#TeamBULK Champions
If you follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, you’ll know we like regramming (reposting) pictures that we’re tagged in. These are usually pictures of food, flexing, supplement deliveries and #BulkPets. It’s all well and good us posting promotional images but that’s not just what we’re about. Yes we provide an online shop at the UK’s lowest prices but BULK POWDERS™ isn’t just an online shop, it’s a way of life, a lifestyle.
BULK POWDERS™ is all about YOU. You buy products that we create in our state of the art facility. You buy products that help you progress with your goals in life. Without you, BULK POWDERS™ wouldn’t exist (unthinkable!)
Our #RevealYourself campaign focuses on this concept (not just get your kit off as some thought who took the hashtag too literally). We promote health, wellbeing and your journey from where you started to where you want to be. Celebrating your progress, success and sharing your enjoyment in life through health and fitness is what gives us great pleasure.
To acknowledge this, we’d like to congratulate some of our customers who have recently taken part in bodybuilding competitions and come out on top. Through hard work and determination they’ve smashed the competition and taken home the winner’s trophies. All the long hours in the gym and consistent dieting really paid off.
Tell us your stories
Whatever your sport, if you’ve accomplished your goals or you’re well on the way, we want to know about it. If you got on stage for the first time this year, tell us. If you’ve had an incredible personal journey (fat loss or muscle building) we want to know about it.
TAG us in your social media pictures when you mention your stories or e-mail tom@bulkpowders.com to potentially feature in upcoming articles on The Core™ as we share your success.
2015 Champions
Tomos
Tomos recently won the Miami Pro European Championships Male Fitness Model Under 75kg category.
‘It was a very tough category with entrants from all across Europe. This was my very first competition so it felt great to take 1st place on my debut into the fitness world. Winning the competition means I have been awarded my MP Pro Card. I have also been invited to compete at the Miami Pro World Championships in April 2016 which will be my first professional competition.
In the run up to the show I did a 16 week preparation plan which took my body fat % from 12.8% to under 4% for the stage. I worked very hard on my conditioning as I was aware that other competitors would be larger than me. I plan to bring the same conditioning to the World Championships in 9 months time with more muscle mass.
I have been using BULK POWDERS™ as my supplement company since the start of 2015. I saw an advert on the London Underground and liked what I saw, an affordable range of pure products that allows me to tailor my nutrition to exactly what I need. After trying out the products I couldn’t believe how great they tasted. I have ordered from BULK POWDERS™ ever since.
I use the products in a range of ways and have made a number of ‘sweet treats’ such as protein lattes, protein pancakes, BCAA ice lollies, homemade protein mousse, homemade protein peanut butter cups and much more.
My daily stack in the build up to the competition was: Multivitamins, CLA, Omega Oil Blend, Whey Protein, Micellar Casein, Creatine, Acetyl L Carnitine, Beta Alanine, L-Arginine, Caffeine, Green Tea Extract, BCAA and Glutamine.
I have also found the BULK POWDERS™ are very active on social media which encourages me to keep using them, as I feel like they have a human touch unlike some other large supplement companies. I would certainly recommend BULK POWDERS™ to anybody looking for quality supplements at a great price!’
Rachael
Rachael made her debut on stage this year at the age of 22. She placed 1st in the NPA Yorkshire Finals (Natural Physique Association) in the Trained Figure category then followed it up with a 1st in the BNBF North East Miss Figure competition (British Natural Bodybuilding Federation). This has led to qualification for the British Finals in September and October.
Ant
Ant recently competed in the BNBF Southern Finals and came away with three trophies in his first ever show – BNBF Southern Novice, BNBF Southern Best Wheels, BNBF Southern Overall.
BULK POWDERS™ supplements that Ant uses daily are: Vitamin D tablets, Super Strength Omega Fish Oil softgels, Pure Whey Protein™, Creatine Monohydrate powder, Beta Alanine and ELEVATE™.
Other products that Ant likes to use on and off are: Chocolate Praline High Protein Snack Bars (which he ate right up to show day), Complete Protein Dessert™, Vitamin C tablets, Caffeine, Complete Greens™ and Micellar Casein.
We were really pleased to receive a private message on Instagram from Ant letting us know about his success and wish him the best of luck in future shows.
Cornel
Cornel recently won 1st place at at the BNBF Southern Finals in the Men’s Middleweight category. This is what he had to say about the prep.
‘I am sure all participants have just as many (if not more) responsibilities, but prep was particularly tough at times, purely due to lack of time. I am currently 23 and live on my own, work full-time from 0830 till 1730, as well as do part-time freelancing work (creative design, photography, et cetera).
At the start of the prep it wasn’t so bad; towards the end however when more and more cardio had to come in to play, time was definitely an issue. Devoting time to cardio, weight training, over-time at work (as and when required), food shopping and food prep, as well as trying to see friends and family in-between has certainly proved more difficult than I originally anticipated.
Everything turned out OK in the end; multitasking and studying while doing cardio or substituting the gym cardio sessions with playing tennis or going for a swim with my friends or family, meant I can get two birds with one stone.
Having said that, even though I tried not to rely too heavily on supplements, they did (and still do) play a vital role in my preparation. I tend to take one multivitamin, one digestive enzyme and two fish oil capsules every morning with my breakfast. I sipped on BCAA throughout the day during severe stages of the prep, had a serving of pre-workout and L-Glutamine post-workout.
Then there is the good old fashion protein powder! I came to realise that investing on a superior quality protein is essential – having previously used the cheapest going probably explains why I often used to experience discomfort upon consumption. BULK POWDERS Pure Whey Isolate™ 90 was consumed at regular intervals throughout the day – quite frequently at the start of prep but progressively reduced towards the end as more food was required and I used Beef Protein Isolate™ 97 instead.’
Oakley
Oakley competed in the BNBF Southern Finals and won his class in the teenager category. Here’s what he had to say about his prep and supplementation:
‘My prep for the competition was very intense but slow at the same time. This year I gave myself a longer period of dieting which was 13 weeks instead of 7 last year. My experience was even better this year because I had more of an idea of what to do and now I know even more for the finals in September.
I was using BULK POWDERS™ Pure Whey Protein™, HMB powder, Multivitamin powder, Creatine and some BCAAs. I found that using all these products during my prep helped me out and improved how I looked for my show. I would highly recommend them to anyone and I will carry on using them.’
Thanks Oakley and congratulations on your success. We’ll keep an eye out for the results in September.
Lydia
Lydia achieved 1st place in the UKBFF North West Championships in the Body Fitness category. Here is what Lydia had to say about her prep:
‘In my first off season I trained 5-6 days a week, splitting the muscle groups down and doing very minimal cardio because I had to work hard to gain muscle. During my cutting diet I started the day with fasted cardio every morning but only steady state as I wanted to hold onto as much of the new muscle as possible.
Getting closer to competition you get more and more depleted so weights become much lower and you are literally just repping out. For me, that feeling of getting stronger and seeing your body change dramatically in a short time is addictive.
I dieted for 18 weeks for my first prep, introducing ‘carb cycling’ in the last few weeks to shake things up a little. I increased steady state cardio and also my water intake. There is obviously a decrease in strength the nearer you get to comp so training is tailored to lower weight higher reps to avoid injury. I had loads of people tell me I was dieting too early but what people forget is that you are dieting for stage, not for the beach. There is a massive difference and you’d be surprised how much there is to lose. I started prep at 12st and by stage time I was just below 9st.
Diet in both off season and contest prep is so important and is the thing most people struggle with. Everyone always asks “how was the diet part”. Personally I don’t find it that unbearable and strangely enjoy it, probably because my diet has never been shockingly bad to begin with. It’s a means to an end. I view the food as fuel – you are eating it for a purpose to support your aims. Plus, it makes you appreciate your treats or ‘cheat meal’ so much more when you do have them as you aren’t having them all the time.
In terms of BULK POWDERS™ supplements, I take the multivitamin, fish oils, vitamin C, vitamin D, L-Glutamine, cola Instant BCAA intra-workout and also Pure Whey Isolate™.’
Gemma
Gemma won 1st place in the NABBA (National Amateur Bodybuilders Association) NI Miss Toned Figure and then went on to place 6th in the NABBA Worlds. A fantastic achievement. This is what Gemma had to say about her prep:
‘My prep for my April show was from the beginning of January, in total about 15 weeks. In this time I followed a flexible dieting/IIFYM approach which means my diet was very non-restricted. I also incorporated carb cycling into my prep, varying my carb intake depending on my training days with one refeed day a week.
In terms of my training routine, I trained twice a day and 4 days a week (with a strength based cardio session in the morning and an evening weights session) and 3 rest days. However as I approached nearer the competition, I used these rest days as extra training/cardio days and was training 7 days a week.
The majority of the time I train on my own, then once or twice a week I meet with my coach and train with him.
The BULK POWDERS™ supplements that I have used (and loved.. great value for money!!) include PeptoPro®, Creatine Monohydrate, Phosphatidylserine, Alpha Lipoic Acid, MSM, Glycine, Vitamin C and Vitamin B12.’
Darren
Darren won the Pro Show category at the Miami Pro World Championships in April and also won the Overall Pro Fitness Model title. This led to an invite for MuscleMania in Miami in June to represent the UK where Darren placed 3rd. Here’s what Darren had to say about his prep:
‘I always like to keep my prep for a show nice and simple, if it’s not broken don’t fix it! I gave myself 8 weeks to get into condition for this show, I create a small deficit in daily food intake and minimal cardio (1xHIIT cardio weekly) to help reduce my body fat and improve conditioning. I then go from week to week monitoring my physique and make small changes where needed.
My diet usually consists of high protein, high carbohydrates, lower fat and this approach works for me. I structure my diet with 6 meals a day leading up to a competition to keen my body in an anabolic state and leucine levels high. I tend to eat a lot of white fish and lean meats such as chicken breast, turkey, lean beef as my selected protein choices. My carbs of choice for comp prep are always complex carbs such as sweet potato, rice, oats etc.
My training principles are quite simple and I tend to follow the standard bodybuilder type split training targeting one muscle group per day, sometimes I may throw in a second muscle group in the same session for some assistance work. I usually focus on the bigger muscle groups at the start of the week and work my way through to the smaller groups such as shoulders/calves etc.
My favourite go-to product is BULK POWDERS™ Cyclic Dextrin, which was first recommended to me by a bodybuilding friend for its fast acting properties. Throughout my prep I use Cyclic Dextrin immediately post workout to raise insulin and restore depleted glycogen stores. Since using Cyclic Dextrin I have noticed improved recovery after workouts, less fatigue and tend to get a really good old pump which is always a bonus! BULK POWDERS™ Cyclic Dextrin has become a staple product in my stack now, great value for money and the mixability which is usually an issue with these type of products is 10/10 no clumps, no bits!’
Martin
Martin won the RIBFF (Republic of Ireland Bodybuilding Federation) Junior Spring Classic in Limerick, Ireland in May then followed up by winning Junior Mr Cork Bodybuilding Championships the following week.
Congratulations Martin on your successful double!
