡Statistical Noise

Statistical noise refers to random fluctuations or variations in data that can obscure the underlying trends or signals. In the video, Dr. Mike uses this term to describe the fluctuations in body weight that can make it difficult to determine if actual muscle or fat gain is occurring, especially when the gains are small and the surplus is set too low.

💡Mini Cut

A mini cut is a short-term, controlled period of caloric deficit where an individual reduces their calorie intake to lose body fat. The video suggests that after a bulking phase, a mini cut can be beneficial to shed the excess fat gained and to reset one's body composition. This period also serves as a break from the continuous caloric surplus, allowing for a renewed approach to training and nutrition.

💡Training Fatigue

Training fatigue refers to the physical and mental exhaustion that can accumulate from prolonged periods of intense exercise without adequate rest or recovery. The script mentions that taking breaks from hard training, such as during a mini cut, can help manage training fatigue and prevent overtraining, which is essential for maintaining progress and avoiding injury.

Highlights

The downsides of bulking too quickly include gaining fat faster than muscle growth, which can lead to health issues and decreased training performance.

Bulking too slowly can result in not being able to discern actual weight gain from water weight fluctuations due to dietary changes.

A caloric surplus of less than 250-500 calories per day may lead to ineffective bulking, as it's challenging to measure tissue gain accurately.

Advanced statistical techniques can be employed to analyze weight gain data but may not be practical for everyday use.

The importance of a clear signal-to-noise ratio in weight gain measurement to ensure effective bulking is emphasized.

A minimum caloric surplus of 250 kcal is suggested to ensure noticeable weight gain within one to two weeks.

The potential for training fatigue to accumulate over long periods of intense training, necessitating breaks for recovery.

The benefits of a mini cut after a bulking phase to lose fat and reinvigorate hunger drive, as well as providing a break from surplus eating.

The argument that the extra fat gained during a faster bulking phase can be easily lost post-bulking and is worth the trade-off for guaranteed gains.

The comparison between the cost of extra fat gained and the time saved in achieving muscle gains, suggesting it may be a worthwhile investment.

The potential for metabolism to increase slightly during a bulking phase, affecting the efficiency of caloric surplus.

The impact of increased physical activity on the ability to maintain a caloric surplus and the challenges it presents for slow bulking.

The influence of seasonal changes and humidity on body water storage and its effect on accurate weight measurement.

The recommendation to reassess caloric intake and adjust as necessary to ensure continued weight gain during a bulking phase.

The distinction between bulking, preparatory hypertrophy, and body recomposition, and the importance of understanding the goals of each.

The potential for a slow bulking phase to lead to a prolonged period of ineffective training due to an inability to measure progress accurately.

The importance of a clear and measurable goal for weight gain during a bulking phase to avoid the pitfalls of slow bulking.

The suggestion to consider the overall benefits of a faster bulking phase, including the ease of losing extra fat post-bulking, against the drawbacks.

The advice for those aiming for slow and steady gains to reconsider their approach to ensure they are truly in a surplus and making progress.

Transcripts

when people say I don't want to gain

extra fat in a massing phase the

question has to be asked of how much fat

is going to be gained and how much time

and effort is it going to take us to get

rid of that

[Music]

fat hey folks Dr Mike here for

Renaissance priorization and are you

bulking too slowly uh-oh another mistake

you could be making time to get nervous

JK we got all the resolution right here

so we know about bulking too quickly

most of us know the downsides from that

but what the hell is wrong with bulking

to slowly what does that even mean can

we get some definitions all right fine

here you go so bulking too quickly

generally results in getting fatter a

lot faster your body can only build

muscle at some rate anything much above

that doesn't really drag up the muscle

growth much and it's just extra fat

Studies have shown that if you bulk at a

pretty quick rate faster than most would

recommend that you actually end up

gaining more muscle as well but but big

butt is that you gain a lot more fat

disproportionately more fat so the

muscle gain just might not seem to be

worth it if you're bulking way too

quickly you also get fat really fast

gain a ton of weight you get out of

training shape you're now gasping on

squats and leg presses your muscles

aren't the limiting factor as your lungs

are that's no good because you can't

push the muscles as hard it's bad for

your health to get fatter and heavier

than you need to be so bucking too

quickly definitely suffers from a lot of

problems but that doesn't mean that Bing

too slowly isn't also a problem in its

own right what is bulking too slowly I

would tell you it's categorized as one

of two things one leading to the other

in many cases the most proximate way to

categorize bulking to slowly is if

you've been bulking quote unquote for

two weeks and you can't tell if you're

gaining weight your bulk is too

slow I think this occurs in most cases

when the caloric Surplus a person is

trying to induce is under about 250 50

daily calories extra on top of normal

food which is about half a pound per

week in estimated tissue gain so if

you're trying to gain like a pound per

month quarter pound per week you might

get yourself into some

problems what kind of problems well

imagine you're shooting for a quar pound

of gain per week which is roughly a

125 calorie daily

Surplus after a month let's say you

gained a pound

okay is that a pound of tissue gain or

is that a pound of water weight because

you had Chinese food one or two more

times more often this past month than

you usually have the influx of salt got

you bloated above 5 pounds above

Baseline then it came down then it went

again four pounds above Baseline then it

came down and those raisings of the

Baseline uh multiple pounds introduce so

much statistical noise that it ends up

looking like you gained a pound of

tissue but really it's just all water

weight you could hypothetically in that

situation do some Advanced statistical

treatment of your data to try to piece

apart whether or not it's a slow

underlying gain rate there or if it's

just all body water and that's the only

thing that happened you could do that um

but inter Mike's rule of uh muscle gain

fuckery number

378 which is if you have to use Advanced

statistical techniques to tell if you're

putting on weight after 2 weeks of

lifting and eating you're probably

gaining too slowly and we're going to

see in a sec that you're probably

candidate for other kinds of problems

what are the advanced statistical

techniques you can do outlier removal

which isn't of itself a value judgment

process because what is an outlier and

what isn't an outlier has to be

objectively decided beforehand it's a

lot of work a lot of nuance there you

could try to fit a polinomial curve to

your data because a linear curve justes

just doesn't quite do the trick Jesus

like you're really trying to figure out

if something's going on then there's a

good chance you're kind of in the weeds

there you're in the place where the

signal of muscle gain or tissue gain

isn't high enough to overcome the noise

and that's a bad thing and let me

describe to you how so let's say

you in two weeks you figure out okay

I've run the stats or I've looked at my

curve of body weight gain I take my body

weight every day and I average it all

out and it looks like the real thing is

I didn't actually gain it was just body

water cuz remember surpluses are always

estimated maintenances are always

estimated you thought your maintenance

was 3,000 calories and you ate

3,125 calories to try to gain at a

quarter pound per week but in reality

your true maintenance was more like 3100

calories something you would with almost

no amount of data analysis in the real

world be able to tell apart anyway and

all of a sudden you've been at a 25

calorie per day Surplus which amounts to

almost no weight gained in any realistic

unit of time certainly the order of

weeks so the realistic situation you're

in now is you've kind of in a sense in a

sense pissed away two really good weeks

of hard training and meticulous eating

on not adding any net tissue that kind

of sucks now there's tons of stuff

happening under the hood there's

Preparatory hypertrophy for beginners

and people just starting another program

or Diet there's uh body recomposition in

which you do some muscle building while

you're doing some fat loss but what you

are doing is not bulking and you're not

getting the main benefits of the bulk

specifically the mass additions of raw

tissue which is the whole purpose of a

bulk so for two weeks you thought you

were bulking and you really

weren't and look there is an argument

that says it's okay no big deal it's

part of the process it's the long-term

view we can fix it by eating a little

bit more and then by reassessing just

add another 125 calories to that shit

reassess but other things can also Al

happen in an Ideal World you didn't gain

for two weeks you add them in calories

and then you start gaining everything's

fixed in the real world there's still a

couple of stumbling blocks that could

occur right away or later down in this

let's say year-long attempt at gaining

12 pounds over over a whole year or six

pounds over a whole year which I've seen

people try to

do potentially your metabolism speeds up

a little bit just by a small fraction

let's say you're recovering from being

in a lowfat hyper dieted State your

metab ISM doesn't boost by much but sure

shit enough to get a big chunk of that

125 calories turn it into maintenance

versus Surplus calories now or you get

more active at work or at school with

play and you're not exactly tracking

your steps to the step and that means

you're just a bit more active now and

all of a sudden you're burning away that

tiny Surplus with extra physical

activity or the humidity changes with

the seasons and where you live how much

body water your store changes for a few

weeks as your body gets used to the new

humidity and that screws up the scale

weight that you stand on not by much but

by fractions of a pound fractions of a

pound is what you're dealing with here

gaining so slow and that means all of

the statistical noise is in tall enough

in magnitude as your actual changes

under the hood and as a matter of fact

taller so then you're back to not

knowing if you're gaining or not

potentially for two four or even six

weeks at a time you don't really know if

you're at a surplus because the of the

Surplus is insurmountable to the

statistical noise you want the

statistical noise fence to be short

enough that you can Peak over it and see

if your actual gains are

occurring now let's say you took the

advice here and said okay 250 K Cal

minimum is what we're saying at RP is a

minimum decent gain rate in most

circumstances not all half a pound per

week shot is the minimum of where we say

okay we're not doing any less than this

G gain rate wise I'm going to try to do

this if first you win because it's much

easier to tell if you're gaining or not

within one or two weeks you can set your

Surplus and Coast for another 12 or 16

no problem guaranteed gains because it's

clear on the scale it's definitely not

noise but what's the big downside of

that and the downside is you'll put on

more fat and that's absolutely true if

you try to gain a bit more rapidly

you'll put on a bit more fat so if you

try to gain at a quarter pound per week

versus half you will put on more fat

each week if you try gain with

half but let's put that into perspective

how much fat are you really looking to

gain let's say that you do a 16 we

straight muscle gain phase half a pound

per week means you gain 8 pounds total

over the course of those 16 weeks or

four months 8 pounds gained and let's

say you gain six pounds of fat and 2

pounds of muscle depressing but very

realistic even for intermediate to

Advanced folks beginners will gain much

faster than this they'll gain very

little fat they'll gain maybe uh geez

six pound of muscle and 2 pounds of fat

but let's say it's even as bad and I

wanted to purposefully use a bad example

here to illustrate how how big of a

birth the half pound thing actually

covers you put on two pounds of muscle

and six pounds of fat so at the end of

that you have to burn off six pounds of

fat how big of a deal is six pounds of

fat well it's something that will

disappear off of your body in at most

four weeks of something like a mini cut

that is done after a massing phase

anyway

so another good thing about the mini cut

is four weeks away from eating a ton can

reinvigorate your hunger drive and it

can give you a break from the monotony

of having to eat at Surplus all the time

those are good check marks anyway it's

good to switch to a hypocaloric diet to

get leaner and healthier anyway and if

we're talking about having to burn off 6

lbs in 4 weeks because there's so many

anyway good reasons to do that little

fat loss thing that takes four weeks

long there's no reason to be like oh man

but that's four weeks in which I'm not

gaining true but juxtaposed to 16 weeks

beforehand in which you're for sure

gaining it seems like it's really really

worth it because when we say well it's

just going to cost us extra fat that's

true but it's good to ask how much fat

and the answer is just not that much if

we go slow something that you can diet

off real quick no problem it's like is

paying money for something worth extra

money depends on what you're paying for

and what you're getting out of it if

someone says hey look don't take the

toll road just take the regular Road

your question should be twofold one how

much does the toll road cost and two how

much time does it take off of our

journey if the toll road is 25 cents and

it saves us three hours in traffic are

you fucking kidding me of course I'm

paying the money to get on that toll

road if it's $10 and it saves us five

minutes fuck that I'm not made of money

well people say I don't want to gain

extra fat in a massing phase the

question has to be asked of how much fat

is going to be gained and how much time

and effort is it going to take us to get

rid of that fat when the answer to the

second two questions is very short time

that we need for other things anyway we

can't just continually muscle gain and

two it's actually just not that much

time and uh it's very easy to do then

all of a sudden they gaining extra fat

to ensure that we're at a caloric

Surplus to know that pretty much every

week of our proceeding muscle gain phase

was spent doing the right thing instead

of being like I sure hope I'm at a

surplus that is probably worth it it's

like buying a $200 phone to have GPS in

it to tell you you're for sure going in

the right direction now you could be

$200 richer you just threw that phone

away sold the phone to $200 got $200 of

money started going your car again and

be like I think I'm going the right way

it sure looks like I'm headed into the

city of New York but this could be like

I'm headed into like part of New Jersey

and I just don't know I threw away that

guarantee of going in the right

direction so I could be $200 richer got

to give it some thought and another

thing is this the there's another

compelling reason why you should take a

break from training super hard and do a

little mini diet potentially after 16 or

20 weeks of muscle gain phase and the

compelling reason is this training

fatigue adds up anyway I don't know

anyone who can train really really hard

that's not a purely new beginner for 16

to 20 weeks straight you need a training

break whether it be two weeks long or

four weeks long or even 6 weeks long

some kind of break needs to happen you

can have a 4-week long break from hard

training during which you train just at

maintenance lose some fat that's what a

mini cut is and then get back to a

muscle gain so to the people that say

well you know I want to gain six pounds

over the course of the year I want to

bulk the whole year you're going to

train hard the whole year no you're not

you can't and if you think you can

you're not training hard enough so

you're going to need some training

breaks in there anyway why not just take

those training breaks add two weeks to

them drop the calories down a bit lose a

little bit of body fat for the guarantee

that your actual surpluses are real

surpluses every week month and half year

at a time as opposed to being in a quote

unquote pretend Surplus hopefully

Surplus and then figuring out a month or

six weeks in that you're like actually

seemingly haven't gained any real

measurable sizable tissue and it turns

out the last six weeks of training

although we're good we're just not

nearly as productive as I needed them to

be

so in order to get a clear signal to

noise ratio to see if you're really on

the right path to guaranteed gains with

tissue accretion a bit of extra fat that

comes off real easy in the end in my

view is in most cases worth it and it

becomes worth it at that 250 C kilo

calorie Surplus half a pound per week

and more to gain but half pound to a

pound is a really great goal for most

people under half a pound per week

something like a quarter pound per week

as a gaining goal suffers from a problem

of measurement error where we can't

discriminate as to what is really

Surplus and what isn't and we have this

really decent chance of just treading

water for a while so don't bulk too

slowly give this some thought if you

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