12 week bulk results

likitisplit

Nice job. You ate in the zone. Definitely possible to recomp. The nerd fitness creator did a recomp during his plp workouts.

I guess what I was taught before (low maintenance + lifting) wasn't really a recomp. You actually need to be slightly above maintenance?

MagnumBurrito

Nice job. You ate in the zone. Definitely possible to recomp. The nerd fitness creator did a recomp during his plp workouts.

I guess what I was taught before (low maintenance + lifting) wasn't really a recomp. You actually need to be slightly above maintenance?

Yep. It's the zone where you could gain more muscle but don't because you're not eating enough. It's perfect for ppl who still have some fat to lose but are willing to do it at a slower pace in the beginning. Once you put on some slabs of muscle, the fat will melt away.

likitisplit

Nice job. You ate in the zone. Definitely possible to recomp. The nerd fitness creator did a recomp during his plp workouts.

I guess what I was taught before (low maintenance + lifting) wasn't really a recomp. You actually need to be slightly above maintenance?

Yep. It's the zone where you could gain more muscle but don't because you're not eating enough. It's perfect for ppl who still have some fat to lose but are willing to do it at a slower pace in the beginning. Once you put on some slabs of muscle, the fat will melt away.

If you were me, would you keep doing this, or would you drop 3-5 pounds first?

MrGonzo05

It is possible to recomp. If you're happy with your progress, stay the course.

likitisplit

That's the thing. I have scale issues, the way many women do. While I theoretically want to mass loads of muscles, the reality is that I worry about getting fat.

My waist has increased by almost an inch and it's already bigger than the recommended 30"

When I told the guy doing the assessment my goals, he asked me why I wanted to build muscle before losing fat. And that was after he saw my results.

So, while I'm happy with many of the changes that I'm seeing, I'm not confident that continuing down that path will result in the lean strength that I desire.

__freckles__

I'd hate to do an actual bulk if a "recomp" was that hard, though.

I now know that I can eat more than I did at maintenance without gaining a lot of fat, so that's a plus. I think what I'm going to do is drop these extra few pounds and then try this again for longer. I'll have a chance to see what the longer term results are next February.

Why waste your time? Why not do a traditional bulk/cut cycle while counting calories? If you're going to put in all the work at the gym, why not just track to ensure you're building muscle during bulking and then losing fat during the cut?

likitisplit

I'd hate to do an actual bulk if a "recomp" was that hard, though.

I now know that I can eat more than I did at maintenance without gaining a lot of fat, so that's a plus. I think what I'm going to do is drop these extra few pounds and then try this again for longer. I'll have a chance to see what the longer term results are next February.

Why waste your time? Why not do a traditional bulk/cut cycle while counting calories? If you're going to put in all the work at the gym, why not just track to ensure you're building muscle during bulking and then losing fat during the cut?

Because I was already eating until I was sick of food.

I'm not sure that I AM putting in the work to justify a more aggressive bulk and, if I'm going to have to start weighing my food to see serious results, it makes me question whether I have the time to become that committed.

I mean, how much more muscle could I hope to gain over 12 weeks? Would it be worth the effort?

These were some of the questions I hoped to answer by taking a casual approach with clear beginning and end measurements. Instead, I've ended up with less clarity and more questions.

I really appreciate the help you all are giving me with sorting all this out.

__freckles__

That's the thing. I have scale issues, the way many women do. While I theoretically want to mass loads of muscles, the reality is that I worry about getting fat.

My waist has increased by almost an inch and it's already bigger than the recommended 30"

When I told the guy doing the assessment my goals, he asked me why I wanted to build muscle before losing fat. And that was after he saw my results.

So, while I'm happy with many of the changes that I'm seeing, I'm not confident that continuing down that path will result in the lean strength that I desire.

Bulking is a mental mind *kitten*. But it's hard enough for women to build muscle so it's the most effective way from what I've read/heard from other women who've done it. I'm on week 13 of my first bulk. Going to wrap it up in about 3 weeks and then start cutting. I never counted calories until I started bulking. I absolutely hate counting calories as I've come to learn. But I'm doing it because, as I alluded to in my post above, I don't want to waste my time. It's the only way to ensure I'm eating at a surplus. Yes, you are going to feel fat and fluffy if you chose to bulk. But you gotta keep your eye on the end game.

JoRocka

I'd hate to do an actual bulk if a "recomp" was that hard, though.

I now know that I can eat more than I did at maintenance without gaining a lot of fat, so that's a plus. I think what I'm going to do is drop these extra few pounds and then try this again for longer. I'll have a chance to see what the longer term results are next February.

Why waste your time? Why not do a traditional bulk/cut cycle while counting calories? If you're going to put in all the work at the gym, why not just track to ensure you're building muscle during bulking and then losing fat during the cut?

Because I was already eating until I was sick of food.

I'm not sure that I AM putting in the work to justify a more aggressive bulk and, if I'm going to have to start weighing my food to see serious results, it makes me question whether I have the time to become that committed.

I mean, how much more muscle could I hope to gain over 12 weeks? Would it be worth the effort?

These were some of the questions I hoped to answer by taking a casual approach with clear beginning and end measurements. Instead, I've ended up with less clarity and more questions.

I really appreciate the help you all are giving me with sorting all this out.

it's more data. Really- especially for you at this stage it seems.

Bulking IS hard. You must be very confident to bulk. I have as healthy of a realtionship with food- my weight and my scale numbers as one can be- do I have down days? sure- but as a whole- when I'm working out I'm wildly happy with myself- I usually only get mopy when I miss a week of work and my invisible squishy body image happens.... that being said- my birthday was mid bulk- (YAY CAKE!!!!) but he told me to wear something I could get dirty- so I dutiully grabbed my then "fat" jeans- which has since become my skinny jeans- they weren't excessively tight- but tight enough that sitting down for anything more than 30 minutes in a relaxed (like the car) posittion made me want to stand up. I was so upset I made him stop on the way to dinner at Target so I could buy more pants.

Needless to say when I couldn't find any because they didn't have my size- it was hard to walk into the brazillian all you can eat meat place we went for dinner.

After another stop- we came home and he got me not one- not two but THREE birthday cakes. yeah- I turned thirty and I cried like a little girl whose my little pony wound up in the disposal. it was BAD.

you feel fat- you are miserable- but you are torn because you're lfits go up, you aren't constantly hungry- you have loads of energy and you are a rock star at your gym. And also the fact you have to invest in almost a whole new wardrobe for clothing.

Bulking is mentally extremely difficult- coming home EVERY day knowing you must force yourself to eat. It's easy to sabotage yourself and under eat or short yourself on accident promising yourself you'll make it up.

Let's add in the epic grief people give you when you as a woman who have been busting your butt so hard say you want to GAIN weight- either they freak out and think you're going to turn into Larissa or they think you are just going to be one of those obese Olympic power lifters.

Really I do not think it's a waste of time- I think in 12 weeks if you really bulked down- you could see some good results- that's 3 months- you could put on 5-7 pounds. At the very VERY least- you would learn about REALLY feeding yourself and what you needed.

Also- don't worry about stuffying your face- that's hard. Oreo's and ice cream my friend. oreo's and ice cream.

this was my fairwell bulk "meal" at the end of the bulk- this is 975 calories. And less than a full sunday at Friendly's (PS their hunka chunka pb and fudge is 1770 calories- although I think I' mthe only one I know who can actually stomach the whole thing LOL)
I think there are 4-6 oreo's and then several scoops of mint ice cream.




Ultimately it's what you want to do- it's summer time- it's harder to bulk in the summer- esp for womeinzzez-if you would rather be lean for the summer- then start cutting but if you are on your way- and you are feeling up to-and want MOAR push on and get a little more aggressive and see what happens. the only way you can know is by doing. The steps themselves are very simple- surplus of food + solid progressive lifting program = the gainz.. There is no right answer- sometimes you just gotta dive in and do the things!!!

the mental mind games and non linear aspect is what's difficult.

DavPul

umm.......wut?

likitisplit

Thank you all for getting my head in the right place!

Yes. A bulk is what I *want* to do. In November. And if sheer persuasiveness were an issue, I'd start tomorrow, Jo.

My one hesitation is my awareness of the effort it will take - when I look at all the claims on my time and attention, it's hard to see how to fit it in. I've got a few months to figure out the mechanics, though.

My admiration for what you all do has increased tremendously in the past 24 hours. this isn't easy stuff.

MagnumBurrito

Nice job. You ate in the zone. Definitely possible to recomp. The nerd fitness creator did a recomp during his plp workouts.

I guess what I was taught before (low maintenance + lifting) wasn't really a recomp. You actually need to be slightly above maintenance?

Yep. It's the zone where you could gain more muscle but don't because you're not eating enough. It's perfect for ppl who still have some fat to lose but are willing to do it at a slower pace in the beginning. Once you put on some slabs of muscle, the fat will melt away.

If you were me, would you keep doing this, or would you drop 3-5 pounds first?

If I was you, I'd drop the BF% down first. I'm not sure what maintenance is for you, but I'd go under by about 200 calories / day while still doing Convict Conditioning. I'd drop the running, except maybe 15 minutes twice a week if I really had the urge. Get my lean muscle mass in protein / day. Fat would fly off why you preserve all your muscle mass.

likitisplit

Nice job. You ate in the zone. Definitely possible to recomp. The nerd fitness creator did a recomp during his plp workouts.

I guess what I was taught before (low maintenance + lifting) wasn't really a recomp. You actually need to be slightly above maintenance?

Yep. It's the zone where you could gain more muscle but don't because you're not eating enough. It's perfect for ppl who still have some fat to lose but are willing to do it at a slower pace in the beginning. Once you put on some slabs of muscle, the fat will melt away.

If you were me, would you keep doing this, or would you drop 3-5 pounds first?

If I was you, I'd drop the BF% down first. I'm not sure what maintenance is for you, but I'd go under by about 200 calories / day while still doing Convict Conditioning. I'd drop the running, except maybe 15 minutes twice a week if I really had the urge. Get my lean muscle mass in protein / day. Fat would fly off why you preserve all your muscle mass.

Thank you! That's pretty much what I was planning on doing. Except for stopping the running. I mean...it's summer.

MagnumBurrito

Nice job. You ate in the zone. Definitely possible to recomp. The nerd fitness creator did a recomp during his plp workouts.

I guess what I was taught before (low maintenance + lifting) wasn't really a recomp. You actually need to be slightly above maintenance?

Yep. It's the zone where you could gain more muscle but don't because you're not eating enough. It's perfect for ppl who still have some fat to lose but are willing to do it at a slower pace in the beginning. Once you put on some slabs of muscle, the fat will melt away.

If you were me, would you keep doing this, or would you drop 3-5 pounds first?

If I was you, I'd drop the BF% down first. I'm not sure what maintenance is for you, but I'd go under by about 200 calories / day while still doing Convict Conditioning. I'd drop the running, except maybe 15 minutes twice a week if I really had the urge. Get my lean muscle mass in protein / day. Fat would fly off why you preserve all your muscle mass.

Thank you! That's pretty much what I was planning on doing. Except for stopping the running. I mean...it's summer.

Np, good luck

Will_Thrust_For_Candy

Recomp is entirely possible....I have stayed pretty much the same weight (fluctuate about 5lbs) for, gosh, I would say about one year now, but I look quite different. Has it been intentional? Somewhat. Most of the time I think I have been in a deficit, but the scale says otherwise. Meh, I have worked on my relationship with that bish and I'm really more concerned with how I look now.

What exactly are your goals?

If I recall correctly from some of your other posts, you are an avid runner? Is this correct?

I cycle through running and lifting. It is very hard to do both well. When I run (right now I'm half marathon training), I lift 2x/week (I follow Strong Curves). When I lift, it's 4x/week and then I run maybe twice.

If it's your body composition that you are interested in changing....you want to show more muscle, appear more defined, then the strength component is critical. Ensure you are following a solid plan (Convict Conditioning is a great program). Ensure you are using progressive overload. Also, if this was your first go around at seriously devoting some time to strength training, your results are possible.

As DavPul mentioned though, without accurately tracking your intake it will be challenging to change your intake to manipulate your results. I would suggest a bit higher protein while lifting, but that's just me.

Good luck

jofjltncb6

umm.......wut?

^this

likitisplit

Recomp is entirely possible....I have stayed pretty much the same weight (fluctuate about 5lbs) for, gosh, I would say about one year now, but I look quite different. Has it been intentional? Somewhat. Most of the time I think I have been in a deficit, but the scale says otherwise. Meh, I have worked on my relationship with that bish and I'm really more concerned with how I look now.

What exactly are your goals?

If I recall correctly from some of your other posts, you are an avid runner? Is this correct?

I cycle through running and lifting. It is very hard to do both well. When I run (right now I'm half marathon training), I lift 2x/week (I follow Strong Curves). When I lift, it's 4x/week and then I run maybe twice.

If it's your body composition that you are interested in changing....you want to show more muscle, appear more defined, then the strength component is critical. Ensure you are following a solid plan (Convict Conditioning is a great program). Ensure you are using progressive overload. Also, if this was your first go around at seriously devoting some time to strength training, your results are possible.

As DavPul mentioned though, without accurately tracking your intake it will be challenging to change your intake to manipulate your results. I would suggest a bit higher protein while lifting, but that's just me.

Good luck

I'm a beginning runner and really enjoy it. I've got limited time, so I'm not going to be able to go beyond the half-marathon distance until the kids are older. I will be running less in the winter because of the dark, etc, so it makes more sense to bulk then.

I've been strength training on and off for maybe the last 15 years. I did NROL4W last year, but gave up during the training for my first half marathon (and then got sick after the race and lost 4 pounds of lean mass). I've never had great results from strength training. I mean, I become slightly stronger and slightly more defined, but not a lot more than I've done during this "recomp."

Even if I end up doing a bulk this just once, I want to see how much I can accomplish by three-four months of focused effort.

So, yes, I want the strength and definition. But, to get a little touchy-feely, my real goal is to uncover my capacity.

JoRocka

holy hell- I am not allowed to post at night with no food- that's worse than no coffee.

I can't.

I failed at the internet.

sorry.

AliceDark

I've been strength training on and off for maybe the last 15 years. I did NROL4W last year, but gave up during the training for my first half marathon (and then got sick after the race and lost 4 pounds of lean mass). I've never had great results from strength training. I mean, I become slightly stronger and slightly more defined, but not a lot more than I've done during this "recomp."

Even if I end up doing a bulk this just once, I want to see how much I can accomplish by three-four months of focused effort.

So, yes, I want the strength and definition. But, to get a little touchy-feely, my real goal is to uncover my capacity.

I was in the same boat before I started bulking this year. I love lifting, but I'd been spinning my wheels for a couple of years because I was still eating at a crazy deficit. I had no idea how much my lifts were going to improve, and how quickly, just by adding extra food.

The one thing I wish I had done differently was to take more time to stabilize before I started trying to bulk. It literally took me almost two months to get my intake figured out and to get my weight stabilized, so while I intended to start in December, I didn't really start until around mid-January. (I'm a "leap and the net will appear" kind of girl, so I was happy just to jump in with both feet, but in retrospect it was really inefficient to do it that way).

If you know you want to bulk in November, I'd take the time until then to get your logging dialed in and try to lose maybe 3-5 pounds before then. It sounds like you found your maintenence range, so cutting a small amount from that shouldn't be that bad. I don't weigh my food either, btw. It works for me to go more slowly and not trigger my stupid food issues, but if I really wanted to maximize my gains (or losses) in the shortest amount of time, I might consider it.

DavPul

holy hell- I am not allowed to post at night with no food- that's worse than no coffee.

I can't.

I failed at the internet.

sorry.