Bodybuilders and their massive bulking phase

why do bodybuilders go on bulking phases to bulk up like 30-40 pounds each year?Jay cutlers competition weight over the last few years have been 274-277 pounds.so clearly he is not building anymore muscle even when he is bulking like a mad man.Why don't they just stick to a good diet with enough carbs so they can train heavy all year and like pick up 15 pounds of muscle and fat.now they weight the same every year.so they are just picking up allot of fat and then they have to kill themselves for 12 weeks to drop it...i don't understand this.they could just eat within reason and 6 weeks out start cutting back and preparing and it would be as harsh on the body...what do you guys think??

Jay is relatively lean all year round, due to guest appearances and shows etc. One could pretty much say the same for most of the other professionals, I haven't seen a lot of videos (youtube etc) where a professional looks big and fat??
But I do agree on the lean bulking principle! You see what you put on, and when cutting you lose less muscle (and cm's, which we feed on )

yeah jay is always pretty lean but guys like lee priest gain like 50 pounds thats ridiculous.i will go with the lean weight gain.

Think this is very old school method of putting on big mass in off season and then getting ripped for shows.

I like the idea of lean weight gain, and been doing it last 2 years and it much better have to say

guys u gotta realise that alot of these guys stop training and dieting for close on 3 months in a year,jay doesnt diet for 3 months and only does light exercise for 3 months of the year...so thats when the fat gain can come in... alos these guys putting on 30-40pounds of water and fat comes off so fast,my mate who is working with george farah has gone up to 124kgs at 10% body fat,eating close on 8000caloires a day,so much so half the time he eats so much he wants to vomit, when he was eating 6500calories his metabolism was going so fast he went from 122 down to 116kgs in a space of a couple days and had to increase to 8000 caloires to get his weight back up... now to drop a 1000calories out your diet,and add in 30mins cardio daily means that that 30-40pounds is gone in a space of 10-12weeks.they dont kill themselves at all!

Also the other thing is just like Ronnie said, they not trying to put on more size, I doubt one body mechanics can beyond that level, it is all about quality and muscle maturity... He might come in 2 or 3 kgs heavier but most probably be the same, Ronnie actually said he needs to come in a little lighter for him to look at his best, not because he wasn't shredded to the bone but at that stage he looked better a few kg's lighter.

I think comparing pro's like cutler and coleman to the average joe wanting to look good all year round is just not possible. Bear in mind the sheer amounts of muscle mass that these guys are holding onto, and the extra calories required to maintain it. I dont think they bulk up in order to come in heavier, but simply to maintain that same size. Their bodies need rest and their muscles need nutrition in order to maintain density. If most of them tried to maintain a really lean diet all year round i reckon they would drop muscle mass