Scale number spike when starting to bulk?

AshwinA7

I'm around 5' 7", and was 160 when I started to bulk. I'm not sure what my bf% was but after a very long 9 month cut, I lost a lot of muscle (because I didn't lift while cutting). Knowing this, my bf% was probably pretty high even after losing 60 lbs.

I started StrongLifts 2 months ago and started bulking a month ago. After posting on here that I was eating around 2300 calories (TDEE is 2000), many people said I should probably be eating more but without a strength base and coming out of such a long cut I decided to try a conservative bulk.

I've been pretty good about hitting my macros and eating enough but in the past month my weight has shot up by 10 lbs. Is it normal for my weight to increase that fast? Should I try maintenance calories for a while before bulking or does it not make a difference?

At 300 hundred calories above maintenance, I should've only gained 2.5 lbs but I weighed myself this morning and found it was 170. Now, I realize that some of it is water weight and that fat gain is always going to accompany a bulk but considering that you can only gain 2 lbs of muscle a month (when starting, at least), it seems like a really large amount of it is fat.

Have others experienced this extremely rapid spike in weight when they started bulking?

NRBreit

Yes, I gain 5-7 pounds almost immediately when I begin eating at a surplus. It's just water/glycogen.

waldo56

Yep, totally normal. Especially if you weren't eating a higher carb diet when you were losing.

I wouldn't be so sure about that 2 lbs. Your first bulk, after a lot of weight loss, you might actually gain at a rate higher than that for a month or two.

Rayman79

I agree with waldo. Having recently switched from a pretty low carb (100-150g per day) to a small surplus, I gained close to 10 lbs in the first two weeks. Some of this would have been fat as I jumped too quickly into a surplus rather than ramping up my calories in a more controlled manner, but most of it was just water/glycogen. FYI I'm only around 175lbs myself.

In your case, as you have not been lifting during your cut, I think you can aim for a higher rate of initial growth. I think you could give yourself a surplus of 1lb per week for the first 3-6 months. Just be sure to take pics and measurements so you don't start freaking out over your size gains.

If you feel like you are gaining a little too quickly and putting on a higher proportion of fat then back off to a slightly smaller surplus (eg drop 100-200 cals, depending on your starting intake).

AshwinA7

Thanks all.

Waldo -
I read a post of yours on your blog (e.g. "Starting guide to bulking). You mention in there that eating a surplus before 6 months of training and it's most likely to be fat. Or did I miss that point?

When I first started weight training (with Stronglifts), I was eating at a deficit and thought I would keep going until I hit a plateau before starting a caloric surplus. Turns out, it only took a month before I was stalling out on my lifts regularly. I lost quite a bit of muscle when I cut without lifting. It's only now that I"m eating at a surplus every day that I'm seeing gain on gain using the same program.

sculli123

Yes, I gain 5-7 pounds almost immediately when I begin eating at a surplus. It's just water/glycogen.

Yup. Happens to me if I even think about it. lol

navyrigger46

That's been my experience, I shot up 12 pounds in the first four weeks of my bulk, and that was coming off a 10 month cut. The last two weeks I have gained 1.8 and 1.6 pounds respectively, headed into week 7.

Rigger