The SUMMER HYPE, our take on group strength and muscle-building, is just around the corner, running April 25th through May 20th, MWF at 12p (noon) and 530p…and I just wanted to answer some questions I’ve been getting from you all…and today’s will revolve around the question: “What does the nutrition component for the Hype entail?”
There will be three main courses of action, nutritionally, for the Summer Hype and these terms are stolen from the fitness space (and will be explained in more detail below): 1) bulk, 2) cut, 3) recompose.
Bulk·ing /bəlkiNG/
The act of putting on weight, with the emphasis being on muscle/lean tissue.
Goal:
Putting on size and mass. Less worried about putting on a little fat in the process, as muscle mass increases ALMOST ALWAYS are accompanied by fat mass increases (see recomp below for more info on this).
Course of action:
This nutrition course of action will be a slight caloric and macronutrient surplus to ensure we’re giving our body the necessary amount of fuel to build new muscle and lean body mass tissue (this includes things like bone, tendons, ligaments, as well as muscle) while attempting to gain as little fat mass as we can.
Recommended for:
Those who have already achieved the leanness they would like OR those who are under muscle compared to where they would like to be. This is typically determined by a body fat percentage measurement (Inbody, Body Pod, calipers, etc) or “they eye test”.
Cut·ting /ˈkədiNG/
The act of losing weight, with the majority being primarily fat.
Goal:
Losing body fat while maintaining as much muscle as possible. Less worried about putting on muscle in the process.
Course of action:
This nutrition course of action will be a caloric deficit while purposely manipulating macronutrient ratios to ensure we’re giving our body the necessary amount of fuel to maintain muscle and lean body mass tissue (this includes things like bone, tendons, ligaments, as well as muscle) while simultaneously, and selectively, targeting fat loss.
Recommended for:
Those who have more body fat than they’d like to while also having adequate amounts of muscle tissue for their age, height, and sex. This is also typically determined by a body composition measurement (Inbody, Body Pod, calipers, etc) or “they eye test”.
Re·com·pose /ˌrēkəmˈpōz/
Act of losing weight while simultaneously attempting to gain muscle.
Goal:
Losing body fat while increasing muscle mass at the same time.
Course of action:
This nutrition course of action will be a very slight caloric deficit while purposely manipulating macronutrient ratios (and perhaps some daily cycling of calories and macros) to ensure we’re giving our body the necessary amount of fuel to maintain muscle, lean body mass tissue (this includes things like bone, tendons, ligaments, as well as muscle), as well as fueling performance…while simultaneously, and selectively, targeting fat loss.
Recommended for:
Those who are new to training in general or this type of training (strength/hypertrophy) specifically. Those who have not already increased their muscle mass dramatically, or who once had higher levels of muscle mass than they currently do. Those who have not given their body adequate nutrition to fuel their training in the past.
Which of these categories sounds like what you’re looking to do? The coolest thing about these categories is that they’re not specific to the Summer Hype course alone. You can follow these recommendations to periodize and support your strength and muscle mass changes across the year!
If you’d like to join in on the 2023 muscle-building bonanza, sign-up for the SUMMER HYPE using THIS LINK (members) or THIS LINK (non-members)! To hear David share more information on the course, watch this video.
Have some questions or don’t know which one of the above categories you fit into? Reach out to me at dpope@crossfitnorthland.com and I’ll be sure to answer whatever you can throw out there!
Coach David