The Fatal Error Of Bulking Too Slowly

[@natebramlage55]

My lower appendage bulks up very rapidly every time I see Dr. Mike

[@Vbnzan]

It's probably just a water weight, so don't worry about it😂

[@bytefu]

If you do a few myoreps after the set, you'll get a huge pump.

[@GrandPrizeFitnesAJAY]

Oh my lol

[@GayBearDaddy2]

Yo, same!

[@astronomotivation]

Probably just blood weight on your cock

[@Fighter4Street]

The timing is right for this video as I am trying to figure this out right now.

[@19guyswithcutboxers23]

Go watch revival fitness's vids on maingaining. He (along with Dr. Mike) has meticulously dismantled the maingaining philosophy. It will help you.

[@RenaissancePeriodization]

Now you can be sure to grow but not too slowly!

[@gouvek]

Same here timing is perfect. Trying to figure out if I'm hitting my calories also, I'm hitting my protein levels. Did gain 5 lbs on a trip before I started about a month ago and feel and see the change from fat to muscle so been tough to manage. Will keep working at it.

[@13900]

Same

[@dusk6159]

And since when this topic hasn't been relevant and useful. Great upload to have. Especially for guys that are efficient, or those who want to speed things up

[@utewbd]

Assuming your training is spot on, the simplest thing in the world is losing or gaining weight. You either drink more or less chocolate milk, that's it.

[@paulbrower1812]

I drank so much milk to the point I gave myself intolerance. Was gaining like crazy, since I stopped drinking it my weight plateaued

[@tomchatamra8010]

@@paulbrower1812you tried a lactase enzyme or lactose free?

[@TheCrapOnYourStrapOn]

I use regular whole milk in my shakes when bulking and just use water when cutting. Everything else stays the same

[@utewbd]

@@TheCrapOnYourStrapOn It's liberating once you learn how little you actually need to change your calories to bulk or cut.

[@burningthecandleatbothends1658]

i walk at least 20000 steps at work with mostly weights and then i do wrestling, acitvities, sex, whatsoever. i dont know what to do anymore. i eat 4k calories and i feel shitty often. furthermore i hate cheap food, i mostly eat good stuff, its getting expensive for me i bulk very slowly.

[@kylehoward1625]

Last year, I bulked very slowly. Aimed for MAX 0.25% per week for 10 weeks each cycle and a 4 week mini cut in between. I gained 1 POUND OF MASS over the year, according to my before and after dexa. Never again, RP Hypertrophy and RP diet app will carry me through this.

[@GabrielCarvv]

Same. Dr Mike cringing about wasting six weeks of training, so feels bad knowing I wasted a year. At least we got those connective tissue gains

[@alexandermartinez5736]

@@GabrielCarvvconnective tissue gains made me laugh 😂

[@jjjjz9811]

@@GabrielCarvvexactly bro same with cutting u cut 20 over 6 months yea it’s progress but u could of pushed harder for more weight loss over that time

[@zohaibshinwari8094]

0.25% is that quarter of a pound per week?

[@cryptofierce7431]

😂😂😂😂

[@cmasterb]

The quality of these discussions and the details and nuances are such an amazing value. Thank you for doing what you do! Your signal rises above the noise!

[@andrewluk4327]

I bulk so slow that I'm actually losing weight.

[@dennrock559]

😂😂😂

[@valer4ikterenkov444]

negative bulking 😂

[@supagreatman2826]

That's maintaining if u train hard

[@SpecialEllio]

@@supagreatman2826 surely maintaining refers to maintaining your weight.

[@bingbong3084]

@SpecialEllio i mean if youre losing fat and gaining muscle you are bulking while loosing weight

[@evictioncarpentry2628]

I just did almost a year of gaining and I aimed for 2lbs per month which I think was perfect to sustain and without interfering daily life. (First year in the gym) The mental part of "the scale is going up and my clothes fit tighter but I don't look bigger" was the worst part. However, I just saw some friend for the first time in this passed year and every one of them instantly said "have you been working out, your arms and traps looks way bigger" and that felt great. Started April 2023 at 163, eyeball test 22-24%bf. Made it up to 187 by February 2024. And I'd say less bf% as I have a bit more definition at this point. Cut calories slightly (mostly carbs) and added low intensity cardio the last 5 weeks. Down to 180 today and I would estimate around 18-19%. Goal Is only to be 14-15% over the next 6-7 weeks.

[@scruffynerfherder33]

This is almost exactly the same as me. I started a few months earlier and a few pounds lighter. But I started a cut back in December and it's been challenging losing the weight. Decided I'm gonna take a break from the cut and do a much slower bulk this time around and aim for .5 lb every week for a couple weeks. This video was perfect timing.

[@NJN23]

If you gained 24 pounds, and your body fat went down, that means you gained somewhere north of 24 pounds of muscle in 10 months. That would be pretty incredible.

[@evictioncarpentry2628]

@@NJN23 Obviously I don't know the exact bf numbers. I am basing my starting look as those typically shown in reference picture for the bf %. My starting mid section looked like like 20-24% pics, little on the lower end side like 22% like I said. And now my mid section definition looks like the picture they show for around 18% and my weight went up as noted above. I didn't think of taking picture when I started and i regret it. My legs blew up. I can't even get my thighs into some of my jeans that were loose last year now. I pretty much made this my life and focused on it even more then my actual day job (self employed) so there was no half assed effort and it sucked actually. There were days I would just sit in the parking lot of the gym for 20 minutes in my truck contemplating my life and not wanting to go in and put in the work

[@kristoferprovencal3608]

@@NJN23it’s his first year of lifting, depending on his height and previous untrained muscle mass, those numbers are at worst a little bit outside of reasonable. Most likely his body fat % is around the same or a little lower now than it was when he started, but due to the increased muscle he looks leaner.

[@kristoferprovencal3608]

@@evictioncarpentry2628you’re numbers are not as unreasonable as the other guy is acting, most likely your body fat is around the same now as when you started, but the increased muscle is making you look leaner, which is a good thing. I will say though that if one year in you’re already having days that you don’t want to work out, you may want to address your training volume and frequency. Don’t burn yourself out and end up quitting, lifting is about the long game.

[@Jimmy29li]

I’ve done both extremes and there is a happy medium. Daily weigh ins and averaging out the week alongside daily macros is easy to manipulate for increased when needed.

[@uncoolbenz5254]

Instruction unclear, ate 12 bags of chips

[@vladx3539]

😅

[@RednekKnot]

and ice cream ? if no than you are not bulking the right way.

[@Caio-ow5tm]

4am be like

[@uncoolbenz5254]

haägen dasz in my face

[@CyFyGamingHQ]

Guaranteed surplus = guaranteed gains

[@FancyForestPerson]

This was so helpful. Really makes me realize how good my gainz have been, as I’ve been critical and thinking it’s not going well. In a cut now, and feeling like I had so much fat, but in reality, it’s a normal amount for the amount of muscle gained.

[@spec24]

Except it's not. You were duped. You were just fat.

[@gloriousapplebees]

Oh baby I know I'm gaining. Been getting some of the best gains ever this last year and gotta say it's thanks to Dr. Mike and RP. Thanks!

[@alonenomore3346]

What are u eating

[@TripleBarbacoa]

⁠@@alonenomore3346wrong question lol

[@gloriousapplebees]

@@alonenomore3346 everything LOL. Honestly though, I always keep my protein high, bulking or cutting, so I started just making my meals bigger by adding some carbs and fats, a little extra bread/pasta/rice and oil. For when it's harder to eat I have some sweets and snacks around and I try to eat a little something when I feel hungry in addition to planned meals. I am likely getting a little more fat than necessary but highly doubt I'm much over 20%, feeling good and strong

[@WesleyHarper-hf9zy]

Don't forget the roids man

[@Brownjesus123]

Yeah take roids and trt for extra growth

[@matteoyuc4231]

But my grandma said i looked bigger:(

[@ThomasL12.]

if grandma says you gained weight you definitely gained weight. grandma is the ultimate bulk material

[@ReDDx666]

​@@ThomasL12.Bulking material?i thought people was respecting their grandparents 😋

[@Adrian_Stone]

This video couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time… Just had a stagnant 2 weeks down the drain, womp womp. Already upped the calories (and slightly adjusted macros) but so thankful this confirmed my suspicions. 🙌

[@AndrewS-pp2he]

Man sometimes it's like you put out videos that are exactly the thing I'm dealing with at that time. So I lost around 55lbs last year (thanks btw for your fat loss series, omg!). Now I'm at a point that I want to put on muscle mass and have been really stressed that I'll pack the fat back on if I eat in a surplus. This video helps put it in perspective and I feel a little better about adding a few calories in. Love the videos and have been using the Hypertrophy app. You're the best!

[@mr.kynott3406]

just remember, you have the experience of losing weight already, so mentally, you know it can be done with patience and consistency. You can do it!

[@mr.kynott3406]

@@joshuablair252 and most don't realize the cut is a bit of a break from eating so much and feels good for the first while

[@Paul-yk7ds]

Congrats on the fat loss. If you want a physique that is muscular in the end, I really do encourage you to invest time and effort in a bulk (or a few). Muscle is pretty easy to maintain after you have it, but it's hard to build initially. A bulk allows you to align everything to that one goal of muscle gain, so you can actually gain muscle efficiently. Then afterward, stripping off the fat and keeping most of the muscle for the rest of your life is relatively easy. So invest in a bulk, and trust the bulk, even as some fat comes on! It's worth it to build the muscle!

[@ShawnFumo]

Yeah I’ve been dealing with this as well. I’d lost 35lbs over 3 months or so, using intermittent fasting while still getting a lot of protein, with a mixture of strength and cardio. But had no idea what was my actual maintenance so have just kept raising calories. Went from 1200 cal/day (I know I know was probably too little for 3 months but seemed easy to do.. I dunno). Up to 2500 over the course of some months. But still been kind of unsure how much I’m going up as I got more intensive on strength. This gives me a bit more confidence to try pushing it a bit more until it is obvious.

[@andrewpayne5093]

I'm doing a lean bulk gaining 200 grams a week, but my issue is being obsessed with tracking all my calories that I'm too scared to even go out for a lunch, dinner or even a picnic with my girlfriend in fear of not being able to track and scared I'll just put on fat. It's ruining my life that I'm actually scared of eating anything I can't track. Was fat in high school so I guess that's the fear of getting fat again.

[@Seaal_777]

I love when Dr. Mike fills us up with his massive amounts of knowledge

[@mohameddieng3984]

Pause ⏸️

[@archlifts947]

avoiding fatal errors in bulking keeping you big as hell

[@asdfkjhlk34]

my hand keeping me big as hell

[@pogboy6940]

​@@asdfkjhlk34 for how long tho

[@Muffinbottomz]

@@pogboy6940no longer than four hours

[@mihailmilev9909]

​@@pogboy6940wait what?

[@mihailmilev9909]

​@@asdfkjhlk34what?

[@phillipcai8425]

This video came at the perfect time. I’m in a situation where I have to stick to intuitive eating and my decision is between trying to very leanly bulk with the risk of accidentally not even eating at a surplus some days and bulking more moderately and guaranteeing I’m putting on muscle. At the end of the day, I’ve got to go with the second option because gaining muscle is harder than losing fat.

[@hilarityhilarious]

I’ve been slowly bulking for 10 years, and I’m happy. Started at no more than 80lbs as a teenager. Now around 260lbs natural, with lots of strength and I’ve stayed fairly lean throughout the entire process.

[@Caramelnapkin]

Crazy transformation congrats

[@The-endless-learning]

Are you a 4 10? Serious question because 80 pounds is insanely small for a teenager

[@BeforeTheTide]

thank god for you and your wisdom Dr Mike, the only person I feel obliged to pay for all the information you give us, love you lots

[@bromaculast.v3988]

Your content in a way has saved my life. Thank you

[@DILFDylF]

Your positivity brightens up my life, thank you

[@daimsaeed]

How??

[@DILFDylF]

@@daimsaeed Your curiosity brightens up my life, thank you.

[@OnlyTruth2023]

I think you are the best reliable sports resource on KZbin, thanks for everything you offer.

[@fVNzO]

Haven't seen any sports content yet but he has talked about it sometimes. I wonder why he doesn't do any videos on it.

[@blammela]

I’ve been hesitating and starting my first real focused bulk. Having just lost a significant amount of fat and still having more adipose than is my end goal, I’m nervous. Your videos are SO helpful! ❤

[@theemutsenfabriek]

If you are feeling uncomfortable with the bulk and it's not working you can ofc always stop at any point! 😊

[@andrewtaylor5103]

3:37 I want to hear more about these advanced testicle techniques

[@ch0mperz840]

Another solid video. I really like your analytical approach. Good reminders.

[@DavidVargas-zw8ct]

Just completed my first half marathon and now I am back to building muscle. Thanks for the insight! Definitely the type to be scared to be gaining fat, but you really have a good point as I was a fan of Coach Greg's main-gaining. However, really want to give this a shot. Planning on a 12 week bulk and possibly follow up by a 2-4 week mini-cut. Appreciate it! Liked and subscribed.

[@NVDS26]

How did it go? ::)

[@SpeedyMckeezy]

A really slow bulk just ends up becoming a recomp. As long as the training and protein intake are good, the body will adapt the muscle it needs, especially since you're not in a deficit. I didn't see a problem with this unless you're goal is to be 40lbs heavier

[@h4xi0rek]

Yeah. And I actually find recomposition superior to bulking, but that is mostly due to the fact that I care more about the strength and functionality of my body than about looks and also because I train endurance sports heavily (running, swimming, cycling). I am already satisified with my bodyweight and looks, I do not want more muscle, I want my muscle that I already have to be stronger.

[@HeadCannonPrime]

I agree for like 95% of people just in the gym trying to get fit, Body recomp over time is the way to go. Dr. Mike is talking to the serious mass monsters in this video. The IFBB hopefuls.

[@0xszander0]

You're also likely to look better most of the time if you're recomping/be on a slight bulk. Dr Mike's advice these days seems to suit mostly to people wanting to become pro bodybuilders these days. And should be targeted as such, in my opinion.@@h4xi0rek

[@SpeedyMckeezy]

@@HeadCannonPrime I find it strange that mike never says this even though the training style he promotes is also for roid pushers and ifbb pros

[@DravenOficial]

You'll probably end up putting on more muscle if you haven't reached your natural potential anyway. I, personally, want to grow as far as my body allows me to, but gaining as little fat as possible, just like the majority of people.@@h4xi0rek

[@lukaskarlgerhard]

Dr Mike you have genuinely changed my life. Thank you for everything that you do.

[@j2fit]

Thank you for condoning me stuffing my face all day .) loving the RP hypertrophy and diet app :)

[@IndigoSamuraiii]

I look forward to your videos. You pretty much are helping me choose my career path. Hope to work with you one day 🤝🏾

[@jozard]

I can’t believe how much I learned from watching this video. I wish there’d be an entire series about cutting/bulking

[@WesSideER]

I’ve definitely been treading water as you say. Started this journey 3 years ago and went from 230 to 160. At that point I decided to try and put on some muscle. My calories are at 3000 and although it’s much more than I was eating before I’m staying at around 165 for the past 2 months. As someone who started overweight I think for me it’s the mental aspect of being ok putting some fat back on. I’m still not there yet but this video offered some much needed encouragement to push alittle harder. Thank you for all the info you give out. It doesn’t always hit immediate but I find myself referencing it often to stay on track. Thank you!

[@gloriousapplebees]

In a very similar spot to you a but started at like 250. It's a very tough mental block but this past 6 months or so I've been bulking and for the first time not worried about the fat. I'm back up to like 210 right now and I don't look even close to what I looked like when I was passing 210 while losing weight. I totally understand the worry but I think it's worth it. I feel and am and look the biggest and strongest ever yet (and the next cut will be the best yet too)

[@KevinStock12]

Overall, mostly agree, but what doesn't make a lot of sense to me is dropping training intensity during a "mini diet" - seems like a great way to lose some of the previous gains from the bulk. I think it makes more sense to keep training intensity high during caloric deficit to maximize fat loss and not muscle, and then when deloading, going to maintenance caloric intake.

[@MarkFrank2]

i fucking love your fucking videos Dr Mike

[@planetlumi4138]

*Dr fucking Mike

[@planetlumi4138]

*Dr fucking Mike

[@planetlumi4138]

*Dr fucking Mike

[@teosworld5001]

I see you speak fluent dr Mike

[@Vontedestein]

He has fucking videos?

[@mrmilkshake9824]

It's crazy to see how far I have come. From 30%+ bf to 15%. Winter is coming where I live so I am now looking to bulk which I never in a million years imagined I would ever try to gain weight on purpose.

[@HumbleDictator]

Second question: would be great to have your thoughts on recent studies such as the Helms study on bulking.

[@chanzeepan3822]

Pretty sure RP funded that study at least in part

[@RenaissancePeriodization]

We just interviewed Eric! video on this soon!

[@HumbleDictator]

@RenaissancePeriodization ah yeah that's true that he was staying with Dr Mike! AWESOME

[@dagingerbreadman70]

I actually really appreciate the statistical noise point, I had never realized that… I did bio in undergrad, we did NMR on solutions, and we called the noise “grass”. We needed the NMR peaks to be above the grass, or we wouldn’t be able to tell if it was an actual peak or just random BS In hindsight, I’ve literally been absentmindedly going through two month cycles where I’m checking my weight everyday, and, despite controlling for as many variables as possible, CANNOT tell if I’m losing or gaining at all because of the inevitable variance… like I’m trying to see if I’ve gained 1lb but the scale essentially has a 2lb degree of specificity Thank you! Now imma just eat everything and go bear mode til I’m sure I’m gaining. No more hardstuck 150

[@scott_newby]

I needed to hear this. Thanks for the great insight, as always, Dr. Mike!

[@SaltyAlbert]

i really love your Video's i used to watch someone else which im not gonna name, and i didnt feel like i made much progress, eventually i quit for like 7-8 months and discovered your videos, sadly i got a shoulder injury last December, and I went from 94 to 98KG of bodyweight because i couldnt work out much, but had to stay on my bulking diet for recovery. and now 5 weeks to go until my cutting phase, im still setting PRs everyweek. i dont know what im doing half of the time in terms of diet, but i try to stay around the nutrition values i think are good for me and turns out im not doing half as bad. i know most of ur videos are about muscle building, but most things if not everything applies to strength training aswell... your videos helped me alot and im still learning alot every day :). Gotta say watching you sometimes im unsure wether im really straight or not ;)

[@KongQuestCo]

My next bulk starts Wednesday, perfect timing 🙌

[@Antonio_Serdar]

Weird time to bulk

[@Shvabicu]

​@@Antonio_Serdarwhy? Who fn cares about seasons? Some people dgaf about flexing on the beach

[@KongQuestCo]

@@Antonio_Serdar haha I know what you mean, but my only goal is to gain muscle at the moment

[@Jafmanz]

Most people do. That's because it is instinctive to gain weight when there is plenty and to lose weight when there is scarcity. Conversely to what most lifters do which is the opposite. @@Shvabicu

[@maxschenner17]

Spring and summer are perfect for bulking. Barbecues and ice cream for the win ❤

[@mattzx003]

I think this is an important topic because I find it so silly when guys at my gym talk about extremely specific calorie targets when I know for a fact they aren't tracking their calories anywhere near precisely enough to be sure that those 6 meals added up to exactly 3150kcal and not 3050 (or even 2900 or 3300). Once you factor in the daily variation in caloric expenditure, you can pretty much throw those calorie targets out the window. Calories are a guideline, but bodyweight is the only truly measurable variable.

[@davidmullins1033]

I love your videos man i quit watching every other fitness influencer after i found your videos thank you for the great advice! Ive applied alot of things to my routine that i have learned from you and i am seeing great gains! Thanks dr. Mike

[@_isaacking]

I've missed this format of RP videos ❤

[@in4theride75]

There is quite a bit of data out there that indicates that eating just a couple hundred calories in excess of your maintenance calories your body will automatically twitch and fidget more throughout the day to deal with the excess calories. Things like bouncing your legs when you are sitting or tapping your fingers, etc.

[@NVDS26]

How does this affect muscle building?

[@GLOKD]

I completely agree with this take - I also think a more deliberate calorie surplus is the way forward. I have maintenance calories in the mid 3000s. That's actually quite a bit of food just to stay at maintenance. Add to the dilemma that many calories in packaging and restaraunts are known to be significantly wrong. My deduction is that a "dirty" bulk is the only safe way of not accidentally slipping into calorie deficit. Since we know that calorie deficit is a huge impediment to muscle growth - having a wider margin for a bulk and gaining a little extra fat (which is easily stripped off) is a good trade off.

[@bandsinistre1087]

Take this seriously, guys: I bulked too slowly, and I died. I am now a spooky ghost (whooooooo oooooo ooo[ghost sounds])

[@adrienhenao3256]

😂

[@mr.wicked8697]

[@DeusVultCult]

I've been clinically underweight for 20 years after some medical shenanigans, started a massive bulk in November and went from 135lbs to 178lbs at 6'3 (yeah it was bad). I feel a lot better and got big (for me) in the process.

[@MissingTheMark]

What about using increasing strength rather than increasing weight as the measure in a slow bulk? You've said elsewhere that you can't be consistently hitting rep PRs on lifts that you're experienced at without adding muscle tissue.

[@justincain2702]

You could run into a similar problem. There are short term adaptations in strength, changes in energy levels on different days, etc. It's not a big deal, it's part of the puzzle, but I would use multiple factors to determine if I'm gaining muscle. Weight on bar, reps, bodyweight, mirror, etc.

[@orionsimerl6539]

I agree 100 percent that strength is a better measure of where you're at for calories. Had issues of training hard and heavy and wasn't getting stronger. Then I started eating more and strength began to increase. For me strength gains are a much better indicator of being in a calorie surplus than weight. Weight is hard to follow especially in the short term.

[@DravenOficial]

That's a good idea, actually. Just keep in mind to track your strength gains by a wider timeline, maybe every two weeks. Since you'll probably find limiting factors along the way, making your strength stagnate or even decrease, especially if you don't proper deload.

[@hooktraining3966]

Probably doable but seems far less consistent than just counting calories. Any week you could just have a bad workout or hurt yourself or have to skip the gym for some reason.

[@TripleBarbacoa]

Because your strength level is an adaptation and has literally nothing to do with the accumulation of additional muscle mass?

[@seer606]

I believe I am burning fat by just listening to Dr. Mike. He's always on the money!

[@dotdotdot7440]

I can already see the Greg Doucette video

[@marlon6116]

Greg: MAINGAIN 🤡

[@Damzified]

Bulking? For non-juiced up folks? Are we still in 2004...? If you're natural and have already consumed the newbie/intermediate gains, you'd be stoked to gain 2 pounds of lean tissue in a year (and even that is unsustainable in the long run), so what are we doing here, cumulating 25 lb of fat gains and 23 lb of fat loss throughout the year to hopefully net a couple pounds of lean tissue? Here's another approach: don't count calories, you'll go crazy, but eat to satisfy your appetite and focus on your lifts, on progressive overload. You're sure to gain muscles if your lifts are going up in the long run.

[@yuvrajbet3054]

Thank you Dr Mike

[@camelCaseAdvocate]

Thanks for the description in the link below!

[@hooktraining3966]

Concerning lack of sex jokes. Are you ok?

[@yakir2010]

This one was a bit too serious, I think this video is a soft spot for Mike.

[@andrewpayne5093]

I'm doing a lean bulk gaining 200 grams a week, but my issue is being obsessed with tracking all my calories that I'm too scared to even go out for a lunch, dinner or even a picnic with my girlfriend in fear of not being able to track and scared I'll just put on fat. It's ruining my life that I'm actually scared of eating anything I can't track. Was fat in high school so I guess that's the fear of getting fat again.

[@drumunism3781]

Well, since you didn’t articulate a single downside to bulking slowly, I will continue to maingain and stay ripped year-round. Thanks for the encouragement Doc!

[@vikt]

You very likely won't gain any muscle if you really are "ripped" year-round though. It's fine if that's your goal, but not if you want to put on some muscle

[@drumunism3781]

@@vikt you get to the rippedness that you want to be, then you increase your caloric intake, slightly, and hold that calorie level while you train progressively. There’s nothing wrong with putting your muscle on 1 or 2 pounds at a time. Dirty bulking is far worse for you than any health and fitness channel says, and it’s very difficult to procure and ingest 500 to 1000 daily excess calories while eating clean. So if you don’t want to further damage your liver, or be a fat boy half of the year, or be miserable the other half of the year, or risk losing the muscle you’ve gained, or waste money on excess food; then a constant, slow, clean bulk may be for you.

[@vikt]

@@drumunism3781 sure but that's not what Mike was talking about in the video (i.e 1000 calories surplus) I think you and he are probably saying the same thing, but using different labels?

[@drumunism3781]

@@viktNo. The Subject of Dr Mike's video is why not to do a sub 500cal surplus bulk, but he gave no reasons why not to, and I promote doing it. 2 different things, 2 different labels (Bulking vs Maingaining). You choose what's best for you.

[@vikt]

@@drumunism3781 Alright fair Ive personally done a sub 500 calories bulk for the past year and a half and ive gained 13 kilos. But in the future I'll limit my bulks to 16 weeks and go over 500 calories. Just to see how that goes and see how it feels, cause i havent done that

[@mrlaforgephysics]

Didn’t expect a discussion of polynomial curves and their validity for data modeling in this video about getting more muscular… I’ll show this to my students next time they tell me they need to hit the gym instead of finishing their math homework

[@TheHaiku2]

Needed to hear this today. For the last 40 days I've been bulking at a .32#/week. I'm 6' and weigh 158.7#... Prior to this, I was overweight, and I just came off a long cut, more than six months. Ab veins still on board...My goal was is to hit 173 by the end of the year or so. After watching this, and give it some thought...I've come to the concluions of WHAT THE FUCK AM I DOING? Going to aim at a kilo/month now, and get this done in 6.5 months and re-evaluate. He's so right, I could barely tell if anything's happening, .25#/week stuff is nonsense, way to hard to track. WTF was I doing? Thanks Dr. Mike!

[@mitjaw]

My brother in christ 71 kilos at 180cm. You are malnourished. Up the calories.

[@jonastg4908]

​@@mitjaw no he's not wtf ? i mean he definitely looks small in clothes but not "malnourished" small , if he gets to 180/5 he'll look much better tho.

[@VonW0lf3N5t31N]

Jesus, Mike. That thumbnail of you is unreal! You look amazing in it!

[@Shon52]

Bulking too slowly keeping you big as hell

[@oneset6545]

😂😂😂 Yesssss cutting keeping you big as hell

[@HavasiP]

About to try my first cut ever so trying to learn as much as I can. Thanks for all the great content and information!

[@dusk6159]

Great, important and needed affirmations to state. Especially for guys with a low or small appetite

[@scarypigeon]

Started my cut yesterday, I did go with 2 pounds a month for the last 4 months lol...thank you very much sir. All jokes aside, I'll bulk a bit more aggressively next time. Thank you for all your content, you changed the way I'm training, I've been doing it wrong for so long.

[@lazo3251]

I personally found the sweet spot to be this: You gain weight to a point where you're seeing increases in strength and muscle measurements and your waist isn't growing very rapidly. This means in 1 year, you might add 3 inches to your waist, but because you'll have been bulking for 1 year, your muscles will be way bigger, whereas if you were to bulk faster, you would add those 3 inches in like 3-4 months but then you would have added a bit more muscle per month but a lot less in total because the bulk lasted for less time. So slow bulking is generally the way to go for naturals.

[@onemanops]

As always Dr Mike, your videos are awesome. As a fat old guy looking to lose fat and gain muscle mass, I will take this advice

[@bscutajar]

Fitting a linear trendline to data points is a very reliable way to find out whether you are gaining or losing weight, as long as you have enough points. There is no need for "advanced statistical techniques" or fitting polynomials.

[@aspektn.5066]

11:58 Gold advice. After 16 weeks of muscle gain, you need a break whether it's 2-4-6 weeks long. Train at maintenance.

[@terrellcharvey]

Started my bulk in October at 226. Now my weight is 263 and I’ve looked the best I’ve ever been. Can’t wait for this upcoming cut honestly

[@G_DJ787]

I would like to see a video where Dr.Mike explains what supplements he recommends for bodybuilding and what “super” supplements he recommends (if any) and under what circumstances should someone take those. Along with side effects

[@pariharediting5519]

I really like your analytical approach.

[@jro7327]

Got an RP app commercial while watching Dr Mike…..well done! 😂

[@KiaOrion]

GAME CHANGING VIDEO. Thanks doc. Gonna buy a scale and reimagine my entire strategy 💪

[@roadagent5158]

Love this, superb video, puts things back in focus

[@BBrolic]

Another informative episode courtesy of Dr. Mike, thank you sir!

[@disguisedcentennial835]

This came at the perfect time. I’ve been trying to clean bulk this month and gained no weight, and even lost strength this week. Now I’m thinking of just dirty bulking because I must be a hard gainer. I’m also an easy loser in terms of fat. I did intermittent fasting and lost 7.7% of my fat in one month.

[@donotreportmebro]

recomp team checking in

[@NVDS26]

How's it going for you? :)

[@awesomeelk2920]

I bulk for 6 days and fast for 1 day a week. My gains have been great and noticable

[@Natintx088]

I clicked on this video because the Dr.Mike thumbnail made him look like an absolute unit. If I could ever look like that I could die happy.

[@dabanales]

I cant get enough of your content. Neeeeeeeed moooooooore inpuuuuuuut

[@Thrive910]

I'm following your schedule of bulking and cutting and I am currently in a cutting phase following the RP diet app. Cannot wait to get to maintenance haha.

[@typeer]

Noise fence is a useful concept good shit

[@cbrowninbuffalo]

Coach Mike spittin game like the most seasoned pimp (a compliment!) Preach by man!

[@BabbarSher-qr4cm]

Your videos are the best Mike! Thank you very much for the amazing info

[@tidynik]

I've been following Mikes advice now for 3 months while bulking....had a 500cal surplus, basically I gained 6lbs total (I'm 46 years old and trained) my bf % remained the same, but my body fat mass increased by 2lbs, given the 6lbs overall gain I think I gained approx 4lbs lean mass?! I'll take that! Now after a couple of weeks at maintenance I'm heading into a 6 week mini cut before my holiday to the Canary Islands!! Mike knows his shit, and his shit works!

[@firstnamelastname5540]

I’m so glad I was obese all my life, even if I grew up with no friends and bullied for it. I started to hit the gym almost a year and a half ago, I have discovered that god has blessed me with amazing genes 🧬. It’s my human duty to make the most out of my young genes 💪🏼

[@arkdova2710]

So it comes down to not being able to track any changes happening or not with slow bulk. I'd say you go slow bulking if you are more or less satisfied with your size and not rushing to see results. That's it.

[@hughmungus726]

Eat around slightly above maintenance and push yourself hard. Get the progressive overload done and thats it. When you feel puffy solve it with a short cutting and keep going

[@dakhoa]

Thank you for this because I've been going waaaay too slow. I'm not seeing much progress in a month let alone 2 weeks.

[@olympusnfitness]

Good video. It seems the the problems with bulking is basically if you say youre bulking but you’re closer to maintenance.

[@heavyforward]

hi Dr. Mike great content 💪🏼. I'd love your insight on dealing with muscle asymmetries.

[@zaphodbeeblebrox-t1b]

Do a bulking video when on steroids especially dbol and anadrol tren etc. How much to eat and how to track gains on that. Do an advanced version of this video for those who are on steroids it will help v much especially for anadrol users.

[@logomarkz]

Smash the fridge, smash the weights, inject more. Ez

[@zaphodbeeblebrox-t1b]

@@logomarkz the follow up video today what he posted tells exactly what I asked about protein on gear.

[@AnotherComputer]

The inverse is the same issue. I always tell clients (I'm a trainer) to lose fat as slow as possible, aim for 1kg per month or so. That way, the body has time to adjust and we minimize the chance of a rebound. But a caloric deficit also burns some muscle or at the very least, limits muscle gain. So if you bulk fast, you then have to cut more aggressively and if you earned 0.5kg of muscle in that bulk, some or most of it is going away at the cut. So why not maintain an average amount of calories around maintenance, some days higher, some days lower, depending on activity and social stuff. I'm also talking about the average gym goer.

[@AnotherComputer]

​@@grottphd9090 Right, so I actually went through the process myself because I was overweight. I did as you said, I lost 1kg per week (give or take 150gr) and I did go to 75kg down from 89kg. The only way I did this was by carefully measuring my calories as well as increasing my activity, I chose to walk 18-20k steps per day so I could a maintain a daily 1000kcal deficit (0.5kg of fat is about 3500kcal so I needed a 7000kcal weekly deficit, hence a 1000kcal daily). That was on top of 6 weight training sessions per week. The problem? I felt dead most of the time, low energy, not in the mood for anything, low testosterone, the only way I got through training was with the boost from the pre workout. It's way too aggressive and of course, I rebounded afterwards going all the way up to 85kg. I don't think that's the way for the average gym goer because all the average person needs to do is slightly increase their daily activity, lift some weights consistently 3-4 times per week, minimize dirty foods and sugar and include protein in each meal and they will see their body change. Lose fat slowly to gain as much muscle as possible. 1 year for 12kg of fat lost? Excellent, that's a massive win. Mind you, that's 12kg of fat, not 12kg of water and all the other stuff.

[@AnotherComputer]

@@grottphd9090 The issue is that most people are already overweight, they are not in need of a bulk, they need to lose. If they start excercising and enter a substantial deficit (mind you, it's not easy for people to calculate their deficit so just to be safe, they will eat way less than they're supposed to), it's then a possibility that they will shock their system due to all the sudden changes. Metabolism drops, fatigue sets in etc. For someone who has been overweight for 20 years, expecting them to reach their weight goal within 6 months is not a realistic goal in my opinion and sets people up to fail. As to your other point, my fatigue and low energy was actually due to the deficit. The way I know this is because I still train 6 times per week and I still do about 15k steps per day since my job is active, but I feel great. I eat around maintenance to not put on fat and get as much muscle as possible, the most I eat over maintenance is maybe a few hundred calories a couple times per week, nothing major. All this is to say that changes should take time and not happen fast. Give the body time to adjust, incremental improvements. I don't want someone to diet, I want someone to change their daily habits cause they're gonna be doing this eating and excersicing, ideally, for the rest of their lives, so a couple years of adjusting should amount to nothing.

[@kam_uk]

Love the "Toll Road" Analogy..

[@kubok3596]

As a data analyst, I enjoyed this video

[@Shivam-vb5it]

Holy shit he described what I’ve been going through for the past couple months

[@justinneumeyer4467]

Perfect timing, just up my calories 250 from what I believe is my maintenance now after this video will be monitoring my weight for the next 2 weeks to see if I need to put on an additional 250.

[@seattlegrrlie]

Everyone forgets that calorie estimates on foods are rough estimates. If you track, you don't really know if it was actually 2,000 or if it was 1,800 or 2,200. If you want to eat to surplus, you need to be stuffed and full and gaining weight including fat.

[@Chevsilverado]

If I ate until I was stuffed full I’d gain 5lb a week.

[@juliomireloal6379]

Dr Mike, could you do a video for rock climbers who want to be as strong and lean as possible without ever bulking? Climbing performance depends a lot on bodyweight and pound per pound strength. Thanks for existing and sharing your knowledge! Love from Spain

[@omiejay]

Looking extra smooth today Michael

[@LeonGenesis]

Perfect timing. Two weeks in, and I’m over it. It’s insane having to eat 3500 calories. 🤢🤢🤢😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨

[@Mr.Chicken815]

Excellent video once again!