When can I bulk? Body fat estimate?
arditarose
Posts: 15,573 Member
Hi. I'm 5'4". I've weighed as much as 180 but am around 128 at the moment. I took a maintenance break around 130-133 and decided to lean out enough for a bulk (no patience for recomp).
When do you guys think I'll be ready and can you provide a body fat estimate?
Also, I'm worried I'm starting to lose muscle because I thought I looked better around 133 than I do at the moment. My skin gets a little melty looking in a deficit so maybe it's just that.
This is kind of painful for me. Here are pictures though, all current (unflexed vs. flexed). I need help. I also don't know what's going on with my tummy. I eat high volume and high sodium so I get really bloated.
When do you guys think I'll be ready and can you provide a body fat estimate?
Also, I'm worried I'm starting to lose muscle because I thought I looked better around 133 than I do at the moment. My skin gets a little melty looking in a deficit so maybe it's just that.
This is kind of painful for me. Here are pictures though, all current (unflexed vs. flexed). I need help. I also don't know what's going on with my tummy. I eat high volume and high sodium so I get really bloated.
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Replies
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Hard to tell BF%, but I would say that you look pretty lean, def lean enough to start a bulk (If I had to guess I would say in the 18-20% range, maybe lower??). You may not be as "ripped" as you thought you might be at this weight due to either loss of muscle, or just lower levels of LBM to begin with. Whatever % you actually are you look great, nice work!
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Hard to tell BF%, but I would say that you look pretty lean, def lean enough to start a bulk (If I had to guess I would say in the 18-20% range, maybe lower??). You may not be as "ripped" as you thought you might be at this weight due to either loss of muscle, or just lower levels of LBM to begin with. Whatever % you actually are you look great, nice work!
Thanks...Yeah. These pictures made me feel like BF could be as high as 25%, though I feel like I looked more lean a few pounds ago.
Anyway, I didn't want to bulk at 130. I thought I'd feel more comfortable at 125 so that's what I'm shooting for now. I'm so tired of being in a deficit. I'll be stopping at 125 regardless of whether I'm ready or not.0 -
I'd put you in the 17-20% BF range as well. You are pretty lean. As a woman, you're in a good place to bulk.
Also, FWIW, 3 pounds (128 to 125) isn't going to make a huge difference. If you were to wake up tomorrow slightly dehydrated and poop, you might see 125 on the scale. It's highly unlikely that you'll lose 3 pounds of fat when your body weight drops to 125 because of all the variables that go into your body weight.0 -
I'd put you in the 17-20% BF range as well. You are pretty lean. As a woman, you're in a good place to bulk.
Also, FWIW, 3 pounds (128 to 125) isn't going to make a huge difference. If you were to wake up tomorrow slightly dehydrated and poop, you might see 125 on the scale. It's highly unlikely that you'll lose 3 pounds of fat when your body weight drops to 125 because of all the variables that go into your body weight.
I get what you're saying there, though I'm not so quick to believe my BF is that low.
The thing is, I usually do notice a pretty big difference with 3 pounds. I mean even dropping from 132 to 128, my pants fit better and I went down an inch in the hips.0 -
@SideSteel and @Sarauk2sf can probably give better estimates.0
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@SideSteel and @Sarauk2sf can probably give better estimates.
I know. I missed posting on their body fat thread before they closed it by like...6 months. Dang.0 -
arditarose wrote: »@SideSteel and @Sarauk2sf can probably give better estimates.
I know. I missed posting on their body fat thread before they closed it by like...6 months. Dang.
I know. But they are still active on here and will sometimes do one-offs. In the hopes that one of them sees it, I tagged them for you
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Heya!!
1) your stomach is great so shush
2) you look to me in a good place to bulk if you want.
3) no way are you 25% (as in, you are lower) - Eric's estimate seems reasonable to me.
If you do decide to bulk, then take it very slowly - you have been lifting for a while if I recall correctly and as a woman, you just cannot gain much muscle - so a slow bulk will keep the ratio of muscle to fat more managable.0 -
Heya!!
1) your stomach is great so shush
2) you look to me in a good place to bulk if you want.
3) no way are you 25% (as in, you are lower) - Eric's estimate seems reasonable to me.
If you do decide to bulk, then take it very slowly - you have been lifting for a while if I recall correctly and as a woman, you just cannot gain much muscle - so a slow bulk will keep the ratio of muscle to fat more managable.
Thanks @Sarauk2sf, I was hoping you'd chime in
I'm going to take it down to 125 just to have a little peace of mind. I was really hoping to have the bulk done by April or May so I could cut a bit and look nice for July at least. Too fast?0 -
Also, as I've mentioned I thought I looked a bit better between 130-133. That's okay though right? It's not like I'm cutting to 125 because I think that will look best...I'm doing it so I can run a proper bulk without going over 140 lbs. I'm only 5'4"
Here I am between 130-133. Am I taking this too far?
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arditarose wrote: »Heya!!
1) your stomach is great so shush
2) you look to me in a good place to bulk if you want.
3) no way are you 25% (as in, you are lower) - Eric's estimate seems reasonable to me.
If you do decide to bulk, then take it very slowly - you have been lifting for a while if I recall correctly and as a woman, you just cannot gain much muscle - so a slow bulk will keep the ratio of muscle to fat more managable.
Thanks @Sarauk2sf, I was hoping you'd chime in
I'm going to take it down to 125 just to have a little peace of mind. I was really hoping to have the bulk done by April or May so I could cut a bit and look nice for July at least. Too fast?
Its really the rate that you gain that is important. If you start soon - you will then have about 5-6 months - that is a good amount of time to bulk imo.
Edit: going from 125lb to 140lb in 6 months is not too bad - you will likely have 3 - 5lb of food glycogen replenishment - so you will be looking at gaining 10lb of fat/muscle - possibly a little on the high end at about 2lb a month, but you would be starting really lean so I think it would be fine. That being said, you are in a good place to start now.0 -
arditarose wrote: »Heya!!
1) your stomach is great so shush
2) you look to me in a good place to bulk if you want.
3) no way are you 25% (as in, you are lower) - Eric's estimate seems reasonable to me.
If you do decide to bulk, then take it very slowly - you have been lifting for a while if I recall correctly and as a woman, you just cannot gain much muscle - so a slow bulk will keep the ratio of muscle to fat more managable.
Thanks @Sarauk2sf, I was hoping you'd chime in
I'm going to take it down to 125 just to have a little peace of mind. I was really hoping to have the bulk done by April or May so I could cut a bit and look nice for July at least. Too fast?
Its really the rate that you gain that is important. If you start soon - you will then have about 5-6 months - that is a good amount of time to bulk imo.
Edit: going from 125lb to 140lb in 6 months is not too bad - you will likely have 3 - 5lb of food glycogen replenishment - so you will be looking at gaining 10lb of fat/muscle - possibly a little on the high end at about 2lb a month, but you would be starting really lean so I think it would be fine. That being said, you are in a good place to start now.
140 scares me but I think it's because in my mind I'm picturing myself at 140 while I was losing still...and it's not going to look the same when some of the weight is coming from muscle. Hard to wrap my brain around though.
Okay. I have lots to think about. Maybe I'll start reversing to maintenance now. It's going to take me a little time to get there anyway.0 -
arditarose wrote: »Heya!!
1) your stomach is great so shush
2) you look to me in a good place to bulk if you want.
3) no way are you 25% (as in, you are lower) - Eric's estimate seems reasonable to me.
If you do decide to bulk, then take it very slowly - you have been lifting for a while if I recall correctly and as a woman, you just cannot gain much muscle - so a slow bulk will keep the ratio of muscle to fat more managable.
Thanks @Sarauk2sf, I was hoping you'd chime in
I'm going to take it down to 125 just to have a little peace of mind. I was really hoping to have the bulk done by April or May so I could cut a bit and look nice for July at least. Too fast?
Its really the rate that you gain that is important. If you start soon - you will then have about 5-6 months - that is a good amount of time to bulk imo.
Edit: going from 125lb to 140lb in 6 months is not too bad - you will likely have 3 - 5lb of food glycogen replenishment - so you will be looking at gaining 10lb of fat/muscle - possibly a little on the high end at about 2lb a month, but you would be starting really lean so I think it would be fine. That being said, you are in a good place to start now.
I agree with this..
the reason that you think that you have more body fat is that you need to add some muscle to your frame which will improve your overall look...
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Bulk!! gets my vote0
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I'm scared haha0
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arditarose wrote: »arditarose wrote: »Heya!!
1) your stomach is great so shush
2) you look to me in a good place to bulk if you want.
3) no way are you 25% (as in, you are lower) - Eric's estimate seems reasonable to me.
If you do decide to bulk, then take it very slowly - you have been lifting for a while if I recall correctly and as a woman, you just cannot gain much muscle - so a slow bulk will keep the ratio of muscle to fat more managable.
Thanks @Sarauk2sf, I was hoping you'd chime in
I'm going to take it down to 125 just to have a little peace of mind. I was really hoping to have the bulk done by April or May so I could cut a bit and look nice for July at least. Too fast?
Its really the rate that you gain that is important. If you start soon - you will then have about 5-6 months - that is a good amount of time to bulk imo.
Edit: going from 125lb to 140lb in 6 months is not too bad - you will likely have 3 - 5lb of food glycogen replenishment - so you will be looking at gaining 10lb of fat/muscle - possibly a little on the high end at about 2lb a month, but you would be starting really lean so I think it would be fine. That being said, you are in a good place to start now.
140 scares me but I think it's because in my mind I'm picturing myself at 140 while I was losing still...and it's not going to look the same when some of the weight is coming from muscle. Hard to wrap my brain around though.
Okay. I have lots to think about. Maybe I'll start reversing to maintenance now. It's going to take me a little time to get there anyway.
You are definitely overthinking it. You have cut down to about 130 and probably 18-20% body fat. There is no way that after running a bulk and gaining about 5 pounds of fat and 5 pounds of muscle that you are going to look like the "old you" at 140. If anything you will gain ten pounds and look better at 140 then you do at 130 right now.
Also, if you go to 140 and don't like your look it will only take what, like three months to cut back down to 130...
I would say bulk now...and don't worry about recomping or maintenance just go for it. That is what I had to do when I ran my first bulk...0 -
arditarose wrote: »arditarose wrote: »Heya!!
1) your stomach is great so shush
2) you look to me in a good place to bulk if you want.
3) no way are you 25% (as in, you are lower) - Eric's estimate seems reasonable to me.
If you do decide to bulk, then take it very slowly - you have been lifting for a while if I recall correctly and as a woman, you just cannot gain much muscle - so a slow bulk will keep the ratio of muscle to fat more managable.
Thanks @Sarauk2sf, I was hoping you'd chime in
I'm going to take it down to 125 just to have a little peace of mind. I was really hoping to have the bulk done by April or May so I could cut a bit and look nice for July at least. Too fast?
Its really the rate that you gain that is important. If you start soon - you will then have about 5-6 months - that is a good amount of time to bulk imo.
Edit: going from 125lb to 140lb in 6 months is not too bad - you will likely have 3 - 5lb of food glycogen replenishment - so you will be looking at gaining 10lb of fat/muscle - possibly a little on the high end at about 2lb a month, but you would be starting really lean so I think it would be fine. That being said, you are in a good place to start now.
140 scares me but I think it's because in my mind I'm picturing myself at 140 while I was losing still...and it's not going to look the same when some of the weight is coming from muscle. Hard to wrap my brain around though.
Okay. I have lots to think about. Maybe I'll start reversing to maintenance now. It's going to take me a little time to get there anyway.
I think reversing now is actually a good idea. It will give you longer to lean bulk - you can always slow the rate down if you start feeling like you are gaining too fast/too much.
Just an FYI - you do not have to reverse particularly slowly - although it does take some time to find where calories would be at maintenance/surplus and often your maintenance increases with more food.
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arditarose wrote: »arditarose wrote: »Heya!!
1) your stomach is great so shush
2) you look to me in a good place to bulk if you want.
3) no way are you 25% (as in, you are lower) - Eric's estimate seems reasonable to me.
If you do decide to bulk, then take it very slowly - you have been lifting for a while if I recall correctly and as a woman, you just cannot gain much muscle - so a slow bulk will keep the ratio of muscle to fat more managable.
Thanks @Sarauk2sf, I was hoping you'd chime in
I'm going to take it down to 125 just to have a little peace of mind. I was really hoping to have the bulk done by April or May so I could cut a bit and look nice for July at least. Too fast?
Its really the rate that you gain that is important. If you start soon - you will then have about 5-6 months - that is a good amount of time to bulk imo.
Edit: going from 125lb to 140lb in 6 months is not too bad - you will likely have 3 - 5lb of food glycogen replenishment - so you will be looking at gaining 10lb of fat/muscle - possibly a little on the high end at about 2lb a month, but you would be starting really lean so I think it would be fine. That being said, you are in a good place to start now.
140 scares me but I think it's because in my mind I'm picturing myself at 140 while I was losing still...and it's not going to look the same when some of the weight is coming from muscle. Hard to wrap my brain around though.
Okay. I have lots to think about. Maybe I'll start reversing to maintenance now. It's going to take me a little time to get there anyway.
I think reversing now is actually a good idea. It will give you longer to lean bulk - you can always slow the rate down if you start feeling like you are gaining too fast/too much.
Just an FYI - you do not have to reverse particularly slowly - although it does take some time to find where calories would be at maintenance/surplus and often your maintenance increases with more food.
Thank god. I'm going to go eat.
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arditarose wrote: »arditarose wrote: »Heya!!
1) your stomach is great so shush
2) you look to me in a good place to bulk if you want.
3) no way are you 25% (as in, you are lower) - Eric's estimate seems reasonable to me.
If you do decide to bulk, then take it very slowly - you have been lifting for a while if I recall correctly and as a woman, you just cannot gain much muscle - so a slow bulk will keep the ratio of muscle to fat more managable.
Thanks @Sarauk2sf, I was hoping you'd chime in
I'm going to take it down to 125 just to have a little peace of mind. I was really hoping to have the bulk done by April or May so I could cut a bit and look nice for July at least. Too fast?
Its really the rate that you gain that is important. If you start soon - you will then have about 5-6 months - that is a good amount of time to bulk imo.
Edit: going from 125lb to 140lb in 6 months is not too bad - you will likely have 3 - 5lb of food glycogen replenishment - so you will be looking at gaining 10lb of fat/muscle - possibly a little on the high end at about 2lb a month, but you would be starting really lean so I think it would be fine. That being said, you are in a good place to start now.
140 scares me but I think it's because in my mind I'm picturing myself at 140 while I was losing still...and it's not going to look the same when some of the weight is coming from muscle. Hard to wrap my brain around though.
Okay. I have lots to think about. Maybe I'll start reversing to maintenance now. It's going to take me a little time to get there anyway.
You are definitely overthinking it. You have cut down to about 130 and probably 18-20% body fat. There is no way that after running a bulk and gaining about 5 pounds of fat and 5 pounds of muscle that you are going to look like the "old you" at 140. If anything you will gain ten pounds and look better at 140 then you do at 130 right now.
Also, if you go to 140 and don't like your look it will only take what, like three months to cut back down to 130...
I would say bulk now...and don't worry about recomping or maintenance just go for it. That is what I had to do when I ran my first bulk...
Awesome!! I'm glad I posted this. I was really feeling I had too much fat to go for this. And I get to be back on PHUL with you too!0 -
arditarose wrote: »arditarose wrote: »arditarose wrote: »Heya!!
1) your stomach is great so shush
2) you look to me in a good place to bulk if you want.
3) no way are you 25% (as in, you are lower) - Eric's estimate seems reasonable to me.
If you do decide to bulk, then take it very slowly - you have been lifting for a while if I recall correctly and as a woman, you just cannot gain much muscle - so a slow bulk will keep the ratio of muscle to fat more managable.
Thanks @Sarauk2sf, I was hoping you'd chime in
I'm going to take it down to 125 just to have a little peace of mind. I was really hoping to have the bulk done by April or May so I could cut a bit and look nice for July at least. Too fast?
Its really the rate that you gain that is important. If you start soon - you will then have about 5-6 months - that is a good amount of time to bulk imo.
Edit: going from 125lb to 140lb in 6 months is not too bad - you will likely have 3 - 5lb of food glycogen replenishment - so you will be looking at gaining 10lb of fat/muscle - possibly a little on the high end at about 2lb a month, but you would be starting really lean so I think it would be fine. That being said, you are in a good place to start now.
140 scares me but I think it's because in my mind I'm picturing myself at 140 while I was losing still...and it's not going to look the same when some of the weight is coming from muscle. Hard to wrap my brain around though.
Okay. I have lots to think about. Maybe I'll start reversing to maintenance now. It's going to take me a little time to get there anyway.
You are definitely overthinking it. You have cut down to about 130 and probably 18-20% body fat. There is no way that after running a bulk and gaining about 5 pounds of fat and 5 pounds of muscle that you are going to look like the "old you" at 140. If anything you will gain ten pounds and look better at 140 then you do at 130 right now.
Also, if you go to 140 and don't like your look it will only take what, like three months to cut back down to 130...
I would say bulk now...and don't worry about recomping or maintenance just go for it. That is what I had to do when I ran my first bulk...
Awesome!! I'm glad I posted this. I was really feeling I had too much fat to go for this. And I get to be back on PHUL with you too!
ha, that is true ..!!
and you will LOVE the difference between working out while bulking and cutting it is like night and freaking day ..all your lifts feel energized and the weight starts gong up on the bar...great feeling!0 -
arditarose wrote: »arditarose wrote: »arditarose wrote: »Heya!!
1) your stomach is great so shush
2) you look to me in a good place to bulk if you want.
3) no way are you 25% (as in, you are lower) - Eric's estimate seems reasonable to me.
If you do decide to bulk, then take it very slowly - you have been lifting for a while if I recall correctly and as a woman, you just cannot gain much muscle - so a slow bulk will keep the ratio of muscle to fat more managable.
Thanks @Sarauk2sf, I was hoping you'd chime in
I'm going to take it down to 125 just to have a little peace of mind. I was really hoping to have the bulk done by April or May so I could cut a bit and look nice for July at least. Too fast?
Its really the rate that you gain that is important. If you start soon - you will then have about 5-6 months - that is a good amount of time to bulk imo.
Edit: going from 125lb to 140lb in 6 months is not too bad - you will likely have 3 - 5lb of food glycogen replenishment - so you will be looking at gaining 10lb of fat/muscle - possibly a little on the high end at about 2lb a month, but you would be starting really lean so I think it would be fine. That being said, you are in a good place to start now.
140 scares me but I think it's because in my mind I'm picturing myself at 140 while I was losing still...and it's not going to look the same when some of the weight is coming from muscle. Hard to wrap my brain around though.
Okay. I have lots to think about. Maybe I'll start reversing to maintenance now. It's going to take me a little time to get there anyway.
You are definitely overthinking it. You have cut down to about 130 and probably 18-20% body fat. There is no way that after running a bulk and gaining about 5 pounds of fat and 5 pounds of muscle that you are going to look like the "old you" at 140. If anything you will gain ten pounds and look better at 140 then you do at 130 right now.
Also, if you go to 140 and don't like your look it will only take what, like three months to cut back down to 130...
I would say bulk now...and don't worry about recomping or maintenance just go for it. That is what I had to do when I ran my first bulk...
Awesome!! I'm glad I posted this. I was really feeling I had too much fat to go for this. And I get to be back on PHUL with you too!
ha, that is true ..!!
and you will LOVE the difference between working out while bulking and cutting it is like night and freaking day ..all your lifts feel energized and the weight starts gong up on the bar...great feeling!
Yeah I'm really looking forward to increased performance there. Even in maintenance I was having more fun in the gym.
Thanks for everyone's advice. I'm still leaning toward cutting down to 125 but at least I have a better idea of where I am and have something to think about.0
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