Is Bulking REALLY Dead? (ft. Dr Eric Helms)

[@Darknight526]

27:29 for the TL;DW. Essentially the more untrained you are, the bigger the surplus you should use to get those extra gains. 10-20% surplus is great even if it's pure carbs/sugar. The more trained you are, the less the surplus i.e. 5-10%. So if you eat at 2500 calories at maintenance as an intermediate/advanced lifter, your bulk should be 125 - 250 calories so 2750 at the most. Try that out for a month and then you should use trial and error since that is where individualization matters the most. Also at 30:16 You can build muscle at a deficit, as long as the deficit is no more than 500 calories. This is more for trained individuals, if you're untrained you can make plenty gains in a huge deficit since you're untrained.

[@ComputerUser9277]

Thanks! And what's the definition of trained?

[@drinkinouttacups2665]

​@@ComputerUser9277 chugga chugga maxxing choo choo pilled

[@Darknight526]

@@ComputerUser9277 An Intermediate, so someone who gains progression on the main lifts on a biweekly/monthly progression. Linear progression won't work for you at this point anymore on the main lifts if you've been doing linear progression on the main lifts. You're out of the newbie phase and are now an intermediate.

[@PepeCoinMania]

No it’s not what he says Surplus is always a bad idea

[@JimCrowce]

I'm glad you broke this video down before I took a huge fat steaming shit all over it. Thanks.

[@XanderYTV]

These camera angles are bananas, man. Come on... It looks like a horror movie!

[@stenandersen836]

😂

[@user-lguqrux]

Appropriate tho... the idea that I have to stop bulking is horrifying. True terror in my eyes, over here.

[@Alexlinnk]

And it still looks better than dr mike vids

[@GrandShi]

Nightmare on Helms Street

[@craigskelly2812]

@@GrandShidude😂sooo good

[@bonsh928]

These camera angles make it seem like a weird tv skit

[@TheTykus]

True, but I like it for something different lol.

[@erickfernando18]

They are pretty good

[@ЛентяйЁпта]

It's the lighting

[@tkim90]

Tldr: small surplus if ur natty, mass bulking if ur enhanced or getting newbie gains

[@mike619]

Thankyou! Too many podcasts these days that can be summed up in one sentence

[@electricant55]

@@mike619actual sheep mentality

[@mike619]

@@electricant55🐑 “baaaaa, baaa”

[@tyler-path]

Amazing video! Crazy insightful

[@TurdBoi666]

Yo Tyler. Nice to see you here

[@iZenZation]

0:21 that special handshake was fire!

[@aplectic]

I agree--bring back 'gaintaining'! That's what I used to call it and then some guy named Greg messed it up and got it backwards. Alan Aragon is in agreement with this too.

[@rockyevans1584]

Semantics. Either way it's only good for borderline or obese folk and noobs

[@boyan1343]

More gaintaining than last time!

[@colintidwell8902]

More Dr Eric Helms!

[@Kounteron]

wait mr. stronger by science i must first finish the new RP video

[@hamudi4841]

this is more important than knees over toes guy

[@adamdavis4928]

​@@hamudi4841 Eric >= Mike

[@alic6958]

Eric over toes guy

[@Yupppi]

Ain't it funny to always cycle from one video to another on these different channels and you know that other people are watching pretty much the same list of videos?

[@rememberme3762]

@@Yupppi lol

[@thomasruckstuhl9980]

Lots of Mind Muscle Connection here 👌🏼

[@KiaOrion]

This was GOLD. Thank you 🙏

[@kidbrown2010]

32:15 - To be fair, dirty bulking is pretty much dead among IFBB pros themselves. It's a minority that get up to that percentage bodyfat, and a minority of BB coaches who would endorse it. If you look at the guess posings of today, most of these guys hover around 15-20%. Many with serratus lines and a visible six pack. As far as not needing to get obese goes, it's not a natty vs enhanced or lab science vs gym science thing.

[@LarsVader23]

That was amazing. Thanks gentlemen!

[@Fitsuuu]

I hit a bit of a wall at my 4th year of training, I moved to bulking/cutting and put on more muscle than I ever had before. With that said I don’t dirty bulk, I bulk at 1kg/month gained and cut at 1kg/week loss. I swear by this method, I’ve never felt stronger, healthier and fitter.

[@GotFaculty]

Lean bulking is great How long do you bulk for and cut for?

[@Fitsuuu]

@@GotFaculty I kinda just try to keep in the same clothes. So I'm a 34 waist and I cut until I could just fit into a 32 and bulk until I just need to go up to a 36. My last cut went down to 91kg and I've been bulking for 4 months, up to 95kg. I suspect this bulk will likely end at around 100kg making it a 9 month bulk. I'm hoping to then cut for 6 weeks down to 94 giving me a ~3kg lean mass gain in just over 10 months.

[@wilfriedvomacka1783]

​@@FitsuuuHaha, that's actualy a great idea to use clothes as a measuring tool. I have pants between 30 and 34 size and depending on whether I'm on bulk or cut I wear those that fit me. But it never came to my mind to bulk until pants 34 and then cut until pants 30. From now on, I will do it this way.

[@GotFaculty]

@@Fitsuuu awesome, cheers and good luck bro

[@joelzabik1341]

Yea, that's the obvious answer that everyone has known about for fucking years but people want to make to make it complicated or purposefully conflate dirty bulking and lean bulking as just "bulking" in general (i mean they are both bulking but people assume dirty bulk anytime bulking is brought up, even when clearly lean bulking is implied)

[@Darknight526]

6:49 2-3 year bulk, 6 month cut. Crazy, but a small surplus (for advanced lifters) I guess makes sense. Usually it would be 9 month bulk 3 month cut (for summer) but damn, you learn new things every day. Thank you Eric with this knowledge, and Pak for hosting this episode!

[@TheHighestNoon]

No fucking way I'm staying in a catabolic state for 6 months. I'll be sticking to 4-month-surplus, 2-month-deficit, tyvm.

[@Darknight526]

​@@TheHighestNoon On the Renaissance Periodization episode that Dr. Mike Israetel had with Dr. Eric Helms about bulking, he recommends a 4:1 bulk-to-cut ratio. Meaning for every 4 months of bulking, THEN you can cut for 1 month. 8 months of bulking for a 2-month cut. Again these are not my words, I'm just the messenger.

[@Shvabicu]

I prefer about a year of lean bulking and a really hard 6 week mini cut. 800+ kcal deficit.

[@davorzdralo8000]

​@@Shvabicuthe fuck, that would lose you a tone of muscle mass. Are you on steroids?

[@JuanManuel-nm1ch]

Loved the reference to Coach Greg 29:42🤣

[@thoreaurug2142]

Ohh thanks. I thought it was Voldemort 😁

[@troublemaker948]

lmao he did not want to mention greg

[@ianclark6947]

I was about to Google who it was but thought I'd look in the comments first. I thought it would've been about Paul Carter

[@anotherrabbithole]

The secret you came for: 13:03

[@StraitjacketFitness]

Bwaaah! 😄 I knew it! I knew it all along!

[@Agnes135]

thank you, closed the video after I heard this

[@tone3560]

That is tshirt worthy about the pizza

[@eduardohsb]

Thanks for the timestamp. I call bullshit on this study, though. Also, body recomposition is temporary and slow (so, basically, a waste of time)

[@tone3560]

@@eduardohsb so your taking steroids?

[@robotempire]

Thanks for breaking this down. The bulk/cut cycle never made sense to me as a casual lifter who is trying to just look good, not like a god. But it’s so deeply ingrained in gym culture, at least around me. But this really makes things clear to me.

[@OnTheFence_]

As a beginner in his first week of resistance training, im glad to hear my decision to try and bulk (i struggle to put on weight) was a good one, but im also glad to hear i wont have to bulk this hard forever. Great video!

[@jlol933]

Incredibly informative video. Thank you both.

[@cole_p_warren]

Main 3 take-aways: 1) TRUST THE BULK 2) Gotta eat big to get big C'MON (RIP RIch Piana) 3) Fatty liver disease never hurt nobody, that's just what it takes to WIN

[@punxsutawneyphil3944]

Thank you! 🍔🍟

[@fongh4108]

AHAH

[@stenandersen836]

What I wanted to hear. Processed foods are the best for bulking. Never seen gains on my biceps like with Burger King. My thought is that because vitamin C reduce inflammation after training and thus hypertrophy, inflammation must be great for bulking so the more inflammatory the food the more fucking gains. This also explains why Rich Piana was so yolked. Fucking cookies, the habit, pizza, and ben and jerry's is the keys to success. Piana keto is the way to go to lose weight while keeping muscles. Ice cream don't count as carbs.

[@punxsutawneyphil3944]

@@stenandersen836 Real talk!

[@naughtiousmaximus7853]

​@@stenandersen836Such complex way to say you got fat, lol.

[@CynicalWarlock]

Thank you for setting the record straight on maingaining vs gaintaining. "Maingaining" doesn't make any sense, as a term; if anything, it implies that this is the main way to gain, which muddies up the truth of what this process really is. Gaintaining is much better, since it implies you're maintaining.. but also kinda gaining.

[@rockyevans1584]

They're used with the same meaning, who cares. Noobs and fatty boom batties, that's who

[@sadiqabdulsobur5410]

Nice content. Can you cite papers mentioned in the video for those of us interested in following through.

[@jeremyjjbrown]

Eric Helms and Dr Pak. Fuck yeah.

[@Peaky17]

Bring Back GAINTAININGGGGGGG!!! It makes so much more sense as a term. We really can evolve backwards

[@Brayden-c9o]

Currently been off the gym for 3 months in order to pursue other interests. Will take it to 4 and then come back slowly and I cannot wait implement this nutrition approach.

[@victorjimenez7213]

At 13:31, haven not finished the video, but when Dr. Helms said "Untrained" it a red flag to me. Most of these studies take place with untrained guys, who will grow and gain strength doing anything. In 8 weeks you can put almost any untrained guy on a basic linear progression and see results. I'd love to see true intermediate to advance lifters be subjects, thing is what true intermediate to advance lifter is willing to lose progress in the gym to be a part of a study.

[@davorzdralo8000]

If you pay them good money, you'd be surprised.

[@victorjimenez7213]

@@davorzdralo8000 research papers are usually funded by grants (I know bc in my undergrad I did research for chemistry). Typically the money that grant gives the professors is usually enough to pay the 1) students they hire, or 2) small amounts of money to the subjects or 3) small new lab equipment (bc bigger lab items usually need a whole MEAs written for them) Having said that I agree. Money would change it thing is when doing reaserch typically there’s not that kinda money.

[@michaelchristophergutierre7244]

Dude needs to study history. People did not bulk for 2-3 months. ..off season shape vs contest shape. The DR has a good understanding. I used to bulk and cut . Now I'm 59 and stay within 15-20lbs of striking distance . When I was young I'd bulk to 270 then cut down to 197...Never again!!! Great video.

[@kban77]

I have a pretty solid program. Decades of experience. And i can attest thet any gains i can get wt thr gym are related to calories.

[@rememberme3762]

Where’s your control group

[@BoeserWolf1977]

Very well presented information. Thanks a lot for your effort!

[@godsgiftto3arth]

the way this was presented and chaired, combined with how well Eric speaks, made this video absolutely 10/10 quality.

[@antrikshaade5458]

eric helms looks like captain america/chris evans

[@Scooter-f7f]

Yeah, as long as you mean BEFORE he went into the chamber that made him muscular.

[@austinpatton3771]

@@Scooter-f7f I want whatever drugs you're on lol. Chris Evans is in really good shape in that scene, but take a look at some of Eric Helms' bodybuilding photos from past competitions. In my opinion, Eric Helms is in better shape and it's not even a contest.

[@Scooter-f7f]

@@austinpatton3771 yeah because being low body fat, dehydrated, tanned, lubed up, and wearing a thong is a reasonable portrayal of him. If you put a large shirt on him you wouldn’t be able to tell he lifts. In his male beauty paegent competitions or in real life such as this interview. He needs to not be afraid to put size on. He looks frail honestly.

[@dogeking3432]

@@Scooter-f7f someone's upset that eric helms is a natural athlete

[@Scooter-f7f]

@@dogeking3432 no. My point is that there Is nothing wrong with being higher levels of body fat and being big naturally. It’s stupid to see this guy and think he’s big when you put a large shirt on him and he is a dyel

[@pprgss]

been bulking for 10 years and going babyyyyyy

[@thetwowheeledintrovert3367]

Really interesting, thank you.

[@SirEpsilonn]

Me sitting here watching this eating an ice cream as part of my bulk "God I sure hope it isn't dead"

[@rememberme3762]

Your wasting time and getting fat

[@andrewhardee6721]

Great info. Thank you, gentlemen🖖

[@lucaslouzada44]

Holy shit…now Greg has the cue he needed to make a video on Eric Helms…

[@salvadorromero9712]

Who cares about the substantive issues...will he have the balls to defend his ridiculous terminology? I was long praying for someone to push back on "maingaining"; it seemed to be gaining the upper hand very rapidly with only me having the balls of dorkiness to try to "akshully, guys" fight it before it took over and destroyed us all with its dumbness. Let's set priorities, people.

[@shawnsuth9830]

Sqeakier than last time.

[@lucaslouzada44]

@@salvadorromero9712 Defend his terminology? Well, that would demand too much integrity for him, as he was already corrected years ago by Mike Israetel - in vain, of course…

[@robertwilcox9566]

Bro didn't make it to the end of the video 😂😂

[@leonidas3127]

My life is better after I blocked Douchette

[@Heylon1313]

thank you gentlemen for the breakdown

[@n00dle_king]

Something off about Pak's audio.

[@DILFDylF]

His beard absorbs 14% of his voice

[@punxsutawneyphil3944]

I know, right? But I researched it. It's called "dialect".

[@DrDeusExMachina]

Sterch meetidated hypertruphee

[@theeternelyeboii6784]

I don't have access to the Helms 2023 article, but it feels like the sensitivity of changes in strength/muscles vs changes in skin fold thickness should be central in the conversation of Bayes factors. The bayes factors are going to be way larger for skin fold thickness because the relative change (and relative to variance) is just going to be much bigger in it than muscle/strength measure changes. I'd bet that most of the Bayes Factors for strength/muscle measures sat at around 1, maybe just above, and that the sample size just simply wasn't large enough for the analysis to be sensitive enough to have confidence in correlating variables at the small magnitudes you would expect. They probably thought about all this, and they obvs didn't get the sample size they hoped for, but I just think it strange it hasn't been mentioned by Eric when he has spoken about it on podcasts.

[@gokukakarot1855]

For the algorithm

[@DCJayhawk57]

I am a fan of mostly gaintaining with a tiny surplus and then doing a cut if my bodyfat creeps up too much for my taste. Even when I'm cutting, since I'm not competitive, I take decently long diet breaks/maintenance phases to live at the new body comp and maybe gain a little muscle, before doing another targeted fat loss phase. Stepwise instead of linear. I think that makes it more sustainable in the long term.

[@Profilejc98]

I ate at maintenance for my first two years of lifting ('gain-taining'), made pretty mediocre progress. Switched to a small surplus and progress improved dramatically for me. My abs were actually more exposed after the bulk simply because they'd grown. With a relatively small surplus, you can bulk for a relatively long time before you need to cut. Very high bodyfat %s is only really an issue if you're dirty bulking (which i don't think anybody does anymore), so was surprised to see so much focus on it in this conversation.

[@DJcs187]

Dirty bulking still exists, but most of it isn't voluntary I believe. Some people just can't help themselves, especially after hard cutting phases.

[@nocapproductions5471]

Bulk works if you are willing to go through a painful cut afterwards. My best body I had after bulking like a mad man for 8 months. Then I did a paaainful 3 month cut and I was left with jaw dropping body. All natural. After that I maintained for years as I am satisfied with my body.

[@DJcs187]

@@nocapproductions5471 Very possible you'd have had the same result after bulking longer with a smaller deficit and doing a less painful cut afterwards.

[@nocapproductions5471]

@@DJcs187 possibly, but to me it was worth it. During it I was "strong" for the first time in my life, i was heavy and doing 225 lb bench for sets of 10-12 reps on every chest day. The downside is I got stretch marks from gaining too much weight, I still have them more than 5 years later. But im ok with it.

[@ChadAV69]

I guess I have a healthy level of IDGAF, because I didn’t notice anything about the camera angles until I read the comments

[@thatsit7933]

29:40 the name is GD short for, well you know 😅

[@markadler8983]

Yup

[@Schlauchy]

Eric Helms is the GOAT in the fitness influencer space

[@EtienneJuneau]

Brilliant. Sharing.

[@leakyabstraction]

It's crazy that Pak survived that headshot at 23:39 without a scratch, it seems. This is a great example of how us gym-goers are just built stronger.

[@adamf7563]

I'm 50yo. I find that bulking works less and less as I get older. When I diet down after a bulk, I've retained little or no addional muscle mass. Is there any science that says bulking in older athletes is a zero-sum game?

[@choosetolivefree]

It's not a surprise, with the reduction in T levels after 30. That's most likely your biggest obstacle, unless you know your T levels ae good atm

[@kj_______]

Try not cutting calories but upping cardio for your next 'cut'. 2hrs per day of walking 5-6 days per week for 8weeks while eating at maintenance and keeping up with the basic compound lifts throughout (so you dont lose any muscle) should get you better results.

[@noneofurbusiness906]

I maintain a little "excess" fat and train hard. Gets me more gains than when I cut, but I dont need to eat excessive as you would for bulking. I think it's the best compromise overall.

[@Itsmekvn]

BANGER

[@xnexgax2477]

More aggressive surpluses make more sense because the variance in daily calorie burn is so large that its difficult to accurately calculate something like a 300 calorie surplus. Just eat relatively clean and watch your abs, when they go away, its time to cut or mini-cut.

[@DJcs187]

This perspective is what lead me down a spiral of doubt every bulk and facilitated so much unnecessary fat gain and cut my bulks way shorter than they should have been. As the guys pointed out, maintenance will already be quite good for muscle growth unless you're very lean already so there's no need to stress about making sure you're at a surplus all the time. Just try and hit a 200kcal surplus and in case you don't gain any weight after weeks, add some more. I used to believe those weeks were wasted and convinced myself it'd be better to "make sure" and ate more and more. But now we know that that's not necessary at all.

[@xnexgax2477]

@@DJcs187 Cutting bulks short sounds like a mindset issue. Accepting fat gain was one of the most positive things I did. It made me realize I dont care about being ultra shredded again and I learned to love myself at every step of the process. Id rather look like Mike Tyson than a greek statue. Way healthier too Anyway how are you going to calculate a 200 calorie surplus? Your TDEE varies so much day to day and nutritional labels are off by up to 20% on average (look it up). Youre robbing your body of time spent ina surplus. Just big and somewhat clean while training your ass off, maybe do a 1 week minicut every 2 months.By the end of the 5 months I literally couldnt eat enough to gain and had to start blending all sorts of shit into my protein shakes to drink more calories and was forcefeeding just to retain weight. My metabolism is absolutely peaked and now I dont even diet to lose weight. I just eat a ton of clean foods and do more cardio. Also we dont "know" its not necessary. Science changes all the time. The only thing I know is that I know nothing. Which is why I gotta bring it everyday im in the weight room and kitchen! Go out there and do your best. Itll mean more than some study. If not only for your body, but for your human spirit and mindset. Good luck training bro, Im basically done bodybuilding and transitioning to martial arts.

[@DJcs187]

@@xnexgax2477 Cutting bulks short is a bodyfat issue when you reach 25% months early because you convince yourself "let's make sure I'm actually in a surplus" when it's just not necessary. You take your maintenance calories over a long enough period and add 200 each day. If you don't gain appreciable weight within 2 weeks then add another 200. It's really not that hard. If you don't have maintenance calories, just guestimate, start somewhere, see what the scale does and adjust. Again, it's not hard. But reading you're one of the lucky ones who needs to blend shit into protein shakes and forcefeed just to maintain weight, you've been living a very different life from me and thus our experiences and the lessons drawn look markedly different. Anyway, enjoy martial arts, it's great!

[@HarleyRose-xx8ws]

​@DJcs187 I'm one of those. I've been bulking since middle school, and I cut by eating at a comfortable/intuitive rate, when I get tired of force feeding myself. After 20 years of unlimited surplus I'm up to 165 pounds 😂 So my lesson is= fuck nutrition. Or something like that. Honestly for me just eating by intuition keeps me at a healthy, lean body composition, with labs always midrange. I just wish it was a little bigger.

[@beesmongeese2978]

​@DJcs187 about your strategy of maintenance +200 then check in two weeks... if i do that right after coming out of a cut, will the two week measurement be made inaccurate by fluctuations of stuff like water retention, etc? Can I trust that indicator right away?

[@umekigoe7784]

so in the first study mentioned the group that had just the Maltodextrin had very similar muscle gains to the group with Maltodextrin+Protein Most likely their habitual diet wasn’t getting them very close to the 1g per lb of protein or even 0.8g per lb. Does that mean that high protein intake may not even be necessary to building muscle?

[@noloveforthehaters]

You don't need 0.8g protein per pound of bodyweight in a surplus as carbs are protein sparing. The study was also on untrained individuals who would grow just by looking at a dumbbell.

[@rinkuhero]

i mean this is consistent with the studies about protein and building muscle. we know from those studies that about .7 to .8 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight maximizes muscle growth and that going above that is useless. but people who ate less than that, often much less, still build a ton of muscle. like if you eat only half of that recommended upper limit, you still grow muscle 80% as fast as the people who hit that limit. so high protein helps, but it helps a lot less than people think. we're talking a 20% improvement over if you don't eat much protein at all. so yes, calories are more anabolic than protein. like let's say you are a vegan who weighs 200 lbs. the max protein you'd benefit from would be about 140 to 160 grams per day. but if you decided to only eat 70-80 grams per day, just for convenience's sake since it's hard to get that much protein on a vegan diet, you'd still grow muscle 80% as fast as if you got double that. it might not even be noticeably slower. you might gain 4 pounds of muscle instead of 5 over the course of a year. would that even be a noticeable difference for an intermediate or advanced lifter? for people who have a hard time eating that much protein and don't want to worry about it, it's a viable option, especially if you are just lifting recreationaly.

[@ChadAV69]

I have done 1g/lb, 0.8g/lb, 0.5g/lb and 0.7g/lb and for me 0.8g/lb with the occasional 0.9-1g/lb days is my sweet spot. Not really for muscle gain but just for satiety and it makes me feel good. I tried 0.5g/lb and I just had low energy and was hungrier. But I no longer have the mindset of “if I don’t eat 20 more grams of protein today, my gains are cooked!”.

[@MrAmadeus1998]

I’ve been a big fan of 10-15lb bulks. I usually start my bulk at 187-190 and bulk up to 200-205 over 3-4 months. Cut down in 4-6 weeks then repeat.

[@grottphd9090]

Camera on Pak is way too close up. Feels uncomfortable. It looks like you guys are going for a more highly produced look, but it's a lot simpler to just have a single camera on both of them. The way it's shot is weird

[@g0aky]

I see Eric Helms. I click very fast. A simple life.

[@redcenturion88]

Ugh 🙄

[@wesleyjeurissen544]

@@redcenturion88 Jealous?

[@aplectic]

@@redcenturion88 I never understood what that means even though I've seen it a thousand times. At least this one was re-worded.

[@redcenturion88]

@@wesleyjeurissen544 no its cringe

[@redcenturion88]

@@aplectic its just fedora tipping, attention seeking fanboyism

[@viatori5566]

What about individuals with extremely high bf%? Will they be able to pull enough energy from fat to fuel growth? For example, I have a client that is 500+ lbs. If I start him on strength training, would he gain as much muscle in a deficit as in a surplus? Obviously, the healthy thing to do is lose weight. That's a point I was curious about.

[@MissingTheMark]

When Dr. Helmes said that the energy required to build muscle is 4Cal/g, isn't that inaccurate because that's the net energy gained from eating muscle tissue after subtracting the energy necessary to digest it? Isn't the total energy in it cost to 6Cal/g?

[@gabrielsoto2411]

Is it safe to imply you can stay pretty much at maintenance (considering you are between 8-20% body fat) for as long as you want, while specializing muscle groups you intend on growing, and simply cut when you feel like looking lean at the beach or something? Is it no longer necessary to believe you have to cycle cutting and bulking phases for optimal muscle growth?

[@isaacgrier8679]

Eric Helms programs on boost camp have easily been my favorites

[@ssmaclac2286]

Regarding the first study with big surplus = gains. Can you infer the same results for "re-training" lifters and "untrained"? I.e. advanced lifters coming back from a year break for example could benefit from large surplus.

[@ryanking9217]

Have the studies on the surpluses been volume equated? That seems that perhaps that may not be a representative scenario if so, as someone on a higher calorie diet may have better recovery and be able to handle programming with more volume (which is known to increase hypertrophy).

[@RoaneRanger]

When it comes to being enhanced, is there an actual hardline for that? Technically TRT at 100-200mg a week is “enhanced.” However, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re in the super physiological range. That being said, does 200mg grant you extra leeway when it comes to the surplus you can maintain?

[@emmang2010]

amazing

[@samuelmeisterw]

Interesting

[@SinisterSkip]

I wish I'd hear as much from Eric Helms and Bad Schoenfeld, as people like Mike Israetel or Menso Henselmans. Maybe they need to work on that algorhythm some more :)

[@IsaacMorgan98]

Nah, imma stil bulk cause quite simply, it works. Last bulk I put on roughly 1.5kg muscle in 3 months even after 10 years hard training. Sorry but I've tried it all and other stuff simply doesn't work as well.

[@josephkoerner4856]

I wonder if there is a similarity between the state of an"untrained" lifter and a bodybuilder just coming out of a long cut or a show. The term rebound comes to mind.

[@PickleRickDude]

Here is a haiku for you Eric: Eric lifts the steel, Muscles swell with every rep, Protein fuels his might.

[@marley720]

Thanks chat gpt

[@CaptainAthleticism]

I'm not finished with this video but I'm going to talk about it now. It's not impossible to build muscle at maintenance or while losing weight. But that's me taking the part of the equation of it being good or bad out of that equation. I have had 10 years of experience 5 from bodyweight training. I weigh 124.75lbs, and I in no means was ever weak at my size, I have tossed around 285lbs or 265lbs just working the chest. But, I would know. You got to be gaining weight if you want to maximize gains. If you're not gaining weight, maintenance doesn't mean shiiiiiiiittt....., you're losing weight. Your muscles don't know what you eat, the instant it becomes hungry it's already looking to canabolize the neigborhing cell. There's no such thing as maintenance other than what's on paper. About more of what is being said now, though. Yeah I understand that being well trained if you are in a surplus, that you're more likely to gain fat not lean mass the higher that surplus is. You're testing this on well trained people. Something that happens on a normal basis is this, you can't use exercise to lose an extreme amount of weight, muscle mass isn't what I'm talking about, if you try using exercise to lose a ton of weight, your body adjusts the efficiency of using those calories you're trying to lose, it won't work beyond a certain point. These well trained people have more adjusted bodies to use those calories more efficiently, of course they'll gain weight in fat and why untrained people wouldn't have that issue. I don't think we should be telling people that if you're a newbie that bulking is the answer to grow muscle, it depends on how much fat you already have. It's beneficial to muscle growth to bulk but not beyond a certain point. That amount from how many different ways I've tried in thinking about it, it's about 8-16lb. It's if you want to say bulking starts helping, you have to be eating enough that eventually you would gain or already have at least 8lb extracellular fat and it doesn't max out until around 16lb. But, that is also slighty gradually capable of changing over time depending on how much muscle you'd be gaining or already have gained. Like if this is what it would take to gain that much weight in muscle, once you do, you won't build muscle like that unless you start doubling that. It looks like this, lets say you're going for the maximum amount of gains you start out by gaining 16lb first, then you keep that intake to not lose weight, once you have gained 16lb in addition to that 16lb, a successful bulk I guess it would be called, then you gain an additional 16lb to keep that curve of gains going, now you have gained 32lb of fat and 16lb of muscle to then use that to gain another 16lb, once that has finished, ...now you won't maintain that curve of gains, unless you gain an additional doubling of that on your 3rd bulk, you'd need to have an additional 32lb of fat to keep that going.

[@TheRomanticDarkness]

"Someone else whose name will not be spoken." 😅

[@Oi-mj6dv]

I mean, its common sense and pure thermodynamics/biology. If your lean body mass % is low enough to guarantee your fat cells can provide surficent energetic support for correct metabolic function and your nutrition has you in a good nitrogen balance/protein intake why wouldnt you be able to gain muscle in a slight/medium defficit?

[@ryanmaxwelll2730]

Optimal maximization vs maximal optimization? Which or more optimal?

[@rockyevans1584]

We need to optimally optimize maximization while also maximizing maximal optimality, if I understand correctly

[@yasharodiya2085]

I have been lifting mostly consistently for the past 1.8 years ( took a month off in between due to injury ) Will I be considered a beginner or well trained one?

[@Kommander]

Below 2 years is beginner

[@mattbmattb]

It's always been gaintaining and it sounds 10x better

[@peliac7319]

Ive done roughly 3 bulks in my 5 year lifting career, with the last one being 8 months, very clean 500-600 calorie surplus (4 separate meals). I gained a good amount of muscle but mostly fat, 91kg 15% bodyfat to 103kg 22% bodyfat. It honestly wasnt worth it, ill be eating at maintenance/slight surplus indefinitely from now at a low bodyfat percentage (8% to 12%).

[@Thad91]

Interesting. Im in my second year of lifting and did 2 bulks already. Im in my third cut now. My bulks lasted 6 months. But also same like u i did a 500ish surplus. I did notice alot of gains (also fat sadly) but that might be duo to nooby gains. My third bulk will definitely be cleaner and a 200ish surplus instead.

[@Kruzilla]

I am obviously making a big reach here, but as someone who has trained inconsistently on and off for the last 8 years, does that mean I have indirectly capped my potential muscle growth? Or is consecutive years of training more important for muscle potential ?

[@cooparchive7857]

it ismore important for muscle potential.

[@cuentadeyoutube5903]

I wish there were links to the papers, or at least references

[@samoconnell7763]

Bruh. Looking at the training program in the study, there’s no surprise only bicep mass increased with increased calories. Nothing else got nearly enough volume. Anyone know of a study where they increase volume and saw similar results?

[@kevb.1791]

I have plans sort of on when to bulk or cut called shirt on shirt off Summer cut shirt off Winter bulk Shirt on Start a cut until Halloween You max with skeletons and end with CandyDay bulk thru holidays then New Year's resolution rinse repeat

[@liamconverse8950]

Jay Cutler said that bulking pic of him was photoshopped

[@shawnthornton454]

At 30 BMI im 18% bodyfat. I really dont know why you even discuss that its semi useful for some things. Last time i was a 33 waist i was 20 BMI (165lbs at 6'3", in 8th grade).

[@escaaaaaa893]

What should I do if I run (training for a half) and I’m at 10% bodyfat but I wanna gain weight or just main gain but don’t want the weight gain to affect my running. (I weigh 146).

[@Ivan_Mohnke]

What if I have a BMI that’s underweight but hypercholestrolemic (TC 254)

[@nikolce1993]

how about people who underwent a 2 year fatloss but training for hypertrophy the whole time ?

[@gamefreak173]

i might sound insane saying this but 15% increase of calories doesnt seem like a lot. Im just some random but if i was to guess if you are a advanced athlete with a decade or more of hard trainingm i would imagine the body would require a robotic level of sleep, on top of a insane amount of food increase like 30% or more to tell the body ok we can af ford to put on more muscle. Heavier people tend to lift more weight naturally and that alone should push more demand on the muscles to grow. Thats just my guess tho im only a year and a half into training been enjoying the process.

[@piercep2091]

The camera angles and lighting feels very intimate….

[@LD.lifts1]

Cutting down to really lean bf levels is definitely overrated when most people don't actually compete

[@SirEpsilonn]

Also what's up with these camera angles

[@fragelicious]

I learned that 10 years ago.

[@ImBarryScottCSS]

"Can you still gain muscle mass effectively at a higher body fat percentage?" Strongmen looking like 🤔🙄

[@cooparchive7857]

Only steroids.

[@AaronCollom]

How do you know you are at the well trained point?

[@BeefyBasementBoys]

Good Info but god damn I hate these camera angels

[@caseyjones8507]

They are there to appease the camera gods

[@sitiwrattz]

Outro music is worse

[@izzate7]

Better than camera demons my dude.

[@user-ee1fn4vt8b]

You're not wrong, dunno why they're so close.

[@aplectic]

The lighting is very harsh and weird too. I could see every pore and blemish. Standard, more flattering lighting is just fine.

[@nadiamartinez3244]

Nice

[@Barneyfithlawman]

Same information that has been around for 50 years. Couple of problems though you can run into. Many people never adapt to eating better more like a bodybuilder. So they end big with some muscle but barely look like they work out. If your already fat or somewhat skinny fat you end up getting fat and probably encouraged your bad eating habits.

[@cvhgx]

Mike mentzer was right about protein and carbs all along

[@CosmicawarenessCitizen]

So basically if you are untrained you going to build muscle mass no matter what ! If you have at least 2 years of experience do lean bulking around 150 to max 300 calories above your maintenance if I understood correctly plus if you're not enhanced

[@user-ii7xc1ry3x]

23:31 🤣 sniper

[@TheHybrid350]

Great

[@chrisogrady28]

Oof, the under chin closeup with short key lighting is rough