Frans's First Bulking Attempt in 12 weeks
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Remember that high-sodium meals tend to cause water retention. Conversely, if you didn't have much sodium the day/night before weigh in, you may have lost some of that water weight that you usually carry - or carried the week before. That could be the cause of your "weight loss" even though your measurements show increases. Just an idea.
As to age having an effect on how much food you can eat - what is meant is that generally as one ages, metabolism slows down. So, with that in mind, younger folks generally can and should eat more as they are bulking.
I still had a lot of sodium last night too lol, we had gone out to Panda Express prior to the soccer game we went to. But that does make sense though so that could have happened. So basically, if you are younger, you benefit more from bulking then if you were older? Good thing I started out now I guess, right?collegenerd20 wrote: »Hey everyone, similarly to my friend Terry (terizius) I am also doing a 12-week bulk.Good luck on your journey and congrats on taking the step forward!!!
You can pretty much only go up with any work and food you put in at this point- so hammer them both.
eat.
lift.
rest.
lather
rinse.
repeat.
3 months might no quiet be enough- you might want 5-6- but I would give yourself a window- 3 is a just barely the shortest "minimum" I would say. (I set 6- and said 4 was min- and found mentally 3 was hardest- 4 was okay- but 5 saw me amazing gains) just to keep in mind- that you might want to give yourself some wiggle room on that!!!
Now- go do all the things!!!
Agree with JoRocka, you might want to take 6+ months to bulk if you are new/returning to lifting. You will see a lot of strength gains from neural adaption, but your body won't start needing to add much new muscle to keep up with the increasing lifts until about 8-12 weeks out (basically when you plan to stop your bulk).
The conservative rule says about 1lbs/month of muscle is the max you can gain. Not to say you can't squeeze out a bit more than that, but if you have a goal weight in mind, will help you for planning purposes of how long it will take to get you there.
Brolympus, you think I should go longer? I had been hoping to maybe extend to 4 months and then try to lean down so that by the end of summer I'd lose the fat around my stomach but I am not sure now what I should do.
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Honestly, I'd keep increasing the weight you're lifting and trying to gain muscle through December, and then slim down for next summer. You're young - build all the muscle you can now and you'll thank yourself later.
I wish I'd had your drive when I was 20 - good luck!0 -
You think so? I've never bulked before so this is my first time doing it, so not sure if I could go all the way to December. But to think how much more I could gain if I went for all that time (that would put met at about 10 months for bulking)! And thank you I appreciate that! I was overweight for so long that I think that motivates me to want to improve my body and mold it into something I can be proud of you know?0
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Ultimately, you have to do what you feel is best for you. However, I did some research last year that indicated that one should bulk up until about 15% BF and then consider a cut. The rationale is that the leaner you are, the more one tends to build muscle, but the fatter one is, the more they tend to increase fat. 15% BF was the tipping point. Was from Lyle McDonald at bodyrecomposition.com I really respect his work.0
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Ultimately, you have to do what you feel is best for you. However, I did some research last year that indicated that one should bulk up until about 15% BF and then consider a cut. The rationale is that the leaner you are, the more one tends to build muscle, but the fatter one is, the more they tend to increase fat. 15% BF was the tipping point. Was from Lyle McDonald at bodyrecomposition.com I really respect his work.
So you think I should hit around 15% and then stop and start to cut?0 -
I'm giving you information that I've found. You will have to make the decision based on that information. Speaking of research, I recommend doing it. You can talk to 10 different people and get ten different opinions. I prefer make most of my decisions based off of the research I've done.0
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I'm giving you information that I've found. You will have to make the decision based on that information. Speaking of research, I recommend doing it. You can talk to 10 different people and get ten different opinions. I prefer make most of my decisions based off of the research I've done.
Fair enough, I will check out some articles and do some research to see when I think I should stop and go from there. But I do appreciate everyone's input!
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Update on my progress now that I have completed week 7!
This week's results and differences from last week:
Weight: 145.5 pounds (up .5 pounds from last week)
Waist: 32.25", - .25"
Chest: 37.25", +.25"
Left Arm (flexed): 13", +.125
Right Arm (flexed): 13", +.125
Left Thigh: 21.5", no change
Right Thigh: 21.5", no change
Neck: 14.875", no change
Hips: 36.625", +.125"
My scale only goes by increments of .5 pounds so the 145.5 may not be a full half pound (since it is older and said 145 but then 145.5 but I tested it a few more times and got 145.5 so I am just going to go with this). Also super surprised that I actually lost a quarter of an inch in my stomach and made a few gains elsewhere.0 -
Cool stuff. Anytime the stomach doesn't grow, I'm happy
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Springfield1970 wrote: »
I have one of those handheld Omron body fat devices. Thought it'd be more accurate than plugging in the measurements I take each week into an online calculator?
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collegenerd20 wrote: »Springfield1970 wrote: »
I have one of those handheld Omron body fat devices. Thought it'd be more accurate than plugging in the measurements I take each week into an online calculator?
They tend to vary greatly based on your hydration levels. Calculators aren't bad for noticing trends, but no method is perfect. They all have their flaws, but the the scales and handheld devices that measure resistance and conductivity tend to be the most unreliable from what I've read.0 -
collegenerd20 wrote: »Springfield1970 wrote: »
I have one of those handheld Omron body fat devices. Thought it'd be more accurate than plugging in the measurements I take each week into an online calculator?
They tend to vary greatly based on your hydration levels. Calculators aren't bad for noticing trends, but no method is perfect. They all have their flaws, but the the scales and handheld devices that measure resistance and conductivity tend to be the most unreliable from what I've read.
I'd heard the device was good for seeing trends in fat loss/gain given you use it at the same time every week under similar conditions? I honestly never really knew my body fat % before so I needed some sort of baseline you know?
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I use the same device and I use it to show trends - not to determine my "exact" BF% levels. They work fine for that purpose.0
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collegenerd20 wrote: »collegenerd20 wrote: »Springfield1970 wrote: »
I have one of those handheld Omron body fat devices. Thought it'd be more accurate than plugging in the measurements I take each week into an online calculator?
They tend to vary greatly based on your hydration levels. Calculators aren't bad for noticing trends, but no method is perfect. They all have their flaws, but the the scales and handheld devices that measure resistance and conductivity tend to be the most unreliable from what I've read.
I'd heard the device was good for seeing trends in fat loss/gain given you use it at the same time every week under similar conditions? I honestly never really knew my body fat % before so I needed some sort of baseline you know?
Yeah, overall trends might work, but the small change you've seen so far may not be a good indication of anything. Definitely try to keep the variables consistent each time you do use it (same time, not after a huge salty meal, etc.).0 -
collegenerd20 wrote: »collegenerd20 wrote: »Springfield1970 wrote: »
I have one of those handheld Omron body fat devices. Thought it'd be more accurate than plugging in the measurements I take each week into an online calculator?
They tend to vary greatly based on your hydration levels. Calculators aren't bad for noticing trends, but no method is perfect. They all have their flaws, but the the scales and handheld devices that measure resistance and conductivity tend to be the most unreliable from what I've read.
I'd heard the device was good for seeing trends in fat loss/gain given you use it at the same time every week under similar conditions? I honestly never really knew my body fat % before so I needed some sort of baseline you know?
Yeah, overall trends might work, but the small change you've seen so far may not be a good indication of anything. Definitely try to keep the variables consistent each time you do use it (same time, not after a huge salty meal, etc.).
@audii, absolutely! I weigh in every Monday around 8:45-9 am after having gone to the bathroom and wear identical clothing (usually a pair of shorts) and also use the Omron device, both before eating or working out
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Hey everyone! Week 8 is complete and here are my results (gains made from last week)!
My current stats (Week 8 of Bulk):
Weight: 146.5 lbs (up one pound from last week)
Chest: 37.5", +.25"
Waist: 32.375, +.125"
Left and Right Arms (flexed): 13.125", +.125"
Left and Right Thighs: 21.625"
Neck: 15", +.125"
Hips: 36.625", no change
My chest has officially grown like 2 inches in the last 8 weeks, holy crap! That is insane to me haha. My arms are bigger too by about half of an inch in total and same with my thighs. Also happy, that my waist size has gone up very little (less than an inch which I am really proud of too)! In total, I've gained about 3.5 pounds in the last 8 weeks from bulking! Guess I didn't do as bad during Easter break as I thought (gotta love those sweets)
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^ Forgot to mention that I had wanted to take a picture from where I started because I was curious to see how far I have come (I started 11 weeks ago Body Beast, 8 of which are bulking)0
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Awesome. Can see improvements in shoulders and arms. Good stuff.0
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