# The Worst Thing You Can Do To Ruin Long Term Muscle Growth



## Arnold (Feb 9, 2012)

*The Worst Thing You Can Do To Ruin Long Term Muscle Growth*

In the days of the legendary bodybuilders like Arnold and Franco,
bulking up in the off-season and then cutting up was considered
gospel. Aside from the obvious health concerns linked to packing on
lard, extreme bulking is an inferior approach to trying to achieve
your best body. Here are ten reasons why you can RUIN your long
term muscle gains through extreme bulking:

*Reason #1:* You can not force muscle growth. Putting back 7,000
calories is not better than just taking 4,000 calories if that’s
what your body needs to grow. It’s not what you put in your mouth
that counts, it’s what gets digested and absorbed.

*Reason #2:* Extreme bulking leads to insulin-resistance, which makes
it harder to gain muscle down the road. Insulin-resistance results
in carbs going primarily to fat stores, not muscle tissue.

*Reason #3:* You’ll be forced to diet down harder, which can result
in losing the muscle you gained during the bulk up! That’s called 1
step forward, 1 step back. (Note from Hugo: More like 2-3 steps back
since extreme bulking will increase the number of fat cells in your body
which makes it harder to get lean and much easier to get fat!)

*Reason #4:* That fatter you get, the harder it becomes to get lean
because insulin resistance is hard to reverse. Ask anyone who
bulked up excessively if they had a pleasant time traveling back
down to low body-fat levels!

*Reason #5:* The primary metric for measuring success while bulking
up is gaining weight on the scale. Increased scale weight
does not mean increased muscle gain. (Note from Hugo: scale weight
includes water weight gain and fat as well)

*Reason #6:* Getting fat, intentionally or carelessly, results in
decreased thyroid production – not ideal, because thyroid is
critical for fat loss. (Note from Hugo: the less thyroid hormone, the
less calories your body burns on a daily basis, and thus, the easier it
is to gain fat)

*Reason #7:* Calories are not created equal. Calories from quinoa
and bison are great for adding muscle; calories from nachos and
beer are not. Bulking up with unhealthy calories can lead to high
blood pressure, diabetes, excess inflammation and cardiovascular
diseases.

*Reason #8:* The leaner you are, the easier it is to gain quality
muscle because your body becomes more efficient at nutrient
partitioning. This means when you eat, your body transfers the
nutrients to the muscle (as muscle tissue or glycogen) or in the
liver (as glycogen) and less gets transferred to your abdominal
wall!

*Reason #9:* The more time you spend bulking up, the more time you
spend cutting which means less time you have to gain muscle!

*Reason #10:* The biggest reason is that extreme bulking can lead to
fat cell hyperplasia. Essentially, when you overeat for a
prolonged period of time, your body increases its number of fat
cells. Sadly, you can not remove fat cells without surgery so by
adding new fat cells your body you’re actually making it more
efficient for gaining fat and worse at losing it! Bulking up and
then cutting down a few times in your life is forgiving, but
attempting to bulk up and cut down every year is a sure-fire way to
ruin your physique!


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## StrengthAddicts (Feb 9, 2012)

Prince said:


> *The Worst Thing You Can Do To Ruin Long Term Muscle Growth*
> 
> In the days of the legendary bodybuilders like Arnold and Franco,
> bulking up in the off-season and then cutting up was considered
> ...



Reason #2 since few people realize the vital role that insulin plays. 

Reason #3 is the main issue I'm going through now. A normal bulk is about 10-20lbs, but a lot of guys still do the Lee Priest / Kevin English bulk, where the drop can be 40,50,60lbs more. That's one heck of a gain/drop in a year. 

Reason #8 is on the money, but lean guys need to be mentally fit. A lot of guys can't stand looking small (or tiny). Even peeled, ripped, dry, they're miserable b/c they can't lift as heavy as the big boys. I'd say #8 is key, but I'd add that psychological factor for good measure


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## Curt James (Feb 11, 2012)

StrengthAddicts said:


> Reason #2 since few people realize the vital role that insulin plays.
> 
> *Reason #3 is the main issue I'm going through now.* A normal bulk is about 10-20lbs, but a lot of guys still do the Lee Priest / Kevin English bulk, where the drop can be 40,50,60lbs more. That's one heck of a gain/drop in a year.
> 
> Reason #8 is on the money, but lean guys need to be mentally fit. A lot of guys can't stand looking small (or tiny). Even peeled, ripped, dry, they're miserable b/c they can't lift as heavy as the big boys. I'd say #8 is key, but I'd add that psychological factor for good measure



Are you going full Lee Priest?


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## carmineb (Feb 12, 2012)

interesting article....  so many gems...


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## Calves of Steel (Feb 12, 2012)

I'm guilty of #8 big time. I was 110 lbs at 5'11 when I started lifting, and the skinniest guy in my whole high school. I remember wanting to be big and puffy so badly. Every year was just 10 more pounds 10 more pounds and even though I was 20% BF my first few cycles were complete bulkers! My 27 inch waist turned into a 38 inch waist. I wanted to be 240 lbs and when I got there I was like what the hell why did I do this!!! I can't stand the idea of cutting and losing mass though...so I'm easing my way into it by recomping. Great info!


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## ParadiseCup (Feb 12, 2012)

Great Post !!!


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## ParadiseCup (Feb 12, 2012)

StrengthAddicts said:


> Reason #8 is on the money, but lean guys need to be mentally fit. A lot of guys can't stand looking small (or tiny).* Even peeled, ripped, dry, they're miserable b/c they can't lift as heavy as the big boys.* I'd say #8 is key, but I'd add that psychological factor for good measure


remember that only muscle can get stronger, not fat. So, if you have gained a lot of fat, that doesn't mean that you can lift anymore.


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## JR. (Feb 12, 2012)

Stay close 2 ur contest weight, more is not better! Prince knowes his s---!


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## Filessika (Feb 14, 2012)

awesome.


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## icecube789 (Feb 16, 2012)

good post!


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## stfuandliftbtch (Feb 18, 2012)

this was retarded..every single reason had to do with nutrition? 

im pretty sure there are many other things "You Can Do To Ruin Long Term Muscle Growth" then just on how you bulk and cut. stupid article, stupid author.


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## Vibrant (Feb 18, 2012)

stfuandliftbtch said:


> im pretty sure there are many other things "You Can Do To Ruin Long Term Muscle Growth" then just on how you bulk and cut. stupid article, stupid author.



Of course there are other things that ruin long term muscle growth but you failed to see that this article explains why extreme bulking does so. It didn't state that extreme bulking is the only way to ruin long term muscle growth.

Learn to read before calling something retarded or you'll wind up looking like the retard.


Great article prince, who is the author?


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## stfuandliftbtch (Feb 18, 2012)

Vibrant said:


> Of course there are other things that ruin long term muscle growth but you failed to see that this article explains why extreme bulking does so. It didn't state that extreme bulking is the only way to ruin long term muscle growth.
> 
> Learn to read before calling something retarded or you'll wind up looking like the retard.
> 
> ...




ok, now it makes sense 

i need to stop skipping ahead to main points and read intro. ty


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## Ichigo (Feb 19, 2012)

Great post very informative.


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## Sheer (Feb 20, 2012)

thanks for sharing!


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## Merkaba (Feb 20, 2012)

Priceless shit right here!


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## jimm (Feb 22, 2012)

so common sense really...

dont sit and shovel ice cream and pizza down ur neck cause u need the calories..


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## Nivek (Feb 27, 2012)

good read.


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## GEZA (Mar 2, 2012)

i think it's useful.


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## myCATpowerlifts (Mar 2, 2012)

Awesome post Prince, ty!


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## GetBig25 (Mar 6, 2012)

great post!


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## MuscleGauge1 (Mar 6, 2012)

Great Thread. Good story


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## Watson (Mar 9, 2012)

very interesting read

i ate copious amounts of junk for years, i couldnt gain a pound until i hit 30, even then all i got was a gut, i always said id join a gym once i gained some body fat, 
reversing it is a shit load harder than i thought, finally got back to a gut same size as my chest


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## jshel12 (Jul 1, 2012)

very good post I started implementing this approach about a year ago I wish I would have done it from the start instead of walking around with a pregnant looking stomach I look twice as muscular now and I'm about 20 lbs lighter.


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## bjg (Jul 2, 2012)

the whole idea of bulking by eating more food is dumb...the idea of bulking then cutting is also useless and only works if you are on loads of AAS ,,,a true bodybuilder stays in shape all year long all the time and follows a healthy diet at all times.


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## njc (Jul 2, 2012)

This is why I choose to toggle.

I have 4 days each week (roughly) dedicated to hypertrophy and 3 days (roughly) dedicated to fat loss.  Keeps me lean and slowly gaining.  I've always wondered why more people do not take this approach.


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## Nightowl (Jul 3, 2012)

As I was waiting on the ropes for my return to working on my weights, I found this, and must admit...Christ, this is indeed what has been my ruin! Thank you so much for this.  The beer has been jacked and I am off the ropes towards workouts again.

Thank you!


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## squigader (Jul 6, 2012)

Great stuff! Most people don't realize that there's no difference in how much muscle you'll put on with a 10-5% caloric surplus vs a dirty bulk 30% style.


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## sassy69 (Jul 7, 2012)

bjg said:


> the whole idea of bulking by eating more food is dumb...the idea of bulking then cutting is also useless and only works if you are on loads of AAS ,,,a true bodybuilder stays in shape all year long all the time and follows a healthy diet at all times.



Who do you consider a "true bodybuilder" then? I'm pretty sure most of the top pros don't exactly do that.


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## CaptainNapalm (Jul 15, 2012)

bjg said:


> the whole idea of bulking by eating more food is dumb...the idea of bulking then cutting is also useless and only works if you are on loads of AAS ,,,a true bodybuilder stays in shape all year long all the time and follows a healthy diet at all times.



WTF are you talking about?! If you don't know something for sure dont state it. It's quite the opposite actually, if you're on gear it is possible to get big and burn fat simontanously and stay in shape all year round. If you are NOT on gear the only way to get big and lean in the shortest time possible is to do bulking cutting cycles.


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## bjg (Jul 15, 2012)

sassy69 said:


> Who do you consider a "true bodybuilder" then? I'm pretty sure most of the top pros don't exactly do that.


many do stay in shape all year long and many dont  because they look for size in order to impress, but often freaky size comes as unsymmetrical and ugly, and bulking then cutting requires an unhealthy approach and unhealthy methods


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## Huge Tom (Sep 28, 2012)

very very good read!


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## "TheFuture" (Sep 28, 2012)

Agree, great read.. This is why I like when I hear bodybuilders say they "grow into the competition." Meaning they stay relatively lean all year around while still putting on more muscle mass. This in result lets them lift smarter and heavier up to the competition, vs having to diet hard up to the show.


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## isthisusedtoo (Oct 7, 2012)

Well, I personally went from 126 pounds (6ft) to a current weight of around 190. My bodyfat is probably around 13%, and I would love to have abs, but the thought of looking skinny in a t-shirt again just repulses me! I guess getting called scrawny and picked on your whole life mentally fucks you up and then when you finally get to a place where strangers won't usually fuck with you because you finally have some decent size you don't want to give up that power. Plus, once girls get your shirt off you're going to bang them anyways, so I'd rather look good in a shirt.


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## Huge Tom (Oct 8, 2012)

+1 sir


"TheFuture" said:


> Agree, great read.. This is why I like when I hear bodybuilders say they "grow into the competition." Meaning they stay relatively lean all year around while still putting on more muscle mass. This in result lets them lift smarter and heavier up to the competition, vs having to diet hard up to the show.


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## robbymorals (Dec 27, 2012)

Thank you for sharing. though we must try our best not to ruin our muscle growth


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