Less is More with this Wintertime Power and Bulk Weight Training Program.

by Kevin Carbone

Note: This is an advanced weight training program and should only be used by those with at least one year of consistent weight training behind them. You will be using heavy weight and a less strict form which could lead to injury if you don’t have a strong foundation of previous weight training exercise to build upon. This Power and Bulk bodybuilding routine has been taken from the advanced routines of the FitnessSource1.com Guide to Fitness and Bodybuilding - Your First Year. This 200 page muscle building program offers you a well thought out plan of action that guides you from beginner to intermediate and on to advanced training along with correct diet and nutrition advice. Plus as a Free Bonus, you will receive the USDA Guide to the Nutritive Value of Foods. A 100 page guide showing the amounts of protein, carbohydrates, fats, fiber, vitamins, minerals, cholesterol, etc in over 1,200 foods.

Power and Bulk Training
Back in the 1960’s it was quite common for bodybuilders to train during the winter months exclusively for size, strength, and mass. This was referred to as "power and bulk training" or a "bulking-up" bodybuilding routine which consisted of basic compound weight training exercises done with low reps and heavy weight. As far as diet was concerned, they ate everything and anything and in large quantities. Lots of whole eggs, whole milk, steaks, and potatoes were the order of the day. The idea was to gain as much weight, size and strength as possible during the winter and then trim down and lose the body fat for the summer months. Overall they would be bigger, stronger and would carry more muscle mass from their winter power and bulk weight training program.

When it came time to trim down for the summer, they usually allotted about 3 months for the task. This was done by cutting calories and changing their weight training routine to one of high reps and sets and adding isolation movements while using light to moderate weights. Workouts were also long which helped to burn calories. Cardio and aerobics were unheard of and generally frowned on because it was thought that this type of training broke the muscles down and would make you smaller and weaker.

Nowadays, the idea is to stay in relatively good shape all year round because this is a healthier thing to do for your body. The yo-yo effect of putting weight on and taking it off over and over again puts a strain on your system that in the long term is not good.

However, a modified power and bulk weight training program combined with current advances in diet and nutrition can be very beneficial to someone who is looking to bulk-up and add more muscle mass and strength. Follow this program for 3 months and then analyze your progress. You can continue for awhile longer if things are going well, or you can move on to a new routine if progress begins to slow or if you are putting on too much body fat.

Your workouts will be shorter with fewer exercises but they will be much more intense as you will be using heavy weights with compound power movements. That’s why I say that Less is More with this bodybuilding routine. As for diet, you will want to add at least 300-500 extra calories per day increasing your protein and carb intake while watching your fats. Make sure you consume at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. Some trainers say to eat everything and anything and not to worry about how much or what kinds of fat you consume because fats produce testosterone and testosterone produces muscle. Although this is true, the wrong type of fat eaten in abundance over an extended period of time is bad for your health. You’ve heard it before - stuff like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and a host of other physical problems. The critics will say that you are only going to be on this bulk and power program for 3 or 4 months so go for the gusto and eat everything because you can trim the fat off later on to be ready for the Summer months.

Personally, my long term philosophy is to have moderation in everything and this is no exception. If I were you I would add some extra fat but make sure its the good stuff like the Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) that are found in fish, fish oil, olive oil and nuts of all types (go for the unsalted variety). Definitely eat more but be sensible and don’t go crazy and eat a ton of empty calorie junk foods like doughnuts, cake, and fast foods. These contain a large amount of satured fat and trans fat which should be avoided for general good health. Remember to have a large meal of protein and carbohydrates within one hour after your workout to help speed the recovery process and feed hungry muscles.

You will be training 3 days per week with one day off in between training days. As an example, train Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. And take Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday off. Recovery time is very important with this routine. Remember, you grow during your rest periods not in the gym. Put your aerobics on hold and do not play any strenuous sports while on this program. You must focus all of your energy on your workouts in order to progress as you should. Also, remember to get a least 8 hours of sleep with 9 or 10 hours being even better. Because your muscle grow when you sleep, have a whey and casein protein drink before you hit the sack. The whey gets absorbed quickly but the casein get assimilated more slowly thus feeding your muscles more consistently through the night.

The whole premise of this routine is to handle as much weight as possible and to increase the poundages whenever you can. Use the pyramiding method where you gradually add weight to each set while doing less reps. You are to relax your strict form and “cheat” or use momentum and bounce to handle the heavier weights.

Your Power and Bulk Weight Training Schedule

Warmup

Always do a warmup before attempting any workout. Start with some all-over body movements to get the heart beating and the blood flowing such as treadmill work, jumping jacks, jumping rope, etc. Then do a few exercises with light weight and high reps that target the muscle groups that you will be working on that particular workout. This is also a good time to do your abdominal exercises such as the crunch, reverse crunch, leg raises, hanging leg raises, etc. This is a good way to warm your core body temperature and get your ab work done first thing. Remember not to forget your ab work while doing this power and bulk program. Train your abs at least 2 times per week.

DAY 1 - Chest/Shoulders/Triceps

1) Flat Bench Press

2) Seated Overhead Press

3) Upright Rowing
(Vary your hand grip spacing. A somewhat wider grip hits the outer or side delts more.)

4) Dips
(Lean forward to work the chest more and stay vertical to work the triceps more - do both versions and add extra weight when necessary.)

DAY 2 - Legs

1) Squat

2) Leg Press

3) Deadlift
(Also works the lower back)

4) Calf Heel Raise
(Calves respond better to higher reps. Try a rep range of 15, 12, 10, 8 for 4 sets.)

DAY 3 - Back/Traps/Biceps

1) Barbell Rowing

2) Lat Pulldowns

3) Shrug

4) Cheat Curl

Start with about 4 sets per exercise with a rep range of 10, 8, 6, 4. Pyramid or add additional weight to each set when possible. You can experiment with adding additional sets but don’t over do it because you will be using heavy weights. Also, don’t do less than 3 reps on any exercise or you will be toying with possible injury. Because you are doing only 4 exercises per training session your workout time will be shorter but more intense as you will be using heavy weight in each set. Remember to rest long enough between sets to fully recover from the previous set, but not too long or you’ll lose your edge. If you are consistent in your training and eat correctly during the next 3-4 months you will see that Less can equal More!