To bulk or not to bulk.

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jaimesparkman
jaimesparkman Posts: 17 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
This is going to be a short post. I just want some body builders/ fitness/ bikini competitors to help me. My current stats are.
Female
105 lbs
5'4"
17.4% body fat

I feel like my body fat is fairly high and i feel pretty soft, but my weight tells me I should probably do a bulk.
I do not compete but would like to do a bikini competition in a year or so.
opinions?

Replies

  • fivethreeone
    fivethreeone Posts: 8,196 Member
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    17.4% body fat is low for a woman. That's a perfectly acceptable body fat percentage to begin a bulk at.
  • jaimesparkman
    jaimesparkman Posts: 17 Member
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    fivethreeone wrote: »
    17.4% body fat is low for a woman. That's a perfectly acceptable body fat percentage to begin a bulk at.
    Thank you! this is the type of answer i needed!

  • Nolan1009
    Nolan1009 Posts: 36 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I would definitely bulk. I did a comp about 2 yrs ago and was 5'4" 108 day of. Prob around 14-15% bf but I was just lean with very little muscle. I didn't bulk beforehand, I started at 120 made some newbie gains and then prepped to 108. Since I lacked the muscle mass I had to get that low in order to see abs (there is a pic in my profile of my day of comp abs). I would have gotten much better results if I bulked first. Since then I've been more focused on running (but still lifting 4+ times a week) but as I'm out with an injury I'm in the midst if my first real bulk and loving the results. I'd like to be able to see good ab definition at a higher bodyweight. At your weight you prob don't have much fat to lose so the way to decrease your bf (which is pretty low already) would be to increase muscle mass.
  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
    edited January 2015
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    perfect bulk time! Even adding 2-3lbs of muscle will make an enormous difference. Even with the unavoidable fat gain alongside, your percentage should stay the same or even drop, you'll just look better, perkier, curvier. Check out Strong Curves, by Bret Contraras, he really gets female body building.
  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
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    How did you get your body fat percentage by the way? If by scale, then it may not be accurate. How are your measurements?
  • Nottryingjustdoing
    Nottryingjustdoing Posts: 32 Member
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    Bulk!
  • jaimesparkman
    jaimesparkman Posts: 17 Member
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    Springfield1970 wrote: »
    How did you get your body fat percentage by the way? If by scale, then it may not be accurate. How are your measurements?
    Yes by scale. I've had my bf measured many different ways over the past few years, professionally a few times last year- all around 14-15%. I trained very hard (mostly weights) and only gained 2-3 pounds. Now that My body fat percentage went up, but not my lean mass at all, i feel like all I gained was fat:(
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,070 Member
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    I think it's more likely that the form of measurement is inaccurate rather than you trained for months and gained no muscle.

    And yes, at your bf%, I'd definitely go for the bulk :)
  • jmule24
    jmule24 Posts: 1,404 Member
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    BULK! Adding muscle will help you in the long run when you're wanting to cut down. It might also be surprising how your body looks from the added muscle.

    Lift heavy! I spent almost 2 years in the gym just lifting weights and primarily isolation exercises. While I did see results I still wasn't happy. I finally turned to the simple approach of heavy compound lifts. I've been following this program for about 6 months now and all I can say is WOW was I wasting my time in the past!

  • deviboy1592
    deviboy1592 Posts: 989 Member
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    http://livehealthy.chron.com/ideal-weight-body-fat-percentage-5-4-female-5585.html
  • butterbear1980
    butterbear1980 Posts: 234 Member
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    What's your current excersize routine and current caloric intake and macros? What type of gym equipment do you have access to? You are at a great place to start weight training and building muscle. Lots of women start with adding 250 calories a day. You are going to see AMAZING results! I highly recomend monthly photo and measurements as the gaining process just like dieting can really mess with your head. Assuming you aren't currently lifting you are going to benefit from the newbie gains. Start lifting. Like, right now! You are going to love it!

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