Gaining weight advice - Stronglifts program.

Tabby806

Hi all. Just downloaded this app to start counting calories as I've been doing Stronglifts for just over a month now and seeig good progress but wanting to get alot bigger now I'm starting to lift heavier. Any advice on getting bigger with minimal fat gains?

I've worked out my maintenence is 2676 so worked out I would need or 2776 Kcal/day (for muscle building). I would set my macros at 40:35:25.

TavistockToad

A surplus of 100 cals will make gaining very slow. You can't avoid fat gain all together unfortunately

curlsintherack

body builders have 2 phases bulking and cutting. they alternate these phases depending where they are in their training cycles.

I believe you could get stronger at a very small surplus but you would be happier with your progress if you ate more and lifted heavier then spent a couple weeks pulling some weight back off after a few months.

psuLemon

If you want to get big without lots of body fat you will have to cycle several times and it could take years. Muscle growth, naturally, just isnt fast.

And at the very least i would aim for 10% over your maintenance calories.

robdowns1300

Set MFP to gain 0.5 pounds per week. Lift heavy. Cut in the spring.

sskly48

it's recommended to start with around 300 calories of surplus for a lean bulk. this number can/should go higher as time progresses.
macro ratios depend on your body type (ecto, meso, endo)

psuLemon

sskly48 wrote: »

it's recommended to start with around 300 calories of surplus for a lean bulk. this number can/should go higher as time progresses.
macro ratios depend on your body type (ecto, meso, endo)

Not really. Protien has optimal per gram ranges. Fats and carbs are diet adherence and a lot more variable.

ndj1979

sskly48 wrote: »

it's recommended to start with around 300 calories of surplus for a lean bulk. this number can/should go higher as time progresses.
macro ratios depend on your body type (ecto, meso, endo)

to the bold, no they do not. Body type i.e. ecto, meso, endo is a myth perpetrated by people pushing bro-science..

sskly48

Okay, I'm just saying what works for me.
I'm more ecto-meso, and I also have observed my body is more tolerant of carbs, so I am able to get away with eating higher GI index carbs/ more carbs than my friends who are meso/endo.
Myth or not, you have to experiment on yourself to see what really works.

sgt1372

Stronglifts is a beginner program designed to increase strength via linear progression in small increments over a relatively short period of time.

The program is NOT designed to increase mass or bulk. In fact, you will not get to weights likely to induce such growth until you are near to maxing out in the program and have to switch to more complex programs to achieve further strength gains.

If you start bulking w/o lifting heavy enough, you'll just get fat and fact is many people (esp here on MFP) use SL to gain strength while losing weight/fat while on a cal deficit diet. That 's what I did twice, once w/SL b4 and now w/Starting Strength.

You can call this the cutting phase and, if your're using MFP to count cals, when you achieve a plateau w/SL at your lowest practical weight, it'll be time to start thinking about bulking because you should be at or near your lowest BF% while also being at or near your max strength for that weight. This should take 6-12 months.

Then you can go on a bulk diet and switch to a corresponding intermediate lifting program at heavier weights to promote additional strength and mass development, which could take another year b4 you gain too much BF and decide to cut again.

For those so inclined, it's a never ending process.

pbryd

I've just moved onto a Texas Method style program following the end of my linear gains. Starting Strength and Practical Programming are two great books that explain the types of progression used by novice and intermediate lifters.

Carry on milking your linear gains as a novice, build a foundation of strength and then move onto an intermediate program when you feel your linear gains have came to an end.

Your chances of success will improve when you learn about different programs which match your current level of development and training age.