Time to Gain! Anyone running a bulk?

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  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,223 Member
    jseams1234 wrote: »
    @steveko89 - that's unfortunate. I was gone for a quite a bit, got involved in other venues and more focused forums but still find the app useful at times. This was also the first "fitness" community I got involved with, and it was always nice seeing familiar names and following their successes and struggles over the years. It does seem that this sub forum is... light in participation - not that it was very active in comparison to the "fun and games" and similar sections before all the changes in the app. In particular, the idea of "bulking" is probably anathema for most MFP users. :D

    Nice to see you still at it though! This "sport" is certainly a long-haul journey. I do hope that all the regulars finally achieved their ultimate bodybuilding or weight gain goals.

    You, too! Glad you're doing well. I speculate many have migrated to other platforms like MacroFactor or the RP app that cater to crossfit and strength athletes more than MFP's default approach.
  • claireychn074
    claireychn074 Posts: 1,596 Member
    I lurk but I’m really on recomp as I train for my sport rather than aesthetics. My bulk and cuts are mostly accidental! Good luck though 😀
  • nay0m3
    nay0m3 Posts: 178 Member
    Like @claireychn074 I lurk! I am better suited to recomp mentally. It's slow going but it's happening!
  • drjeff0609
    drjeff0609 Posts: 17 Member
    I just completed a cut and I'm going back on another bulk...
  • I_AM_ISRAEL
    I_AM_ISRAEL Posts: 160 Member
    Started my bulk 2 weeks ago after my show which was 4 weeks ago.
    Protein 1g per lb
    Fats .3 x BW
    Carbs 360-400g depending on work days
    Goal weight: 192 in 12 weeks.
    My average weight gain has been .5lbs a week, which is my current goal. Will be doing this for a total of 12 weeks, reasses my physique, and decide if I want to push for more weigh or do a mini cut then repeat.
    Ideally, you want to gain no more than .025-.05% of BW per week. Yes this sounds extremely slow, but you don’t want to become a fat blob that ll just make your cut phase that much longer.

    Current progress
    d6ugbmhs918q.jpeg
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    Nice progress
  • GaryRuns
    GaryRuns Posts: 508 Member
    I_AM_ISRAEL wrote: »
    Started my bulk 2 weeks ago after my show which was 4 weeks ago.
    Protein 1g per lb
    Fats .3 x BW
    Carbs 360-400g depending on work days
    Goal weight: 192 in 12 weeks.
    My average weight gain has been .5lbs a week, which is my current goal. Will be doing this for a total of 12 weeks, reasses my physique, and decide if I want to push for more weigh or do a mini cut then repeat.
    Ideally, you want to gain no more than .025-.05% of BW per week. Yes this sounds extremely slow, but you don’t want to become a fat blob that ll just make your cut phase that much longer.

    I could be wrong, but I think you're off by a decimal place. Let's say you're 180lbs. If your target is to gain at a rate of 0.05% per week that's 180x0.05%=180x0.0005=0.09. Maybe you could try and gain less than a tenth of a pound per week, but that's awfully slow. If your target was 200lbs that'd take you about 4 years to gain that 20lbs!

    So I think what you meant was 0.25-0.5% of BW per week. That'd be 180x0.5%=180x0.005=0.9. Then you'd be looking at about 22 weeks to gain 20lbs. Much more realistic.
  • I_AM_ISRAEL
    I_AM_ISRAEL Posts: 160 Member
    My bad, I meant .005, .25%-.5% of my BW.
    So yes, roughly 20lbs in 22 weeks in a perfect environment of course; however, I just found out I can’t do that at 3500cal/day.
    Time to eat more! Perks of starting out super lean.
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 11,527 Member
    I'm on a slow-bulk now, at least that's the theory, as I'm only eating 2k calories plus exercise. However, three weeks ago I started taking creatine for the first time, and my weight has ballooned by roughly 8lb in that span. Waistline hasn't changed, I can still remove my wedding ring easily enough, and I haven't eaten sufficient calories for it to be fat, so it has to be just a flush of water weight. I'm guessing I was on the dehydrated side when I finished my cut. But it's hard to gauge if I'm gaining muscle at all when water weight is skyrocketing this fast. How long before my body balances out again into some semblance of stability?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    nossmf wrote: »
    I'm on a slow-bulk now, at least that's the theory, as I'm only eating 2k calories plus exercise. However, three weeks ago I started taking creatine for the first time, and my weight has ballooned by roughly 8lb in that span. Waistline hasn't changed, I can still remove my wedding ring easily enough, and I haven't eaten sufficient calories for it to be fat, so it has to be just a flush of water weight. I'm guessing I was on the dehydrated side when I finished my cut. But it's hard to gauge if I'm gaining muscle at all when water weight is skyrocketing this fast. How long before my body balances out again into some semblance of stability?

    In general, it should plateau within a few weeks. You should see increases in glycogen, waste and sodium which can affect that.
  • I_AM_ISRAEL
    I_AM_ISRAEL Posts: 160 Member
    @nossmf
    A big indicator of whether or not you are gaining muscle, is your work load capacity. Are your lifts increasing? Are you doing more reps? Can you do more sets now with more weight?
    Keep track of your weight, 4-5 times a week, take the average, and there’s your number for the week. Adjust calories accordingly.
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 11,527 Member
    Agreed, @I_AM_ISRAEL, but in my case an ineffective indicator. Following an elbow injury last November, I had to lay off the weights for four months to recover. (During those four months I hit cardio hard and dropped weight rapidly, so I'd be in prime position to start a bulk from as low BF% as I could get.)

    I only started lifting weights a few weeks ago, easing in gradually with slowly increasing weights and volume as I tested my elbow. Good news was I was cleared to resume normal lifting starting yesterday, though even now I'm still using lighter weights, just normal volume (sets/reps/exercise selection). As the weeks progress from now I'll be able to track weight improvement, though it'll likely be another 3-4 weeks before I'm back to pre-injury weights.

    Most of the time I don't notice my age, but when it comes to recovering from injuries, it sure takes a lot longer now than it did twenty years ago.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    xkb2x563lrnu.png


    It's like a forever cut lol
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    Been fluctuating weight for the past few months due to vacations and my birthday. Back down to 166 but just hit a milestone with Hip Thrust of 500 lbs. Boom!
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 11,527 Member
    3x BW hip thrust, nice! How many reps? I'm doing 2x BW for sets of 5.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    nossmf wrote: »
    3x BW hip thrust, nice! How many reps? I'm doing 2x BW for sets of 5.

    For this phase, I run a top set for 2, then 3x5 @80%, then 2x10 @50%. So a whole lot of volume 😂.

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