Started, stopped, failed, maybe didn't... now what?
whitebalance
Posts: 1,654 Member
tl;dr version: Hurt myself after the first month of what seems like a successful bulk so far, will have to deload, should I cut now or can I still make gains on a surplus, your thoughts?
Hi ladies,
I haven't been on this board more than once or twice since my introduction. My past few months have been an interesting adventure in noobitude. I use a BIA scale, which I know is notorious for inaccuracy, but it's convenient and it does usually seem to jive with what I see in the mirror. I weigh in daily and "smooth" the results using trendweight.com.
I still consider myself new to heavy lifting -- perhaps too new (or at ~24%BF, too fluffy) to really benefit from a bulk. I had my first date with the iron in late August after several months of using machines at the gym. I work out at home, without a power rack and mostly without a spot. I do the big four, 3x5, 2-3 times a week -- and then whatever else currently appeals. I don't sleep enough and there's not much I can do to change that for the next few years, so recovery seems to take me a couple days instead of the usual one day between sessions. I do eat a crapton of protein and enough fat... I don't take supplements. I'm in my 40s. I don't have time-limited goals; I just want to get better, meaning stronger and more capable overall. My profile pic is actually from the day before I started lifting free weights. I can't tell you when my TOM is, although I do still have one.
I decided to eat at a surplus in October after pinning myself under the bar a few times and getting frustrated that I seemed to be losing strength with every workout. Eating more, I progressed for 3-4 weeks. I felt better during my workouts, stopped getting pinned, and made strength gains. The scale said I was losing lean mass, though, so I thought -- Wow, I suck at bulking, I give up. Whatever, I'll just eat and lift.
Then I had to put the weights away in mid-November because of home remodeling. I immediately started gaining fat. After a couple weeks, I realized it was dumb to keep eating so much when I wasn't lifting, so I cut my calories and the fat came off.
But I rebuilt the weight room in mid-December, increased my calories (by less this time), and started ramping up again from empty bars. In 3-4 weeks, I saw strength gains. I passed my 5RM on deadlift and OHP, deepened my squat at close to 5RM, and cranked out solid bench presses within a couple pounds of 5RM. My numbers are far from amazing, but they're a long way from where I started. DL 133#, SQ 83#, BP, 55#, OHP 40#.
Then I did something stupid and hurt my back on a deadlift rep last week. I've been sidelined since then and only in the past few days have I been able to walk without looking like a two-legged camel on ankle-busting wedgie shoes. I may be cleared to lift again as early as next week, but I'll probably wait until February on that and get into the Krav Maga training I had just started first. That's going to be a big boost in cardio, and I think it will help my bench too (bench is my nemesis).
When I start lifting again, I think I should back up and re-focus on form. I'm thinking I'll go down to empty bars again, increase my reps, and work my way up into the hypertrophy range, which is probably 70-80% of my 5RM. And continue up from there. My biggest reason for this is I seem to only be good for 3-4 weeks at the strength range, before something makes me stop and take a few weeks off... and maybe I wouldn't have to do that if I backed off the weight a bit.
The thing that truly amazes me through all of this is what Trendweight tells me about my weight gain over the past month: 1.2# lean mass, 0.5# fat mass. That's, like, as perfect as if I'd actually known what I was doing -- and it's interesting to me that there are lean mass gains during the time I was flat on my back (hello, recovery?). I notice my least forgiving jeans fitting differently this month and don't care much for that, but if I'm really gaining twice as much lean mass as fat, I think I can stand to go up a size for a few more months. OTOH, a forced deload seems like a good time for a cut.
If anyone's still with me... here's where the questions start.
In terms of bulking results, does it matter whether you're in strength range or hypertrophy range?
What are the odds I can keep posting gains like this if I stay on at a surplus with more reps of lighter weights? Or could this be noob gains?
Would it make more sense to use this time (lower weight, increased cardio) to cut back down for a month or two, maybe even cut more before starting a real bulk? I don't really want to lose more weight, but would doing so temporarily be a better approach?
Am I putting too much stock in trendline measurements from an inaccurate source?
Or maybe I'm overthinking it and I should just keep bumping along in noobvana, and trust that the basic process (eat, lift, rest) will just kind of work in spite of myself?
Any thoughts appreciated... thanks!
Hi ladies,
I haven't been on this board more than once or twice since my introduction. My past few months have been an interesting adventure in noobitude. I use a BIA scale, which I know is notorious for inaccuracy, but it's convenient and it does usually seem to jive with what I see in the mirror. I weigh in daily and "smooth" the results using trendweight.com.
I still consider myself new to heavy lifting -- perhaps too new (or at ~24%BF, too fluffy) to really benefit from a bulk. I had my first date with the iron in late August after several months of using machines at the gym. I work out at home, without a power rack and mostly without a spot. I do the big four, 3x5, 2-3 times a week -- and then whatever else currently appeals. I don't sleep enough and there's not much I can do to change that for the next few years, so recovery seems to take me a couple days instead of the usual one day between sessions. I do eat a crapton of protein and enough fat... I don't take supplements. I'm in my 40s. I don't have time-limited goals; I just want to get better, meaning stronger and more capable overall. My profile pic is actually from the day before I started lifting free weights. I can't tell you when my TOM is, although I do still have one.
I decided to eat at a surplus in October after pinning myself under the bar a few times and getting frustrated that I seemed to be losing strength with every workout. Eating more, I progressed for 3-4 weeks. I felt better during my workouts, stopped getting pinned, and made strength gains. The scale said I was losing lean mass, though, so I thought -- Wow, I suck at bulking, I give up. Whatever, I'll just eat and lift.
Then I had to put the weights away in mid-November because of home remodeling. I immediately started gaining fat. After a couple weeks, I realized it was dumb to keep eating so much when I wasn't lifting, so I cut my calories and the fat came off.
But I rebuilt the weight room in mid-December, increased my calories (by less this time), and started ramping up again from empty bars. In 3-4 weeks, I saw strength gains. I passed my 5RM on deadlift and OHP, deepened my squat at close to 5RM, and cranked out solid bench presses within a couple pounds of 5RM. My numbers are far from amazing, but they're a long way from where I started. DL 133#, SQ 83#, BP, 55#, OHP 40#.
Then I did something stupid and hurt my back on a deadlift rep last week. I've been sidelined since then and only in the past few days have I been able to walk without looking like a two-legged camel on ankle-busting wedgie shoes. I may be cleared to lift again as early as next week, but I'll probably wait until February on that and get into the Krav Maga training I had just started first. That's going to be a big boost in cardio, and I think it will help my bench too (bench is my nemesis).
When I start lifting again, I think I should back up and re-focus on form. I'm thinking I'll go down to empty bars again, increase my reps, and work my way up into the hypertrophy range, which is probably 70-80% of my 5RM. And continue up from there. My biggest reason for this is I seem to only be good for 3-4 weeks at the strength range, before something makes me stop and take a few weeks off... and maybe I wouldn't have to do that if I backed off the weight a bit.
The thing that truly amazes me through all of this is what Trendweight tells me about my weight gain over the past month: 1.2# lean mass, 0.5# fat mass. That's, like, as perfect as if I'd actually known what I was doing -- and it's interesting to me that there are lean mass gains during the time I was flat on my back (hello, recovery?). I notice my least forgiving jeans fitting differently this month and don't care much for that, but if I'm really gaining twice as much lean mass as fat, I think I can stand to go up a size for a few more months. OTOH, a forced deload seems like a good time for a cut.
If anyone's still with me... here's where the questions start.
In terms of bulking results, does it matter whether you're in strength range or hypertrophy range?
What are the odds I can keep posting gains like this if I stay on at a surplus with more reps of lighter weights? Or could this be noob gains?
Would it make more sense to use this time (lower weight, increased cardio) to cut back down for a month or two, maybe even cut more before starting a real bulk? I don't really want to lose more weight, but would doing so temporarily be a better approach?
Am I putting too much stock in trendline measurements from an inaccurate source?
Or maybe I'm overthinking it and I should just keep bumping along in noobvana, and trust that the basic process (eat, lift, rest) will just kind of work in spite of myself?
Any thoughts appreciated... thanks!
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Replies
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First of all this I'm afraid:Am I putting too much stock in trendline measurements from an inaccurate source?
Your bf scale might be a little more accurate than mine, but mine is completely useless and shows a different reading every time I step on it, even if it's 5 minutes in between...
But I do think you may have gained some lean mass, which would mainly be from noob gains. But what's wrong with that?
When it comes to keep on bulking or cutting first, that is something you have to make up with yourself as once the noob gains stop there will have a whole lot more fat. Depends on whether you can live with that at your current bf% or rather cut some more before you start...
But I think making the most of your noob gains while you still got them is a good idea as you will miss them at some point.
The hypertrophy range is more geared towards giving muscle size while the strength range increases strengths (of course both come together in some ways) so it's up to your goals in what range you train. Do you want to be stronger it get bigger muscles?0 -
As far as I understand it, lifting in the hypertrophy range gives you a bigger emphasis on increasing muscle size. It is however not as black or white as the ranges imply. When lifting in the strength range you will also increase size and when lifting in the hypertrophy range you will also get stronger. It is just that the results in the ranges are more likely to be optimal for either strength or size goals.In terms of bulking results, does it matter whether you're in strength range or hypertrophy range?
Chances are these are indeed noob gains. If that is the case your progress will halt in time if you focus on more reps and lighter weights. There is nothing wrong with this perse, but it will challenge your muscles more in the respect of endurance then of size or strength. This will make it more likely to gain fat more then muscle if you keep eating a surplus.are the odds I can keep posting gains like this if I stay on at a surplus with more reps of lighter weights? Or could this be noob gains?
Instead of bulking or cutting, you could go the recomposition route for the time being. With this you would continue to lift as heavy as you body allows while eating at maintenance. Recomposition is slow and results are hit and miss, but it would allow you to heal without gaining unnessary fat or losing more weight.Would it make more sense to use this time (lower weight, increased cardio) to cut back down for a month or two, maybe even cut more before starting a real bulk? I don't really want to lose more weight, but would doing so temporarily be a better approach?
Yes, I think so. Visual differences and the way clothes fit are far more reliable then a BIA scale for BF%.Am I putting too much stock in trendline measurements from an inaccurate source?
Hope this helps!0 -
Instead of bulking or cutting, you could go the recomposition route for the time being. With this you would continue to lift as heavy as you body allows while eating at maintenance. Recomposition is slow and results are hit and miss, but it would allow you to heal without gaining unnessary fat or losing more weight.
This is exactly what I was thinking while reading this. Eat at maintenance, do your thing, and take is slow. And please stay with us and keep us updated!0 -
This sounds like a winner, thanks all. My first reaction is, "eek, recomp = strength loss!" But when I thought I was recomping before, it turned out I was quite a bit under maintenance. I think I know my sweet spot for maintenance calories now, so I'll give that a try for the next few months. Much appreciated! :drinker:Instead of bulking or cutting, you could go the recomposition route for the time being. With this you would continue to lift as heavy as you body allows while eating at maintenance. Recomposition is slow and results are hit and miss, but it would allow you to heal without gaining unnessary fat or losing more weight.
This is exactly what I was thinking while reading this. Eat at maintenance, do your thing, and take is slow. And please stay with us and keep us updated!0 -
You're welcome!0
