I bulked and just got fat.
lucygoesrawr
Posts: 184 Member
I've been bulking for a few weeks, maybe a month, I don't know. At first, lifting was a bit easier. Then it went back to how it was before - failures, fatigue. So I kept increasing my calories. Been eating 2300, my maintenance is 1700. I've just put on a few pounds of fat (my scales read body fat percent. And I can see it. My small amount of muscle definition looks the same as before.). I just failed to squat again, I've been failing my dead lifts - it's done no good at all. Why does it work so well for everyone else but not me? I think I'm going to cry now. If anyone has advice to offer, please do.
(For the record, I'm already overweight)
(For the record, I'm already overweight)
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Replies
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Usually, if you are gaining mostly fat, your surplus is too large. But with a 600 surplus, fat gain should be moderate. Either try to decrease the surplus or reevaluate how you are measuring food or recalculate your TDEE.
I did a dreamer bulk from 135 to 200 lbs. Fat gains through the roof. It isnt worth it to gain too much excess fat on a bulk as you will suffer when cutting.0 -
Why are you bulking if you're overweight?0
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how much over weight are you? (how tall are you and how much do you currently weigh)
how long have you been lifting?
are you running a program?
What numbers do you have?
Have you had anyone evaluate you for form?0 -
Why are you bulking when already overweight? Most people would suggest you wait until you are at a healthy weight before you bulk, maybe even the lower end of healthy.
Bodyfat scales are NOT accurate. Do not rely on that. The few pounds you are up are most likely water weight and bloating.
Your lifting issues are apparently not related to your food intake. Are you trying to increase weight too quickly? How's your form? Have you had someone check it?0 -
As a female, you will put on muscle slowly, and 4 weeks is not much time. My guess is that you will likely only build 2lbs of muscle in that time if your eating plan and exercise routine are optimal.
Secondly, scales that measure %bf are very inaccurate and things like water retention can skew their results. You are likely not seeing fat gain that quickly.
Thirdly, when you say you are already overweight, are you talking about BMI and you have high lean mass, or do you have a high bf%? If it's the latter, why are you bulking? What are your goals?
And what is your lifting program like?0 -
LyndseyLovesToLift wrote: »Why are you bulking if you're overweight?
This0 -
I did see the part where you mentioned that you were already overweight. If that is the case, you wont be happy bulking. You will lose whatever muscle definition you currently have as fat gain is inevitable.0
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OP needs to answer the list of questions above before anything further can really be done.
Also- if OP is working on a high end (I suspect not) and tryign to reach certain physical goals (I suspect not at that point yet honestly) then bulking while over weight is not UN-reasonable- I bulked quiet high- purely for the goal to hit a certain dead lift.
- Am I paying for it on my cut? youbetcha- but it was worth it at the time.
But- we won't know until we have further answers and know more about where OP is and why they are bulking- and her training.0 -
Apparently I'm supposed to go and try again now. So, just a quick answer for now - I'm not terribly overweight and have a medical condition which means gaining the muscle is a lot more important at the moment than losing fat. Thank you for the replies, I'll read them in a bit.
- After I fail at pressing. Hooray.
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Little PMA goes a long way.
walking in with an attitude of failure means you pretty much already failed. Good luck.
what's that expression??
if you believe you can- or you cannot- you are right.
also- PS- for future reference- when asking for advice on a board- if you have medical conditions- you should include them to begin with- trying to give advice without the whole picture doesn't do anyone any good- it's just a waste of time.0 -
1. Body fat scales tend to be really unreliable.
2. Why are you doing a 600-calorie daily surplus? That's assuming 1700 is really your observed maintenance, not just a number you got from a calculator (because those are general guidelines but aren't accurate for each individual person). If you bulked for 4 weeks at that rate, you'd gain 5 pounds in that month, and on a woman, most of that would be fat.
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how much over weight are you? (how tall are you and how much do you currently weigh)
how long have you been lifting?
are you running a program?
What numbers do you have?
Have you had anyone evaluate you for form?
OP Please provide answers to the questions above ^^^
Your post is really far too vague to make an accurate determination of the cause of this issue.
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One month? Probably gained more water weight than anything. And I agree with Alice...body fat scales are notoriously unreliable.0
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Bodyfat scales are wildly inaccurate.
You can't possibly know if you've gained just fat in a month. Despite 'failing' at your lifts (not sure what you really mean, failed a new weight? Number of reps?) if you're working hard some of what you gain should be muscle - If you're trying to lift a new weight, not managing it and then going home then yes, you'll just get fat.
You need longer than a month to judge what's happening and you need a good weight programme (if you don't have one already).
Like Jo said, more details.0 -
lucygoesrawr wrote: »- After I fail at pressing. Hooray.
^^^ this is half your problem right here. Go and own those presses!!
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Everyone has already given great advice and of course more details will be helpful. But I just want to say, the negative attitude is not doing you any good!
Do my PRs suck compared to others? Yup.
Do I have days where I can't increase or even lift as much as I did the time before? Yup.
Do I keep on pushing myself no matter what stands in my way and not let negative thoughts get me down? Yup.
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tagging to see if OP ever answers questions...0
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What do you mean you "failed" at your lifts? Building muscle definitely takes time and it's hard to assess your progress in only 1 month (body fat scales ARE NOT RELIABLE FOR THIS PURPOSE). However, you should be getting stronger. If not, then you're doing something wrong.
Are you eating enough protein? Is your form correct? Are you getting enough rest? Are you sure 1700 is maintenance? 1700 is a pretty low maintenance for somebody doing a lot of exercise.0 -
I'm back. To answer the questions:
I'm 5'1 and am fluctuating between 141-143.5 pounds. My body fat is going up faster than the actual weight. Admittedly, I always knew the scales weren't likely to be that accurate for body fat, but I thought they would show CHANGE accurately, rather than the real figure.
I've been lifting since sometime in August.
I lift at home with my husband and the program we're doing is Starting Strength, but without power cleans.
Squat: 34kg / 75lbs (increased by 1kg each session)
Deadlift: 44kg / 97lbs (increased by 2kg each session - twice a week)
Press: 20kg / 44lbs (increased by 0.5kg each session)
Bench press: 24.5kg / 54lbs (increased by 1kg each session)
Started bulking at just 100 extra. Each time I failed a rep my husband convinced me to increase my calories because he thought I hadn't recovered properly, and this is what I ended up with. There were promises of ice cream.Why are you doing a 600-calorie daily surplus?
Both. With deadlifts I get the problem of not being able to lift it at all - with squats and presses I can't manage the entire set/s sometimes.(not sure what you really mean, failed a new weight? Number of reps?)
As for my form, my husband spots me and says it seems fine, but recently we decided I could probably go deeper with my squats (I was going to parallel/just below before) so it has changed slightly for that. Everything else is apparantly fine. There isn't anyone else we know who could double check, but I trust him.
I do struggle with feeling pessimistic, but I really am trying as hard as I can.
I did actually have a look at my back before I had a shower and it does look more muscular - things actually move when I tense it now! Didn't really think to check there before...
As an aside, I struggle with weight fluctuations anyway because of IBS bloating, so it's hard to really see what's going on at all sometimes.
Oh, and I'm sorry about not mentioning the medical thing, I just didn't think it would be relevant. Thanks so much for the replies. Didn't mean to keep people waiting so long for a response.0 -
Eat below MX 250/500 cal. Only consume slow digesting carbs and lean protiens. Get plenty of rest and give it time. If you fail on a rep no biggy, as long as you keep good form with the ones youve completed. Only use a scale for weight but realize it fluctuates daily 1/5 lbs. Stay away from sugars ( soda, candy, ICE CREAM, ect ). I lost 80+ lbs and the best advice I can give is give it time and stay consistant.0
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@OP - I have been reading these forums going on 18 months now...everything I have read about women and bulking suggested the following:
~To wait to do a bulk until you are at a reasonable BF% to begin with - I have read multiple times anything under 24% for women
~To utilize a modest calorie surplus. (Most suggestions seem to be 200-300). Your surplus seems too high?
There are some very accomplished women in these forums who will hopefully be able to give you further guidance...0 -
FitnessTrainer69 wrote: »Eat below MX 250/500 cal. Only consume slow digesting carbs and lean protiens. Get plenty of rest and give it time. If you fail on a rep no biggy, as long as you keep good form with the ones youve completed. Only use a scale for weight but realize it fluctuates daily 1/5 lbs. Stay away from sugars ( soda, candy, ICE CREAM, ect ). I lost 80+ lbs and the best advice I can give is give it time and stay consistant.
You realize the OP is asking about bulking??? Not cutting.
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FitnessTrainer69 wrote: »Eat below MX 250/500 cal. Only consume slow digesting carbs and lean protiens. Get plenty of rest and give it time. If you fail on a rep no biggy, as long as you keep good form with the ones youve completed. Only use a scale for weight but realize it fluctuates daily 1/5 lbs. Stay away from sugars ( soda, candy, ICE CREAM, ect ). I lost 80+ lbs and the best advice I can give is give it time and stay consistant.
lol sooo much bro science..
I eat sugar and have no issues with bulking, cutting, etc.
why only lean proteins and slow digesting carbs? OP is trying to bulk and surplus would be more important than macros….-1 -
That's...wow. That's jumping the gun a little. You're going to occasionally fail to complete a set. Everyone does. Maybe you're tired that day, or distracted, or you're trying to increase the weight too quickly, or maybe a million other things. It happens. Your body needs time to respond to changes you make. A much better plan would be to start at maintenance and up your calories slowly (100-200 calories at a time), wait 3-4 weeks in between increases, and see how your body responds to each change.lucygoesrawr wrote: »
Started bulking at just 100 extra. Each time I failed a rep my husband convinced me to increase my calories because he thought I hadn't recovered properly, and this is what I ended up with. There were promises of ice cream.Why are you doing a 600-calorie daily surplus?
Is your maintenance really 1700? Did you determine that by observation or did you use a calculator?
What's your targeted rate of gain?
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MADROSE you're right. I thought she was trying to lose some fat. Why would you bulk if you feel your overweight? I guess my only advice would be no running and a cleaner bulk if your worried about getting fat.
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lucygoesrawr wrote: »Apparently I'm supposed to go and try again now. So, just a quick answer for now - I'm not terribly overweight and have a medical condition which means gaining the muscle is a lot more important at the moment than losing fat. Thank you for the replies, I'll read them in a bit.
- After I fail at pressing. Hooray.
@OP - may I ask who advised you that gaining muscle was more important than losing fat at this stage? ETA - What is your current body fat % ?
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FitnessTrainer69 wrote: »Eat below MX 250/500 cal. Only consume slow digesting carbs and lean protiens. Get plenty of rest and give it time. If you fail on a rep no biggy, as long as you keep good form with the ones youve completed. Only use a scale for weight but realize it fluctuates daily 1/5 lbs. Stay away from sugars ( soda, candy, ICE CREAM, ect ). I lost 80+ lbs and the best advice I can give is give it time and stay consistant.
You're a trainer?!
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lucygoesrawr wrote: »Apparently I'm supposed to go and try again now. So, just a quick answer for now - I'm not terribly overweight and have a medical condition which means gaining the muscle is a lot more important at the moment than losing fat. Thank you for the replies, I'll read them in a bit.
- After I fail at pressing. Hooray.
I would also like to know more about this medical condition.0 -
Maybe you are not resting enough between workouts and that is why you reps. You don't grow during a workout, your grow during your rest days.0
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FitnessTrainer69 wrote: »Eat below MX 250/500 cal. Only consume slow digesting carbs and lean protiens. Get plenty of rest and give it time. If you fail on a rep no biggy, as long as you keep good form with the ones youve completed. Only use a scale for weight but realize it fluctuates daily 1/5 lbs. Stay away from sugars ( soda, candy, ICE CREAM, ect ). I lost 80+ lbs and the best advice I can give is give it time and stay consistant.
You're a trainer?!
I miss read her post. I thought she was looking to lose fat. Yes I train military members. Ive only helped those who are looking to lose weight and their careers depend on my advice. Ive yet to fail
What about you? 0
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