Bulking During the Season?

[jrfly9]

A little bit of time ago I started a topic regarding proper diet for cutting, and thanks to the help I received here and some hard work I went from 195pds to a stronger 168pds. Now I am coming to you all with another question.

I am currently in the beginning of the season for hockey and we practice three times a week as well as two games on Friday and Saturday. I took a few weeks off of lifting at the beginning of the season and have noticed my muscle mass decrease over that period of time. I am now starting to lift again, making time for about 3 days a week.

But I am unsure what to eat. I don't know if my old diet of tuna, chicken, an veggies will give me enough to feel energetic on the ice as well help build muscle. Am I allowed to be less strict with what I eat, more cheat meals? I am hoping someone will be able to tell me what the best way to go about attempting to build muscle during the season.

Before I get flamed, yes I searched but I did not find anything that was similar to my specific situation. I hope I was clear enough for everyone to understand what I mean and thank you all for your time.

 

[SRS2000]

There's really nothing magic, you just have to eat enough calories to gain weight and get adequate protein. In my opinion it's going to be tough to choke down enough calories in meat and vegetables to gain or even maintain weight during a hockey season. Given your level of activity I would add some reasonably healthy carbs to your diet until you get the desired result. It's certainly easier to fit more "cheat" meals in when bulking vs. weight loss, but the amount of "cheat" meals is really dependent on your results and overall caloric intake.

 

[TheBig3]

There's really nothing magic, you just have to eat enough calories to gain weight and get adequate protein. In my opinion it's going to be tough to choke down enough calories in meat and vegetables to gain or even maintain weight during a hockey season. Given your level of activity I would add some reasonably healthy carbs to your diet until you get the desired result. It's certainly easier to fit more "cheat" meals in when bulking vs. weight loss, but the amount of "cheat" meals is really dependent on your results and overall caloric intake.

This. It's not really what you eat (although this is important), it's how much you eat...