Muscle Mass: How to Keep a Small Waist While Packing

         Bulking can help you gain weight at a very high rate. It would be fantastic if there were no problems adding inches to your waist and gaining muscle mass. As bodybuilding boards prove, the issue of excess fat around the waist while trying hard to gain weight is quite common, and chances are that you are struggling too.

         How to keep a tiny waist when bulking? Can you bulk and still keep your waistline in check? Are there any secrets behind this, or do you have to make peace with expanding your belly while bulking? A short answer is that you can control the added inches to your waistline and how exactly you can do it; you will find out further in this Article.

            As we have discussed here, bulking is the muscle-building phase that precedes the cutting stage. During bulking, individuals eat more than they burn off to create a calorie surplus, adding on large amounts of weight, a big part of it being fat.

           Also, we have mentioned that there are three types of bulking  - clean, regular, and dirty - and that based on which one you follow, more or less muscle mass can be gained. What has this in common with intending to keep a flat stomach? Pretty much, because how you fuel your body while bulking will make or break your plan.

And so we get to the first tips on how to get big and keep abs at the same time.

# 1 - Stick to Clean Bulking:

             Although bulking may resonate with you with excessive unhealthy food intake, it's time to change your view if you care about your waist. Stay off of junk foods and stick to unprocessed sources of protein, carbs, and fats, which constitute a clean diet. Because the cleaner you eat, the higher the chances you gain pounds of muscle without adding belly fat.

Must Read: What's The Difference Between "Clean Bulk" And "Dirty Bulk" Diet When Taking Steroids?

               Isn't a dirty bulking diet plan promoting more weight gain than a clean one? It's indeed but be aware that getting rid of fat may be more complex than you imagine. Especially abdominal fat, as studies suggest, raises far more concerns than fat located in any other part of the human body.

            Get control of your daily calorie intake. The first step is to use many weight control calculators available online to determine your current calorie intake each day based on age, physical activity, and gender. Once you have sorted it out, add 250-500 calories to encourage muscle gains.

             If you know yourself as a hard gainer, you can raise your calorie threshold by even more than 500 calories. Due to the fast metabolism, there is no risk for you that extra calories will be turned into fat. In all other cases, if you increase the calorie intake too much, you risk gaining more fat than lean muscle mass.

Must Read: How to Growth Muscle Mass as a Hardgainer

# 2 - Add two HIIT Session Per Week to Your Workout:

             While lifting weights while bulking is a must, adding some cardio between these sessions will significantly help. From short cardio sessions such as climbing stairs to high-intensity interval training, they play a massive role in keeping abdominal fat under control.

            However, as the International Journal of Obesity has found, HIIT training is one of the most effective in burning belly fat. Also, it doesn't cause your body to release cortisol hormone, which is known to "eat" lean muscle mass and commonly occurs during other cardio exercises.

      Regarding how many times per week you have to perform HIIT to reach noticeable results, our recommendation does not go with more than two sessions per week conducted on separate days than weight lifting. More detailed information about HIIT training - why, how, and when - can be found in this Article.

No time for lengthy reading? Here's an example of HIIT training for the whole body that perfectly fits any individual:

#3 - Reduce Stress:

             The more stressed you are, the more cortisol hormone your body produces, which directly leads to belly fat gains. If you consider that each workout is already a source of stress for your body, adding another one is what you have to prevent yourself from.

            How can you do it? By excluding situations that cause stress, getting massages regularly, hot baths, swimming or walking. Don't neglect the importance of sleep as well - eight hours per day with half an hour or even an hour nap throughout the day relieve stress remarkably.

Conclusion:

           Keeping your waistline small while bulking up is a possible mission if you are ready to commit to hitting the gym hard, embrace HIIT sessions twice a week, and adjust your diet to your actual needs. Factors such as body types influence how you gain weight, but you should not use them as an excuse and get into dirty bulking. You may say you will eliminate that extra fat during the cutting phase. But, as above-mentioned, it is not all as easy.

          That's why it is paramount to ensure you add as much lean muscle mass as possible. Because along with it you will gain some fat too, which most probably will appear on your waist.

          Do you know any other tips on keeping your waist slim while bulking? What works for you, and what is better to stay off? We would love to hear your thoughts on this subject and get a natural feel of how many of you are struggling to keep your stomach fat while gaining muscle.

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