Your body may be going high in calories as you feel relaxed for the competition to be months away. This is the time when many bodybuilders and sportsmen lose focus without taking any anabolic steroids.
As soon as they are relieved with the stress of following their diet and exercise regimen, they end up making major mistakes; mistakes that need to be avoided, mistakes that can greatly cost them while the competition season starts. Bulking during the offseason is important, however, mention below is a list of common mistakes that need to be corrected for bulking upright, have a look:
NOT SETTING OBJECTIVES FOR IMPROVEMENT:
No matter how far the competition season is, you need to stay focused on your aims and objectives. Remember, this is a golden time for you to work on your weaknesses. First of all, what you need to do is make a plan and note down your weak areas. During this time, you can work more on these parts for improvements. Remember, this bulking season is an ideal era to take advice from the experts, for you to make corrections for the betterment.
NOT SETTING MEAL GOALS:
By mentioning the three words above, bulking upright I meant your body must receive the needed nutrients for your metabolism to work appropriately. I have seen many bodybuilders skip meals, after which they eat more to compensate for the nutrients their bodies did not receive. Clearly speaking, their muscles starve while they skip meals and when they eat more; their body receives extra calories, which in turn confuses their metabolism. Remember, your body starts to burn your muscles when it needs fuel. Thus, eat well after every three hours!
EATING TOO LITTLE:
Clearly, all you need to do during the off-season is add mass. Gaining fat to some level is totally fine and advised. This indicates that you are eating well for the development of your muscles, as well as for your body to get its fuel. Eating too little can lead to serious problems for you, therefore, consume good quality food!
EATING BADLY:
Even though your body needs calories, do not just choose junk for the purpose. If you consume sweets, junk, and fast foods, then forget about gaining high-quality muscles. You can simply attain proteins and fats through healthy foods including lean meats, nuts, etc. Choosing healthy foods over processed meals will help you meet your target faster.
AVOIDING CARDIO EXERCISE:
Generally speaking, cardio is best for torching the unneeded body fats and for keeping the hunger high. I totally agree with the fact that at this point you are more into bulking up your body, rather than cutting it, yet to bulk up, you need to eat more, and for that, your appetite has to be high. Cardio is also known to improve stamina during the bulk-up period, which can help you conduct your workout sessions for a prolonged period of time.
OVERDOSING CARDIO EXERCISE:
Even though the significance of cardio exercise can never be underestimated for the purpose of bulking up, yet its overdosage will take you nowhere. At this point in time, you need to focus more on muscle-building exercises; however, investing extra energy to feed your muscles will end up losing you on the other side that is muscle building. You do need cardio, though spare it for your preparation, in order to cut at a rapid pace!
AVOIDING CARBS:
Our muscles want carbs for their fuel, as these are made of proteins. Basically, carbs tend to be a significant component of the bulking diet. The reason lies in the fact that these provide energy which in turn optimizes the metabolism. Consuming good-quality carbs will end up with great mass-adding results.
SCALE-WATCHING:
It’s always good to watch that little digit moving up as it truly means a step closer to our goals. Though I have seen many bodybuilders who weigh themselves each hour! This is not right! You can see the results periodically in order to ascertain the improvements are based mainly on muscle vs body fat!
RELYING ON MACHINES:
No doubt, machines tend to be ideal for completing the workouts, though as the machines aim for certain groups, whilst depending least on motion range, thus, do not just spend all your time and energy on these! Instead, pay heed to some bulk-adding free-weight exercises!
OVERDOING THE WORKOUTS:
Obviously, massive changes do not occur overnight! Patience is all you need to observe drastic changes in your body. If you choose to conduct your workouts without a break, then this means your muscles are not given time to recover, which leads to progressive, breaking down of muscles. Thus, push your body to the limits and give your muscles a break to recover!