Bulking help please
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lilawolf
Posts: 1,690 Member
I appreciate all of your help. Thanks in advance! I'm following your questionnaire from the sticky.
I have been attempting to gain around half a pound a week for two months now, and have not gained anything. There was a week of that where I was sick and basically stayed in bed. I still ate a lot. I lost about a pound and have since gained that back. I believe that this was just water/glycogen weight from lifting/not lifting though. I have been pretty consistent with my workouts though 5 days straight of workouts is hard and has usually been 4 instead with 2 StrongLifts session and 2 martial arts sessions with a 5k thrown in for good measure. I did start Krav Maga the same week I started my bulk. I know that adding 2 things at once, and more cardio at that, is not the best, but it was just how it worked out. I am not willing to give it up.
I have never used a food scale before yesterday. I never needed it to lose weight at the rate I expected, but I think that I may be overestimating what I am eating now. My eyeball estimations were very close to what the scale said though when I weighed out my last two meals, so I don't know if that is the problem or not. I am willing to stay at the same calorie level and be more accurate with tracking for x amount of time if that is what you recommend. I started out progressing on my lifts the first week or so, but then I had to deload after being sick, I made it back to the same level, and then stalled hard again. No more progression. That's why I am here.
As for looks, my muscles LOOK bigger particularly my biceps and quads, but my abs (I had a 2 pack) are less defined.
Stats: 5'9, 145.5lbs (when I started AND this morning), 21% body fat (calipers at beginning of bulk)
Cutting half a pound a week calories (this worked!): 1700 net calories with lifting 3x a week and walking. Probably ~1850 total.
"bulking" calories: 2200 net calories with lifting 2-3x a week, martial arts 2x a week, and occasional run. About 2500 total.
Average macros for the last month: 88g fat, 136g protein, 209g carb.
I usually use measuring cups, and eyeball my meat portions. I recently started using a food scale and was within half an ounce when I measured chicken and pork. Once high, and once low.
I track absolutely everything I consume to the best of my ability
I occasionally have high cal/cheat days but I almost always track anyway. I missed a couple days while in Vegas/sick in the last month, but didn't go crazy high or low.
I have a desk job but get up often, and exercise a lot (see above). When I started bulking, I reduced my walking and added in Martial Arts 2x a week. I ate/eat back the calories either way
2 month stall. I am exactly the same weight I was 2 months ago. To the ounce.
No breastfeeding, pregnancy, changes to TOM, thyroid issues etc.
I have been attempting to gain around half a pound a week for two months now, and have not gained anything. There was a week of that where I was sick and basically stayed in bed. I still ate a lot. I lost about a pound and have since gained that back. I believe that this was just water/glycogen weight from lifting/not lifting though. I have been pretty consistent with my workouts though 5 days straight of workouts is hard and has usually been 4 instead with 2 StrongLifts session and 2 martial arts sessions with a 5k thrown in for good measure. I did start Krav Maga the same week I started my bulk. I know that adding 2 things at once, and more cardio at that, is not the best, but it was just how it worked out. I am not willing to give it up.
I have never used a food scale before yesterday. I never needed it to lose weight at the rate I expected, but I think that I may be overestimating what I am eating now. My eyeball estimations were very close to what the scale said though when I weighed out my last two meals, so I don't know if that is the problem or not. I am willing to stay at the same calorie level and be more accurate with tracking for x amount of time if that is what you recommend. I started out progressing on my lifts the first week or so, but then I had to deload after being sick, I made it back to the same level, and then stalled hard again. No more progression. That's why I am here.
As for looks, my muscles LOOK bigger particularly my biceps and quads, but my abs (I had a 2 pack) are less defined.
Stats: 5'9, 145.5lbs (when I started AND this morning), 21% body fat (calipers at beginning of bulk)
Cutting half a pound a week calories (this worked!): 1700 net calories with lifting 3x a week and walking. Probably ~1850 total.
"bulking" calories: 2200 net calories with lifting 2-3x a week, martial arts 2x a week, and occasional run. About 2500 total.
Average macros for the last month: 88g fat, 136g protein, 209g carb.
I usually use measuring cups, and eyeball my meat portions. I recently started using a food scale and was within half an ounce when I measured chicken and pork. Once high, and once low.
I track absolutely everything I consume to the best of my ability
I occasionally have high cal/cheat days but I almost always track anyway. I missed a couple days while in Vegas/sick in the last month, but didn't go crazy high or low.
I have a desk job but get up often, and exercise a lot (see above). When I started bulking, I reduced my walking and added in Martial Arts 2x a week. I ate/eat back the calories either way
2 month stall. I am exactly the same weight I was 2 months ago. To the ounce.
No breastfeeding, pregnancy, changes to TOM, thyroid issues etc.
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Replies
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Posting this now for Sara and I to reference later:
Averages for the past month:
2424.
206c
92.f
136p0 -
Bump to follow0
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Bump0
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Can you give us your weekly wight since your started bulking as well as when during the bulk you were in Vegas.0
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My weight would fluctuate up and down a lb or so as usual, and I was waiting for a high or low number to sort of stand out. I didn't check in much because I wasn't seeing any changes. Here is what I do have
8/26: 145.5
9/26: 144.4 (After vegas, no lifting)
10/26: 145.1 (I lifted yesterday so tomorrow is likely to be the same or a couple ounces lower than this. This is the lowest weight I have seen in the last couple of weeks)
Vegas: 9/21-9/24
Flat on my back sick with lower cals (2200) because of no workouts: 9/24-9/29
Work conference: 10/7-10/9 Ate and drank A LOT and didn't work out. Food was "fancy" and unlabeled. Impossible to log.
Every other period was logged properly, and had 4-6 workouts a week, with more calories eaten with more workouts just like when I was cutting successfully at 500 fewer calories a day.
Thanks again!0 -
I thought gaining weight would be easier than this lol.0
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I am going to write a fuller response a bit later...but you are not alone. I ended up maintaining on 2,500 calories, yet my 'usual' maintenance is about 2,100. Adaptive thermogenics works both ways and water weight screws with things.0
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tagging as I am getting ready for my first bulk0
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I've decided to bump my calories by 100 a day, until/unless I hear from one of you. I will also keep weighing my food when possible, and I'm going to keep a record of my daily weigh-ins so that I have a better idea of trends.
Last week I did really well and still lost compared to the week before:
3 cals under for the week (2199 avg). 36C/38F/26P. Avg protein 143g/day. Down 0.4lbs from beginning of "bulk"
Same weight each morning Sat/Sun/Mon0
