PrimalRunner's Bulking Log
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Thanks Holly--you're right. In a few days I'll feel much better!0
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Totally sore butt from Wednesday's lifting sesh. Such a good feeling. It was my first time doing NROL4W Stage 2 Workout B. Love new stages!!!0
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Yay for DOMS. Sounds like everything is going great.0
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Eight weeks in, time for a measurement update.
WEEK 8 STATS
Weight: 126.6 (down 1.8 lbs from last week, up 3.8 lbs total)
Body fat: 21.5% (original 20%)
Muscle mass: 36.1% (36.4%)
Neck: 12.75 in. (no change)
Shoulders: 38 in. (up .5 in.)
Biceps: 10 in. (no change)
Forearms: 9 in. (up .5 in.)
Bust: 33 in. (no change)
Strapline: 29 in. (down .25 in.)
Waist: 26 in. (no change)
Bellybutton: 27 in. (up .25 in.)
Hips: 36 in. (no change)
Thighs: 21 in. (no change)
Calves: 13.5 in. (no change)
So....two months in, and pretty much no change. WTF?! Seriously, please someone help me and let me know what I'm doing wrong here.0 -
I'm in the same boat. Actually, my thigh measurement went DOWN! Whaat?? All I can figure is I need to eat more. Your lifitng seems good, so it's got to be about the food. Just more, consistently. If anyone has other ideas, I would LOVE to hear them too.
If I had know when cutting how much work it would take to actually gain weight, I wouldn't have been so uptight and anxious about it all. Ugh! Go figure!!0 -
Refresh my memory….
What's your intake like? What's your program like? How much cardio are you doing?0 -
My opinion is probably not going to be a popular one, but it's just my $0.02. I truly think you need to overhaul your program and eating (if you are open to it). It seems you do more cardio than the time devoted to lifting. NROLFW is a solid starting base, however I don't think the volume is sufficient with the proper rep ranges as well for bulking purposes. I know you're a marathoner so I know cardio is in your blood and not something to easily back away from. However all you are doing is creating more of a deficit. It's hard for me to touch on the diet bc you and I are polar opposites. I know you do Paleo style eating with carb cycling and I think your still doing IF. That is a ton of things working against you in trying to make gains. If you want to gain, something is going to have to give or your intake is going to have to greatly increase.0
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My opinion is probably not going to be a popular one, but it's just my $0.02. I truly think you need to overhaul your program and eating (if you are open to it). It seems you do more cardio than the time devoted to lifting. NROLFW is a solid starting base, however I don't think the volume is sufficient with the proper rep ranges as well for bulking purposes. I know you're a marathoner so I know cardio is in your blood and not something to easily back away from. However all you are doing is creating more of a deficit. It's hard for me to touch on the diet bc you and I are polar opposites. I know you do Paleo style eating with carb cycling and I think your still doing IF. That is a ton of things working against you in trying to make gains. If you want to gain, something is going to have to give or your intake is going to have to greatly increase.
^^^ Holly knows her stuff
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Holly, I don't think you're far off base at all. Yesterday I was a crap-ton of calories short because by the time I got home from the gym it was kinda late and I sucked down my protein shake (300 cals) and ate dinner (600 cals) and then tried to stuff a few more cals right before bed (200)...all within a 3-hour period. I was still left with an almost 500-calorie deficit. Not cool.
Food:
Actual TDEE is around 2200, food is the same. I was planning on upping my food, but I lost my Fitbit charger (long story, but I got a new one) and my activity level dropped the last two weeks but I didn't know how much).
Carb-Cycling and IF:
I like doing carb-cycling, because it gives me an opportunity to eat things (fruit and starchy veggies) that I normally wouldn't eat. I am going to stop IF for the rest of this week and next week and see if that helps me to get in the calories.
Cardio:
I agree, I had been doing too much. What I'm trying to do is pretty much 30-45 minutes on the elliptical 3-4 days/week. Really slow, just reading a book. I haven't been doing any intense cardio, and actually stopped running this weekend.
Lifting:
I have 3 days a week that I can lift (I work full-time, have a 3.5-year-old, am in grad school, and my stupid gym isn't open early enough for me to lift in the morning). If you can give me some ideas of what I can do on a 3-day/week schedule, I'm all ears! I did SL5x5 early this year, but I was also marathon training and my lifts stalled out. And maybe I didn't push myself enough. I have this feeling that I can do more, that I might not be leaving it all out there. That I'm holding back. I know having someone to lift with would probably help, but I just don't have that.
Advice is welcome, and much appreciated. I'm not easily offended and want to learn!
Thank you so much.0 -
Very understandable on the busy schedule and we can help you figure something out. I'm offering my suggestions and if anyone else has any I hope they chime in too.
Definitely think you'll benefit from a touch more calories. I've said before I have no issue with carb cycling; my husband is a damn pro at it and it's something that truly works for him. Just make sure on your low days that your fats and proteins are much higher. The only drawback with CC is that it naturally creates a large deficit on your low carb days so you're trying to play catch up the other days calorie wise. Not sure how often your low days fall but I asked him and he says when he bulks his low days are only 1-2 max a week. He does and I tried it; low/mod/high days.
I think 3 days of cardio is fine for those who want to keep it in as long as you're fueling yourself with enough to sustain the burn. Even if it's low intensity you're still burning calories.
If you have 3 days only there's nothing wrong with that at all. You could do full body routines such as SL but I would add in some accessory work. You could do an upper/lower split that rotates. Such as Upper A Mon Lower A Wed Upper B Fri Lower B Mon and start over. You could also do a body part split over 3 days. I bookmarked a program that's for 3 days that hits all the rep/set ranges good for bulking and still has strength compounds as the foundation then your additional work. I personally like the link because I bore easily and find no fun in doing the same lifts 3 days a week. Plus you could give it your all and push your limits and you have a week to recover. You don't neccessarily need a spotter but I'm sure if you need it, open up and ask someone at the gym. Really push yourself to choose a weight that's hard to get those reps but you do so without sacrificing form. You'll get there, trust me.
http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/3-day-power-muscle-burn
I hope this helps somewhat. If you want other ideas on programs let me now and I can point you to a few different ones. Nia Shanks has awesome templates as we if you check her sight out.0 -
Not Holly (obviously), but I do have some ideas on lifting programs. If you still qualify as "beginner" you could consider All Pro's Simple Beginners Routine, as it is a 3-times-per-week full body routine. It utilizes rep ranges more with the focus on hypertrophy then strength.
Alternatively you could look at upper-lower split routines. These are traditionally run AB-rest-AB-rest-rest each week, but could also be done ABA BAB style over 2 weeks.
Also, there are some All Pro Intermediate routines that are written for only 2 days per week lifting, that can be adapted for 3 days per week. I did for example API 1 last 8 weeks, which is a 2 day per week routine. It consists of a light and a heavy day. I changed it toi have 2 light days and 1 heavy day per week. In the All Pro group here on MFP you can find info on these routines. :flowerforyou:
Edited to add that I realize I'm mostly talking about the All Pro routines, but that's because I'm familiar with those from my own experiences with them
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Thank you both for your advise. I've got some reading ahead of me for sure!
ETA: I'm having a hard time allowing my cals to be above my TDEE most likely because I have a history of anorexia. I am about 8 years recovered, but I guess it's always just kinda lingering there.0 -
Is that the program that Sarah was/is doing? Maybe she can give some insight on that one.
I think that the advice of both ladies is good. I think backing of the cardio sounds like a good plan if eating more isn't doable. Or maybe a combination of both if you find that dropping IF helps.0 -
Is that the program that Sarah was/is doing? Maybe she can give some insight on that one.
I think that the advice of both ladies is good. I think backing of the cardio sounds like a good plan if eating more isn't doable. Or maybe a combination of both if you find that dropping IF helps.
It is but of a different split. I think hers is the 4 or 5 day one, can't remember.
Aileen-Had no idea of your history so I can only imagine how tough that is. Would you be more comfortable with small increases such as 50 cals a week etc?0 -
Yep, Kim…that's the program I'm following now. I really really like it. I do amend a few of the exercises based on how I feel/how busy or available certain things are at the gym. I do the 4 day split, but I know there is a 3 day split of the same program.
Is there a reason you limit carbs/fruits/sugary stuff?? I'm a HUGE proponent of IIFYM stye of eating. My goal right now is 2600 cals and my carbs are set to 50%….so that's 320+ grams of carbs a day. I'd have a hell of a time hitting that macro goal if I was limiting fruits/bread/sugar.
I think if you are seriously wanting to bulk and add actual new muscle mass….you have to let go of some of the "rules" you seem to have associated with your fitness/eating.0 -
Sarah--I totally agree with you. I don't do wheat because I have gluten issues (if I eat a piece of bread, I end up in the bathroom peeing out of my @$$ for the next couple of days--sorry, TMI).
When I originally lost the weight, I actually didn't know anything about macros. I lost 12 lbs in about 3 months (from 132 down to 120) even though I'd set my los to .5 lb/week. I think MFP gave me like 1380 calories/day. I didn't know I was starving myself. I was just following MFP. So, I ended up down to 114 lbs and realized I had to gain some weight. So I did. I'd been sitting around 120 for the past year and a half or so, and realize that I'm still not happy. I want to have more definition, so I know I need to build some muscle.
I was limiting my sugar/carbs because eating them was causing me to binge and I had an insatiable appetite. I've been limitimg them for so long that now I have issues addign them back in! I thought carb-cycling would give me the best of both worlds, but in reality, I should probably just balance the whole damn thing every day.
I'm just so sad and frustrated about my life. I thought this would be something I would be good at, but I'm not feeling too hot about it right now.
Sorry for the "Oh Woe is Me" post!!!0 -
It seems to me that anyone's first bulk is a huge learning experience. There are so many factors that play in to it being a success that it's hard to get it just right the first time. You are trying and learning and to me, that's a win. Even if you don't finish the bulk with where you wanted to be, the next time you head in to one you will know so much more. It sounds like you're dealing with a lot of factors when it comes to your diet so giving yourself some room and time to figure it out is completely understandable. You're doing great because you're trying and you'll figure it out eventually. We're all here for you in the meantime!0
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It seems to me that anyone's first bulk is a huge learning experience. There are so many factors that play in to it being a success that it's hard to get it just right the first time. You are trying and learning and to me, that's a win. Even if you don't finish the bulk with where you wanted to be, the next time you head in to one you will know so much more. It sounds like you're dealing with a lot of factors when it comes to your diet so giving yourself some room and time to figure it out is completely understandable. You're doing great because you're trying and you'll figure it out eventually. We're all here for you in the meantime!
I so agree with what Kim just said. Bulking is not as easy for me as I assumed it would be. I think when people work so hard to lose weight, they just assume any increase from the deficit will automatically cause a weight gain.
I'm sorry you are feeling so down. But you are not failing. This is all a huge learning experience and the great part of this group is that we have each other to bounce ideas and thoughts off of. Tomorrow (and the next day) is a new day!!!0 -
Just like trying to lose, no 2 bulks or cuts whatever are the same. You learn different things along the way, your body responds differently to different intakes and programs and it's a huge mental process. You're not failing at all. There are good days and there are really bad days. The important part is never give up and keep pushing through. I've seen girls quit over gaining a few pounds and I feel sorry for them but at the same time bulking isn't for everyone. You want something bad enough you have to put in the work and it's not going to be pretty. You've shown you're not a quitter bc you opened your mind up to different ideas and changes. Keep pushing girl, it will get better!0
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WEEK 9 STATS
Weight: 124.6 (down 2 lbs from last week, up 1.8 lbs total)
Body fat: 20.1% (down 1.4% from last week)
Muscle mass: 36.3% (up .2% from previous weeks)
Neck: 12.5 in. (down .25 in.)
Shoulders: 39 in. (up 1 in.)
Biceps: 10 in. (no change)
Forearms: 9.5 in. (up .5 in.)
Bust: 33 in. (no change)
Strapline: 28 in. (down 1 in.)
Waist: 26 in. (no change)
Bellybutton: 27 in. (no change)
Hips: 35 in. (down 1 in.)
Thighs: 21.5 in. (up .5 in.)
Calves: 13.5 in. (no change)
Okay, so it looks like I've spent 9 weeks doing a frustrating, but ultimately extremely successful body recomp! I'm going to use these new measurements as my new bulk starting point. Starting Power Muscle Burn 3x/week on Monday and a modified eating plan with 2400 cals as my minimum intake goal. I'm thinking this will be a 16-week bulk (on top of the 9 weeks I've already put in on NROL4W).
Best of all, I went into the gym today with a plan to test my bench. I haven't benched in about 4 months--NROL4W had me doing pushups only (and I've been elevating my feet to make them more difficult). I was stalled at 65 lbs 4 months ago. Today, I did 70x5 and 75x3! I am so proud of myself and looking forward to Phase 2 of my bulk!0
