Chasing Size: One Man’s Journey Into the World of Anabolic Steroids by Jerry Brainum 7/26

 

Bodybuilding training occurs in two distinct phases. The first — which can last several months — involves "bulking up," or deliberately gaining body weight. The idea behind bulking up is that gaining weight predisposes the body to greater muscular strength, and greater strength, in turn, produces more significant gains in muscle mass. Bulking up centers on eating more calories than are needed to maintain existing body weight while continually attempting to lift heavier weights.

Those added calories serve a dual purpose: they provide energy for more intense training and increase muscle protein synthesis — a cornerstone of meaningful muscle growth. After bulking for several months, competitive bodybuilders enter a second phase: pre-contest training. Here, the primary goal shifts to shedding any fat accrued during the bulk while achieving the muscular definition needed to compete — accomplished through strict dieting and training designed to drive body fat to its lowest possible levels.

The pre-contest phase is considerably shorter than the bulk, though its duration depends heavily on how much fat was gained along the way. The more fat accumulated, the longer the road back to stage-ready condition.

Bulking up was a slippery slope in many ways. The striving for increased muscle mass and strength could quickly get out of control — and it often did. While it wasn't possible to add substantial body weight without gaining some body fat, going too far could produce an excessive accumulation of fat, making the pre-contest cut that much harder to manage.

Perhaps the most extreme example of bulking up gone too far was Bruce Randall. While serving in the U.S. Marines, Randall — who had recently taken up bodybuilding — took full advantage of the unlimited food supply available to enlisted men, consuming prodigious amounts at each meal: several quarts of milk, dozens of eggs, and whatever else the mess hall had to offer. His goal was to bulk up and get stronger, and in this, he wildly succeeded — perhaps too wildly. Randall ballooned to over 400 pounds. Though he had built significant strength, he bore little resemblance to a bodybuilder. He looked, by any honest measure, like a big, fat guy.

After roughly two years of relentless bulking, Randall set his sights on competitive bodybuilding — with nothing less than the title of Mr. Universe as his ultimate goal. Standing six feet two inches and tipping the scales at 425 pounds, he now faced an almost incomprehensible task: stripping away enough fat to compete at under 200 pounds.

Randall later described his method with characteristic matter-of-factness. "To increase my food intake," he wrote . . .