So you want to pack on some weight. Eat more and lift heavy weight...simple as that, right? Wrong. There’s an art to this. With no plan in place you can do more damage than good with your bulk. Increasing your caloric intake is the game plan, but at what rate is the question. Let's talk strategy to pack on size at the proper pace to avoid unwanted body fat. You’ve probably heard the term “lean bulk” before, let’s dissect what the term truly means and how it can save you time and effort throughout your journey.  Slow and steady wins the race. You’ve heard the saying before, and it couldn’t apply better to a bulking phase. Packing on pounds at a rapid rate is unhealthy in many ways. It’s taxing on your system to process an enormous surplus of food when it’s unprepared. Multiplying your intake by 1.5 or even 2x the amount of food compared to what you have eaten the day prior is a common approach for those who lack proper guidance. More calories equals more muscle is not always true when your system is overloaded. This will quickly result in lethargy, high blood sugar levels, increased blood pressure, and digestive issues. In the long run you will pack on weight at an accelerated weight, but it won’t be desirable weight. Excess calories will be stored as fat and when you transition into a cutting phase, it will be more work for you to get the weight off. To avoid the compilations, let’s take things one step at a time.Let’s start with your caloric intake and how to properly calculate this precise number with proven formulas backed by research. This particular formula is known as the Mifflin St Jeor Equation will help us determine your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate). This is the amount of calories your body burns when at rest throughout the day. Men: 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) - 5 x age (y) - 161 Women: 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) - 5 x age (7) - 161 Next we’ll calculate your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure). This is the amount of calories you burn throughout the day including all activity from exercise and lifestyle. Using the guideline below, you’ll select which Activity Level best suits you.  Sedentary = BMR x 1.2 (Little or no exercise/ desk job) Lightly active = BMR x 1.375 (Light exercise 1-3 days/week) Moderately active = BMR x 1.55 (Moderate exercise 6-7 days/week) Very Active = BMR x 1.725 (Intense exercise every day, or exercising 2 xs/day) Extra Active = BMR x 1.9 (Vigorous exercise 2 or more times per day) BMR x Activity Level  = TDEE Now that you have an accurate count of your total calories burned throughout the day, we can calculate your goal intake to ensure lean muscle is built with minimal excess body fat. Multiplying your TDEE by 1.1 will give us a 10% caloric surplus. This minor bump in calories will ensure you are gaining weight at a safe rate, but the results will be very gradual. Patience will be your biggest asset when attacking a lean bulk protocol.Your macronutrient breakdown is important when it comes to packing on mass. Each gram of protein and carbohydrates is 4 calories. Every gram of fat is 9. Aiming for 1-1.5g of protein per pound of bodyweight will be the target on this program. This leaves you with a carb/fat ratio to determine to dedicate your remaining calories to. Carbs are an essential piece of the puzzle when it comes to muscle growth. Providing energy for inside & outside the gym. Committing 50% of your total calorie intake a day to carbs will ensure you have the energy necessary to power through your training and push the limits to achieve new muscle growth. The remaining calories will be taken in as fats. This is your foundation for a lean bulking program. Supplements, cardio, and training styles are all other factors that will need to be weighed in. MuscleMeds Stemtropin is a powerful recomposition tool that goes hand in hand with a lean bulk protocol. Stemtropin naturally boosts Growth Hormone levels by 20% in as quickly as 2 hours. Elevated growth hormone levels result in lean muscle tissue growth, lipolysis, and elevated natural energy levels. The other powerful function of Stemtropin is boosting stem cell count.

Over the years spent in the gym you have likely heard of and performed supersets and drop sets to shake things up with your training. Cluster sets were actually introduced into the weightlifting world back in 1976, but have flown under the radar for years. They can be a powerful method to overload the muscles to improve muscle strength and size through unique methodology. This is an effective method to help break through a plateau that has kept your progress stagnant for some time. While cluster sets are typically used to boost compound lift strength, you can still reap the benefits for accessory movements as well. The science behind the effectiveness of this method is fascinating. To give you a better understanding as to why this style of training is so effective, let’s get a general understanding of how the body responds to it internally. Our muscular systems are made up of two types of muscle fibers we will refer to as fatigue and fast twitch. Typically only fast twitch muscle fibers are associated with weight training, and few mention the use of slow twitch in the gym when resistance training. Studies have shown that slow twitch fibers do in fact play a role in weight training. These fibers bring blood to the muscles, help prevent fatigue, and extend muscle contractions for prolonged periods of time. Cluster sets activate and recruit both of these types of muscle fibers, making this a powerful method for building both strength and endurance in the gym. Because this training calls for heavy weight to be used, your fast twitch muscle fibers will be relied on primarily. Due to the length of each set and your body being deprived of rest time, slow twitch muscle fibers will be utilized as well to endure the length of the set. So what is a cluster set and how do you perform them? Let’s break it down. Cluster sets are lengthened sets that include intra-set rest time. For this style of training, you’ll have to shift gears in your mind. Typically you bang out a strong set, rest, and repeat. When performing cluster sets you will perform a small number of reps, rest for a short period of time, complete more reps, rest again, and repeat 1-2 more times for a total of 3-4 cycles before one set is complete. Only then will you rest for generally between 60-90 seconds. Now that you have a general understanding of how these sets are performed, the next step would be figuring out your ideal number of reps and rest time to aim for. Similar to supersets and drop sets, there is no set number of reps/sets that is required to properly perform a cluster set. There is flexibility and experimenting with different ranges is recommended to find what works best for you. Although there are some recommended places to start. For those who are focused on strength gains, the Poliquin 5x5 cluster set is one of the most favored ranges to hit. This method puts your maximum strength to the ultimate test. You will utilize roughly 90% of your 1RM to perform the following Step 1: 1 Rep Followed By 15 Second Rest Step 2: 1 Rep Followed By 15 Second Rest Step 3: 1 Rep Followed By 15 Second Rest Step 4: 1 Rep Followed By 15 Second Rest Step 5: 1 Rep Followed By 2 Minutes Rest That concludes ONE set. Repeat for a total of 5. When size is the price, cluster sets can be a powerful method when it comes to hypertrophy. A simple shift of the sets/reps/rest can be put in place to change the focus of the set. These sets will focus on volume and constant intensity to overload the muscles. Step 1: 3 Reps Followed By 15 Second Rest Step 2: 3 Reps Followed By 15 Second Rest Step 3: 2 Reps Followed By 90 Second Rest That concludes ONE set. Repeat for a total of 4. Like any other training method, some trial and error may be needed in order to find out what works best for your body and goals. Utilize cluster sets to break through plateaus when it comes to strength and size. This hidden technique can be the push you need to break new ground. Just be prepared because these sets will be sure to leave you hurting for several days to follow due to the prolonged length of the sets that will be a shock to your system.