Bulking for dummies

digidoomed

Hi. I want to start bulking to build some overall muscle as well as some glute gainz. What is the best way to go about bulking? I understand you have to be in a caloric surplus, but are there any practice or rules for bulking I should be aware of while bulking or any changes I should make in my workouts? Right now I train in the gym about 5x a week lifting weights and I try to increase my weights when I start to feel comfortable doing so

sardelsa

Great!

So a few things.

-You want to start off fairly lean, I would say as a woman 20% bodyfat or under (basically if you have a decent muscle base you can start to see your abs, leg and back/arm definition.. obviously this will be different for everyone, but you don't want to be too high bodyfat to start) .. or.... you are underweight or on the borderline of being underweight.. you really have nowhere to go but up at that point

-Keep the surplus reasonable, I would say no more than 0.5lb per week gain or 250 extra cals per day or less. Any more than that and your fat gains will be more likely to increase. (this is the general recommendation for females, males can go higher)

-Macros... minimum protein 0.8-1g per lb bodyweight, fats 0.35-0.6g per lb, rest carbs. I would recommend to keep your intake mostly nutritionally dense foods for health and optimal performance but don't be scared of adding in some treats, they are great to help you reach your goal and makes the bulk more enjoyable (especially if your cals get up there).

-Programming, I would make sure you are following a progressive lifting program, something geared towards your goals. Glute gains I would recommend Strong Curves. It is awesome and straight forward and 3-4x per week.

-Cardio.. is fine if you enjoy it and want to do it for health.. but I wouldn't do so much that you can't keep up with your intake (the more you burn the more you need to fuel to keep in a surplus), also be mindful if it starts to affect your workouts.. cardio that relies heavily on the lower body can impair your ability to lift and progress.


Let me know if you have any more questions.

digidoomed

sardelsa wrote: »

Great!

So a few things.

-You want to start off fairly lean, I would say as a woman 20% bodyfat or under (basically if you have a decent muscle base you can start to see your abs, leg and back/arm definition.. obviously this will be different for everyone, but you don't want to be too high bodyfat to start) .. or.... you are underweight or on the borderline of being underweight.. you really have nowhere to go but up at that point

-Keep the surplus reasonable, I would say no more than 0.5lb per week gain or 250 extra cals per day or less. Any more than that and your fat gains will be more likely to increase. (this is the general recommendation for females, males can go higher)

-Macros... minimum protein 0.8-1g per lb bodyweight, fats 0.35-0.6g per lb, rest carbs. I would recommend to keep your intake mostly nutritionally dense foods for health and optimal performance but don't be scared of adding in some treats, they are great to help you reach your goal and makes the bulk more enjoyable (especially if your cals get up there).

-Programming, I would make sure you are following a progressive lifting program, something geared towards your goals. Glute gains I would recommend Strong Curves. It is awesome and straight forward and 3-4x per week.

-Cardio.. is fine if you enjoy it and want to do it for health.. but I wouldn't do so much that you can't keep up with your intake (the more you burn the more you need to fuel to keep in a surplus), also be mindful if it starts to affect your workouts.. cardio that relies heavily on the lower body can impair your ability to lift and progress.


Let me know if you have any more questions.

How do you determine your body fat %? I would say I definitely can start to see the muscles in my arms and legs and am working on my back, but I still have some fat on my lower abdomen and inner thigh. Do you measure yourself or is there any visual charts I can compare myself to? Should I keep cutting until I see definition in my abs to bulk?
Also thank you for the nutrition info, I thought I was going to have to shoot for 1-2lb weight gain but 0.5 sounds way better. What nutrient dense foods would you recommend also?

digidoomed

Also how do you handle eating exercise calories when bulking?

JaydedMiss

digidoomed wrote: »

Also how do you handle eating exercise calories when bulking?

you eat them all you need to be in a surplus note the "bulk" but i agree to keep it a minimal surplus, To much and your just getting fat your body cant build muscle that fast its not just an excuse to eat everything all the time

sardelsa

What are your stats?

Charts can give you a general idea of your bodyfat %, I typically use a few to give an idea (see photos below). There are other methods... DEXA scans calipers, I am not super familiar with them but they can also give you an idea of where you are. The first bulk is hard because you may not have the muscle base to really show adequate leanness and it can be hard to know when to go for it.

Keep in mind, bulking can be a very mentally taxing process. The scale goes up, your problem areas will typically get worse as you gain weight, you may feel bloated and full all the time. You really need to be ready for that.

If you have been leaning out and you are finding you are not seeing the visual improvement with continued cutting, then bulking can be a good option. You can also look into recomp if you feel your bodyfat % is too high to bulk and you are at a good weight for your height.

Nutrient dense foods... things like lean meats and fish, vegetables, fruits, carbs with adequate fibre, dairy, healthy fats, etc.

digidoomed

sardelsa wrote: »

What are your stats?

Charts can give you a general idea of your bodyfat %, I typically use a few to give an idea (see photos below). There are other methods... DEXA scans calipers, I am not super familiar with them but they can also give you an idea of where you are. The first bulk is hard because you may not have the muscle base to really show adequate leanness and it can be hard to know when to go for it.

Keep in mind, bulking can be a very mentally taxing process. The scale goes up, your problem areas will typically get worse as you gain weight, you may feel bloated and full all the time. You really need to be ready for that.

If you have been leaning out and you are finding you are not seeing the visual improvement with continued cutting, then bulking can be a good option. You can also look into recomp if you feel your bodyfat % is too high to bulk and you are at a good weight for your height.

Nutrient dense foods... things like lean meats and fish, vegetables, fruits, carbs with adequate fibre, dairy, healthy fats, etc.

What do you mean by stats? I'm 5'2, 21yr female,156lbs. Is there any other numbers you need?And based off the charts, I would say I'm between 20-25% because I do see some definitions around my obliques, but I still have that lower stomach "pouch"

digidoomed

.

JaydedMiss

i take it back this came across wrong

sardelsa

According to BMI you are still technically overweight. I would not bulk yet unless you are already very muscular (ie. you have run bulks in the past and have a bodybuilding background)

Are you comfortable posting a photo?

I would keep eating at a small deficit and lifting. What are your goals to bulk, why do you think you need to bulk at this point? Is it because of your glutes?

RoxieDawn

JaydedMiss wrote: »

i take it back this came across wrong

I wouldn't have taken what you said wrong.


That said, OP at your current weight you're not at an ideal body fat level to bulk. Unless you have a significant amount of muscle on your frame at your current weight. You can certainly do it but calorie partitioning will become an issue sooner rather than later in the bulk, your body's fat and muscle ratio will not turn out to your liking.

Usually 18-20% (I would say 22% being the high end of optimal) of course depending on your body type, without seeing a photo its hard to make a 100% assessment. @sardelsa mentions body fat% because the lower we are (as in leaner before the bulk) the better the outcome of the results.

JaydedMiss

RoxieDawn wrote: »

JaydedMiss wrote: »

i take it back this came across wrong

I wouldn't have taken what you said wrong.


That said, OP at your current weight you're not at an ideal body fat level to bulk. Unless you have a significant amount of muscle on your frame at your current weight. You can certainly do it but calorie partitioning will become an issue sooner rather than later in the bulk, your body's fat and muscle ratio will not turn out to your liking.

Usually 18-20% (I would say 22% being the high end of optimal) of course depending on your body type, without see photos its hard to make a 100% assessment. @sardelsa mentions body fat% because the lower we are (as in leaner before the bulk) the better the outcome of the results.

i was trying to be nice and it just came across as comparing and pushing my own body issues off onto OP was all

digidoomed

sardelsa wrote: »

According to BMI you are still technically overweight. I would not bulk yet unless you are already very muscular (ie. you have run bulks in the past and have a bodybuilding background)

Are you comfortable posting a photo?

I would keep eating at a small deficit and lifting. What are your goals to bulk, why do you think you need to bulk at this point? Is it because of your glutes?

Sorry,but I don't feel comfortable posting a photo here. And I wanted to look into bulking because I thought it would help to build overall strength if my muscles were larger, and yes because of glutes also. I wasn't sure how to go about building muscle mass while also in a deficit, as MFP gives me 1300 cals daily right now with a goal of losing 1 lb a week.

digidoomed

RoxieDawn wrote: »

JaydedMiss wrote: »

i take it back this came across wrong

I wouldn't have taken what you said wrong.


That said, OP at your current weight you're not at an ideal body fat level to bulk. Unless you have a significant amount of muscle on your frame at your current weight. You can certainly do it but calorie partitioning will become an issue sooner rather than later in the bulk, your body's fat and muscle ratio will not turn out to your liking.

Usually 18-20% (I would say 22% being the high end of optimal) of course depending on your body type, without seeing a photo its hard to make a 100% assessment. @sardelsa mentions body fat% because the lower we are (as in leaner before the bulk) the better the outcome of the results.

I will probably continue to cut then at this time and wait until I'm at a lower body fat to bulk.

JaydedMiss

digidoomed wrote: »

sardelsa wrote: »

According to BMI you are still technically overweight. I would not bulk yet unless you are already very muscular (ie. you have run bulks in the past and have a bodybuilding background)

Are you comfortable posting a photo?

I would keep eating at a small deficit and lifting. What are your goals to bulk, why do you think you need to bulk at this point? Is it because of your glutes?

Sorry,but I don't feel comfortable posting a photo here. And I wanted to look into bulking because I thought it would help to build overall strength if my muscles were larger, and yes because of glutes also

thing with bulking is yes you will gain muscle if you train properly, But you will also gain fat. So starting at a higher body fat your very unlikely to turn out anywhere close to where you want to be

digidoomed

JaydedMiss wrote: »

RoxieDawn wrote: »

JaydedMiss wrote: »

i take it back this came across wrong

I wouldn't have taken what you said wrong.


That said, OP at your current weight you're not at an ideal body fat level to bulk. Unless you have a significant amount of muscle on your frame at your current weight. You can certainly do it but calorie partitioning will become an issue sooner rather than later in the bulk, your body's fat and muscle ratio will not turn out to your liking.

Usually 18-20% (I would say 22% being the high end of optimal) of course depending on your body type, without see photos its hard to make a 100% assessment. @sardelsa mentions body fat% because the lower we are (as in leaner before the bulk) the better the outcome of the results.

i was trying to be nice and it just came across as comparing and pushing my own body issues off onto OP was all

Don't worry, I didn't take offense to it at all. I understood your warning not to use the surplus as an excuse to eat too much

JaydedMiss

If i were you id keep up my lifting keep trying to lift heavier and up my protein as I cut slowly. Practice good form and comfort levels and different exercise in the meantime, So when your ready to actually bulk your comfortable and know HOW to. So your not just sub-optimally training with the caloric surplus when the time comes, So you can maximize muscle gains an minimize injuries later on. But yes id cut more first.

RoxieDawn

digidoomed wrote: »

RoxieDawn wrote: »

JaydedMiss wrote: »

i take it back this came across wrong

I wouldn't have taken what you said wrong.


That said, OP at your current weight you're not at an ideal body fat level to bulk. Unless you have a significant amount of muscle on your frame at your current weight. You can certainly do it but calorie partitioning will become an issue sooner rather than later in the bulk, your body's fat and muscle ratio will not turn out to your liking.

Usually 18-20% (I would say 22% being the high end of optimal) of course depending on your body type, without seeing a photo its hard to make a 100% assessment. @sardelsa mentions body fat% because the lower we are (as in leaner before the bulk) the better the outcome of the results.

I will probably continue to cut then at this time and wait until I'm at a lower body fat to bulk.

Keep progressing in your lifts even though you are in a calorie deficit. If your strength starts to suffer you can decrease the deficit to .5 pounds a week. We won't build muscle in deficit other than 'first time newbie lifter gains' which taper down the longer you stay in a deficit. Maintaining/minimizing muscle loss will be your main goal. If you have to reduce the deficit to .5 your fat loss will be slower, but you will be able to maintain more muscle as you complete your weight/fat loss.