So a couple weeks ago, I released an article about an education student from Belgium who lost 40 lbs while going to school.
This article was really well-received and so I wanted to do another case study and show you what’s possible going in the other direction… bulking.
After browsing reddit for 30 minutes or so (and getting a good chuckle from /r/tinder), I came across a quick transformation from a redditor on /r/fitness entitled…
“First semester at college transformation (Pics)”
I was sucked in so I clicked through.
You can see from the header image, that this guy achieved a fantastic lean bulk THE RIGHT WAY, and in this article, I’m going to share exactly how he did it and why his strategy can work for you too.
Meet Redditor Connorcook13
This 19 year-old male redditor stands at exactly 6 ft tall and weighs 170 lbs.
However… that’s not how he started.
He’s an electrical engineering student and before he began his first semester in college, he weighed 160 lbs and his primary physical hobby was swimming.
He still lifted weights, but revealed that it was secondary to swimming.
But what’s great about his transformation is that he simply made lifting his primary hobby, decided to take things slow, and gained 10 lbs with the majority of the weight being lean muscle.
So how did he train in the gym to gain this kind of muscle?
Here’s What His Training Program Looked Like
Like I just mentioned, connorcook13 performed strength training in the gym to achieve maximum muscle stimulation and growth.
He gives more detail when he says…
I just spent my first semester away from home at college, I used a powerbuilding split with each big lift twice a week and accessories for the first lift of each day.
Powerbuilding is a training style that combines heavy lifting from typical powerlifting programs and higher-rep, lower intensity work used in typical bodybuilding programs.
You can structure your own power building program like the examples given on T-Nation to meet your own schedule goals.
But here’s a layout of how connercook13 actually structured his weekly training sessions.
Monday
- Bench press 5 x 5
- Bench assistance exercise #1
- Bench assistance exercise #2
- Bench assistance exercise #3
- Front squat 5 x 5
Tuesday
- Deadlift 5 x 5
- Deadlift assistance exercise #1
- Deadlift assistance exercise #2
- Deadlift assistance exercise #3
- Overhead press 5 x 5
Wednesday
- Swim
Thursday
- Front squat 5 x 5
- Squat assistance exercise #1
- Squat assistance exercise #2
- Squat assistance exercise #3
- Bench press 5 x 5
Friday
- Overhead press 5 x 5
- Overhead press assistance exercise #1
- Overhead press assistance exercise #2
- Overhead press assistance exercise #3
- Deadlift 5 x 5
He didn’t mention what rep scheme he used for the assistance exercises were, but it may as well have been something simple like 3 sets of 10-12 reps.
But he didn’t stop there…
He Kept the Fat at Bay with Cardio
Already I’m impressed with the training program he adopted because of the volume and time involved.
And if that wasn’t enough, he managed to integrate a consistent cardio schedule too!
However, he used his brain and used cardio as a way to:
- Practice what he enjoys
- Travel
Swimming was His “Go-To”
This Reddit user mentioned that he used to swim in high school, so returning to the water every Wednesday was probably a no-brainer for him.
Hell, swimming not only acts as an aggressive cardio activity, but you’re gonna work a crap-load of muscles simultaneously too.
But then he was smart and used his second form of cardio to mesh with his college schedule…
Biking was his Transportation to Class
While the rest of his classmates were driving or taking the bus to class, connercook13 was cycling like a pro.
And this wasn’t a quick one mile bike ride either.
Just see his weekly schedule…
- MWF – Bike 6 miles
- TR – Bike 3 miles
In case you’re interested in biking around campus, this college student guide to biking by skyforce95 is a good start.
So this is what this particular engineering student did to stimulate muscle growth…
…but what did he eat to fuel his body?
The Things He Ate to Gain Muscle
On the surface, a lot of nutrition plans can seem overly complicated:
- Don’t eat carbs 2 hours before bed
- Only eat whole grain carbs
- Only eat healthy fats
- Wait, don’t eat any fat at all
Despite all the conflicting information and messy, extreme diets the internet has to offer, here was the simple breakdown of this college student’s diet…
I had a meal plan from the university so I just tried to eat 170g of protein a day and limit my carbs and fats as much as I could. I used a whey shake after every workout and some casein before bed.
Let’s break apart each statement and explains why it works…
He Ate 170g of Protein Per Day
Now it’s no coincidence that “170” happens to be connorcook13’s ending body weight after bulking up.
In fact, he probably calculated his daily protein intake by his target body weight.
This is a solid way to make sure you get enough protein in your system for the purpose of building new mass.
Example: Grams of protein per day = Target body weight in lbs x 1
In case you’re concerned that his protein intake is too high, it’s actually very common to use this sort of calculation for building new, lean muscle tissue.
Research like this shows that high-performance athletes require increased amounts of protein in order to actively build new lean muscle tissue.
Addressing Why He “Limited Carbs and Fats” (as Much as He Could)
So I may not completely agree with his statement about “limiting carbs and fats” because then that just leaves you with an “all-protein diet”…
…but I assume that this Redditor was using this simple rule to control 2 things:
1. How often he ate “unclean” foods
It can be difficult to in college to get your hands on foods that meet your goals (especially on a meal plan), but I imagine this was one of his intentions.
He probably wanted to make lean sources of protein his highest priority and then allow for additional macros that didn’t tip the scale towards a combination of high fat + high carbs.
This can often lead to unwanted fat gain during a bulk.
But another thing he probably wanted to control was…
2. How many calories he was consuming
He states that it took him 6 months to gain 10 lbs.
That’s about 0.38 lb of weight gained per week.
This seems like a form of Lean Gains to take the weight gain very slow in order to minimize body fat gain while still packing on muscle.
And being very mindful of your carb and fat intake was his method to inadvertently keep his calories under control.
But let’s move on to his next statement on nutrition…
He Drank a Whey Shake Post-Workout
This tactic was probably necessary for connorcook13 to make sure he consumed enough protein each day.
And the timing of the shake may have improved protein synthesis over those 6 months.
According to Onnit.com, a site dedicated to stimulating peak performance through supplements and information…
Whey protein is a highly bioavailable protein that boasts fast absorption rates. This makes it an ideal protein for post-workout recovery.
I’ve used PE Science powders in the past because they’re so freaking delicious, but you can use any supplemental whey protein that you prefer.
He Drank Casein Protein Shakes Before Bed
Like I mention in my previous article, Casein vs Whey – Which Protein is Better for Building Muscle?, the main difference between these 2 proteins is there absorption rates.
And this engineering student is leveraging the slow absorption of casein protein during a point in the day when your body is in a prolonged anabolic state.
That’s why PHD Layne Norton states in this article on bodybuilding.com:
Casein, like whey, is easy to use and can be consumed any time of the day. However, due to casein’s slow digestion and amino acid release, it’s generally taken when you might be without food for a long period of time.
Here are Some Additional Takeaways for Students Trying to Build Lean Muscle
I hope you enjoyed this breakdown of this particular Redditor’s training and nutrition plan in order to successfully add 10 lbs to his body with very minimal fat gain.
But I have a few more lessons that I pulled out that may not have been explicitly said in his original post:
You’re Never as Busy as You Think You Are
I’ve heard from multiple people including world-record powerlifter Jordan Syatt, that you may possibly have MORE free time in college than you do when you graduate.
Let that sink in.
In most cases, it may not be “how busy you are” that’s holding you back from reaching your fitness goals.
Instead it’s most likely your flawed priorities.
If you’re still unsure, Tanner Chidester has some very practical advice in this video when given the complaint, “I don’t have time to workout.”
Lean Bulking Takes Time
There are really 2 approaches to muscle gain:
- Eat a lot, build strength and muscle quickly, and be OK with gaining some body fat along the way.
- Eat less, build strength and muscle slowly, and minimize body fat gain.
As I’ve mentioned multiple times, this electrical engineering student gained 10 lbs (of mostly muscle), but it took him 6 months.
That’s 0.38 lb per week.
If you want to have similar results as his, you need to be OK with the process going slowly.
That’s just the cold, hard truth.
Finally…
Give Enough Priority to Compound Lifts
In all 4 of his workouts, he performs 2 major compound lifts using 5 sets of 5 reps that balances volume and intensity.
This is a good strategy for bulking.
Compound lifts like bench press, squats, and deadlifts should be the dominant exercises in whatever workout you do.
Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you need to prioritize your biceps and do dumbbell curls first when you hit the gym.
Here’s a good example of the major compound lifts you should be doing as Troy explains in this video from Weight Gain Network.
What Do You Think of this Transformation?
Personally, I want to congratulate connorcook13 on his lean 10 lbs gained.
I think it was very well thought-out and executed and was a fair challenge for a college student living away from home for the first time.
What do you think of his progress?
Leave a comment below and give your feedback.