For those fearing fat gain while "bulking"

jmule24

I thought I'd share my experience in hopes of helping others lesson the fear of being in a caloric surplus.

I've been in a surplus for 2 months now and have gained 10lbs on the scale. My goal is still another 7lbs away, in which I will be 175lbs.

I'm 5'10, 168 lbs at about 14-15% BF.

Prior to "Bulking" I was at 158 lbs at about 12-13% BF. My upper two abs were starting to show.

While I've dedicated a lot of hard time in the gym to put on muscle, I kept fighting with myself on whether to continue to maintain or bulk. I wanted Abs so bad, but at the same time I've always wanted to get to 175 lbs. It took me a couple of weeks adjusting to my new marco totals, as I was afraid I'd gain all my fat back that I had worked so hard over the past two years to get rid of.
This HASN'T been the case. My body is much leaner than before when I was 172 lbs with very little to no muscle. I didn't even lift!
My muscles feel "firmer" when I flex and my measurements are increasing also. Even though I'm averaging 1.25lbs/week, my fat gain has been minimal. I also feel the strongest I've ever felt and my main three lifts continue to increase as well.

I wish I would have gotten over my fear sooner as I would have been to my goal of 175 back in 2014. I'm actually looking forward to cutting when the time comes to see what's developed underneath the small amount of fat on my sides & stomach.

JoshD8705

To add to this I started lifting at 280lbs, and worked down to 230lbs. I just completed a dirty bulk back to 250. Even with a dirty bulk, I'm FAR from the same body type I was at 250 on the way down.

ryanhorn

Thank you for this post! As a first time bulker, this has been a really real fear for me having been obese my entire life until just this past year. I really feel like it's been holding me back because I'm literally terrified of going back to what I was and losing control.

rand486

jmule24 wrote: »

I thought I'd share my experience in hopes of helping others lesson the fear of being in a caloric surplus.

I've been in a surplus for 2 months now and have gained 10lbs on the scale. My goal is still another 7lbs away, in which I will be 175lbs.

I'm 5'10, 168 lbs at about 14-15% BF.

Prior to "Bulking" I was at 158 lbs at about 12-13% BF. My upper two abs were starting to show.

While I've dedicated a lot of hard time in the gym to put on muscle, I kept fighting with myself on whether to continue to maintain or bulk. I wanted Abs so bad, but at the same time I've always wanted to get to 175 lbs. It took me a couple of weeks adjusting to my new marco totals, as I was afraid I'd gain all my fat back that I had worked so hard over the past two years to get rid of.
This HASN'T been the case. My body is much leaner than before when I was 172 lbs with very little to no muscle. I didn't even lift!
My muscles feel "firmer" when I flex and my measurements are increasing also. Even though I'm averaging 1.25lbs/week, my fat gain has been minimal. I also feel the strongest I've ever felt and my main three lifts continue to increase as well.

I wish I would have gotten over my fear sooner as I would have been to my goal of 175 back in 2014. I'm actually looking forward to cutting when the time comes to see what's developed underneath the small amount of fat on my sides & stomach.

I have a similar fear, as I train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu - our weight divisions (for competition) quickly become part of our identities.

I'd be up for bulking, but what kind of timespan would be needed to gain a lean 10-15 lbs?

How many calories do you now eat on your lean bulk (as I'm slightly under your starting weight, coincidentally)?

What's your exercise regimen?

JoRocka

ryanhorn wrote: »

Thank you for this post! As a first time bulker, this has been a really real fear for me having been obese my entire life until just this past year. I really feel like it's been holding me back because I'm literally terrified of going back to what I was and losing control.

look up fat boy syndrome.

It's common- but don't let it hold you back- I promise- you can do it. You don't put on weight the same way when it's controlled methodical and in conjunction with a lifting program. It's just NOT the same.

Doesn't mean there are not 'bad days' (my birthday- all you can eat Brazilian steak house- + 3 cakes - seriously THREE- I was crying because I was wearing jeans- I made him stop at Target so I could buy bigger jeans- and then they didn't have any that fit- I was MISERABLE)

But you make it- you set a minimum time line- or minimum weight- and you make it AT LEAST to there. Everything after that is gravy.

Springfield1970

For men its a good goal to try and hit 1 pound a week weight gain. Women half that. That's 500 cals extra per day for guys, if you've hit your protein requirements, then any foodstuffs will do!

The bad news is, you will gain fat, but if you're meticulous about your calories, it will be at a lower percentage (clean bulk=controlled bulk), than a big ole dirty well overeating bulk.

This is because you can really only gain approx 1/2 lb a week in muscle.

So 10lb of muscle takes 20 weeks approx (bearing in mind you're heavy lifting 3x whole body per week). You'll gain up to 10lb in fat too, so you'll have to carefully cut that at the end of your bulk. Add another 10 weeks. But you may want to be a bit less ambitious to keep within your weight catagories.

That's 6 months work!

jmule24

[/quote]

I have a similar fear, as I train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu - our weight divisions (for competition) quickly become part of our identities.

I'd be up for bulking, but what kind of timespan would be needed to gain a lean 10-15 lbs?

How many calories do you now eat on your lean bulk (as I'm slightly under your starting weight, coincidentally)?

What's your exercise regimen?[/quote]

I'm currently 500-750 calories above my maintenance calories daily. I'm currently using a DUP program focusing on my main three lifts. (Bench, Squat, Deadlift) I also incorporate 2-3 accessory workouts each time. I workout Mon,Wed,Fri and that's it. I'm a firm believer in heavy compound lifts with a good amount of rest days.

I've made some serious strength and muscles gains getting away from the typical "bro splits" of 5-6 days of lifting.

I've also done SL 5x5 and ICF 5x5 both with great results.

reemslaw

jmule24 wrote: »

I thought I'd share my experience in hopes of helping others lesson the fear of being in a caloric surplus.

I've been in a surplus for 2 months now and have gained 10lbs on the scale. My goal is still another 7lbs away, in which I will be 175lbs.

I'm 5'10, 168 lbs at about 14-15% BF.

Prior to "Bulking" I was at 158 lbs at about 12-13% BF. My upper two abs were starting to show.

While I've dedicated a lot of hard time in the gym to put on muscle, I kept fighting with myself on whether to continue to maintain or bulk. I wanted Abs so bad, but at the same time I've always wanted to get to 175 lbs. It took me a couple of weeks adjusting to my new marco totals, as I was afraid I'd gain all my fat back that I had worked so hard over the past two years to get rid of.
This HASN'T been the case. My body is much leaner than before when I was 172 lbs with very little to no muscle. I didn't even lift!
My muscles feel "firmer" when I flex and my measurements are increasing also. Even though I'm averaging 1.25lbs/week, my fat gain has been minimal. I also feel the strongest I've ever felt and my main three lifts continue to increase as well.

I wish I would have gotten over my fear sooner as I would have been to my goal of 175 back in 2014. I'm actually looking forward to cutting when the time comes to see what's developed underneath the small amount of fat on my sides & stomach.

Great to hear you're doing so well!

For me it was the opposite,

I was 148lbs in 2012 (5ft 10), and I bulked up to 173 was my heaviest, but went from a 32" waist to feeling uncomfortable in 34" jeans. My lifts hardly went up either. Im not sure what I was doing wrong, 1 hour gym sessions 5 times a week, I did iifym and hit between 180-200g of protein 90% of the time. I dont look much different really except for a little extra thickness but most of it is round my waist. I wont give up but its really hard to stay motivated when Im just spinning my wheels. Ive used MFP for 3 years but just started on the forums for some tips and support.

TFaustino67

Great to hear you're doing so well!

For me it was the opposite,

I was 148lbs in 2012 (5ft 10), and I bulked up to 173 was my heaviest, but went from a 32" waist to feeling uncomfortable in 34" jeans. My lifts hardly went up either. Im not sure what I was doing wrong, 1 hour gym sessions 5 times a week, I did iifym and hit between 180-200g of protein 90% of the time. I dont look much different really except for a little extra thickness but most of it is round my waist. I wont give up but its really hard to stay motivated when Im just spinning my wheels. Ive used MFP for 3 years but just started on the forums for some tips and support.

Your problem sounds more program specific; what plan are you following? Allpro, 5x5? Are you sticking to your program or jumping from program to program?

reemslaw

After just doing what a PT gave me for about a year, I did follow allpros from bb.com for about 6 months, and then tried this split http://www.healthandfitnesstalk.com/the-reverse-pyramid-training-philosophy/ for about 6 months again. Last couple Ive been following a push pull legs program. I only have access to my work gym which is well kitted out with dumbbells, cables, pulldown, leg press etc, but no barbells, which is a massive annoyance.

ryanhorn

JoRocka wrote: »

ryanhorn wrote: »

Thank you for this post! As a first time bulker, this has been a really real fear for me having been obese my entire life until just this past year. I really feel like it's been holding me back because I'm literally terrified of going back to what I was and losing control.

look up fat boy syndrome.

It's common- but don't let it hold you back- I promise- you can do it. You don't put on weight the same way when it's controlled methodical and in conjunction with a lifting program. It's just NOT the same.

Doesn't mean there are not 'bad days' (my birthday- all you can eat Brazilian steak house- + 3 cakes - seriously THREE- I was crying because I was wearing jeans- I made him stop at Target so I could buy bigger jeans- and then they didn't have any that fit- I was MISERABLE)

But you make it- you set a minimum time line- or minimum weight- and you make it AT LEAST to there. Everything after that is gravy.

Oh my goodness. I just looked this up, and I felt like that was the perfect description of the mental challenges I'm going through. Thank you!!!

Nolan1009

For the girls-I finally got passed the mental block of gaining weight as I realized it was the only way I was going to develop the muscles I wanted. Also coincided with a forced break from running and racing where I didn't have to maintain race weight.

I'm 6 weeks in, started around 119-121 but immediately jumped to 122.5 from increased glycogen, now at 125/126. I've never been okay with being this weight before but I look much different at this weight now than in the past. I took these pics this morning to reassure myself that I wasn't just getting fat. All my major lifts are up and I look forward to everyday that I try for new PRs.

I do think I've added a little fluff on my stomach but I'm okay with it as I can see muscle growth as well. I'm going to continue for at least 2 more weeks then hit maintenance, see where my weight settles, and go from there. I've been reading this board daily and it's been a big help to me. There are not a whole lot of resources for women and bulking. Everything centers around weight loss.

KingRat79

reemslaw wrote: »

jmule24 wrote: »

I thought I'd share my experience in hopes of helping others lesson the fear of being in a caloric surplus.

I've been in a surplus for 2 months now and have gained 10lbs on the scale. My goal is still another 7lbs away, in which I will be 175lbs.

I'm 5'10, 168 lbs at about 14-15% BF.

Prior to "Bulking" I was at 158 lbs at about 12-13% BF. My upper two abs were starting to show.

While I've dedicated a lot of hard time in the gym to put on muscle, I kept fighting with myself on whether to continue to maintain or bulk. I wanted Abs so bad, but at the same time I've always wanted to get to 175 lbs. It took me a couple of weeks adjusting to my new marco totals, as I was afraid I'd gain all my fat back that I had worked so hard over the past two years to get rid of.
This HASN'T been the case. My body is much leaner than before when I was 172 lbs with very little to no muscle. I didn't even lift!
My muscles feel "firmer" when I flex and my measurements are increasing also. Even though I'm averaging 1.25lbs/week, my fat gain has been minimal. I also feel the strongest I've ever felt and my main three lifts continue to increase as well.

I wish I would have gotten over my fear sooner as I would have been to my goal of 175 back in 2014. I'm actually looking forward to cutting when the time comes to see what's developed underneath the small amount of fat on my sides & stomach.

Great to hear you're doing so well!

For me it was the opposite,

I was 148lbs in 2012 (5ft 10), and I bulked up to 173 was my heaviest, but went from a 32" waist to feeling uncomfortable in 34" jeans. My lifts hardly went up either. Im not sure what I was doing wrong, 1 hour gym sessions 5 times a week, I did iifym and hit between 180-200g of protein 90% of the time. I dont look much different really except for a little extra thickness but most of it is round my waist. I wont give up but its really hard to stay motivated when Im just spinning my wheels. Ive used MFP for 3 years but just started on the forums for some tips and support.

If you have added 25lbs and your lifts haven't gone up at all then there is something seriously wrong with your training, I would take a long hard look at how you are training.

Nolan1009

MrM27 wrote: »

KingRat79 wrote: »

reemslaw wrote: »

jmule24 wrote: »

I thought I'd share my experience in hopes of helping others lesson the fear of being in a caloric surplus.

I've been in a surplus for 2 months now and have gained 10lbs on the scale. My goal is still another 7lbs away, in which I will be 175lbs.

I'm 5'10, 168 lbs at about 14-15% BF.

Prior to "Bulking" I was at 158 lbs at about 12-13% BF. My upper two abs were starting to show.

While I've dedicated a lot of hard time in the gym to put on muscle, I kept fighting with myself on whether to continue to maintain or bulk. I wanted Abs so bad, but at the same time I've always wanted to get to 175 lbs. It took me a couple of weeks adjusting to my new marco totals, as I was afraid I'd gain all my fat back that I had worked so hard over the past two years to get rid of.
This HASN'T been the case. My body is much leaner than before when I was 172 lbs with very little to no muscle. I didn't even lift!
My muscles feel "firmer" when I flex and my measurements are increasing also. Even though I'm averaging 1.25lbs/week, my fat gain has been minimal. I also feel the strongest I've ever felt and my main three lifts continue to increase as well.

I wish I would have gotten over my fear sooner as I would have been to my goal of 175 back in 2014. I'm actually looking forward to cutting when the time comes to see what's developed underneath the small amount of fat on my sides & stomach.

Great to hear you're doing so well!

For me it was the opposite,

I was 148lbs in 2012 (5ft 10), and I bulked up to 173 was my heaviest, but went from a 32" waist to feeling uncomfortable in 34" jeans. My lifts hardly went up either. Im not sure what I was doing wrong, 1 hour gym sessions 5 times a week, I did iifym and hit between 180-200g of protein 90% of the time. I dont look much different really except for a little extra thickness but most of it is round my waist. I wont give up but its really hard to stay motivated when Im just spinning my wheels. Ive used MFP for 3 years but just started on the forums for some tips and support.

If you have added 25lbs and your lifts haven't gone up at all then there is something seriously wrong with your training, I would take a long hard look at how you are training.

Have to agree with that.

Anytime I hear someone say they are training an hour a day 5 or 6 days a week, it's an automatic red flag that their training isn't adequate.

I train 5-6 days a week for approx an hour and I don't consider my training inadequate. I've considered doing less but I love it too much, all my lifts are progressing and I'm getting the results I want so I see no reason to change. Different strokes for different folks. I suppose if your goal was strictly strength it would be beneficial to do less. And if you're not progressing than yes you need to make changes. But higher volume training can be adequate for some.

sardelsa

@Nolan1009 (for some reason it won't let me quote you) You look amazing, thanks for sharing!

I agree, there is very little info out there on women bulking. I am 12 weeks into my first bulk (with about 6 more weeks to go) and it has been a mental ride but I am so happy with my results so far. I have gained some fat obviously but as @JoRocka stated, it is completely different when you are putting on weight in a controlled way with a proper lifting program.

Nolan1009

Thanks @sardelsa‌ I agree, definitely a mental ride, I've thought about stopping a few times but then I'm like "well all this gym effort is gonna go to waste if I don't eat enough to make gains " lol

@MrM27‌ - Typically Legs/Chest,Shoulder,Tri/Back,Bi/ Legs/Shoulders/Arms or Legs again.

I start all workouts with major lifts. Squats, Deadlifts, Bench, Pull-Ups, OHP, Row. I usually do these lifts in the lower rep range, typically around 5 reps for 3-5 sets. Then I will go on to other lifts in higher rep range. I write every weight/set/rep down to ensure progressive overload.

Nolan1009

No, depending on the day I'll start with compound lift with lower reps. Squats/deadlifts on leg day, bench on chest/ sometimes shoulder/arms as well, start every back and arm day with pull-ups/chin-ups, ohp on shoulder. But yes I'm partial to a bro split