QUESTION 1: WHAT ARE YOUR BEST TIPS FOR BULKING? – LAUREN

When it comes to bulking, you can attack it a couple of ways… you can do a clean bulk that will consist of lots of clean carbs and protein, or you can do a dirty bulk and hit the Oreos and French fries…I’d suggest you do more of the first strategy than the second, but there’s definitely room for Oreos. If you clean bulk, you won’t put on as much fat as you would if you went for the dirty bulk… you want that weight to go on as lean mass, not fat, because at some point at the end of your bulk, you’re gonna have to cut… so eat those muscle foods and drink your protein shakes. 

Sausha: I also prefer a clean bulk, personally. I just physically FEEL better when I’ve done a clean bulk. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to eat whatever I want and see the results I want, but my guts hate me for it when I have.

As far as workouts go, go with the heavier weight – moderate rep training program consisting of lifts like bench, squat, and deadlift as your main focuses; then add in accessory work to target specific muscle groups. Bulking is a slow process… so make sure you’re fueling your body properly and focus on building strength steadily in the following weeks.

DON’T. FORGET. YOUR. ACCESSORY. WORK. It’s super important to incorporate accessory work when you’re wanting to bulk. I mean, it’s important in general, but especially when you go to a cut after you’re done bulking, it will REALLY make those muscles pop.

QUESTION 2: CROSSFIT LOOKS LIKE A LOT OF FUN, BUT I’M AFRAID I WILL GET TOO BIG. WILL LIFTING WEIGHTS MAKE ME LOOK BULKY? – ANNA

Short answer: no… longer answer, no it won’t. Like… if I had a buck for every time someone has said “Don’t get too bulky” to me, I’d have many dollars… I’ve been trying to get “too big” for years… you don’t just touch a dumbbell and get huge, ladies, so don’t be afraid to lift. It’s great for your body. It helps with your flexibility and bone density, two things that we ladies lose the order we get… if you start lifting now, you’re setting yourself up for success later in life. I mean, fitness is the best preventative care you can do, if you take care of your body your body will most definitely return the favor. Lifting weights enhances your balance and coordination and it just makes you more useful in your daily life… you can haul those seventeen bags of groceries in one trip instead of six, youre not always tired… like, don’t fear the weights… if you’re interested in weight training, definitely do your homework and give it a try.

Hit those weights! The more muscle you gain, the more calories you burn, THE MORE FOOD YOU GET TO EAT YAS. I’ve heard so many women say “I just wanna be lean,” well, you’re gonna want to start opting for the weights for most of your workout and then finish your session with some cardio if you still want to work that into your routine.

I think that society has told us for far too fucking long that women should only tone. The amount of commitment and consistency you’d have to have and the amount of TIME it would take is something to keep in mind. You aren’t going to get “huge” overnight and I wouldn’t even worry about that in the first place because I got some news: strong is the new “toned” strong is the new “skinny” 

Your goals are YOURS. If lifting heavy shit and wanting to be strong is wrong, then I dno’t want to be right. 

Like Sadie said, don’t fear weights. Weights are fun! Weights, in my opinion have allowed me to challenge and push myself in ways I never had considered before. At the end of the day, this is your journey and if you want to try crossfit, try it! 

QUESTION 3: WHAT SUPPLEMENTS DO YOU RECOMMEND ADDING TO MY DAILY  ROUTINE? – DAN

When it comes to supplements, I don’t really recommend a ton of things… because honestly, if you don’t have your nutrition and training locked in, the odds are supplements aren’t going to do a whole lot for you, BUT there are a couple of exceptions, so let’s talk about them. When it comes to supplements I recommend for any person regardless of goals or gender; protein powder, creatine, and a pre-workout if you’re into that. 

Protein powder is clutch when it comes to filling your macros for the day, if you need a snack or don’t have time to eat a whole meal, enter the protein shake. It shouldn’t be your main source of protein, but if you need help hitting your numbers, definitely seek out a good protein powder. READ YOUR LABELS, because they are not all created equal. 

I’m extremely fond of protein powder. It’s versatile, you can bake with some of them, it fills in when you’re rushed for your day, if you don’t feel like upping your portion sizes for your meals on your protein, it can fill those gaps in for you. LIKE I SAID, BIG PROTEIN POWDER FAN. Smoothies!

We can put together a list of our favorites and put it on meatheadtestkitchen dot com. If you’d like some suggestions outside of our own, send us an email at hello@meatheadtestkitchen.com

Creatine. It gets a bad rap, but honestly it has been key in my journey to build muscle and endurance. Mayo Clinic says that Creatine is an amino acid that hangs out in your muscles and brain, your body converts creatine to create energy. So creatine is best used by sprinters and weightlifters… anyone that requires a short burst of energy. 

Pre-workout. If you want a pre-workout, I suggest starting with the most entry-level version available from the company you’re looking at. If you’re sensitive to caffeine, I’d use pre-workout with extreme caution, because some are definitely stronger than others. I’d say if you’re new to pre, start with half the recommended dose and work your way up to a full scoop if you need it… too much pre-workout will make you tingly and twitchy, and that’s the LAST fucking thing you want when you’re trying to focus on getting shit done.

Sausha: I love a good pre-workout. If you follow me on instagram, I’ve got a link for what I like to use. Tastes good, does the trick. It may be a mental thing,  but I feel like I always have a better workout with a little jump from a pre-workout.

Sadie: Same. I also like to use and NO3 supplement with my pre-workout because I feel it gives me an extra push… is it all mental? Maybe, but it helps, so YOLO.

WHAT IS YOUR GO TO ALTERNATIVE TO PEANUT BUTTER?! IT’S A BIG VICE AND I CAN ONLY DO PB POWDER IN MY OATMEAL. – BECCA

To be honest, I make peanut butter fit if I want it. I’ve found that with natural peanut butter, you get more bang for your buck in terms of weight (the sugary stuff is thicker and weighs more so you end up getting like a teaspoon for a serving I feel like)

IF you can’t make peanut butter fit, I honestly have, on several occasions, added some water bit by bit to pb powder to get it to the consistency of peanut butter. The flavor isn’t 100% the same, but it’ll do the trick if you can’t make it fit in your day.

If you’re looking for something with sliiiiiiiightly better macros to scratch the itch, you can always try almond butter, but if you don’t like it… like Sausha said, just make it fit if you want it.

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU GET INTO A FUNK OR GET DISCOURAGED BECAUSE YOU’RE NOT SEEING THE RESULTS YOU WANT? – MEGAN

Getting discouraged is probably bound to happen to all of us at some point on this journey. We live in a society where we want instant gratification. We want what we want when we want it. Remember, it’s called a journey for a reason. This isn’t a sprint, this isn’t a quick fix, this is an investment in yourself. Just because Cindy’s weight fell off faster than yours, or George’s arms got bigger than yours, faster, that doesn’t mean that you haven’t made progress. If you’ve been consistent, if you’ve been adjusting your mindset, if you’ve been moving your body and paying attention to what you’re putting into your mouth, than you’re just fine! You’re doing the thing. You’re already better than you were a year ago. This is your path, and this journey was never intended to be linear. 

Sadie: I’ve been doing this for almost six years, and I can tell you that I’ve been all over the place… I’ve hit my goals, I’ve slid back into old habits and had to break them again, I’ve changed my goals a million times… keep doing the work. Trust the process, it takes a lot of time sometimes, but if you see it through, you’ll get to where you wanna be. Nothing sucks more than having an awesome workout and then looking in the mirror and seeing zero change… but those days are gonna happen from time to time, ESPECIALLY in the beginning. Just keep pushing.

There are going to be shitty workouts. There are going to be shitty food days. There are going to be shitty things that happen that blow you off the path for a little bit. That doesn’t mean that your journey is over, it means that your plot line moved. If you ate shitty yesterday, get back to work today. Miss a workout or 2 or 5? Move. Things happen in your life beyond your control? Life doesn’t stop for you, you’re just in it and sometimes there’s nothing you can do about those things. Just pick up where you left off or feel comfortable beginning again. You didn’t fuck up. You’re a human being. Be kind to yourself and continue.