An extremely common question that comes up in my work with men and young people (women too, for that matter) relates to “bulking up” or increasing muscle mass. The fancy scientific term is muscle hypertrophy.

Maybe you have decided that you want or need to bulk up or have an adolescent child who has expressed an interest in this goal. If you/they search for recommendations on Google, you’ll inevitably encounter advice that firmly grounds you in diet culture. It’s typically a combination of structured training and rigid or at least quite specific dietary advice.

Is this healthy, not just physically but emotionally and psychologically as well? These are important questions and addressing and thinking through them early on in the process can prevent so many of the issues that we see pop up over time including problems with body image and relationship with food.

In this episode, I address the topic of interest in intentionally trying to put on muscle mass/muscularity in the context of the principles of Intuitive Eating, weight-neutral health, and an environment that promotes a healthy body image.

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If you'd like to contact me to work together, provide feedback on the podcast, ask clarifying questions, provide a suggestion for a guest or future episode, or for any other reason you can find me at:

IG: @intuitive.eating.men
Web: hopedrivesme.com