Regaining lost muscle

alexandracraia

Hello, guys!! I’m wondering how long does it take to regain lost muscle size? I did a cut for about 2-3 months, after 5 months of bulking, and i was able to pretty much maintain my strength, but sadly lost some size. Because of that, I decided to bulk again (I was on maintenance calories for about 2 weeks). I am 3 weeks into bulking now, i increased in strength a little bit and i think my arms and quadriceps grew a bit in size as well, but i’m not seeing any difference in my glutes. Am i being too unrealistic to expect my glutes to grow in size after just 3 weeks of bulking or am I doing something wrong? ) I eat 2400 calories on a normal day and about 2700-2800 on a training day (i want my surplus to be around 300cals, so I can minimize fat gaining). Should I eat more than that or should I just be more patient with my gains?
Any advice is appreciated, thank you!

sardelsa

It's normal to lose size after bulking especially fat. My legs lost a lot of size because of how I carry my fat.

What makes you think you lost muscle? What kind of programming were you following during your bulk and cut?

Glutes can be stubborn but it really depends on your genetics. For me it took three bulk cycles to grow them to where they are now (from just about completely flat). Make sure you are following adequate programming where the glutes are being stimulated progressively several times a week.. with various exercises that stimulate all vectors.. hip thrusts, deadlifts, squats and accessories.

A surplus of 300 calories is a tad on the high side for females, typical recommendation is 0.5lb gain per week or 250cal surplus max to minimize fat gaib. Again it depends on how lean you are, your muscle building potential and how comfortable you are gaining a bit extra fat.

And yes patience will be key!

alexandracraia

sardelsa wrote: »

It's normal to lose size after bulking especially fat. My legs lost a lot of size because of how I carry my fat.

What makes you think you lost muscle? What kind of programming were you following during your bulk and cut?

Glutes can be stubborn but it really depends on your genetics. For me it took three bulk cycles to grow them to where they are now (from just about completely flat). Make sure you are following adequate programming where the glutes are being stimulated progressively several times a week.. with various exercises that stimulate all vectors.. hip thrusts, deadlifts, squats and accessories.

A surplus of 300 calories is a tad on the high side for females, typical recommendation is 0.5lb gain per week or 250cal surplus max to minimize fat gaib. Again it depends on how lean you are, your muscle building potential and how comfortable you are gaining a bit extra fat.

And yes patience will be key!

I think you’re right. I lost mostly fat (especially from my legs and butt) very fast and noticed a decrease in size after that. I do have stubborn glutes and my genetics aren’t helping at all:)) i am lean by nature and i’ve always struggled with gaining weight. Regarding the training, yes, I do focus more on compound exercises and I try to vary as much as possible (with drop sets and super sets).
So I guess I have to be more patient, haha. Thank you for your response!

sardelsa

alexandracraia wrote: »

sardelsa wrote: »

It's normal to lose size after bulking especially fat. My legs lost a lot of size because of how I carry my fat.

What makes you think you lost muscle? What kind of programming were you following during your bulk and cut?

Glutes can be stubborn but it really depends on your genetics. For me it took three bulk cycles to grow them to where they are now (from just about completely flat). Make sure you are following adequate programming where the glutes are being stimulated progressively several times a week.. with various exercises that stimulate all vectors.. hip thrusts, deadlifts, squats and accessories.

A surplus of 300 calories is a tad on the high side for females, typical recommendation is 0.5lb gain per week or 250cal surplus max to minimize fat gaib. Again it depends on how lean you are, your muscle building potential and how comfortable you are gaining a bit extra fat.

And yes patience will be key!

I think you’re right. I lost mostly fat (especially from my legs and butt) very fast and noticed a decrease in size after that. I do have stubborn glutes and my genetics aren’t helping at all:)) i am lean by nature and i’ve always struggled with gaining weight. Regarding the training, yes, I do focus more on compound exercises and I try to vary as much as possible (with drop sets and super sets).
So I guess I have to be more patient, haha. Thank you for your response!

No problem! Bulking and cutting can sometimes feel like 3 steps forward and 2 steps back, you make progress but it can be slow to see. Just keep sticking with it and you will get there.