David Taylor Gonzales

As I said in previous blogs, I decided to spend the weeks/months after marathon training bulking. My goal was to build as much muscle as possible while gaining as little fat as possible simultaneously. This was not going to be a “dirty” bulk, a term I learned recently which basically sounds like eating junk food while going to the gym. My diet in terms of content changed very little but the volume increased significantly. I started adding more egg whites to my breakfast, started eating whole milk greek yogurt more consistently, little things like that.

My goal was to gain 0.5-1lb per week. This meant my bulk would last somewhere between 5 weeks and 10 weeks. With the changes to my diet, my increased weight training, and my decreased run volume, I was able to gain 6.7 pounds over 7 weeks. My body responded very quickly to the stimulus changes which was a good sign, and somewhat surprising. I stepped on the scale this week at 180.1 pounds. Just by the 7ish pounds of weight gain, my VO2 max dropped by 2 ml/kg/min and I don’t want to lose my aerobic base as I gain weight. I’ll begin the cutting phase next week very slowly and I’ll be de-loading creatine as well. This will result in massive water loss initially.

There’s no way to no for sure without a scan or ultrasound, but I estimate that I gained 2 pounds of lean mass during this short bulking phase. That may not sound like a lot, but for someone who is focused primarily on running and is still a beginner when it comes to weight training, this was a big success for me. I found a lot of strength gains specifically in chest pressing movements, push-ups, pull-ups and curling movements involving biceps/triceps. I’ve always been pretty strong in my legs so the only noticeable change there was adding weight to my Bulgarian split squats. As I prepare for a new training block for Rock the Parkway in April, I am reminded that my goal is not just to run well today, but to build a healthy life that I can carry with me into old age.

Was bulking fun? Yes. I love to eat. I’ve been watching and reading a lot of Peter Attia content recently and one of the biggest health indicators as we age is muscle mass. As a runner, I haven’t given much thought to building muscle. I’ve devoted much more thought and energy to building a strong aerobic engine and my heart. I think this little post-marathon recovery and weight training block was really helpful as a reminder to be a well-rounded athlete and person in general. Yes, running is my main priority. No, I don’t plan on becoming a bodybuilder. But building muscle is for everyone and I don’t want age to dictate when I have to stop enjoying my hobbies. I want to run 30 miles on my 30th birthday but I also want to run 50 miles on my 50th.

Becoming a Dad has made me take the long view of my life. When I was in my early 20s I was a mess. I made up in my mind that I wouldn’t live past 30. Now, when I look into the eyes of my children I see the next 20, 30, 40 years of my life flash before me. I know that every day that I wake up is a tender mercy from God, I know that so much of this life is out of my control. But God has made me steward of my family and being a good steward as a new(ish) Dad means taking good care of the things and people around me.

Keep Going!