To help support the channel: ko-fi.com/naturalhypertrophy How lifting saved my life: • STORY TIME: How liftin... Full bulking guide: • Don't fall for the bul...
Remember everyone, a golden rule for bulks: The purpose of a bulk is to GRADUALLY put on extra weight. The purpose of a bulk is NOT for you to justify your horrendous dietary choices.
Let’s be more specific! The purpose of a bulk is to add MUSCLE!!! not just weight! There’s many men who have weight, it isn’t the point. The scale can show progress while the truth betrays that.
100%. If you bulk for a year and gain 1lb a month thats 12lbs and if the diet was right the body fat is gonna be ez as fuck to take off. If progressive overload took place you are definitely going to be way bigger.
I got fat bulking and my wife would still call me a "greek god." I am not delusional, I know she's just being nice to me because she loves me, but it would have been better if she would have told me 😅
Nahhh fuck that I’ll be the contrarian here, that was coddling/coping . Just like how your mommy tells you you’re the most handsome man in the world . It would’ve been better if she acknowledged you being a lard . But still loved you , rather than just blatant delusions “Greek god”
Somebody needs to send this video to Rippetoe. Starting strength was the first thing I did when I got into lifting. Now 10 years later I can’t believe I ever listened to Rip. Although the idea of compound barbell movements is fantastic and I absolutely include them in my current training, everything else about SS is complete crap especially when they tell you to gain as much weight as possible. I consider SS to be entertainment only these days😂.
You have to take the SS program in the context in which it is presented. If your goal is to move as much weight as possible (not focusing on physique at all) it isn't necessarily bad advice to gain as much weight as possible. It will improve your leverages and will facilitate moving weight. It is not necessarily health advice, though, and it definitely will not improve your physique.
Youre clearly uneducated and didnt understand anything rip presented. He never said get as fat as possible, But If you want to gain as much muscle as possible then you gotta push calories as high as possible as long as its a «lean bulk» that will give you the most amount of muscle.
There are definitely good and solid moves + concepts with Mark and SS, even about nutrition and what to eat for your bulking phase, but it definitely needs to be separated with all the stuff that one shouldn't listen at all
The problem with SS is that people don't actually read the book. It's supposed to be run by underweight skinny novices for the first couple of months of their training. People try to do it while already overweight and they grind it for months and then they wonder why they ended up with Tyrannosaur physique
Starting Strength is a horrendous beginner program for probably 90%+ of people who want to start lifting. No matter what people say, and even tell themselves, they want to start lifting to get more muscular and look better. Very few people are really just in it for strength. You're right, everything else about SS outside of the basic barbell movements is garbage: the bulking requirement, the obsession with adding weight to the bar every workout, the minimalism, the complete lack of assistance and accessory movements, fucking POWER CLEANS, a highly technical lift, in a beginner lifting program. Preposterous.
Glad to see the story time format making a return. I hope you plan on doing more in the future, provided you have more stories to share. They've always been my favorite videos of yours.
"I fed my body dismorphia" hit the nail on the head for me. I did calisthenics for a year before lifting consistantly and as soon as I started lifting I got it in my head that I could eat whatever I wanted. I would think things like oh I need the calories because I'm working out, or, I'm bulking I don't need to worry about how much I eat. It was only when my stomoch and love handles started to stick out with a shirt on did I finally relize I had gone too far. So of course I would start to eat less do some caridio and lose some wieght. The twist I didn't even realize was happening then and also now is I felt like I was losing muscle and getting small. When in reality a lot of the size I saw as muscle was just fat. So when I would start to actually make some progress I would stop and think oh, I lost enough, I should go back to maintaing or bulking! Which would eventually lead me to digging myself a deeper hole. For me the take away was and is to get control of my eating and be mindful of my mindset when it comes to food. Also for the love of god, if your binging pretty much every weekend like I was I would suggest finding something more worthwhile to do with your free time. :)
This video adds soo much to my NH head-cannon; I neither knew he was married or that he went to grad school. I have a vacation scheduled in November so that will be the start of my first intentional bulk, great timing as usual.
I can relate. Currently at my heaviest, 260. Since I was a teen I wanted to be better physically. I managed to get to 190 and it was an achievement I never thought I could get. Currently in grad school and now suffering from the ramifications of my neglect. My grandfather recently passed, he had given up on himself and his body paid for it. My father took himself for granted and always thought of himself. Now that I am older I think of what type of example I want to give for others. I want to be the change I see in my life because I never had those role models. I even lost my way in training. I used to never think about it and always wanted to do it, but once others with influence tell you how and what you should do, it's not fun anymore. It's taken me awhile to come to this realization and now I want to listen to myself because to be better it must come from within. Thanks NH. These videos are great and love listening to them. True strength, comes when you're most weak.
Respect for this. I haven't ever been like more than 20-30 pounds overweight since I took training seriously but I relate to this back and forth fuck up sequence in the first couple years. And also relate to the pull ups and push ups/ dips really humbling you once you hit them with any consistency.
It's encouraging to hear how much your energy improved after stopping your dumb bulk. Given that I have sixty pounds on your peak bulk I can only imagine how much better it'd get for me. I'm a permabulked fatass because of bad discipline but hopefully this time I'll drop more than ten kilos.
Thanks for this, I am working out seriously for around 3 years, when I started my body fat was around 23% and I weighed 76 kg at 183 cm, during that time I did gain muscle mass but obviusly fat aswell, I wasn't forcefeeding too extremely but I was definitely bulking and eating more than I should, after a year and a half I got to 86 kg which isn't a lot for my height but since I still didn't have a significant amount of muscle mass I looked terrible and was around 27% body fat, after that I started cutting and during the cut I actually got way stronger and I believe I didn't have noobie gains anymore at that time, I cut to around 20% which is still not low but comfortable for me and since then I am staying around that body fat and slowly getting stronger and increasing my muscle mass. Our stories shows that there is a point you can reach while bulking which is not only not helpful for gains, its actually counter productive, not to mention you look your worst.
God-sent video. Im bulking myself and hit 95.5 kg (at 181 cm) a few days ago. Im swimming a lot and do jiujitsu to stay in shape, but I worry if Im just getting fat. I haven't hit nightmare levels of bulk and eating though. I appreciate the honesty and ability to post before photos.
I ended up getting injured playing football at age 15 but kept eating like I was doing weights class 1 hr a day and practice 2.5-3 hr a day. Only exercise I was doing was some crappy Wal-Mart machine my parents had gotten me in my garage. I went from a chubby 205 lb to a fat 245 lb. This was over about 1.5 years. I got senior photos taken right before my senior year of HS and was so embarrassed to see what I looked like. Right then is when my fitness journey really began. I started jogging in the evenings and doing pushups and situps in my room before bed, cut out all the bad snacks and 2nd-3rd servings I was eating at dinner, and still did some weight training in my garage. By the time I started college was back down to 212 lb. Started training with a friend who wanted to walk on to the football team as a freshman, we were hitting the student rec center 6 days a week, and ended up finishing my freshman year of college at 188 lb. Since that time, I've done an actual bulk twice. I'm 38 now. I had the reverse mindset to you, I was terrified of getting fat again. Between my freshman and sophomore years of college I trained at a gym near my parents' house over the summer and followed Jay Cutler's split I got out of a magazine (this was so long ago he still hadn't won his first Olympia), ate healthy structured meals 4-5 times a day, and did 20 min of elliptical after weights. Gained up to 195 lb and stayed lean. Ended up maintaining that weight for a long time, mostly because I was training for vertical jump, then crossfit, then Olympic lifting. I didn't rediscover bodybuilding until about 2016, and when I got back into volume I went from 205 to 215-220 pretty quickly, but I wasn't trying to bulk. My body was just very sensitive to training after neglecting hypertrophy work for so long. This past year I finally bulked again and peaked at 239 lb, I'm now stabilized around 230-232 lb after a mini cut (under 20% bodyfat, but not by much). I plan on slowly cutting some more to get back to 220-225 range, then I'll maingain for a while. I think during a bulk, it's important to keep your activity up and cardio up, and to not try to focus on the scale. Don't forcefeed yourself either. During my most recent bulk, I just ate a little bit more than usual and used the increased intensity of my workouts to drive my appetite.
Great advice appreciate your honesty will save many people from gaining unnecessary fat. Moral of the story it takes 5-10+ years to get to your ideal body have patience, put in the work and don't overtrain.
I don't care what anyone says, NH, the dirty bulk is the way to go. In the past 8 months I've put on about 300 pounds of muscle. I have so much muscle that even my arteries have gotten bigger
This was a pretty good reminder for me. I first bulked going into sophomore year of highschool from 155-190 over a span of 4 or 5 months. I counted macros and kept it clean and was in the best shape of my life. Eventually I cut down to around 175 and right now I’m in Junior year. I’d been pretty obsessed with hitting 200 pounds to help me with shot-put on my track team but I was so obsessed with gaining weight that I’d been a little too lax on my macros. I appreciated this wake up call
When I was finished with my first cut, I was about 158lbs, compared to the 190lbs that I started at. I hadn't gained too much muscle during my first cut since I was mainly focused on just losing weight so I started a lean bulk in early 2022. It was amazing, my strength was *always* increasing on every movement, I saw myself gain muscle straight up in the mirror- my lats and arms went from barely existing to being some of the best parts of my physique. I remember after a while I was sitting at 166-168lbs bw, and I probably should've slowed it a *little* (I was gaining 2lbs a month but 1lb mightve been a bit better), I should've continued the lean bulk for a few more months and then did a slow cut or a straight up recomp. But recent events in my life, which I was weak enough to let influence me then, led me to eat a ton and snap back into old, insanely unhealthy eating habits. I gained 25lbs in about 2 months and ended up at 196lbs. During the whole journey I was insanely delusional about how much muscle I really was gaining, I started wearing my pants on top of my belly button to hide my love handles, etc. What really broke my state of mind was taking a picture of my back relaxed and realizing just how insane things had gotten- my love handles had become wider than my lats itself. It was really hard to swallow but I know I lost myself, and that it was time to do a slow cut. Finally, after a few months, I got down to 176-180 in the morning and now I'm just focusing on maintaining that while progressing in the gym and slowly seeing more progress in the mirror. It is working so I will continue, and one day I'll slowly bulk again after that- probably at 1lb/month
@@padalox2518in the first year newbies should be bulking a little harder (3-4 pounds per month) cuz they are capable of building that much muscle per month. Plus for many people it’s better to get fat and cut down later rather than spin your wheels and bust your ass for a meager amount of gains
Thanks for your channel. I thought it I was special for lifting and being into philosophy. I see now I’m not special and you’re way more intelligent than me 😂 I appreciate your channel and the education more than you know ❤
I started lifting just before covid doing whatever in the gym, i was 82kg 182cm, then come the lockdowns i bought some gym equipment and i followed starting strength for a year, i got some gains but also quite a bit fat. When lockdowns ended and restarted my past hobbies (sports, mtb) i realised being fat didn't help at all. Then i found this channel and decided to start the guts program with some changes all while recomping at 92-95kg and it worked. Now im at 90kg and i have made my own program from all the knowledge Mr. NH gave us, im still thinking about either a slow bulk or keep recomping, so far im still doing the latter because i still carry a lot of fat at 90kg, see how far i can push it.
@@maurice5402 NH programming and recomping advice really worked for me, I started having visible abs and managed to get away from SS frog physic, but even now I still have too much fat. I wish you all the strength and power to achieve your goals 💪
It's fascinating hearing this. I'm coming from the other end of things. I started training about a year ago. It was slow going because I am on the fat end of things, like, if I looked like his top bulk, I would feel like a Greek god. I have rehabbed almost all my old injury and weakness and now I am starting to see gains, and my weight is starting to come off. Please understand that being too heavy is a liability for everything you want to do. The iron game is a marathon, so pace yourself and increase or decrease slowly. It's also helpful to take a few months maintenance after every chunk of weight loss. Like if you are under 200 and you lose 15 lbs, stop and maintain a few months so your body stops freaking out about lost mass. Keep training and eat real food!
I have a story that is indirectly related to the ments. This was a while ago. Remember how Bloho liked to larp about having a milf following? We all know that’s a lie. It’s ironic because one time, I was watching an NH video on my laptop, and my mom asked what I was doing. She also remarked about NH in Cantonese something along the lines of “oh this guy is actually quite handsome”. Just goes to show you that every single person Bloho hates possesses something he desires. So Bloho, on the off chance that you’re reading this comment because you’re NH’s reply guy fluffer, keep seething over the fact that women don’t find you attractive and that NH would still facemog you if you cut off his head and put it in a vat.
I went from 115 to 169 in 16 months. Probably my greatest bulk. But, I definitely fucked up my cut. I went from 169 to 138 in 80 days. Definitely dropped too fast. But, for some reason , I forgot that I lose weight super fast. A lot of my mass is gone. But, I do see great progress. I look better at 138 then the last time that I was 138.
@@padalox2518 I'm sure he gained more muscle than if the surplus was more reasonable, however it is marginally better vs the heaps of fat you also put on being in a 1k surplus, i.e. not worth it. Pretty much all studies where they are in a massive surplus vs a reasonable one like 200-300 calories the massive surplus does put on a little more muscle, but they also put on a shit ton of fat they now have to lose. So one concludes it's not worth the massive surplus vs lean bulking.
Funny you release this now, going through this exact thing. Have been lean bulking for a year, and just recently my mom told me I'm getting fat. Didn't even notice it till I realized I could see a slight gut and manboobs. Going to cut 10-15lbs then start recomping from there.
Keep in mind I'm Asian so fat shaming is common and so is comments on your body. I've had comments from relatives and classmates too, but more so about being impressed.
I started bulking a few weeks ago, and this video made me reconsider how to do it. I was definitely heading the wrong way, and I think I just dodged a bullet, thanks a lot ❤.
Currently in a bulk here. Targeting going up 15-20lbs. Starting at 171# (5'11", assessed at 12.5% bf...not that I trust it too much...), so hope for a pretty good run over maybe 8-12 months. I'll probably hang out at that weight for a couple months before I decide what's next (probably a minicut). I'm trying to keep it at a reasonable pace. I'm up about a pound in the last 2.5 weeks, which is working just with upping my portion size on meal prepping (extra rice, a little more meat and veggies), and adding in a small but consistent amount of extra calories (portion of nuts, protein bar, etc) in a day. I feel like trash if I binge eat junk food. My skin gets all oily, stomach feels off, etc... If you can make it work 'clean' (or clean-ish), it's worth it IMO. Gonna keep the pullups in 100%. Free progressive overload! 🤣
I feel that. I also did a pointless notice bulk. In my first year i stagnated at 80kg for 6 in bench and it didn't go up in weeks so I started the see food diet. Turns out I had undiagnosed diabetes type 1 and now that's sorted I'm progressing again
Damn im exactly at the same bench weight and reps ive been stagnent at this for half a year now. Im pretty sure i dont have diabetes so i guess im just gonna try it with raising my kcal
Went overboard with the bulk as well. Got into 'only weight on the bar matters' rabbit hole & got extremely strong but gained significant amount of fat as well. Peaked at 311lbs bodyweight. Afterwards went on a cut & in 1 year dropped 66lbs. Now weight stabilized at around 254lbs & slow bulk going on. Getting strong on everything again but most importantly calisthenics is improving. Will keep that course and not look much on a scale. When recovery issues arise I'll just add 200 calories & move up slowly again.
NH stands for Nice Hair Anyway, recently saw another video of yours (I forgot which one) where you briefly mentioned that you worked in AI? Would you be interested in doing a video on your personal thoughts behind AI and how you think it will impact society?
Bulking is best. Here is why. Bulking will make you so overweight that you will have 2 choices. One choice is to remain overweight forever. Second choice is to train harder and become muscular lean machine. I choose option two. Unfortunately I know guys who became overweight forever after bulking too much in high school.
This is one of the realest videos I have seen. I went from a chubby kid to skinny fat(6'3 210) in my early 20's. Figured out "bulking" in my mid 20's. Put on too much weight, got hurt then fat (255lbs) Over the summer I got into road biking and am back down to 230, I have realized I would rather be athletic, have good cardio/endurance, and be "functional" rather than what I called strength. When "bulked up" I hit my highest bench over but couldn't even do 5 pushups or 1 pull up, thats when I knew I had a problem
During my 3rd consecutive year of training, I went from 5ft7 150lbs at approximately 15% body fat to 157lbs with the same body composition. However, I did not maingain. I bulked to 165 and then basically did a SLOW cut/recomp for 7 months. I even threw in a couple “mini-bulks” into that cut in an attempt to match previous PRs when I was feeling a more strained/fatigued. I really enjoyed doing it this way and will probably continue doing it for years to come. So next I will go to 170lbs and then slowly cut to around 160. Then 174lbs and back down to 162
Spending 7 months to at a 130kcal daily deficit on average is probably time that could be better spent cutting a bit harder and having more time in a surplus- but whatever works for you!
@@R3FL3XSN1P3R yeah I feel that, but during my first couple years, I went through BIG swings of about 600kcal surplus and 800-1000kcal deficit in patches of 5-6 weeks. I actually have a weight chart that shows it. And then as I go into my third year, everything smooths out. Both “bulks” and “cuts” are long and casual, and I think it’s more sustainable. More and more I am growing to understand that what really matters is that you occasionally push your boundaries. As long as my top weight and bottom weight for the year is increasing each coming year, and I continue training hard, I’m going to be huge. I don’t believe anymore that there is a magical anabolic property of being in a small surplus each and every day, it’s more about the long term
@@R3FL3XSN1P3Ragreed, instead of bulking 7 months then essentially maingaining for 5 months, rather bulk for like 9 and cut for 3. I went from 110lbs to 165lbs in my first year and 2 months doing this, and now I’m at the end of my 1 month cut at 153 at similar body fat as when I was 110
@@padalox2518you guys gotta realise that anything works for beginners. Going from underfed will make you gain a shit ton, that doesnt mean ur approach is good. My mate went from 160-190 in a month, i went from 130-190 in 8 months. Doesnt mean we hit the jackpot.
One of the things I love about lifting is that even if your struggle with food and diet like me you can still at least be strong and build muscle albeit sub optimally. I’m starting to get it under control though
I agree with almost everything you say here although I thinks its more like the first year, maybe two years when you dont need to worry much about macros too much to gain muscle. Im into my 4th year of bodybuilding biased resistance training and have found progress has slowed down considerably even as my diet has improved. Your protein demands increase as you gain more muscle mass and since you gain the most mass in the first year or two your protein demands increase the most during this period (as well as calorific demands in general).
I feel like bulking on only whole food is a great way to avoid becoming over fat. Counter to what the fitness social media space promotes, the bulk at any cost mentality basically.
Dang I really did mess up my first bulk. I've gained 25lbs within the last 6 months from 175 to 200. I've noticed massive strength gains and muscle gains but I have also noticed a lot of fat. Around 15lbs up I was able to do my first pull up and was able to do 4, I thought the bulk was going great and was able to do basic calisthenic skills for the first time in my life. Now I am up another 15 lbs and am able to do 1 terrible pull up. Very sad to see. Also I believe I have a decent amount of muscle for my original 170-180 frame but for a 200lb frame I am weak. This makes my squats and calisthenics terrible. It also makes my "strength standards" comparisons really bad. I don't think I have the same strength as a normal 200lb man because I have mostly only gained fat! Thank you for this video. I think I need to swallow my ego and lose the body fat and then get back on a very moderate (and actually tracked) bulk instead of just eating like shit because it's easy and fun
Although I didn’t bulk as hard as you did, when I decided to take my diet and weight seriously, I realized that as my family was saying, I was indeed getting fat. I started out as a skinny kid with a set of abs but ended up with someone so engrossed in getting bigger that I sacrificed the aesthetics of my stomach. Yes, I looked pretty big with a tshirt but all that belly fat made me really insecure when shirtless. Also, I hated eating so I was force feeding myself a lot too. I decided to take a slow cut and although my strength in compound lifts decreased a bit, I’m much more comfortable with my diet and I still find myself progressing in strength. I sure wish I didn’t fall for the bulking meme but oh boy did it teach me a valuable lesson on pacing and moderation.
I laughed when you mentioned the eggs 😂😂 I used to do the same thing, I even used pasteurised egg whites for a while, and my digestion was absolutely horrific. It wasn't just from the eggs, but im sure it contributed. I also can't eat pasta at all anymore because of digestion issues.
From one perspective, you guys are lucky. I need motivation to eat more and coupled with the fact that I walk a lot of kilometres daily, I struggle to even lean bulk.
your fitness journey reminds me of mine my guy... top 15% genetics aswell i would say for BB. I was 165 at 6ft 3 in gr 9 tall and lanky. I can relate to the massive gains from a seemingly full fridge all the time while saying with my parents. i managed to put on 65 lbs of somewhat lean mass in 4 years. It really is impressive to do so naturally imo.
This story is very similar to mine. Instantly when I started lifting at almost 16 years old, I started a bulk, very heavy, because it was what all of my friends were doing. I set my goal to get to 90kgs. I was in a 1000 calorie surplus. Luckily, I realised that a lot of it was fat and I "only" gained 13 kgs in about 8 months, which is incredibly much, but I also had newbie gains. Then I cut for about 4 months and ended up only about 3-4 kgs heavier with a bit less fat. I hated bulking, because my whole day was centred on it, but I just wanted that 90kgs. Luckily I decided to cut for the summer. Now I am only one year older but have learnt a lot. I won't do this again, but I do value the experience.
50 lbs on my bench. 50 lbs on my belly. Solid…
Untamed bulk
+ better bench leverages 🥰
@AlanThrall love your content bro
I'd take 50 kg in my bench for 50kg+ body weight 😂
Ironically, from the thumbnail, it appears that all his gains in size where achieved in this bulk.
My wife will straight up just tell me when to end a bulk.
So?
@@kapoioBCS so
With sign language because you’re a passport bro who doesn’t even speak Chinese?
Still look better than Blaha tbh.
🤣🤣🤣
Nothing can compare to coath's majestic totally not bald head of hair.
You did not just diss my coach like that…
oh man the assassination 🤣 be careful he will send some mercenaries in your ass
Blaha is gonna steal your female girlfriend
Remember everyone, a golden rule for bulks: The purpose of a bulk is to GRADUALLY put on extra weight. The purpose of a bulk is NOT for you to justify your horrendous dietary choices.
Let’s be more specific! The purpose of a bulk is to add MUSCLE!!! not just weight! There’s many men who have weight, it isn’t the point. The scale can show progress while the truth betrays that.
Bulk can also increase strength fast
Too late
What if you're doing super squats to gain 30lbs in 6 weeks??
100%. If you bulk for a year and gain 1lb a month thats 12lbs and if the diet was right the body fat is gonna be ez as fuck to take off. If progressive overload took place you are definitely going to be way bigger.
12:16 "That 3 plate Bench, that 4 plate Squat and that 5 plate Dinner" was a missed opportunity😂
ITT: People who don't understand the concept of hair ties
xd
Tbh it was really hard to notice
Had to tie the hair back to assert hairline superiority over our boy Hemingway
📠
You knew we were gonna ask.
Man was primed for a powerlifting competition.
Special agent blaha snuck into his house and massacred his hair
Good work, agent 47 threesomes (not bald)
Unironically one of my favorite video formats on this channel is story time videos because NH has a captivating way of narrating stories.
fat NH is such a cursed/blessed image its so hard to tell
I got fat bulking and my wife would still call me a "greek god." I am not delusional, I know she's just being nice to me because she loves me, but it would have been better if she would have told me 😅
She’s a keeper
bro thats just a good woman.
You’re a lucky man
she's saying that because in her eyes you are at your best shape
Nahhh fuck that I’ll be the contrarian here, that was coddling/coping . Just like how your mommy tells you you’re the most handsome man in the world . It would’ve been better if she acknowledged you being a lard . But still loved you , rather than just blatant delusions “Greek god”
The average gymbro is also a contender of WR in the "fucking up the bulk" category, me included. Most of us have done that at some point lol
@@TheJackOfAllTrades777permabulking for infinite gains
Absolutely yes, rn i'm losing weight to fix what i fucked up haha
Somebody needs to send this video to Rippetoe. Starting strength was the first thing I did when I got into lifting. Now 10 years later I can’t believe I ever listened to Rip. Although the idea of compound barbell movements is fantastic and I absolutely include them in my current training, everything else about SS is complete crap especially when they tell you to gain as much weight as possible. I consider SS to be entertainment only these days😂.
You have to take the SS program in the context in which it is presented. If your goal is to move as much weight as possible (not focusing on physique at all) it isn't necessarily bad advice to gain as much weight as possible. It will improve your leverages and will facilitate moving weight. It is not necessarily health advice, though, and it definitely will not improve your physique.
Youre clearly uneducated and didnt understand anything rip presented. He never said get as fat as possible, But If you want to gain as much muscle as possible then you gotta push calories as high as possible as long as its a «lean bulk» that will give you the most amount of muscle.
There are definitely good and solid moves + concepts with Mark and SS, even about nutrition and what to eat for your bulking phase, but it definitely needs to be separated with all the stuff that one shouldn't listen at all
The problem with SS is that people don't actually read the book. It's supposed to be run by underweight skinny novices for the first couple of months of their training. People try to do it while already overweight and they grind it for months and then they wonder why they ended up with Tyrannosaur physique
Starting Strength is a horrendous beginner program for probably 90%+ of people who want to start lifting. No matter what people say, and even tell themselves, they want to start lifting to get more muscular and look better. Very few people are really just in it for strength. You're right, everything else about SS outside of the basic barbell movements is garbage: the bulking requirement, the obsession with adding weight to the bar every workout, the minimalism, the complete lack of assistance and accessory movements, fucking POWER CLEANS, a highly technical lift, in a beginner lifting program. Preposterous.
R.I.P Natural Mulletrophy
i can feel the pain in his eyes 😭
Glad to see the story time format making a return. I hope you plan on doing more in the future, provided you have more stories to share. They've always been my favorite videos of yours.
To bulk is to be happy 😊
"I fed my body dismorphia" hit the nail on the head for me. I did calisthenics for a year before lifting consistantly and as soon as I started lifting I got it in my head that I could eat whatever I wanted. I would think things like oh I need the calories because I'm working out, or, I'm bulking I don't need to worry about how much I eat. It was only when my stomoch and love handles started to stick out with a shirt on did I finally relize I had gone too far. So of course I would start to eat less do some caridio and lose some wieght. The twist I didn't even realize was happening then and also now is I felt like I was losing muscle and getting small. When in reality a lot of the size I saw as muscle was just fat. So when I would start to actually make some progress I would stop and think oh, I lost enough, I should go back to maintaing or bulking! Which would eventually lead me to digging myself a deeper hole. For me the take away was and is to get control of my eating and be mindful of my mindset when it comes to food. Also for the love of god, if your binging pretty much every weekend like I was I would suggest finding something more worthwhile to do with your free time. :)
I’m loving these gym stories - it’s different than what others are doing and we get a different side of you. Thank you fellow iron brother!
Best damn channel on UA-cam. Thanks, brother.
This video adds soo much to my NH head-cannon; I neither knew he was married or that he went to grad school.
I have a vacation scheduled in November so that will be the start of my first intentional bulk, great timing as usual.
I love your Story Time (since your first Hallowe'en special)! Nice haircut!
Great video as always NH!
The haircut is fine so long as miss Hyperthrophy aproves.
Im pretty sure it's just tied back
@@ghouhl4its tied back a little, you can see it when he turns his head slightly
Now he really looks like a french markiplier
I can relate. Currently at my heaviest, 260. Since I was a teen I wanted to be better physically. I managed to get to 190 and it was an achievement I never thought I could get. Currently in grad school and now suffering from the ramifications of my neglect. My grandfather recently passed, he had given up on himself and his body paid for it. My father took himself for granted and always thought of himself. Now that I am older I think of what type of example I want to give for others. I want to be the change I see in my life because I never had those role models. I even lost my way in training. I used to never think about it and always wanted to do it, but once others with influence tell you how and what you should do, it's not fun anymore. It's taken me awhile to come to this realization and now I want to listen to myself because to be better it must come from within. Thanks NH. These videos are great and love listening to them. True strength, comes when you're most weak.
My 20 year bulk was pretty legendary and I wasn't even trying.
Natural hairtrophy
Respect for this. I haven't ever been like more than 20-30 pounds overweight since I took training seriously but I relate to this back and forth fuck up sequence in the first couple years. And also relate to the pull ups and push ups/ dips really humbling you once you hit them with any consistency.
It's encouraging to hear how much your energy improved after stopping your dumb bulk. Given that I have sixty pounds on your peak bulk I can only imagine how much better it'd get for me. I'm a permabulked fatass because of bad discipline but hopefully this time I'll drop more than ten kilos.
Hey NH!
Could you also consider making a video on your suicide cut back to 210 lbs?
Hope he names it the "death row cut"
@@limitlessapocalypse2702what's up with these names bruh 😭😭
NH I really needed this wisdom rn, tysm for this video
I’m actually blown away by the amount of wisdom conveyed in this video. Real hard truths, if you know you know.
Looking good bro!
Thanks for this, I am working out seriously for around 3 years, when I started my body fat was around 23% and I weighed 76 kg at 183 cm, during that time I did gain muscle mass but obviusly fat aswell, I wasn't forcefeeding too extremely but I was definitely bulking and eating more than I should, after a year and a half I got to 86 kg which isn't a lot for my height but since I still didn't have a significant amount of muscle mass I looked terrible and was around 27% body fat, after that I started cutting and during the cut I actually got way stronger and I believe I didn't have noobie gains anymore at that time, I cut to around 20% which is still not low but comfortable for me and since then I am staying around that body fat and slowly getting stronger and increasing my muscle mass.
Our stories shows that there is a point you can reach while bulking which is not only not helpful for gains, its actually counter productive, not to mention you look your worst.
"Did i gain weight? Yes. Did i put on fat? No"
Our boy hemingway
I resonate with everything you're talking about here almost perfectly. We have had highly similar experiences with the dirty/nightmare bulk.
God-sent video. Im bulking myself and hit 95.5 kg (at 181 cm) a few days ago. Im swimming a lot and do jiujitsu to stay in shape, but I worry if Im just getting fat. I haven't hit nightmare levels of bulk and eating though. I appreciate the honesty and ability to post before photos.
Love the All Might hoodie big dawg
lookin like an absolute gentleman today, sir
I ended up getting injured playing football at age 15 but kept eating like I was doing weights class 1 hr a day and practice 2.5-3 hr a day. Only exercise I was doing was some crappy Wal-Mart machine my parents had gotten me in my garage. I went from a chubby 205 lb to a fat 245 lb. This was over about 1.5 years.
I got senior photos taken right before my senior year of HS and was so embarrassed to see what I looked like.
Right then is when my fitness journey really began. I started jogging in the evenings and doing pushups and situps in my room before bed, cut out all the bad snacks and 2nd-3rd servings I was eating at dinner, and still did some weight training in my garage. By the time I started college was back down to 212 lb.
Started training with a friend who wanted to walk on to the football team as a freshman, we were hitting the student rec center 6 days a week, and ended up finishing my freshman year of college at 188 lb.
Since that time, I've done an actual bulk twice. I'm 38 now. I had the reverse mindset to you, I was terrified of getting fat again. Between my freshman and sophomore years of college I trained at a gym near my parents' house over the summer and followed Jay Cutler's split I got out of a magazine (this was so long ago he still hadn't won his first Olympia), ate healthy structured meals 4-5 times a day, and did 20 min of elliptical after weights. Gained up to 195 lb and stayed lean. Ended up maintaining that weight for a long time, mostly because I was training for vertical jump, then crossfit, then Olympic lifting.
I didn't rediscover bodybuilding until about 2016, and when I got back into volume I went from 205 to 215-220 pretty quickly, but I wasn't trying to bulk. My body was just very sensitive to training after neglecting hypertrophy work for so long.
This past year I finally bulked again and peaked at 239 lb, I'm now stabilized around 230-232 lb after a mini cut (under 20% bodyfat, but not by much). I plan on slowly cutting some more to get back to 220-225 range, then I'll maingain for a while.
I think during a bulk, it's important to keep your activity up and cardio up, and to not try to focus on the scale. Don't forcefeed yourself either. During my most recent bulk, I just ate a little bit more than usual and used the increased intensity of my workouts to drive my appetite.
Bloatmogged and masspilled
Great advice appreciate your honesty will save many people from gaining unnecessary fat. Moral of the story it takes 5-10+ years to get to your ideal body have patience, put in the work and don't overtrain.
ITT: bodybuilders discovering a hairtie
I don't care what anyone says, NH, the dirty bulk is the way to go. In the past 8 months I've put on about 300 pounds of muscle. I have so much muscle that even my arteries have gotten bigger
This was a pretty good reminder for me. I first bulked going into sophomore year of highschool from 155-190 over a span of 4 or 5 months. I counted macros and kept it clean and was in the best shape of my life. Eventually I cut down to around 175 and right now I’m in Junior year. I’d been pretty obsessed with hitting 200 pounds to help me with shot-put on my track team but I was so obsessed with gaining weight that I’d been a little too lax on my macros. I appreciated this wake up call
Babe wake up, Story Time is back
When I was finished with my first cut, I was about 158lbs, compared to the 190lbs that I started at. I hadn't gained too much muscle during my first cut since I was mainly focused on just losing weight so I started a lean bulk in early 2022. It was amazing, my strength was *always* increasing on every movement, I saw myself gain muscle straight up in the mirror- my lats and arms went from barely existing to being some of the best parts of my physique. I remember after a while I was sitting at 166-168lbs bw, and I probably should've slowed it a *little* (I was gaining 2lbs a month but 1lb mightve been a bit better), I should've continued the lean bulk for a few more months and then did a slow cut or a straight up recomp. But recent events in my life, which I was weak enough to let influence me then, led me to eat a ton and snap back into old, insanely unhealthy eating habits. I gained 25lbs in about 2 months and ended up at 196lbs. During the whole journey I was insanely delusional about how much muscle I really was gaining, I started wearing my pants on top of my belly button to hide my love handles, etc. What really broke my state of mind was taking a picture of my back relaxed and realizing just how insane things had gotten- my love handles had become wider than my lats itself. It was really hard to swallow but I know I lost myself, and that it was time to do a slow cut. Finally, after a few months, I got down to 176-180 in the morning and now I'm just focusing on maintaining that while progressing in the gym and slowly seeing more progress in the mirror. It is working so I will continue, and one day I'll slowly bulk again after that- probably at 1lb/month
I think 2 lbs a month on a bulk is very reasonable, many people almost add that much muscle per month in their first year
@@padalox2518in the first year newbies should be bulking a little harder (3-4 pounds per month) cuz they are capable of building that much muscle per month. Plus for many people it’s better to get fat and cut down later rather than spin your wheels and bust your ass for a meager amount of gains
agreed, in my first 14 months i bulked 54lbs which comes out to around 4lbs a month
@@supertrollfaxnoprinter3329
Thanks for your channel. I thought it I was special for lifting and being into philosophy. I see now I’m not special and you’re way more intelligent than me 😂 I appreciate your channel and the education more than you know ❤
I started lifting just before covid doing whatever in the gym, i was 82kg 182cm, then come the lockdowns i bought some gym equipment and i followed starting strength for a year, i got some gains but also quite a bit fat. When lockdowns ended and restarted my past hobbies (sports, mtb) i realised being fat didn't help at all.
Then i found this channel and decided to start the guts program with some changes all while recomping at 92-95kg and it worked. Now im at 90kg and i have made my own program from all the knowledge Mr. NH gave us, im still thinking about either a slow bulk or keep recomping, so far im still doing the latter because i still carry a lot of fat at 90kg, see how far i can push it.
90kg at 182cm is awesome!! I'm 70kg at the same height and I'm trying to get to 80kg
@@maurice5402 NH programming and recomping advice really worked for me, I started having visible abs and managed to get away from SS frog physic, but even now I still have too much fat.
I wish you all the strength and power to achieve your goals 💪
It's fascinating hearing this. I'm coming from the other end of things. I started training about a year ago. It was slow going because I am on the fat end of things, like, if I looked like his top bulk, I would feel like a Greek god.
I have rehabbed almost all my old injury and weakness and now I am starting to see gains, and my weight is starting to come off. Please understand that being too heavy is a liability for everything you want to do.
The iron game is a marathon, so pace yourself and increase or decrease slowly. It's also helpful to take a few months maintenance after every chunk of weight loss. Like if you are under 200 and you lose 15 lbs, stop and maintain a few months so your body stops freaking out about lost mass.
Keep training and eat real food!
Congrats on all your progress, hopefully it still goes well for you
I have a story that is indirectly related to the ments. This was a while ago. Remember how Bloho liked to larp about having a milf following? We all know that’s a lie. It’s ironic because one time, I was watching an NH video on my laptop, and my mom asked what I was doing. She also remarked about NH in Cantonese something along the lines of “oh this guy is actually quite handsome”. Just goes to show you that every single person Bloho hates possesses something he desires. So Bloho, on the off chance that you’re reading this comment because you’re NH’s reply guy fluffer, keep seething over the fact that women don’t find you attractive and that NH would still facemog you if you cut off his head and put it in a vat.
Based mom
this obsession with bloho is weird af, this vid has nothing to do with him
@@tomrawlins8214 Its quite funny
Did you just use your mom as a milf example?
@@tomrawlins8214 k
thanks for sharing this NH. the force feeding part is painful
Sean nalewanya's bulk was dirtier. 😂
That pic with the sound effect will never hit hard lmao
Perfect timing bro
Hair looks good bro
I went from 115 to 169 in 16 months.
Probably my greatest bulk. But, I definitely fucked up my cut. I went from 169 to 138 in 80 days. Definitely dropped too fast. But, for some reason , I forgot that I lose weight super fast. A lot of my mass is gone. But, I do see great progress. I look better at 138 then the last time that I was 138.
Kg right?
@@padalox2518are you ok? he was OBVIOUSLY talking about the dudes bulk beforehand..
@@thisisnotvenomyou got muscle memory on your side and should get everything back quickly except fatty sbd leverages
@@LaVideNoir41814kg in 3 months is extreme considered how small he is. He most def lost a shit ton of muscle.
@@padalox2518 I'm sure he gained more muscle than if the surplus was more reasonable, however it is marginally better vs the heaps of fat you also put on being in a 1k surplus, i.e. not worth it. Pretty much all studies where they are in a massive surplus vs a reasonable one like 200-300 calories the massive surplus does put on a little more muscle, but they also put on a shit ton of fat they now have to lose. So one concludes it's not worth the massive surplus vs lean bulking.
Funny you release this now, going through this exact thing. Have been lean bulking for a year, and just recently my mom told me I'm getting fat. Didn't even notice it till I realized I could see a slight gut and manboobs. Going to cut 10-15lbs then start recomping from there.
Wow your mom is brutally honest
@@gregpettis1113my dad says the same thing, but I don't mind it so it's ok. Besides my face is relatively lean and just have a bit of belly chub.
Keep in mind I'm Asian so fat shaming is common and so is comments on your body. I've had comments from relatives and classmates too, but more so about being impressed.
Patiently waiting for the Casca program 🙏
I started bulking a few weeks ago, and this video made me reconsider how to do it. I was definitely heading the wrong way, and I think I just dodged a bullet, thanks a lot ❤.
So, how is it going?
@stevensen in 7 months I went from 92kg to 98kg at 188cm, so I think it was a very reasonable rate of weight gain.
@@juozasnorkus3926 Very impressive, glad it is going well for you friend!
My boy talking about the dirty bulk with the fresh cut 👀
Thanks dude you rock!
Love story time with NH💪🏽
Currently in a bulk here. Targeting going up 15-20lbs. Starting at 171# (5'11", assessed at 12.5% bf...not that I trust it too much...), so hope for a pretty good run over maybe 8-12 months. I'll probably hang out at that weight for a couple months before I decide what's next (probably a minicut). I'm trying to keep it at a reasonable pace. I'm up about a pound in the last 2.5 weeks, which is working just with upping my portion size on meal prepping (extra rice, a little more meat and veggies), and adding in a small but consistent amount of extra calories (portion of nuts, protein bar, etc) in a day. I feel like trash if I binge eat junk food. My skin gets all oily, stomach feels off, etc... If you can make it work 'clean' (or clean-ish), it's worth it IMO.
Gonna keep the pullups in 100%. Free progressive overload! 🤣
Saved to playlists- 'gym', 'life coaching' and 'lulz😂'
I feel that. I also did a pointless notice bulk. In my first year i stagnated at 80kg for 6 in bench and it didn't go up in weeks so I started the see food diet. Turns out I had undiagnosed diabetes type 1 and now that's sorted I'm progressing again
See food diet 😂 favourite dad joke
Damn im exactly at the same bench weight and reps ive been stagnent at this for half a year now. Im pretty sure i dont have diabetes so i guess im just gonna try it with raising my kcal
Went overboard with the bulk as well. Got into 'only weight on the bar matters' rabbit hole & got extremely strong but gained significant amount of fat as well. Peaked at 311lbs bodyweight. Afterwards went on a cut & in 1 year dropped 66lbs. Now weight stabilized at around 254lbs & slow bulk going on. Getting strong on everything again but most importantly calisthenics is improving. Will keep that course and not look much on a scale. When recovery issues arise I'll just add 200 calories & move up slowly again.
NH stands for Nice Hair
Anyway, recently saw another video of yours (I forgot which one) where you briefly mentioned that you worked in AI? Would you be interested in doing a video on your personal thoughts behind AI and how you think it will impact society?
That would be interesting
all I heard was NH bulked from 170 to a lean 215, good job man, excited to bulk more
Amazing video
"The nutritional profile of a ping pong ball". I'm gonna steal that one, lol.
Bulking is best. Here is why. Bulking will make you so overweight that you will have 2 choices. One choice is to remain overweight forever. Second choice is to train harder and become muscular lean machine. I choose option two. Unfortunately I know guys who became overweight forever after bulking too much in high school.
I asked my barber for just a trim yesterday and I had my entire hair growth progress deleted but what perfect timing that this video comes out lol
Nutrition profile of a ping pong ball 😂😂😂 great video 👍
This hair definitely fits the title
Bro I did the same thing hahaha. Stuffing my face while watching Jay Cutler bulk in those Makaveli vids😂
This is one of the realest videos I have seen. I went from a chubby kid to skinny fat(6'3 210) in my early 20's. Figured out "bulking" in my mid 20's. Put on too much weight, got hurt then fat (255lbs)
Over the summer I got into road biking and am back down to 230, I have realized I would rather be athletic, have good cardio/endurance, and be "functional" rather than what I called strength. When "bulked up" I hit my highest bench over but couldn't even do 5 pushups or 1 pull up, thats when I knew I had a problem
Never tell a Frenchman to Baguettemaxx... 😬
I like how NH put his hair back to show Blubla he is not bald
Coath said it’s a wig
@@OMAR-vk9pilike the ancient french
I'm not sure if it's intentional but NH is funny as hell when he gives his anecdotes.
During my 3rd consecutive year of training, I went from 5ft7 150lbs at approximately 15% body fat to 157lbs with the same body composition. However, I did not maingain. I bulked to 165 and then basically did a SLOW cut/recomp for 7 months. I even threw in a couple “mini-bulks” into that cut in an attempt to match previous PRs when I was feeling a more strained/fatigued. I really enjoyed doing it this way and will probably continue doing it for years to come. So next I will go to 170lbs and then slowly cut to around 160. Then 174lbs and back down to 162
Spending 7 months to at a 130kcal daily deficit on average is probably time that could be better spent cutting a bit harder and having more time in a surplus- but whatever works for you!
@@R3FL3XSN1P3R yeah definitely. bulk longer, cut harder (and over a shorter amount of time) is what has worked best for me
@@R3FL3XSN1P3R yeah I feel that, but during my first couple years, I went through BIG swings of about 600kcal surplus and 800-1000kcal deficit in patches of 5-6 weeks. I actually have a weight chart that shows it. And then as I go into my third year, everything smooths out. Both “bulks” and “cuts” are long and casual, and I think it’s more sustainable. More and more I am growing to understand that what really matters is that you occasionally push your boundaries. As long as my top weight and bottom weight for the year is increasing each coming year, and I continue training hard, I’m going to be huge. I don’t believe anymore that there is a magical anabolic property of being in a small surplus each and every day, it’s more about the long term
@@R3FL3XSN1P3Ragreed, instead of bulking 7 months then essentially maingaining for 5 months, rather bulk for like 9 and cut for 3. I went from 110lbs to 165lbs in my first year and 2 months doing this, and now I’m at the end of my 1 month cut at 153 at similar body fat as when I was 110
@@padalox2518you guys gotta realise that anything works for beginners. Going from underfed will make you gain a shit ton, that doesnt mean ur approach is good. My mate went from 160-190 in a month, i went from 130-190 in 8 months. Doesnt mean we hit the jackpot.
Bulking Blaha Style, bulk bulk bulk bulk bulk, bulking Blaha Style (to the tune of Gangnam Style)
One of the things I love about lifting is that even if your struggle with food and diet like me you can still at least be strong and build muscle albeit sub optimally. I’m starting to get it under control though
Hearing what foods you ate during your bulk made my cholesterol raise
Training to failure and eating to be a failure is the way
I gotta say, ever since I've gone WFPB, I find it much harder to dirty bulk, which definitely helps with the maingaining a LOT!
Story time on NHs channel is better than story time when I was in kindergarten
Another new entry in the NH haircut saga
The cut is fresh
I agree with almost everything you say here although I thinks its more like the first year, maybe two years when you dont need to worry much about macros too much to gain muscle. Im into my 4th year of bodybuilding biased resistance training and have found progress has slowed down considerably even as my diet has improved. Your protein demands increase as you gain more muscle mass and since you gain the most mass in the first year or two your protein demands increase the most during this period (as well as calorific demands in general).
I feel like bulking on only whole food is a great way to avoid becoming over fat. Counter to what the fitness social media space promotes, the bulk at any cost mentality basically.
It is but the forcefeeding is horrible
I think there's a snatch n grab operation occurring in the background that will soon reach the figure in the foreground.
Dang I really did mess up my first bulk. I've gained 25lbs within the last 6 months from 175 to 200. I've noticed massive strength gains and muscle gains but I have also noticed a lot of fat. Around 15lbs up I was able to do my first pull up and was able to do 4, I thought the bulk was going great and was able to do basic calisthenic skills for the first time in my life. Now I am up another 15 lbs and am able to do 1 terrible pull up. Very sad to see. Also I believe I have a decent amount of muscle for my original 170-180 frame but for a 200lb frame I am weak. This makes my squats and calisthenics terrible. It also makes my "strength standards" comparisons really bad. I don't think I have the same strength as a normal 200lb man because I have mostly only gained fat! Thank you for this video. I think I need to swallow my ego and lose the body fat and then get back on a very moderate (and actually tracked) bulk instead of just eating like shit because it's easy and fun
Although I didn’t bulk as hard as you did, when I decided to take my diet and weight seriously, I realized that as my family was saying, I was indeed getting fat. I started out as a skinny kid with a set of abs but ended up with someone so engrossed in getting bigger that I sacrificed the aesthetics of my stomach. Yes, I looked pretty big with a tshirt but all that belly fat made me really insecure when shirtless. Also, I hated eating so I was force feeding myself a lot too. I decided to take a slow cut and although my strength in compound lifts decreased a bit, I’m much more comfortable with my diet and I still find myself progressing in strength. I sure wish I didn’t fall for the bulking meme but oh boy did it teach me a valuable lesson on pacing and moderation.
I laughed when you mentioned the eggs 😂😂 I used to do the same thing, I even used pasteurised egg whites for a while, and my digestion was absolutely horrific. It wasn't just from the eggs, but im sure it contributed. I also can't eat pasta at all anymore because of digestion issues.
“ the nutritional value of a ping pong ball “ HHAHAHAHA too funny
From one perspective, you guys are lucky. I need motivation to eat more and coupled with the fact that I walk a lot of kilometres daily, I struggle to even lean bulk.
your fitness journey reminds me of mine my guy... top 15% genetics aswell i would say for BB. I was 165 at 6ft 3 in gr 9 tall and lanky. I can relate to the massive gains from a seemingly full fridge all the time while saying with my parents. i managed to put on 65 lbs of somewhat lean mass in 4 years. It really is impressive to do so naturally imo.
This story is very similar to mine. Instantly when I started lifting at almost 16 years old, I started a bulk, very heavy, because it was what all of my friends were doing. I set my goal to get to 90kgs. I was in a 1000 calorie surplus. Luckily, I realised that a lot of it was fat and I "only" gained 13 kgs in about 8 months, which is incredibly much, but I also had newbie gains. Then I cut for about 4 months and ended up only about 3-4 kgs heavier with a bit less fat. I hated bulking, because my whole day was centred on it, but I just wanted that 90kgs. Luckily I decided to cut for the summer. Now I am only one year older but have learnt a lot. I won't do this again, but I do value the experience.
My current bulk is about 3-4 lbs a year right now. Very slow. But I am able to continuously improve all my lifts slowly but surely.
Damn the barber gave you the disney villian cut 😂