When should I switch from maintenance to surplus?

TheTomMalone
TheTomMalone Posts: 3 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Quick background: I've lost 25+ pounds of beer belly and sedentary pudge over the past few months thanks to MFP and lots of running. I'm at the point now where my weight is as low as I want it to be (about 10% BF) and I'm ready to cut down on the cardio and put on some muscle.

I switched from caloric deficit to maintenance and I'm now entering week 3 of Stronglifts 5x5. I'm loving it so far, but these early weeks are not very challenging -- just a chance to learn good form. My question is, at what point should I switch to a surplus to build lean mass? Do I wait until I start struggling with the weights, or get ahead of it now? If I start now, with light weights, will I just add fat?

I'd like to get to the point where I do a clean bulk, maybe 250-300 calories over TDEE each day. I may be over-thinking this but I just wanted to hear the thoughts of people with good bulking experience. Thanks!

Replies

  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    I think once the weight becomes challenging makes sense, as you will not build muscle without progressively overloading your muscle. The other good part is the week you find one weight hard and move into a surplus, you may find it easy for a couple more weeks due to the increased energy.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    when you want to build muscle or get stronger.
  • _Jason_Graham_
    _Jason_Graham_ Posts: 5 Member
    You should be in a calorie surplus whenever you want to gain strength or muscle mass - you need to be eating to grow now.

    Start with 400 over TDEE on training days and try to aim for 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight.

    Good luck

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