FIRST TIME BULKING: HOW MANY CALORIES??

wallyr1

Hey guys

So this is the first time I'm bulking and I just want a good solid number of calories to stick to.

Stats:
Male
20 years old
6 foot 0 inches
165lbs

I don't know my body fat percentage but I my goals is to reach 180lbs of lean muscle. I've been eating about 2,800 calories the past week and I do feel like it's working, but should this number be higher? Im a college student and work out 6-7 days a week for about 1.5 hours each time.
My biggest fear is to gain a lot of body fat. I've worked really hard to get lean this summer and I already notice I've lost a little bit of definition which kinda sucks. Is there a certain point when I should stop bulking if I gain too much body fat. I hate the thought of losing my abs. Any advice would be great. Thanks.

HamsterManV2

• Google to get a TDEE estimate. TDEE = total daily energy expenditure, AKA how many calories you burn every day.
  
• Slow bulk = TDEE+250 calories a day = +0.5lbs per week = +2lbs per month. Slower gains but less fat gained. Good for intermediates/advanced who are looking at a slower progression, or average guys looking to bulk before their first cut.
  
• Regular bulk = TDEE+500 calories a day = +1lbs per week = +4lbs per month. Good for skinny novices, can make great size and strength gains but once you get to 15% bodyfat, go on a slow bulk (unless you are in a strength sport like football) or start cutting. Don't go higher than this, or else you gain too much fat (your body can only put on so much muscle... rest turns into fat).
  
• Of course I highly recommend you are lifting during this time, so that you gain mostly muscle with minimal fat. Programs like SL, SS, ICF 5x5 are all great for novices putting on mass and strength.
  

And PS I am 5'7" 165lbs... You have a lot to gain, both weight and muscle wise. I foresee bulking in your near future
If you are afraid of bodyfat, do Slow Bulk - you can slowly increase muscle with minimal fat. Slower but very long gaining period. You won't make as significant strength gains, but you also won't have to cut either so IMO slow bulk is what you should do.

abadvat

text book would say 3000 - start on that monitor progress / weight gain every 2 weeks for a month and take it form there

SideSteel

waleedrashid90 wrote: »

Hey guys

So this is the first time I'm bulking and I just want a good solid number of calories to stick to.

Stats:
Male
20 years old
6 foot 0 inches
165lbs

I don't know my body fat percentage but I my goals is to reach 180lbs of lean muscle. I've been eating about 2,800 calories the past week and I do feel like it's working, but should this number be higher? Im a college student and work out 6-7 days a week for about 1.5 hours each time.
My biggest fear is to gain a lot of body fat. I've worked really hard to get lean this summer and I already notice I've lost a little bit of definition which kinda sucks. Is there a certain point when I should stop bulking if I gain too much body fat. I hate the thought of losing my abs. Any advice would be great. Thanks.

How long have you been lifting for and what has your bodyweight done (and over what time frame) since you've been eating 2800 calories?

We need to establish the rate at which your weight is going up currently.

leajas1

Here's a calculator. Just scroll down and you'll see it in the article - you can just put your stats in and calculate.

https://legionathletics.com/macronutrient-calculator/

wallyr1

SideSteel wrote: »

waleedrashid90 wrote: »

Hey guys

So this is the first time I'm bulking and I just want a good solid number of calories to stick to.

Stats:
Male
20 years old
6 foot 0 inches
165lbs

I don't know my body fat percentage but I my goals is to reach 180lbs of lean muscle. I've been eating about 2,800 calories the past week and I do feel like it's working, but should this number be higher? Im a college student and work out 6-7 days a week for about 1.5 hours each time.
My biggest fear is to gain a lot of body fat. I've worked really hard to get lean this summer and I already notice I've lost a little bit of definition which kinda sucks. Is there a certain point when I should stop bulking if I gain too much body fat. I hate the thought of losing my abs. Any advice would be great. Thanks.

How long have you been lifting for and what has your bodyweight done (and over what time frame) since you've been eating 2800 calories?

We need to establish the rate at which your weight is going up currently.

So I've been keeping track since the beginning of August.
The first two weeks of August I've been eating about 2,700 calories a day on average
The past two week I've been eating around 3,000 calories a day on average

I weighed myself the first week of August at 164 and I weighed myself a couple days ago at 168 so I've gained about four pounds this month.

My goal weight is 185 of lean muscle, so should I try to bulk up to around 195 and then cut? Also, should I continue to be gaining this much weight at this speed, or should I slow the bulk down over time?

I've been lifting heavier at the gym too so I can tell this is working, although I don't feel as lean as I was pre-bulk.

wallyr1

Also, I've been lifting consistently for about 8 months now, but after the first month I didn't notice any gains since my calories were really low (1900) on most days. It wasn't until this August I really focused on bulking