maruby95's bulking log
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Happy birthday! Yes, same happened to me...a "woe is me" post, helpful comments, and BAM! Things are where they should be. You've got this, honey! And when you don't believe in yourself, we're here to help :flowerforyou:0
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I'm glad you decided to up your calories. I think that is the right plan. And….now you know that if you stall out on weight gain again for a few weeks, upping another 100 cals might just be what you need.0
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Yea for more food/fuel!! Great job and keep pushing!0
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Week 10: Dec 16-22
Ave TDEE: 1718
Ave cals: 1976 (goal was 1900 min)
Ave wt: 109.6 ( + .7 from last week, + about 5 lbs from start, +2 lbs from 1 month ago- Ave .5 lbs per week)
Start wt: 110
End wt: 109
I'm pretty happy with the realization that overall, I'm on target with 5 lbs gain over 10 weeks/ 2 lbs in past month even with my stall. I am a tiny bit concerned that my rate of gain seems to be increasing, so I'll need to keep an eye on that after Jan 1
. Until then, I'm trying REALLY hard to chill about the gaining and enjoy the holiday food.
Lifted only 3 times last week b/c the gym was mysteriously closed on Saturday
. This coming week is my de-load week. I'm considering taking the opportunity to try out some 1RM, which I've never done. I've only ever used calculated ones. But I don't want to over-do it on my de-load week. Since I'm doing 5/3/1 I will reset to higher weights the following week and I would love to have fairly accurate 1RMs to work with. I'm still frustrated with my lack of strength progress (even with more food!), so I'm wondering if maybe I just need to push harder? Although 5/3/1 shouldn't have me woking at max weights...so I don't know.
Can someone knowledgable please clarify something for me? My primary goal is muscle gains in this bulk. I want to end up with more LBM, therefore I am looking for muscle gains, right? Vs strength gain as a primary goal. I know you can gain strength even on a deficit, so I am thinking strength gains don't always mean muscle gains, is that right? So I think my 5/3/1 program is mostly strength oriented. But my accessory lifts (I do 2-3 a day) are in the 10-15 rep range. Would that help with muscle gains? If the goal is muscle LBM gains vs strength is lifting at very heavy weights as important, or is volume more important? I'm a little confused on that. Thanks for any clarification!0 -
Simple answer is both are equally important. I will attach an article that explains it pretty well. You can have both and still gain muscle, but it is important to work in all rep ranges. Getting stronger will allow you to push heavier weight in the hypertrophy range. Can you get strong in a deficit? Yes but you will also see a flat line in those gains. Volume is needed as well but how much is all individual. Some can't do high volume due to recovery issues; myself I perform and grow better with a higher volume than the norm. 5/3/1 is a pure strength routine but his accessory work he built in in the other programs is helpful for building muscle but the primary focus is strength. The program is great but I don't think it's the best when strength isn't the primary focus. That's the problem with programs; most assume they're a one size fits all and they're not.
http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/4_reasons_youre_not_gaining_muscle0 -
Thanks Holly. Good article. So, if I stick with 5/3/1 for my primary lift each day and then do my accessories in the 6-12 or 10-15 range, that should cover all my bases, right? Thats' pretty much what Im doing now. Or should I try to find something more hypertrophy focused? From the article, if sound slike the current routine should be effective.0
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Thanks Holly. Good article. So, if I stick with 5/3/1 for my primary lift each day and then do my accessories in the 6-12 or 10-15 range, that should cover all my bases, right? Thats' pretty much what Im doing now. Or should I try to find something more hypertrophy focused? From the article, if sound slike the current routine should be effective.
Just test it out and see. You may do really well with the accessory program, you may need additional volume. Keep most sets in the 8-12 range though despite what many think, failure or burn out sets at the end of your session in the higher than 12+ rep range are beneficial too. Just don't use it too much.0 -
OK- and how will I know if I need additional volume? Lack of growth by measurements? weight gain? strength? Sorry to be so clueless!!!0
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Happy New Year everyone! I haven't updated this in a couple of weeks, so I'll put both weeks here.
Week 12: Dec 23-29
Ave TDEE: 1804
Ave cals: 2042
Ave wt: 109.9 (up .3)
Estimated BF 21.6
LBM 86.14 (up 2 from start)
Continuing with 5/3/1 4 day split and happy with it. Ate constantly this week! Really feeling bloated and fluffy.
Week 13: Dec 30- Jan 5
Ave TDEE: 1833
Ave cals: 1930
Ave wt: 111.5 (up 1.6 from last week, 7 from start)
I'm really getting tired of my tummy/ love handles (which is where I gain most of my weight). Took measurements to get a realistic picture and decide what to do from here…
Measurements:
Waist: 26.5. (up 1 in from start)
Navel: 30 (up 2 in!!)
Hips: 35 (up 1 in)
Thigh Max: 20.5 (up 1 in)
Bicep: 10.5 (up .5
Neck: 12.25 (up .25)
Forearm: 8.25 (same)
Ribs: 29.5 (up .5)
Bust: 32 (same)
Calf: 12.75 (up .25)
OK- So Ive gained some all over (good) but I'm not sure I can take the gathering of fat in the middle (bad), so I think I'm going to eat at maintenance for a week and see if some of this bloat settles down. I suspect much of it is from alcohol from the holidays. Seriosuly-I can practically SEE a glass of wine or beer on me. Soemthing about it really messes with my water stores. So, hopefully, now that the holidays are over and there is less temptation to alcohol and sugar, some of this water will go and I'll feel like I can carry on. If not…I'll go to cut. Original goal was to the end of Jan.
Question: if I do decided to cut in a couple of weeks, assuming my BF stays the same as I'm estimating it now, it looks like I've only gained about 2 pounds of LBM despite 7 pounds of total gain. Does that sound about right? I know to expect about half of the gain to be fat, and I'm sure some extra fodd/ water weight, so that seems possible to be. My overall rate of gain has been about .5 pound a week so I shouldn't have put on ALL fat :0. This being my first attempt at a bulk, and with my history of ED, I would consider a 2 pound LBM gain a success (assuming I can cut back down to a comfortable BF/ waist measurement).
Also, whenever it's time to cut- stay at maintenance for a while (how long?) or go straight to a deficit? Any words of wisdom/ things to expect?0 -
First of all- awesome job the past few weeks!
I just commented back to you on my bulking log, but I popped in to come see your update. I mentioned on my blog that what I found interesting was that even with our similar measurements (and I'm only .5" taller)- you appear to be MUCH more fit than I am! My end goal after this bulk/cut cycle is to hope/dream/pray I look even remotely close to your profile picture! Funny how that works.
Curious to see what others have to say about your question as I have made a similar amount of gains in around the same timeframe! Will be watching closely!0 -
I just commented back to you on my bulking log, but I popped in to come see your update. I mentioned on my blog that what I found interesting was that even with our similar measurements (and I'm only .5" taller)- you appear to be MUCH more fit than I am! My end goal after this bulk/cut cycle is to hope/dream/pray I look even remotely close to your profile picture! Funny how that works.
LOL! Pa-Leeese! Trust me when I say that I hope to look like that after my cut! That picture was 7-10 pounds ago :0.
I just keep thinking about how much higher your TDEE must be than mine. Maybe that will make you feel better. My average TDEE is only 1700, which means a cut is….ugh…don't even want to say it. So just think about that when you're cutting at my bulking calories .
I'm sure you look fantastic!0 -
Great job!!! As far as your questions, I'm always a fan of tapering down slowly. I plan to eat at maintenance for awhile, slowly add in some cardio then slowly decrease cals. I will be in no rush to cut as I'm giving myself a good 12-16wks. How fast you want to cut depends on your goals my only caution is to go slowly bc if you cut hard and fast, you're risking losing anything you've possibly gains.
I'll be honest and say regarding the measurements; you can't ever be sure until you get a professional test done. People can calculate online or via bf scanners all they want but you don't know for sure. It's true women at most can only put on very small amounts of muscle over a period of time. How you look, feel and how yoir body responds to a higher metabolism is a great indicator.0 -
I totally agree with Holly re: online measurements. I've been doing online ones and they put me around 20% bf, but being professionally tested I was 18.6% (granted this was closer to the beginning of my bulk, but so was that 20%). Pretty much what I'm trying to say is that you may have gained more LBM than you think. Definitely maintenence first then slow cut. The opposite of gaining--slower means less fat; losing--slower means more fat. You'll be fine. Also, I'm having the same belly button issue as you. I wouldn't worry, as it's probably ,mostly bloat. I can't even weigh in yet because it's TOM. Ugh!0
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Sorry for the recent silence. My husband was away last week which leaves me with 4 kiddos and very little time.
OK- so 2 weeks ago, I was deciding whether I could continue bulking for a few weeks. I decided I couldn't- I was starting to feel downright depressed, and even worse about the fact that I was so upset about a litle fat. Ridiculous I know, but that's how it is. When I could step back, I saw that I had actually met my goal for my first bulk which were to gain to about 110 (I hit 112). That's really all I could handle. So the plan has been to cut clowly (!!!) to see what, if anything, this first attempt at a bulk has yielded. And I have to say, that after 2 weeks on a slight deficit I feel MUCH better, despite not having lost much weight yet. It's a mental thing. My goal is to cut back down to 18-19% BF and see where I am. Then I will probably maintain/ re-comp for the spring/ summer and do another bulk in the fall. Here's my numbers for the past 2 weeks:
Week 14/ Week 1 of cut: Jan 6-12
Ave TDEE 1795
Ave cals 1623 (ave 175 under)
Ave wt 110.6 (down .9)
Week 15/ Week 2 of cut: Jan 13-19
Ave TDEE 1836
Ave cals 1602 (ave 234 under)
Ave wt 109.8 (down .8)
Waist 26 (down .5)
Navel 29 (down 1)
Hips 35
Neck (down .25)
BF 21.36
LBM 86.190 -
Glad to hear to you're feeling much better again. Sometimes a break, be from bulking, cutting or working out is just what's needed.0
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4 kiddos! Kudos, mama! Hope you reserved yourself a glass of wine in your cals for when daddy got home!
So glad to hear you're feeling better. That's all that matters in the end! Congrats on exceeding your bulk goal!0 -
I'm all too familiar with the whole "feeling bad about feeling bad" thing. Glad to hear that going back down is helping things. 0
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Hey, you hit your goal, and that's fantastic! Keep us posted as you work through this next stage of the process 0
