Bulking Program/Diet Critique

I’ve started myself on a bulking program on June 9th, Although Im already 7 days in and experiencing results, I’d like some feedback on my program and how I could tweak it to make it better. I made the program with a mixture of German Volume Training and the revised GVT program here on T-nation, added diversity for hypertrophy explained in Chad Waterbury’s article diversity for hypertrophy and turned it into a twice a day program to fit my personal needs. Here it is. Tear it apart.

German Volume Training Polished and ready to go begins June 9, 2004

Cycle 1 (20 rep max)

  1. Chest and Back 90 seconds (diverse Arms and Shoulders)
    Morning
    Wide Grip Pull-ups? 3 sets of 10
    Medium Grip Pull-ups? 3 sets of 10
    Narrow Grip, Semi-Supinated Pull-ups? 3 sets of 10
    Barbell Rows? 1 set of 10

    Incline Bench Press? 3 sets of 10
    Decline Bench Press? 3 sets of 10
    Bench Press? 3 sets of 10 ? 155 lbs
    Barbell Pullover? 3 sets of 10

    Rear Deltoid machine? 3 sets of 10

Afternoon
Diverse arms

Diverse Shoulders
  1. Legs (Hams and Quads) 90 seconds

Morning
Front Squats? 3 sets of 10 High Bar, Narrow Stance, 1 and 1/3 Squats (bar high on back)? 3 sets of 10
High Bar, Medium Stance Squats? 3 sets of 10
Leg Extensions? 1 set of 10
Leg Press Calf Raise? 3 sets of 10
Seated Calf Raise? 3 sets of 10
Standing Calf Raise? 3 sets of 10

Afternoon
Good Mornings? 3 sets of 10 Straight Leg Deadlifts off box? 3 sets of 10
Rumanian Deadlift? 3 sets of 10 Leg Curls? 1 set of 10

  1. (Diverse Chest and Back, Calves) Shrugs? 4 sets of 10

  2. Arms and Shoulders (Diverse Quads and Hams) 60 seconds

Morning
Shoulder Grip Presses (in front of neck)? 3 sets of 10
Regular Grip Presses (in front of neck)? 3 sets of 10
Wide Grip Presses (in front of neck)? 3 sets of 10
Upright Row? 3 sets of 10

Diverse Quads 

Afternoon
Lying Extensions (to top of head)? 3 sets of 10
Lying Extensions (to chin)? 3 sets of 10
Seated Overhead Extensions? 3 sets of 10
Reverse Grip Pushdowns (on pull down machine)? 1 set of 10

Standing Bicep straight bar Curls? 3 sets of 10 
Standing Bicep easy bar curl? 3 sets of 10 
Standing Hammer Curls? 3 sets of 10 
Standing Straight bar Reverse Curls? 1 set of 10 

Diverse Hams
  1. Off

I follow John Berardi’s massive eating guidelines + 15% which is 4,600 calories for me. I’m 18 years old 5’9" and 155 lbs. Macronutrient breakdown has been 24% protein, 47% carbohydrates, and 29% fats. approximately.

As far as supplements, I sip a serving of surge with 5 grams of creatine during the workout and finish it after.
I eat a 1 pound can of canned alaskan salmon every day in my fat + protein meals along with 2 TBSP of flax oil and 8 capsules of fish oil. I eat 8 meals a day, 1 in the middle of the night. The first 3 days on the program I gained a fast 5 pounds. These past 4 days have seemed to be a plateau. I’m doing this cycle 3 times and then doing a new 5 day cycle with 13 sets of 6 for another 15 days. I’m hoping to gain 15 pounds of solid mass by the end of the 30 days. Give me some feedback guys, don’t be gentle.

Well, not the most direct comments but the none the less, my two cents at the moment.

15 pounds in 30 days… that may be possible but definetly not 15 solid pounds. Unless you have never lifted before and you are going to be banking on the fresh “newbie” gains, I would look to gain less mass but more meaningful mass.

Secondly, bulking is more about eating than it is about lifting. Everyone lifts weights and most people do a good enough job to stimulate enough growth to be successful, but when someone doesn’t manage to put on good muscle, it is due to their diet. I am not a huge fan of GVT but it, like many other high volume, routines works great for hypertrophy based training. Your work out seems to be fine: if you can do that much volume in each session and can knock out that many sessions a week without overtraining, than you are fine. If you are running into problems though, I would look to your diet before your workout routine and from what you have given us about your diet, you don’t leave us any room to comment.

Best of luck :slight_smile: J.

Hey, here’s a food log example, most days very very similar.
6/10/04
1 cup oatmeal 300 cal
1 cup milk 110 cal
1 scoop protein powder 110 cal
1 box raisins 130 cal
1 banana 105 cal
1 cup vegetables 30 cal

Salad w/carrot, spinach, peppers, almond, cheese   535 cal
Salmon burger   270 cal
Milk   130 cal

Grapes   100 cal
Carrots  30 cal
Apple   70 cal
Salmon Burger Sandwich  550 cal

Post workout shake  300 cal					2800 cal

Apple   70 cal  
Orange  70 cal
Turkey  100
Vegetables  30 cal
1 slice bread  90 cal  
Cottage cheese  50  
Omelet  120

Salad w/vegetables and carrots  50 cal
Turkey   100 cal
Salmon Burger  270 cal
1 Tbsp flax oil  135 cal
Salad Dressing  50 cal					3905 cal

Post workout shake  300 cal

1/3 cup Cottage Cheese  70 cal
omelet w/peppers  120 cal
1 cup broccoli  30 cal
1/3 pineapple  70 cal					4495 cal

Sleep shake cottage cheese, flax oil, milk, whey protein
	135 + 120 + 110 = 365			4860 cal day total

I cook my canned salmon into salmon burgers.

and another

i dont know about the GVT (never done it), but that is some good eating!

peace

You must spend all day cooking.

I cook on sundays for the rest of the week. I cook for about 2-3 hours on sundays, I’m getting more efficient.

Easy food in a flash… ready?

OK think same breakfast for 6 days.
Then make 4 different meals at 3 servings each thats 18 meals (3 a day for 6 simply split them to get your six)

Now how to build those meals…

Think protein, fiber, starch and fat
Protein take the meat, slice it into 1/2 thick peices and bake takes around 20 min max (use a therometer)
next fiber, steam your vegeies for 4 minutes. Done. Next starch well bake potatoes in the microwave max 8 minutes or so and your done
last the fat, add this in on top cold and season… your done! take less than 30 minutes to make each of 4 meals for a total of 2 hours, maybe another 30 minutes to container the stuff, label and freeze it. Each night just put the frozen food in the fridge to thaw for the next day. It works its simple and its fast. Oh yeah and since the food is already cooked it can be eaten cold as well.

Its just to simple to make and eat real food. I’m making a new recipe book based on this I’ll put out come July… who knows maybe TC will want a few copies for the testing area?

Thanks Chefx, one of the hardest parts of following the program is making all the food.