Jacob Wulff
You always put some weight around your waist whenever you try to build muscle mass. Bulking and maintaining a smaller waist simultaneously can be challenging tasks. Bulking includes a high-calorie intake to gain muscle mass, while on the other hand, to get a flat tummy, you have to incorporate a calorie-deficit diet. It involves a conflict between your exercise and diet plan.
Why does your waist get bigger when you bulk?
Performing multiple abs and core exercises, you might still wonder why your belly fat is increasing. Well, when you work out to build muscle mass, your muscles start to grow and enlarge under the existing fat layer. With the fat in your body, these muscles expand, especially around your belly, making your waistline bigger. This article highlights the best tips to balance trimming your waist size and building muscles.
What Does a Bulking Diet Look Like
The foremost step in how to bulk up your diet depends on your nutrition. You need a caloric surplus to gain muscle mass, which means consuming more calories than working out. But it should be kept in mind that you practice strength training so that you don't gain body fat. Adding calories to your diet depends on your body's metabolism. When starting a new dieting routine, you should consider small changes. The first step is to eat until you feel full or add more servings to your breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Consuming extra calories omits eating fried or processed food. Switching to healthy fats can add up calories as fats have more calories and give an instant boost than proteins and carbohydrates. Strength training workouts play a vital role while bulking as they help you increase your muscle mass and reduce all-over body fat.
Strategies to keep your waist small while bulking
1. Watch Your Calorie Intake
When you start to build your muscle mass, you consume more calories as exercise makes you feel hungry, causing you to eat more than usual. The American Council of Excercise has allowed you to increase your intake of 300-500 calories daily to support your mass growth; consuming extra fat will directly increase your belly fat. The type of food you are consuming matters the most. Eating fast food, sugary foods, processed snacks, and foods rich in trans fat will add to your belly fat. Ensure your calories come from complex carbohydrates, lean protein sources, and healthy fats. For a flat tummy, include nuts, fruits, seeds, vegetables, meat, fish, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and beans in your diet.
2. Perform Core Exercises
Core exercises help keep your waist toned and tight when you are bulking up. Perform abdominal strength exercises like Russian twists, leg raises, planks, bicycle crunches, knee raises, and situps in your routine workout to make your waist smaller.
3. Focus on Strength Training
Along with maintaining your diet, you must engage in strength training workouts. Regular cardio, like brisk walking, lunges, and squats, helps increase your blood circulation. Aerobic exercises improve your metabolism as well as grow muscle mass. Cardio removes waste products and lactic acid from your muscles, keeping your body levels low and your waist thinner.
4. Have Healthy Cheat Meals
Whenever you are following any type of diet, it keeps you restricted from your favorite foods. Most diets only allow a cheat day once a week, but when you are on a bulk diet, use extra calories to enjoy your cheat meals. The primary goal is to strategize your cheat meals rather than eating pizza, burritos, burgers, and curry from restaurants, and try to create a healthy version. Make a delicious pizza with whole wheat, vegetables, and lean meat. Consume carbohydrates in the morning or after an intense workout to keep those extra calories in the muscle cells and away from the fat cells.
5. Add up HIIT Sessions
HIIT sessions aid in burning a lot of calories and reducing body fat in a short amount of time without losing muscle mass. HIIT workouts keep your muscles lean incredibly and your waist skinny but remember, don’t overdo it. Try to do HIIT workouts not more than three times a week.
6. Consume Carbs Carefully
Another great way to prevent getting overweight when bulking is to include a low-carb diet in your diet plan. Consider not consuming more than 400 calories of carbs per day. Eat your carbohydrates before workout so it doesn’t let you get exhausted while exercising and helps in recovery. Make sure your calories are not lowered too much; add extra lean protein and healthy fats to your diet. Following this routine will help in reducing fat storage and maximize muscle building.
7. Hydrate Yourself
Drinking plenty of water throughout your day helps maintain proper digestion, doesn’t cause bloating, and is necessary to strengthen your muscles and boost your mood.
8. Stay Away from Bloating Triggers
When you are on a calorie surplus, cut down the intake of foods that can cause bloating and swelling in your abdomen. Your tummy feels uncomfortable, tight, and full when filled with excess gas. Avoid eating carbonated drinks, and sugary and sodium-rich foods.
9. Sufficient Rest and Recovery
Adequate rest and recovery are essential for muscle building. Getting enough sleep and rest restrains excessive stress that contributes to fat storage in the body.
10. Keep a Record of Your Progress
Keeping a record of your fitness journey is a convincing tool for your body transformation and personal growth. Tracking your progress through body measurements, fat assessments, and taking photos keeps you motivated and consistent throughout your journey. It helps to set your desired goals. You will remain inspired when you celebrate your achievements.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is crucial to remember that muscle gain and fat loss together is a challenging and slow process. The quality of food you consume while on a bulking diet matters the most. However, seek healthier food options when adding extra calories to your diet, as junk and processed foods only increase your chances of gaining body fat, specifically around your waistline, making you look bulky and uncomfortable. Sticking to a healthy balanced diet, proper workout routine, and strength training are fundamental approaches towards your fitness goals. However, before beginning with any specific diet, consult a fitness professional or an experienced dietitian for personalized workout training and diet plan to achieve your desired objectives.
