Most efficient way of bulking up?

jamesandrewdavis1

I am 74.7kg I have just started going to the gym every morning. I am using serious mass, creatine, BCAAs and a prework out. What do you think is an ideal bulk weight to work towards? What month next year should I start cutting?

SabAteNine

Uhm... no way of telling, based on just the details provided. It will depend on your starting level of training (beginners put on easier), the programme you'll be doing, the specific caloric surplus you will be opting for (dirty or lean bulk), the diet in general / macros.. and a lot of other stuff.

Nobody else can give you an answer regarding the bulk weight or moment to start cutting. Just start a proper weight training programme, eat in a slight surplus, and assess along the way.

TavistockToad

isn't it bulk till you feel fat, cut till you feel small.... repeat for EVER.... :laugh:

BenjaminA7X

Track your food and weight yourself everyday. look at the average weight of a week. If you dont gain enough weight add 200 cal to your daily intake. if it goes to fast lower it a bit. I would say start with 2600 cals a day and look what it does to you. Then start cutting when you feel fat. Im trying to put on around 1,5 kg per month myself.

SabAteNine

Also this is a helpful article to figure out what to realistically expect from a bulk. You will gain some fat with muscle no matter what, but apart from that it is up to you how fast, or slow, or specifically the muscle-to-fat ratio you want to build. Just keep in mind that big surpluses followed by big deficits / fast cuts yield generally less optimal results.

Last but not least, diet and supplements aside... for muscle, you need to lift.

pinggolfer96

Well I can tell you one thing....the first thing you listed were supplements which are the most unimportant part of a book or any program/ goal for that matter. Focus on your nutrition and training program and that both are in line with your goals

jamesandrewdavis1

I am eating 3 eggs - scrambled for breakfast, 100g rolled oats, serious mass. (8pm)

I am having serious mass after a 90 min strength gym session with a 15-20 minute HIIT workout everyday. (10pm)

Lunch I usually eat chicken/steak, pasta, lentils and chickpeas. (12pm)

I usually eat Gari which is high in fibre (3pm)

Then I will eat chicken/steak, pasta, lentils and chickpeas for dinner (7pm)

Erik8484

To put on muscle you need:
1. a good training program (https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you)
2. enough protein (say 0.8-1g per day per lb of body weight)
3. to consume more calories than you burn (track your calorie intake and weight fluctuations, adjust accordingly)
4. time and patience

Choose a target weight that you think would be good. Bulk until you feel like you want to stop. Be prepared to endure a cut when you finish bulking. The fatter you get, the more this will suck.

Robsey48

TURNS OUT I AM AN EXPERT AT THIS BULKING UP PROCESS....HMMM

Keto_Vampire

Drop the BCAAs and invest that money into more whole foods (less supplements); can't go wrong whether bulking or cutting.

jdog022

jamesandrewdavis1 wrote: »

I am eating 3 eggs - scrambled for breakfast, 100g rolled oats, serious mass. (8pm)

I am having serious mass after a 90 min strength gym session with a 15-20 minute HIIT workout everyday. (10pm)

Lunch I usually eat chicken/steak, pasta, lentils and chickpeas. (12pm)

I usually eat Gari which is high in fibre (3pm)

Then I will eat chicken/steak, pasta, lentils and chickpeas for dinner (7pm)

Your going to overtrain quickly and get injured. That’s to much time lifting per week and way to much high intensity cardio. Is “everyday” literally 7 days a week? Get on a real program I can’t stress that enough.

Also calculate your macros because that seems deficient in fats but hard to tell based on the above. Also the time you eat is largely irrelevant

MichaelK1007

Keto_Vampire wrote: »

Drop the BCAAs and invest that money into more whole foods (less supplements); can't go wrong whether bulking or cutting.

Can’t agree more. Supplements are exactly that. They are supplements which should supplement what you are not getting from Whole Foods alone maybe 5%. Besides they tend to be very expensive.

comptonelizabeth

mkgoodson1007 wrote: »

Keto_Vampire wrote: »

Drop the BCAAs and invest that money into more whole foods (less supplements); can't go wrong whether bulking or cutting.

Can’t agree more. Supplements are exactly that. They are supplements which should supplement what you are not getting from Whole Foods alone maybe 5%. Besides they tend to be very expensive.

I don't know about things like mass gainers, bcaas etc but, protein powders, such as whey protein, ARE foods and for those of us who struggle with eating sufficient calories and protein, they're very useful. I agree I wouldn't bother with them if I had no issues eating enough 'real' food.

mmapags

Keto_Vampire wrote: »

Drop the BCAAs and invest that money into more whole foods (less supplements); can't go wrong whether bulking or cutting.

Agreed. First, there are BCAAs in food and they are whole protein and therefore actually useable. Second, almost all the current research on BCAAs show they are useless at best. The only person they benefit is the one that sells them.

latestarter75

I personally would drop the serious mass and the bcaa’s, replace the serious mass with real food your not eating enough to have to resort to such high calorie shakes yet. Bcaa’s are incomplete source of aminos if you want to use something I’d suggest EAA’s in with your water while your in the gym

AnvilHead

latestarter75 wrote: »

I personally would drop the serious mass and the bcaa’s, replace the serious mass with real food your not eating enough to have to resort to such high calorie shakes yet. Bcaa’s are incomplete source of aminos if you want to use something I’d suggest EAA’s in with your water while your in the gym

I'd take a step further - if you want to use something, take a complete source of protein such as a whey protein shake at some point before or after your workout. There's no need for intra-workout protein supplementation. BCAAs are useless without an adequate amount of the other essential amino acids:

psuLemon

Consistency and a progressive overload lifting program is what is most important.

Also, what's your preworkouts?

latestarter75

AnvilHead wrote: »

latestarter75 wrote: »

I personally would drop the serious mass and the bcaa’s, replace the serious mass with real food your not eating enough to have to resort to such high calorie shakes yet. Bcaa’s are incomplete source of aminos if you want to use something I’d suggest EAA’s in with your water while your in the gym

I'd take a step further - if you want to use something, take a complete source of protein such as a whey protein shake at some point before or after your workout. There's no need for intra-workout protein supplementation. BCAAs are useless without an adequate amount of the other essential amino acids:

I agree certainly I’d go with whey post workout with some simple carbs

Silkysausage

jamesandrewdavis1 wrote: »

I am eating 3 eggs - scrambled for breakfast, 100g rolled oats, serious mass. (8pm)

I am having serious mass after a 90 min strength gym session with a 15-20 minute HIIT workout everyday. (10pm)

Lunch I usually eat chicken/steak, pasta, lentils and chickpeas. (12pm)

I usually eat Gari which is high in fibre (3pm)

Then I will eat chicken/steak, pasta, lentils and chickpeas for dinner (7pm)

If that's genuine HIIT everyday then you need to stop!

pinggolfer96

A new study (may be credible...may not be, but still interesting) just came out regarding BCAA supplementation actually hindering mps