Bulking question

tempest501

Hi guys,

So I started working my calories back to maintain and am now at 2000 cals (I'm 5ft 9 And currently 169 pounds). I have my training plan in place and am looking to build some muscle.

I was wondering how much weight is acceptable to gain and do I need to eat more? I have been at 2k plus excersize for 2 weeks and in that 2 weeks gained a pound.

The other thing I wanted to ask is I have been using IF for ages and love it but now I struggle sometimes to get caps in. When bulking is it to eat some carby or dirty foods to make sure you get total cals in?

Thanks in advance

steveocy1

In my opinion the best thing you can do while bulking is to get a tape measure, I use a fabric one. I then measure my waist at the smallest point, fully flexed, exhaled, and tape pulled tight. This way the tape is fully cheated and I don't have to worry about adding error by pulling tighter or looser the next time and it's pretty easy to measure the same spot. If the measurement goes up you know you are adding fat.

I also measure arms, forearms, thighs, calves, neck, chest, hips, waist at the belly button, etc. That way you can gauge if you are adding muscle. In a bulk you would expect to gain a little fat, but if your waist goes up too much you have the information to change your intake so it slows down. I am a data junkie and track everything. The scale can fluctuate so much that having all the other data points can really help you hone in on your body.

When I bulk I usually just up my portion sizes at each meal. Instead of a sandwich with 3 oz of roast beef, it will have 4.5 oz. I will add an extra slice of cheese. I'll add a chipotle mayo to go with my spicy mustard. Little things like that can add up. At the end of the day, as long as I hit my protein and fat macros, I will tear into tubs of ice cream to fill out my calories.

SideSteel

2 to 4 lbs per month will end up being reasonable for most males.

See here for context:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/whats-my-genetic-muscular-potential.html
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/general-philosophies-of-muscle-mass-gain.html

tempest501

Thanks guys, do you think I am ok to sit at 2000 caps. My thoughts were if I stop gaining weight to add 100 caps etc and keep doing that if weight stays same for 2 weeks.


Thank you for the links will check them when get home.

Sarauk2sf

Bumping to respond to this weekend.

tempest501

I wanted to add something as some strange is going on with my body. I have seem to be losing weight even is this normal when you start bulking from a diet? I am going to increase cal by 100 but was really shock to have lost 2 pound this week and am back at what I was when start to increase cals lol

Sarauk2sf

It is pretty normal that the math does not work when upping calories. For example, if you were losing 1lb a week at say 1,700 calories, you may find your maintenance is more than 2,200 when upping your calories - it's the opposite of having a slightly depressed metabolism from dieting down. Basically, you expend more as you have more energy. Neat increases and often gym performance improves, both of which increase TDEE. It's your body trying to get to homeostasis. You also have possible water weight at play. When dieting, you tend to retain water more (your body is trying to protect itself). More food 'allows' your body to stop retaining as much. This is the reason why people often see an initial whoosh when upping calories.

Sarauk2sf

In answer to you prior question, and related to the newer one, up calories by 100 (assuming your fats and proteins are sufficient, it should go to carbs), sit there for 2 weeks, look at the trend, and if you are still losing/not gaining, add 100 more. It is sometimes a bit of a trial and error to dial it in.