Have you ever retroactively decided you were bulking?

Lena1967

My plan was, starting in October, to recomp -- eating at maintenance and doing Stronglifts 5x5. Due to some bad eating choices over the holidays (okay, starting at Halloween), I seem to have gained about 7 lbs. I figure at least some of that has to be muscle, right??

So I'm pretending I meant to do that, calling it a dirty bulk, and moving on to a gradual cut. Sound reasonable? Anyone else ever done the same?

ewhip17

Haha YES! I just went through the exact same thing. Just now trying to reign it in now though.....

cwolfman13

Yes and no...I pretty much know that every year between October and the end of January that I'm going to put on weight...I do tend to eat a bit more and with winter moving in I tend to spend less time on my bike. Knowing this, I make sure I hit the weight room pretty hard.

I guess it's not retroactive per sei...but it's not necessarily a deliberate "I'm going to bulk" kind of thing...I just know it's going to happen and make sure I get into the weight room doing a hypertrophy program.

We start getting a lot of spring like weather here in February and by now I'm really missing spending time on my bike...so I start cranking out the miles and of course, holidays or over, etc so my eating becomes more normalized...I drop the extra fat pretty easily, though I don't usually put on much.

toe1226

I love everything about this post. Yes.

knittnponder

I'm just coming out of a "dirty bulk" lol. My mom was in the hospital on and off since September and just passed away. I've been emotional eating for months and feel like Jabba the Hut! I wish mine was muscle! Now things will get back to a "new" normal and I'm working on taking back control.

sijomial

No - never deliberately bulked.

Got fat a few times though.
Used plenty of other excuses but not that one.

sijomial

.

Springfield1970

knittnponder wrote: »

I'm just coming out of a "dirty bulk" lol. My mom was in the hospital on and off since September and just passed away. I've been emotional eating for months and feel like Jabba the Hut! I wish mine was muscle! Now things will get back to a "new" normal and I'm working on taking back control.

Sorry to hear that. I hope all goes well for you.

jimmmer

I fulked after my accident.

Semi-intentional - didn't want to be rehabbing, healing and fighting with a calorie deficit at the same time. You can always drop a few extra lbs off again later.

Debmal77

knittnponder wrote: »

I'm just coming out of a "dirty bulk" lol. My mom was in the hospital on and off since September and just passed away. I've been emotional eating for months and feel like Jabba the Hut! I wish mine was muscle! Now things will get back to a "new" normal and I'm working on taking back control.

Interesting thread. So sorry to hear about your mom.

disasterman

Yep. And also while doing Stronglifts.

RoxieDawn

OP, this thread is simply awesome..

I put on pounds over the holidays and kept lifting then went to a cut Jan 4th. So I guess those pounds were part of a dirty bulk.. hahaha ..

Thank goodness I have lost it all plus a couple...

stealthq

Guilty.

I'd done one bulk/cut cycle, then was thinking I'd recomp for a bit ... yeah, that lasted about a month. Started gaining again, but at least it was slow. Turned it into a bulk (that later morphed into half-marathon training)

Now I'm trying to cut back down and pick lifting back up. Should have stuck to the recomp. So annoying.

cnbbnc

Can't say I've done it, but I've wondered if I may step into it unknowingly. I've started a recomp and I'm trying to stay right around maintenance calories, but I've wondered if I start going over my allotment by a bit....will it hurt my cause in the long run? I can always cut a bit back off. I dunno....

harrybananas

cwolfman13 wrote: »

Yes and no...I pretty much know that every year between October and the end of January that I'm going to put on weight...I do tend to eat a bit more and with winter moving in I tend to spend less time on my bike. Knowing this, I make sure I hit the weight room pretty hard.

I guess it's not retroactive per sei...but it's not necessarily a deliberate "I'm going to bulk" kind of thing...I just know it's going to happen and make sure I get into the weight room doing a hypertrophy program.

We start getting a lot of spring like weather here in February and by now I'm really missing spending time on my bike...so I start cranking out the miles and of course, holidays or over, etc so my eating becomes more normalized...I drop the extra fat pretty easily, though I don't usually put on much.

Same boat. Except I start to normalize around new year, because I know I am not as strict with my diet, so it comes off slightly slower where I'll lose 10-15lbs by April. Then maintain or lose more weight until it's time to get fat again.

SR_86

I put on 8lbs but I'm not trying to loose it as I've lost inches! I don't worry about the scale so much these days it's all about the mirror x

wishiwasarunner

I have been joking that my recomp changed to a bulk cycle as well. I was supposed to be at maintenance but I think I have put on about 2 pounds in 2 months (water weight fluctuations make such a small amount difficult to pin down). I was keeping my protein high and doing a heavy weightlifting program - so I joke I was doing a very short bulk that I am going to have to follow with a hopefully short cut.

CaffeinatedConfectionist

That was how I justified my eating for most of 2015. Except that it really worked out to be more like "dirty maintenance," and that just sounds... unhygienic?

arditarose

No...but I started my bulk on my 30th birthday and since then we've had Thanksgiving, xmas, New Years, my anniversary, the Super Bowl, strange bingey moments for no reason, parties...let's just say it hasn't been as clean of a bulk as I had hoped for. Definitely averaging more than .5lbs per week.

arditarose

CaffeinatedConfectionist wrote: »

That was how I justified my eating for most of 2015. Except that it really worked out to be more like "dirty maintenance," and that just sounds... unhygienic?

lmao

Lena1967

Knittnponder, I am very sorry for your loss. You have certainly had every reason for emotional eating!

robininfl

Yeah, I accidentally gained a few pounds over the holidays as I had injuries & a surgery requiring weeks of rest right at the same time as the feasting holidays The weight does not seem to want to drop as I was expecting it to, instead I seem to be getting leaner but not lighter? This is not normal for me, but as my waist is the same size, I have become stronger and my jeans seem to be fitting again, I think that what happened was an inadvertent bulk/cut cycle or rest-restore-fatten/cut cycle.

Wheelhouse15

Of course! What's the fun of it if you can't call it a bulk when you feel like it?

yesimpson

I've managed to gain 2lbs whilst training for a half - obviously this is ALL muscle weight that has gone directly to my legs and bum, and has nothing at all to do with a lack of self restraint around ice cream and a more pronounced roundness of the tummy. NOTHING AT ALL.

CJ_Holmes

Totally! If I gain weight I start doing a lot of heavy squats so at least it goes to my butt.

lithezebra

I like your logic, @Lena1967 !

kelly_e_montana

Yes, recently I gained 10 pounds over about 4 months with little change in activities or foods I ate daily (actually I went on a stupid shake program that screwed up my macros & metabolism). But, during that time I did a a lot of back squat programming and the famed 20 rep back squat program (which is classic hypertrophy program). Since Christmas, I've been slowly cutting and am now within a 3 or 4 pounds of where I want to be in my powerlifting meet next week so I'll be doing a water cut for the rest to make weight. Being heavier has allowed me to move a lot heavier weight and all in all I think this was a good thing! I was at 265# back squat before I started gaining and I expect to hit 300# any day now.

Wheelhouse15

kelly_e_montana wrote: »

Yes, recently I gained 10 pounds over about 4 months with little change in activities or foods I ate daily (actually I went on a stupid shake program that screwed up my macros & metabolism). But, during that time I did a a lot of back squat programming and the famed 20 rep back squat program (which is classic hypertrophy program). Since Christmas, I've been slowly cutting and am now within a 3 or 4 pounds of where I want to be in my powerlifting meet next week so I'll be doing a water cut for the rest to make weight. Being heavier has allowed me to move a lot heavier weight and all in all I think this was a good thing! I was at 265# back squat before I started gaining and I expect to hit 300# any day now.

Nice work on the squats!

Francl27

Yeah I've 'bulked' a lot lately, LOL.

salembambi

yup i have "bulked" this year.............totally...planned......yeah...