Need Feedback on This Bulk

GymRatGirl13

Hi guys. I have been bulking since May of this year. I did is super slow (first confirming my TDEE) and clean at first and maintained at 145 for months. I bumped my calories up from 1850 to 2150 on average. I started eating more variety, too. I was lifting 4 days a week splits while mountain biking during the summer months. On days I biked, I ate an additional 500 calories or so to make up for it. Since September, I noticed my pants are getting a little tighter in the hips and quads. My arems have lost definition and I am way softer. I feel like I am only putting fat on. I know my arms have more muscle, and my hips have filled out, but I feel like I am adding tons of fat, very quickly. My 11 year old daughter even commented, "mom, you should do a hip routine. You're butt looks huge in those pants" I was wearing yoga pants. My boyfriend says I am "bigger" but I look fantastic. I can't trust my own eyes when I look in the mirror. Ugh. I wasn't making any gains or changing at all at 1850 calories. For the past month, I have been lifting a full body compound routine 3 days a week, with 20 minutes of HIIT cardio two of my days off, and 30 minutes of steady state cardio one of my days off. I rest completely one day. I switched to the 3 day a week routine because I was starting to decline in strength doing the 4 days a week, and thought I would try a full body where I got full intensity, rather than trying to make gains on the split routine. I felt like my shoulders were breaking down in the joints and I wasn't getting enough out of one leg day a week. I have been doing this 3 day routine for a month, and have started losing strength again. What gives? I am eating at about 40% protein, 35% carbs amd 25% fats.

My question is: Is this sudden softness and tightening of the jeans a temporary thing that will eventually even out as my body changes and adds muscle, or am I overdoing my calories? Am I too carb heavy? I hesitate to drop either because I was on a low calorie and low carb diet while in my cutting mode for my last show, and have had a hard time recovering since. I want to see gains in strength and muscle mass and feel so weak when I cut out even 200 calories a day. The same applies when I cut back on carbs. Why am I losing strength in my lifts? Ideas, or similar situations?? Thanks everyone.

mrdexter1

I thought the idea was to bulk putting muscle on, and how you expect to do that magically while doing hiit and cardio is a mystery to me.
3 heavy 45 minute max weights and aiming to make regular strength improvements, plenty of rest and sleep with no hiit or cardio is one of the ways to go -- less and rest is better !

Acg67

When's the last time you took a full week or more off from working out, lifting + cardio? Did you reverse diet up to maintenance after your show?

GymRatGirl13

I did my last deload at 50% of my usual weight in September before I increased calories above maintenance. I did reverse diet for over a year. It worked great. I gained minimal body fat and added just under 20 pounds.

I thought the idea was to bulk putting muscle on, and how you expect to do that magically while doing hiit and cardio is a mystery to me.

HIIT is very effective at stimulating muscle growth because you activate fast twitch muscle fibers that otherwise wouldn't be used in lifting heavy. I do the 30 minutes of steady state cardio to "loosen up" and destress.

Acg67

I did my last deload at 50% of my usual weight in September before I increased calories above maintenance. I did reverse diet for over a year. It worked great. I gained minimal body fat and added just under 20 pounds.

Something seems off, with the increased intake and presumably at least some weight gain, your strength and recovery should not be worsening

GymRatGirl13

Something seems off, with the increased intake and presumably at least some weight gain, your strength and recovery should not be worsening

Exactly. That is why I am so confused. I finally gained 3-4 pounds since September, but like I said...seems like a significant amount of fat gain, rather than muscle. The decrease in strength also makes me think I am not gaining muscle.

Acg67

Something seems off, with the increased intake and presumably at least some weight gain, your strength and recovery should not be worsening

Exactly. That is why I am so confused. I finally gained 3-4 pounds since September, but like I said...seems like a significant amount of fat gain, rather than muscle. The decrease in strength also makes me think I am not gaining muscle.

Perhaps take a week or two off from all exercise, bump cals back down to maintenance and resume your workouts + surplus and see how you feel

GymRatGirl13

Sounds like a great idea. Thanks for the feedback. :-)

mrdexter1

[/quote]
quote.
HIIT is very effective at stimulating muscle growth because you activate fast twitch muscle fibers that otherwise wouldn't be used in lifting heavy. I do the 30 minutes of steady state cardio to "loosen up" and destress.
[/quote]

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your telling me there is a type of fast twitch muscle that doesnt get stimulated by 4 to 10 rep ten second sets with a 60% one rep max weight....
explain more, or i ll carry on believing fast twitch is fast twitch and all of it is best stimulated for growth and strength increase as above ...

GymRatGirl13

I didn't say anything about reps while weight lifting NOT stimulating muscle growth. I said that HIIT has been effective for it as well. I allow for my joints, tendons and nervous system to get a break from the stress of lifting weights, while still stimulating fast twitch fibers for possible growth, by doing HIIT cardio. Bonus....I get to stay in good cardiovascular condition for when I'm doing 30-50 mile rides in the mountains on my bike, or when I'm doing explosive movements like jumping to spike a ball during volleyball. Years ago...it was all about a certain look for me. I only lifted weights. I got ripped, shed body fat down to figure competition levels, and stood on a stage to display my year of dedication to weights and diet. Now...there is more to life than JUST looking a certain way. I want to be FIT, too. See the difference?

mrdexter1

you were talking about your months of bulking and fast twitch fibres, so i m not sure why you would now throw being fit into conversation,but you seem to have done \!!!
Now you ve mentioned you re aiming to be fit too and well aware of the difference - maybe you should make your mind up if you want to be fit or pack muscle on in bulking fashion as you ve intimated in the topic title !!

GymRatGirl13

My apologies. I didn't realize that putting muscle on now requires one to completely sacrifice fitness and overall good health. I wasn't aware that the ONLY way to do it is to pick up pieces of iron a specific amount of time. I guess I always thought that athletes had muscle AND excellent fitness levels. Now I know what to do, thanks to your CONSTRUCTIVE advice. Apparently, I have to sit on my butt 23 hours a day, not getting exercise from any form other than lifting weights a specified amount of times, and avoiding anything that may benefit my heart or endurance levels. Thanks again. :-)

mrdexter1

My apologies. I didn't realize that putting muscle on now requires one to completely sacrifice fitness and overall good health. I wasn't aware that the ONLY way to do it is to pick up pieces of iron a specific amount of time. I guess I always thought that athletes had muscle AND excellent fitness levels. Now I know what to do, thanks to your CONSTRUCTIVE advice. Apparently, I have to sit on my butt 23 hours a day, not getting exercise from any form other than lifting weights a specified amount of times, and avoiding anything that may benefit my heart or endurance levels. Thanks again. :-)

"need feedback on this bulk" - "BULK"

you know dam well what "bulk" means and no one making a genuine attempt at bulking would entertain any type of exersize of the type your talking which your right, has everything to do with fitness and not bulking.

why not just tittle the thread "need feedback on fitness" !

women !

norcal_yogi

My apologies. I didn't realize that putting muscle on now requires one to completely sacrifice fitness and overall good health. I wasn't aware that the ONLY way to do it is to pick up pieces of iron a specific amount of time. I guess I always thought that athletes had muscle AND excellent fitness levels. Now I know what to do, thanks to your CONSTRUCTIVE advice. Apparently, I have to sit on my butt 23 hours a day, not getting exercise from any form other than lifting weights a specified amount of times, and avoiding anything that may benefit my heart or endurance levels. Thanks again. :-)

"need feedback on this bulk" - "BULK"

you know dam well what "bulk" means and no one making a genuine attempt at bulking would entertain any type of exersize of the type your talking which your right, has everything to do with fitness and not bulking.

why not just tittle the thread "need feedback on fitness" !

women !

ugh...... ^

GymRatGirl13

My apologies. I didn't realize that putting muscle on now requires one to completely sacrifice fitness and overall good health. I wasn't aware that the ONLY way to do it is to pick up pieces of iron a specific amount of time. I guess I always thought that athletes had muscle AND excellent fitness levels. Now I know what to do, thanks to your CONSTRUCTIVE advice. Apparently, I have to sit on my butt 23 hours a day, not getting exercise from any form other than lifting weights a specified amount of times, and avoiding anything that may benefit my heart or endurance levels. Thanks again. :-)

"need feedback on this bulk" - "BULK"

you know dam well what "bulk" means and no one making a genuine attempt at bulking would entertain any type of exersize of the type your talking which your right, has everything to do with fitness and not bulking.

why not just tittle the thread "need feedback on fitness" !

women !

ugh...... ^

^^^ Lol. Ugh...unicorns. I obviously don't speak unicorn because he missed the intent of my question. Regardless, I had some useful feedback, which I think makes sense. I ate way above maintenance this weekend, slept in three days, took 2-4 hour naps in the day (weekend with no kids or work...awesome) and only did my usual cardio. I feel A MILLION times better. I think I was so run down from lack of sleep and didn't even realize it because I am so acclimated to going a hundred miles an hour on minimal sleep. Looking forward to seeing how my lifts are this week, then will be taking a deload week next week. :-)