Baby's First Bulk--Guidance?
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Trying to summarize my thoughts:
1) I think you should get your lifts up before bulking. I would suggest that you do that by doing a beginner focused routine. However, it is not a disaster if you want to stick with 5/3/1 - it will just not be optimal. Doing what you enjoy goes a long way. A 2 day push/pull or upper/lower split may be a good compromise. You should pick a program that has solid strength fundamentals as well as hypertrophy range lifts.
2) Take the time to find your maintenance. You may well find that you have to keep upping calories as your activity naturally goes up.
3) Don't get caught up in how much muscle you are gaining - it will not be enough to quantify and water weight screws with it anyway. However, if you eat enough and get enough training in doing a reasonable routine you will make muscle gains (as well as strength gains).
4) Make sure you make the most of your bulk. Get enough sleep and recovery. My bulk was not as successful as I would have liked due to injury about half way in, so try to minimize the risk of this.
5) At the end of the day, whether the timing, routine, or reverse is optimal - unless you do something idiotic, then you will be making gains. Enjoy it...as cutting after being spoilt on a bulk sucks
(well, except the getting leaner part). 0 -
Tagging to read through later.0
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Looking at your intake - what is your gross calories when you lose about 1lb a week?
How long have you been at a deficit? Could you describe your weigh loss history. The reason I am asking is that upping calories by 100 a week may be a little quick. Also, I would suggest longer than 2 weeks at maintenance. One of the thinks I would do (and am doing differently) is to sit at maintenance for longer than the 2 weeks that I did. It is really hard to assess maintenance due to AT and water/food weight fluctuations, so taking more time to get a better idea is a good approach. Also, changing your lifting routine will impact it.
Gross calories vary, but it's about 1450 net. Gross is more like 1650 4 days per week and 1450 3 days per week, so an average of about 1564 gross/week.
I have been at a deficit off and on for 13 months. It has not been consistent. I do about 2 months at a deficit and one month at maintenance.
That water weight fluctuations and such did seem to affect your ability to assess your own bulk, so I definitely see the wisdom in maintaining for longer than 2 weeks.0 -
Trying to summarize my thoughts:
1) I think you should get your lifts up before bulking. I would suggest that you do that by doing a beginner focused routine. However, it is not a disaster if you want to stick with 5/3/1 - it will just not be optimal. Doing what you enjoy goes a long way. A 2 day push/pull or upper/lower split may be a good compromise. You should pick a program that has solid strength fundamentals as well as hypertrophy range lifts.
2) Take the time to find your maintenance. You may well find that you have to keep upping calories as your activity naturally goes up.
3) Don't get caught up in how much muscle you are gaining - it will not be enough to quantify and water weight screws with it anyway. However, if you eat enough and get enough training in doing a reasonable routine you will make muscle gains (as well as strength gains).
4) Make sure you make the most of your bulk. Get enough sleep and recovery. My bulk was not as successful as I would have liked due to injury about half way in, so try to minimize the risk of this.
5) At the end of the day, whether the timing, routine, or reverse is optimal - unless you do something idiotic, then you will be making gains. Enjoy it...as cutting after being spoilt on a bulk sucks (well, except the getting leaner part).
Thanks so much for your advice, Sara.
I will spend the rest of the year finding and sitting and maintenance and gaining my strength back.
Should I wait to bulk until I have regained my strength equal to what it was previously, or until I have surpassed it? I'm hoping that in January I can bulk, that way I can still be within the one-year time frame and take advantage of the increased possibility for gains.
As for program, I am open to other programs, especially if they will help me increase my strength quickly so I can get back to 5/3/1. I enjoy lifting enough that doing something else won't put me off it. What do you suggest as far as names of beginner programs go? I'm most familiar with StrongLifts, 5/3/1, and NROLFW, but SL is only strength, no hypertrophy, NROLFW is almost entirely endurance and hypertrophy, and 5/3/1 is...well..5/3/1.0 -
Wendler has a suggested routine when returning from injury. It is basically doing sets of 5 but using the 5/3/1 percentages each week to progress. He also suggests this for beginners. You can keep the flexibility of adding assists based on goals but still get the foundations in. However, this, as most of 5/3/1 does, has a strong focus on strength and the assists need to be incorporated intelligently to make the most of hypertrophy goals - which should include hitting each muscle group more than once a week.
I like this. Thank you. I'll play around with it, design a program, and run it by you for feedback.0 -
Tagging this.0
