Slow Bulk at 21% BF
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TayTayDrenDren wrote: »Also, i got 21% BF using the Parillo method. With all of the calculators out there i get results from 15%-22% and i dont know what to believe.
Who is taking your subscapular, tricep, bicep, and lower back measurement? You can't do those yourself.0 -
Ive had other people try to do those but they all squeeze too hard or dont grab enough skin. For subscapular ive gotten anywhere from 8-10, Bicep: 4-6, Tricep: 10-16, and Lower Back: 15-18. Of course that is a huge margin to work with on all of them. Plus, even personal trainers love to squeeze the calipers so i cant trust them either.0
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Should i post a photo of myself and see what you guys think?0
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TayTayDrenDren wrote: »Ive had other people try to do those but they all squeeze too hard or dont grab enough skin. For subscapular ive gotten anywhere from 8-10, Bicep: 4-6, Tricep: 10-16, and Lower Back: 15-18. Of course that is a huge margin to work with on all of them. Plus, even personal trainers love to squeeze the calipers so i cant trust them either.
So stop worrying about your body fat and start worrying about your health. Being underweight to the extent that you are is dangerous.3 -
Ok also may i ask what lifting program you started out with and how you made sure you were lifting with the right weight? Ive been following the workout program in "Thinner, Leaner, Stronger" by Mike Matthews but on all of my lifts i can get to ten reps but if i do any more or add even 5 pounds to the bar i feel like my form goes out the window. I need to make sure im lifting right too.0
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TayTayDrenDren wrote: »With the OP's height and weight I actually think that lifting or recomp is potentially dangerous. Her BMI is 16.6, which doctors would consider ED if she doesn't have a medical condition causing the weight loss. Weight gain should be her first goal. She should also consider talking to her doctor or a professional about how she sees her body and her fear of gaining fat because those are disordered thoughts.
ETA: She's getting her body fat reading off of calipers that she's using herself with little to no experience and only using the 3 site method. It's possible that her body fat is lower than she states.
Im sorry. Im just really overwhelmed by all of the things ive been reading. Everyone tells me that weight gain should be my first goal which i definitely agree to. However, a bunch of people are telling me that 21% BF is too high and therefore i shouldnt focus on gaining and instead focus on losing a bit of that fat so that i dont become insulin resistant whenever i need to cut. My parents have already realized that my head is totally f***ed up and they've already taken my food scale away because of how obsessive ive become over this. Ive also told them about my problems with binging but they just see me as thin and think that my metabolism is the same as before i became underweight butbi know its not due to the loss of muscle. Sorry about my constant worrying and posts for all who have seen them, but its been 4.5 months since ive started and i just want to make some freaking progress for once!!! Im glad that you guys are trying to help me because i feel so alone trying to figure this out.
Part of why you've been getting conflicting advice is that you didn't give people all of the information upfront. If you ask "I'm 21% BF, should I bulk?" you'll get a very different answer than if you ask "I'm 5'10", 116 pounds, and based on caliper measurements I think I'm at 21% BF, so what should I do?"
The first thing you should do is go see a doctor or a treatment team for evaluation. You need to find out whether exercise of any kind is healthy for you at this point in time. It can be contraindicated for people with ED histories, and nobody here is going to be able to tell you whether it's okay for you to lift or not right now.6 -
TayTayDrenDren wrote: »With the OP's height and weight I actually think that lifting or recomp is potentially dangerous. Her BMI is 16.6, which doctors would consider ED if she doesn't have a medical condition causing the weight loss. Weight gain should be her first goal. She should also consider talking to her doctor or a professional about how she sees her body and her fear of gaining fat because those are disordered thoughts.
ETA: She's getting her body fat reading off of calipers that she's using herself with little to no experience and only using the 3 site method. It's possible that her body fat is lower than she states.
Im sorry. Im just really overwhelmed by all of the things ive been reading. Everyone tells me that weight gain should be my first goal which i definitely agree to. However, a bunch of people are telling me that 21% BF is too high and therefore i shouldnt focus on gaining and instead focus on losing a bit of that fat so that i dont become insulin resistant whenever i need to cut. My parents have already realized that my head is totally f***ed up and they've already taken my food scale away because of how obsessive ive become over this. Ive also told them about my problems with binging but they just see me as thin and think that my metabolism is the same as before i became underweight butbi know its not due to the loss of muscle. Sorry about my constant worrying and posts for all who have seen them, but its been 4.5 months since ive started and i just want to make some freaking progress for once!!! Im glad that you guys are trying to help me because i feel so alone trying to figure this out.
Part of why you've been getting conflicting advice is that you didn't give people all of the information upfront. If you ask "I'm 21% BF, should I bulk?" you'll get a very different answer than if you ask "I'm 5'10", 116 pounds, and based on caliper measurements I think I'm at 21% BF, so what should I do?"
The first thing you should do is go see a doctor or a treatment team for evaluation. You need to find out whether exercise of any kind is healthy for you at this point in time. It can be contraindicated for people with ED histories, and nobody here is going to be able to tell you whether it's okay for you to lift or not right now.
As much as i would like to be fully evaluated by a doctor, my parents think im fine and healthy and that i should just eat whatever and keep going to the gym. They dont understand what im trying to do because they dont care.0 -
Where are you and how old are you? I ask because I'm unsure why it matters what your parents think.3
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trigden1991 wrote: »trigden1991 wrote: »You want to be as lean as possible before undertaking ant type of bulk. Either look at cutting down to a suitable bodyfat or look to recomp.
As a female 18-20% is ideal, as a male 10-12% is ideal.
While normally I would agree, "as lean as possible" isn't always a good idea.
OP is fairly underweight at 5'10", 116 lbs (as per her other thread). She has nothing to cut and definitely needs to bulk to get to a healthy weight.
I see, wasn't aware of the OP's situation.
Yeah I was not aware of starting weight myself lol as it was not in this thread.
but OP I would follow the suggestions of others at this weight as well. Nothing wrong with a "clean" bulk at your weight because if you never weight trained before, your gainz will be able to tip the ratio of LBM to Fatty tissue in your favor reducing your body% and putting you into a more healthy range any-whos.0 -
I did a slow bulk at 21-22% bf, but I'm 5'3, 37 years old, and started at 127lbs.
Honestly (based on your stats), you should consult a dr. Since you are 20 years old, you don't need your parents' consent to seek professional medical/health advice.2 -
jpoehls9025 wrote: »trigden1991 wrote: »trigden1991 wrote: »You want to be as lean as possible before undertaking ant type of bulk. Either look at cutting down to a suitable bodyfat or look to recomp.
As a female 18-20% is ideal, as a male 10-12% is ideal.
While normally I would agree, "as lean as possible" isn't always a good idea.
OP is fairly underweight at 5'10", 116 lbs (as per her other thread). She has nothing to cut and definitely needs to bulk to get to a healthy weight.
I see, wasn't aware of the OP's situation.
Yeah I was not aware of starting weight myself lol as it was not in this thread.
but OP I would follow the suggestions of others at this weight as well. Nothing wrong with a "clean" bulk at your weight because if you never weight trained before, your gainz will be able to tip the ratio of LBM to Fatty tissue in your favor reducing your body% and putting you into a more healthy range any-whos.
Ive been lifting for almost 5 months. Im not sure if i lost that opportunity yet.0 -
jpoehls9025 wrote: »trigden1991 wrote: »trigden1991 wrote: »You want to be as lean as possible before undertaking ant type of bulk. Either look at cutting down to a suitable bodyfat or look to recomp.
As a female 18-20% is ideal, as a male 10-12% is ideal.
While normally I would agree, "as lean as possible" isn't always a good idea.
OP is fairly underweight at 5'10", 116 lbs (as per her other thread). She has nothing to cut and definitely needs to bulk to get to a healthy weight.
I see, wasn't aware of the OP's situation.
Yeah I was not aware of starting weight myself lol as it was not in this thread.
but OP I would follow the suggestions of others at this weight as well. Nothing wrong with a "clean" bulk at your weight because if you never weight trained before, your gainz will be able to tip the ratio of LBM to Fatty tissue in your favor reducing your body% and putting you into a more healthy range any-whos.
This is good advice.
#1 You're underweight and your body will get stronger with the extra few calories.
#2 Following a lifting program with slow, progressive overload like 5x5 will make you strong, fit and feel good about yourself, but you won't get any muscle if you don't eat more than maintenance and that means your going to have comfortable with gaining weight (don't worry half will be muscle).
Since you don't have a kitchen scale anymore you're just going to have to figure out how to feed your body when it's hungry. This is a good thing0 -
Quick question. Can someone at a local gym take your BF% for you or is it something you'd need to go to a physician for?0
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Timbur_Wolf wrote: »Quick question. Can someone at a local gym take your BF% for you or is it something you'd need to go to a physician for?
Local gyms might have the facility to do caliper readings which, in my opinion, is the most reliable and accurate reading you will get without paying $$$$ for a DEXA scan.0
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