Clean Bulk for women (very thin!)

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  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    edited July 2015
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Like others have said, eat in a small surplus and lift weights. You should aim to gain about 1/2 lb per week as a female. Clean or dirty doesn't really matter especially while bulking. Analyze your progress every few weeks to see if you need to make calorie adjustments based on what you have gained.

    I start my bulk in about another month and a half. I find it much harder to bulk than cut.

    really???

    bulking for me is easy ...just eat more food...

    I find cutting difficult, especially the first month after a bulk ....

    It doesn't even have to be more quantity either. It can be finding things that are more calorie dense or make what you eat for meals more calorie dense (using butter when frying up your eggs versus the spray - things like that)
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    PikaKnight wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Like others have said, eat in a small surplus and lift weights. You should aim to gain about 1/2 lb per week as a female. Clean or dirty doesn't really matter especially while bulking. Analyze your progress every few weeks to see if you need to make calorie adjustments based on what you have gained.

    I start my bulk in about another month and a half. I find it much harder to bulk than cut.

    really???

    bulking for me is easy ...just eat more food...

    I find cutting difficult, especially the first month after a bulk ....

    It doesn't even have to be more quantity either. It can be finding things that are more calorie dense or make what you eat for meals more calorie dense (using butter when frying up your eggs versus the spray - things like that)

    oh I go for quantity ..:)

    but I know what you mean ...
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Like others have said, eat in a small surplus and lift weights. You should aim to gain about 1/2 lb per week as a female. Clean or dirty doesn't really matter especially while bulking. Analyze your progress every few weeks to see if you need to make calorie adjustments based on what you have gained.

    I start my bulk in about another month and a half. I find it much harder to bulk than cut.

    really???

    bulking for me is easy ...just eat more food...

    I find cutting difficult, especially the first month after a bulk ....

    I like eating, don't get me wrong. But I'm kind of looking forward to my cut. It's like opening a Christmas present. What muscles lie beneath the fat? But I will imagine it will suck eating so much less.

    true, it is nice to reveal what lies underneath..

    I just found that 2200 calories looks pretty paltry when compared to the 3100 I was eating on my bulk ...
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    PikaKnight wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Like others have said, eat in a small surplus and lift weights. You should aim to gain about 1/2 lb per week as a female. Clean or dirty doesn't really matter especially while bulking. Analyze your progress every few weeks to see if you need to make calorie adjustments based on what you have gained.

    I start my bulk in about another month and a half. I find it much harder to bulk than cut.

    really???

    bulking for me is easy ...just eat more food...

    I find cutting difficult, especially the first month after a bulk ....

    It doesn't even have to be more quantity either. It can be finding things that are more calorie dense or make what you eat for meals more calorie dense (using butter when frying up your eggs versus the spray - things like that)

    oh I go for quantity ..:)

    but I know what you mean ...

    Yeah, sorry. It was really directed to you. I quoted you to add on to what you were saying to the poster you were replying to. :laugh:
  • musclegood_fatbad
    musclegood_fatbad Posts: 9,809 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Like others have said, eat in a small surplus and lift weights. You should aim to gain about 1/2 lb per week as a female. Clean or dirty doesn't really matter especially while bulking. Analyze your progress every few weeks to see if you need to make calorie adjustments based on what you have gained.

    I start my bulk in about another month and a half. I find it much harder to bulk than cut.

    really???

    bulking for me is easy ...just eat more food...

    I find cutting difficult, especially the first month after a bulk ....

    I like eating, don't get me wrong. But I'm kind of looking forward to my cut. It's like opening a Christmas present. What muscles lie beneath the fat? But I will imagine it will suck eating so much less.

    true, it is nice to reveal what lies underneath..

    I just found that 2200 calories looks pretty paltry when compared to the 3100 I was eating on my bulk ...

    I know what you mean but my cut is usually at 3000 calories already so I don't get that hungry most of the time. On my bulk I have to go up to 3800-4000 just to gain and it is tough day after day to hit that goal.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    edited July 2015
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Like others have said, eat in a small surplus and lift weights. You should aim to gain about 1/2 lb per week as a female. Clean or dirty doesn't really matter especially while bulking. Analyze your progress every few weeks to see if you need to make calorie adjustments based on what you have gained.

    I start my bulk in about another month and a half. I find it much harder to bulk than cut.

    really???

    bulking for me is easy ...just eat more food...

    I find cutting difficult, especially the first month after a bulk ....

    I like eating, don't get me wrong. But I'm kind of looking forward to my cut. It's like opening a Christmas present. What muscles lie beneath the fat? But I will imagine it will suck eating so much less.

    true, it is nice to reveal what lies underneath..

    I just found that 2200 calories looks pretty paltry when compared to the 3100 I was eating on my bulk ...

    I know what you mean but my cut is usually at 3000 calories already so I don't get that hungry most of the time. On my bulk I have to go up to 3800-4000 just to gain and it is tough day after day to hit that goal.

    I have a guy on my FL whose bulk is that much. I've seen his diary sport large quantities of lucky charms and kerry gold butter (not together) before :laugh: And he only does two meals a day.
  • giantrobot_powerlifting
    giantrobot_powerlifting Posts: 2,598 Member
    Hard to eat while bulking? My recommendation would be to take another look at your training. How do I put this... if your lift days are too easy and you are not ravenous afterwards, you might be taking it way too easy in the gym.
  • This content has been removed.
  • giantrobot_powerlifting
    giantrobot_powerlifting Posts: 2,598 Member
    Hard to eat while bulking? My recommendation would be to take another look at your training. How do I put this... if your lift days are too easy and you are not ravenous afterwards, you might be taking it way too easy in the gym.

    Yeah my calories are around 3700 on my lift days and I'm finding myself very hungry. Feed me Seymour! I keep a bag of almonds from the store handy. 1 oz of those suckers are 160 calories. I've also been going through peanut butter like it's been going out of style. Dammit! Now I'm hungry.

    lol. Almonds yes! #1 bulking snack!

    Speaking of which, I just had a 600+ calorie snack. Go me!
  • paris458
    paris458 Posts: 229 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    paris458 wrote: »
    I have the same issue, I lift weights but I dont eat enough to gain any bulk. I am afraid I will put on more fat than muscle. so I am just going to follow your thread :)

    assuming a regular ratio your fat to muscle gain should be 1:1 so if you put on 10 pounds, five will be muscle and five will be fat.

    if you want to bulk, then you have to accept that you WILL gain fat, no way around it.

    Nice considering my body fat is high enough already lol
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    paris458 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    paris458 wrote: »
    I have the same issue, I lift weights but I dont eat enough to gain any bulk. I am afraid I will put on more fat than muscle. so I am just going to follow your thread :)

    assuming a regular ratio your fat to muscle gain should be 1:1 so if you put on 10 pounds, five will be muscle and five will be fat.

    if you want to bulk, then you have to accept that you WILL gain fat, no way around it.

    Nice considering my body fat is high enough already lol

    well, then you need to continue cutting down to about 20 to 23% body fat and then run a bulk. Or you can attempt a recomp.
  • paris458
    paris458 Posts: 229 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    paris458 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    paris458 wrote: »
    I have the same issue, I lift weights but I dont eat enough to gain any bulk. I am afraid I will put on more fat than muscle. so I am just going to follow your thread :)

    assuming a regular ratio your fat to muscle gain should be 1:1 so if you put on 10 pounds, five will be muscle and five will be fat.

    if you want to bulk, then you have to accept that you WILL gain fat, no way around it.

    Nice considering my body fat is high enough already lol

    well, then you need to continue cutting down to about 20 to 23% body fat and then run a bulk. Or you can attempt a recomp.

    yeah I am working on getting this stuff down hahaha. thank you :)
  • giantrobot_powerlifting
    giantrobot_powerlifting Posts: 2,598 Member
    paris458 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    paris458 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    paris458 wrote: »
    I have the same issue, I lift weights but I dont eat enough to gain any bulk. I am afraid I will put on more fat than muscle. so I am just going to follow your thread :)

    assuming a regular ratio your fat to muscle gain should be 1:1 so if you put on 10 pounds, five will be muscle and five will be fat.

    if you want to bulk, then you have to accept that you WILL gain fat, no way around it.

    Nice considering my body fat is high enough already lol

    well, then you need to continue cutting down to about 20 to 23% body fat and then run a bulk. Or you can attempt a recomp.

    yeah I am working on getting this stuff down hahaha. thank you :)

    Happy cutting said no one ever!
  • emmafeerick88
    emmafeerick88 Posts: 1 Member
    As a bulk struggler what I found helped gain muscle alongside eating well was 4 sets of 10reps of compound weights ie squat, dead lift, bench using a 303 tempo ie 3sec down & 3sec up. By the end of each set you should be pooped. Also, not advocating supplements as the be all & end all, but BCAA from a reputable brand is very helpful for gaining muscle . Just my tuppence worth.
  • Bellchick91
    Bellchick91 Posts: 148 Member
    I DID reply to this thread saying THANK YOU but I don't think it posted!!! Thank you everyone - I will take all of it on board! 5x5 looks interesting!
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    I DID reply to this thread saying THANK YOU but I don't think it posted!!! Thank you everyone - I will take all of it on board! 5x5 looks interesting!

    good luck OP …

    If you like 5x5 then I would suggest running it for three month and increasing calories and see how it goes.
  • jdscrubs32
    jdscrubs32 Posts: 515 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Like others have said, eat in a small surplus and lift weights. You should aim to gain about 1/2 lb per week as a female. Clean or dirty doesn't really matter especially while bulking. Analyze your progress every few weeks to see if you need to make calorie adjustments based on what you have gained.

    I start my bulk in about another month and a half. I find it much harder to bulk than cut.

    really???

    bulking for me is easy ...just eat more food...

    I find cutting difficult, especially the first month after a bulk ....

    I like eating, don't get me wrong. But I'm kind of looking forward to my cut. It's like opening a Christmas present. What muscles lie beneath the fat? But I will imagine it will suck eating so much less.

    true, it is nice to reveal what lies underneath..

    I just found that 2200 calories looks pretty paltry when compared to the 3100 I was eating on my bulk ...

    I know what you mean but my cut is usually at 3000 calories already so I don't get that hungry most of the time. On my bulk I have to go up to 3800-4000 just to gain and it is tough day after day to hit that goal.

    @musclegood_fatbad it wouldn't surprise me that if I was to "cut" that 3,000 calories would be my amount. Like you I've to consume 4,000 just to gain but to be honest I don't find it that tough at all. @nakedraygun can vouch for that.
  • giantrobot_powerlifting
    giantrobot_powerlifting Posts: 2,598 Member
    edited July 2015
    jdscrubs32 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Like others have said, eat in a small surplus and lift weights. You should aim to gain about 1/2 lb per week as a female. Clean or dirty doesn't really matter especially while bulking. Analyze your progress every few weeks to see if you need to make calorie adjustments based on what you have gained.

    I start my bulk in about another month and a half. I find it much harder to bulk than cut.

    really???

    bulking for me is easy ...just eat more food...

    I find cutting difficult, especially the first month after a bulk ....

    I like eating, don't get me wrong. But I'm kind of looking forward to my cut. It's like opening a Christmas present. What muscles lie beneath the fat? But I will imagine it will suck eating so much less.

    true, it is nice to reveal what lies underneath..

    I just found that 2200 calories looks pretty paltry when compared to the 3100 I was eating on my bulk ...

    I know what you mean but my cut is usually at 3000 calories already so I don't get that hungry most of the time. On my bulk I have to go up to 3800-4000 just to gain and it is tough day after day to hit that goal.

    @musclegood_fatbad it wouldn't surprise me that if I was to "cut" that 3,000 calories would be my amount. Like you I've to consume 4,000 just to gain but to be honest I don't find it that tough at all. @nakedraygun can vouch for that.
    Yep, that's true... @jdscrubs32 and I had battling food ramps during my last bulk season.
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    I can't wait to bulk again, not that I really ever left...

    Yeah, 250 daily and your there OP.

    Enjoy the extra feeds.

    Its glorious.

    I have about 2.5 months until run mine again ...

    Likewise!

    Thirdwise.

    Literally. Can't. Wait.
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  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    paris458 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    paris458 wrote: »
    I have the same issue, I lift weights but I dont eat enough to gain any bulk. I am afraid I will put on more fat than muscle. so I am just going to follow your thread :)

    assuming a regular ratio your fat to muscle gain should be 1:1 so if you put on 10 pounds, five will be muscle and five will be fat.

    if you want to bulk, then you have to accept that you WILL gain fat, no way around it.

    Nice considering my body fat is high enough already lol

    1:1 is a generalization..the reality is much happier..depends on a lot of cool stuff

    1.current body fat
    2.level
    3.sleep
    4. lots of other minor things which i got too lazy to talk about now

    yea, no.

    for a female 1:1 is going to be pretty damn impressive.

    But please feel free to elaborate….
  • This content has been removed.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    paris458 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    paris458 wrote: »
    I have the same issue, I lift weights but I dont eat enough to gain any bulk. I am afraid I will put on more fat than muscle. so I am just going to follow your thread :)

    assuming a regular ratio your fat to muscle gain should be 1:1 so if you put on 10 pounds, five will be muscle and five will be fat.

    if you want to bulk, then you have to accept that you WILL gain fat, no way around it.

    Nice considering my body fat is high enough already lol

    1:1 is a generalization..the reality is much happier..depends on a lot of cool stuff

    1.current body fat
    2.level
    3.sleep
    4. lots of other minor things which i got too lazy to talk about now

    yea, no.

    for a female 1:1 is going to be pretty damn impressive.

    But please feel free to elaborate….

    consider these
    • keep the size of surplus small ( by trial and error)
    • calorie cycling
    • calorie partitioning
    • genetics ---
    • thyroid
    • cortisiol
    • bone framework
    • testo
    • muscle belly shape and fibre length
    • tendon insertions
    • age

    sadly some of these we have no control over

    i-cant-even.gif
  • This content has been removed.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    paris458 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    paris458 wrote: »
    I have the same issue, I lift weights but I dont eat enough to gain any bulk. I am afraid I will put on more fat than muscle. so I am just going to follow your thread :)

    assuming a regular ratio your fat to muscle gain should be 1:1 so if you put on 10 pounds, five will be muscle and five will be fat.

    if you want to bulk, then you have to accept that you WILL gain fat, no way around it.

    Nice considering my body fat is high enough already lol

    1:1 is a generalization..the reality is much happier..depends on a lot of cool stuff

    1.current body fat
    2.level
    3.sleep
    4. lots of other minor things which i got too lazy to talk about now

    yea, no.

    for a female 1:1 is going to be pretty damn impressive.

    But please feel free to elaborate….

    consider these
    • keep the size of surplus small ( by trial and error)
    • calorie cycling
    • calorie partitioning
    • genetics ---
    • thyroid
    • cortisiol
    • bone framework
    • testo
    • muscle belly shape and fibre length
    • tendon insertions
    • age

    sadly some of these we have no control over

    I don't really see how that is going to increase a 1:1 ratio for a female….

    funny, you list testosterone as females have less that is actually going to decrease their chance of exceeding a 1:1 ratio ….

This discussion has been closed.