Time to bulk?

MountainMan23

Hi all. I started loosing weigh in january of this year. I was at 202 and I'm currently 162. I'm very happy with that loss. My ultimate goal is to add muscle but i wanted to strip the fat first. My BF% is between 10-12%. You can clearly see my top 4 abs as well as my lower abs are very defined. The only fat left is right at my belly button, which my wife says I'm too picky about.

My maintenance calories are about 2600. So If i eat at maintenance on rest days and eat 250-500 calories over on training days, can i expect to keep the same amount of Lean weight while still loosing fat?

Any and all recommendations will be appreciated.

Anyone with a similar situation that has experienced success?

NRBreit

Yep, if you want to be leaner without losing any more weight, your choices are either bulk/cut or recomp. Most folks are in agreement the bulking/cutting is more effective and yields quicker results.

IMO, there's no reason to make it complicated by eating at a deficit on off days and a surplus on lifting days. It's much easier to run a consistent daily diet (with either a deficit or surplus) depending on your goals. As long as your deficit is moderate (1 lb/week) and you're lifting hard, you've done all you can do to preserve lean mass.

MountainMan23

Thanks for the response. What constitutes a recomp? like 00 cals over maintenance ? Will this allow me to stay fairly lean while gaining slowly?

NRBreit

Thanks for the response. What constitutes a recomp? like 00 cals over maintenance ? Will this allow me to stay fairly lean while gaining slowly?

A recomp would be staying at your current weight while gaining lean mass (and losing a corresponding amount of fat). Lots of heated debate on MFP on this subject, but the general concensus is that it can be done, but it is extremely slow (i.e. think years) and requires significant attention and consistency in your diet. You can add mass quicker by bulking/gainer weight, but you can't gain weight without gaining some fat along with it. So you have to 'cut' the fat by losing weight after you finish bulking.

DopeItUp

Hi all. I started loosing weigh in january of this year. I was at 202 and I'm currently 162. I'm very happy with that loss. My ultimate goal is to add muscle but i wanted to strip the fat first. My BF% is between 10-12%. You can clearly see my top 4 abs as well as my lower abs are very defined. The only fat left is right at my belly button, which my wife says I'm too picky about.

My maintenance calories are about 2600. So If i eat at maintenance on rest days and eat 250-500 calories over on training days, can i expect to keep the same amount of Lean weight while still loosing fat?

Any and all recommendations will be appreciated.

Anyone with a similar situation that has experienced success?

If you eat at maintenance on rest days and in a surplus on your training days you will gain weight. Fat and muscle both.

If you are looking to gain weight, it is generally recommended to eat in a surplus all the time. Eating in a surplus on your training days only goes so far, muscle is built when you're resting/recovering, not while you're in the gym. This is why you need extra calories on a consistent basis for a real bulk.

MyChocolateDiet

Hi all. I started loosing weigh in january of this year. I was at 202 and I'm currently 162. I'm very happy with that loss. My ultimate goal is to add muscle but i wanted to strip the fat first. My BF% is between 10-12%. You can clearly see my top 4 abs as well as my lower abs are very defined. The only fat left is right at my belly button, which my wife says I'm too picky about.

My maintenance calories are about 2600. So If i eat at maintenance on rest days and eat 250-500 calories over on training days, can i expect to keep the same amount of Lean weight while still loosing fat?

Any and all recommendations will be appreciated.

Anyone with a similar situation that has experienced success?

If you eat at maintenance on rest days and in a surplus on your training days you will gain weight. Fat and muscle both.

If you are looking to gain weight, it is generally recommended to eat in a surplus all the time. Eating in a surplus on your training days only goes so far, muscle is built when you're resting/recovering, not while you're in the gym. This is why you need extra calories on a consistent basis for a real bulk.

Wow, bulking sounds real fun.