Volume or definition? This question is undoubtedly one of the most recurring in gyms and fitness rooms.
Many athletes ask themselves this question when they want to start a training routine focused on bodybuilding. Should I prioritize gaining muscle mass with an excellent bulking phase or focus on a definition for a season?
Well, these and other doubts are what I intend to solve in this publication. It is an essential guide to guide those athletes who want to focus their physical and nutritional efforts on a specific stage.
Table of Contents
What Does it Mean to be in Volume?
If you have been in fitness and bodybuilding for some time, the word “ volume ” will have reached your ears. A term that goes outside determining the amount of physical exercise and is also use to refer to a old-fashioned of muscle gain.
The bulking phase in the gym means just this. A time interval in which our goals will be aim at gaining muscle.
Although it is usually related. We do not have to make the mistake of telling a volume phase with a period in which we will gain strength. The relationship is not always intrinsic since the main priority of an athlete in volume is to increase the musculature.
Bodybuilders are fully aware of the importance of this phase. Still, athletes or athletes who do not have competitive pretensions often ignore this period or dismiss it with the sole argument of “not being covered.”
The volume phase should never be seen as a “problem.”
Everyone likes to show off a defined body on the beach, but what many fitness athletes should ask themselves is what I will determine if I have nothing to explain about?
Indeed, to be able to show off your muscle groups to the fullest, you will first have to work on them. This implies time, patience, and progressive growth.
At any properly planned bulking stage, it is impossible to increase muscle mass significantly without giving up a low percentage of body fat.
Although good planning will seek to maximize lean mass gain and minimize fat mass, it will be impossible to maintain a high level of definition.
Physical Trainers Tips
Here is the grace and work of physical trainers and nutritionists. Know how to program this stage as well as possible. The more fat mass you gain, the harder it will be for you to re-define. The correct distribution of macronutrients will be essential to overcome this phase.
It is generally routine to limit 25% body fat for a bulking stage. Higher figures may occur in some instances, but great care must be taken to avoid excessively lengthening the subsequent definition phase.
A volume phase is achieve fundamentally through a hypercaloric diet. That is a nutritional guideline that helps you healthily gain weight. A degree of caloric surplus in which we will contribute more calories to the body than we actually “spend.” It is crucial to follow a healthy hypocaloric diet to avoid the excessive accumulation of fat I mentioned earlier.
Generating a caloric surplus base on soaked fats and process foods is very easy. Do it healthily and with foods rich in micronutrients; I assure you that it is not easy.
What is Muscle Definition?
The muscle definition phase would be just the opposite of a volume phase. I would come to be because it is not exactly the opposite.
If we seek to gain muscle in a volume phase, we do not seek to lose it in a definition phase. We are looking for in definition to “highlight” the musculature of our body as much as possible.
The definition phase is reach through a hypocaloric diet in which we control food intake to generate a deficit and, therefore, weight loss.
Previously I commented that one of the main problems of the volume phases is the drastic increase in body fat. In the meaning phase, the main danger is “losing power.”
Luckily, losing muscle is not as easy as gaining it. Catabolizing (losing power) is much more complex than it appears, and the meaning would have to be very hostile or lengthy to get to this opinion.
The definition phase might be define in a certain way as the “set-up” for the competition, or for those who do not seek a competitive end, the final phase of the bikini operation.
Any definition phase must be progressive and with a moderate impact to avoid falling into a dreaded metabolic tomb and, ultimately, the excessive metabolism slowdown.
Volume Phase vs. Definition Phase.
The first object you should be clear about is that each point has its benefits and drawbacks.
A volume phase implies that specific muscles are “covered,” that you may lose the excellent six-pack, and that your body will be less “pretty.”
On the conflicting, you will be able to eat more calmly and enjoy food more since a definition phase is a much more obstructive diet.
Do not take it like that in a volume phase “you gain weight” and “you lose weight” in a definition. Although the scale is limited to assessing your body by body weight, keep in mind that you are building and traveling a much longer path.
If you want to evolve, enjoy good health. It is impossible to be in a permanent definition or volume.
Volume and Definition in Beginners
If you are a beginner or have been in fitness and bodybuilding for a short time, you should first estimate your current physical condition before starting.
For newcomers, there is no clear plan. If you are knowingly overweight and your body fat is high, your efforts should be meant at losing weight and losing fat.
When you reach an improved physical condition, you can begin to consider entering a volume or definition phase.
Whether you have average body weight and body fat at acceptable levels will depend on how long you’ve been training.
If you are “thin” but have not learned a certain level of muscle mass or technique in the basic exercises, you must dedicate some time to these aspects.
Adaptation to the Objectives
If you ask me whether a volume or definition phase is better for you. The first thing you should answer me is what your goals are and your current physical condition.
If your only interest is to show off a good tablet on the beach and your aspirations do not go beyond feeling comfortable with your own body. Being somewhat muscular, and leading a healthy life. I would tell you to enjoy sports and not consider one another phase, at least in a concrete way.
On the contrary, if your goals are to compete or you have in mind the idea of looking for a permanent physical improvement that motivates you to continue progressing. Perhaps you should seriously consider entering a definition period or a volume one.
The volume phase is crucial to improve over time, while the definition phase is vital to having an aesthetic body.
Assess your short, medium, and long-term goals and start drawing the plan that can bring you closer to them.
