Another newbie

sengalissa

I am one of the many females who are playing with the idea of bulking but are afraid - sorry!

Here is my situation - I have lost (baby) weight over the past 14 months and I am back to 128lbs at 5'4. That's not great but it was ok for me. I have been running and lifting for 7 months, and my weight loss stalled about two months ago. I got a little frustrated (and I am experienced enough to deal with plateaus!). I just felt like I would have to cut out more than I want to.
Lifting is fun and I love how it transforms my body - it contributed way more to my new body than the weight loss on the scale. So I feel lifting is the way to go, not going hungry. Also, my PR have not been moving upwards in ... maybe at least half of the time! (Or do I expect too much in terms of getting stronger? I feel stronger, but my overhead press has not gotten any better since day 10 or so.)
So after newbie gains, nothing! Which is not surprising on a 1500-1600 cal diet. It seems like 1600 is not enough to lose weight and not enough to gain muscle, and I want to go out of there!

However, I am not ready to gain. I read enough to understand that recomp is not really a smart option. A very slow bulk is what I am intending. How would I find out that that is successful? I am not ready to step on the scale and celebrate when it goes up. My mean brain would tell me it is all fat. Will my lifts get significantly better? I do not care about others but will I notice? I think I can deal with some fat if I feel that I am heading in the right direction.

I was thinking slow bulking for 2-3 months and then cutting again. I know that is a short bulk cycle. Could be longer (or shorter) depending on whether I feel a difference.

My overall goals are to get at least somewhat stronger in my core, to get defined arms, to lose some of my saddlebags (still there and look ridiculous over muscle! They got smaller in fat loss, but I would have to be extremely skinny to get rid of them, it has always been the last area to get smaller). Also, I want to increase my BMR so I can eat normal food without gaining and without being afraid of food. I want to be one of those girls who fuel their body with enough good food, look strong and totally gorgeous!

I have read a lot and I am presenting my plan after reading and reading but with zero experience of my own. I have no one to talk to about this. I am feeling alone in this, please help!

aprilricks86

Hi! I can relate to a lot of this (with the exception of losing the baby weight). I'm also trying to figure out this whole bulking thing, which is proving to be quite the mind game!! I'm also trying to lose saddle bags and probably shouldn't continue cutting. After a few weeks at maintenance, I'm attempting a slow bulk, which has so far resulted in me going crazy and eating way more than I need twice this past week!

Anyway, sorry, not much guidance to offer as I'm pretty much in the same boat, but feel free to friend me for support! And good luck!

JoRocka

Honestly I'm not sure what you're looking to gain from the kind of slow bulk I'm reading you want to do in 2-3 months.

It takes me 3 weeks to figure out if the scale even actually went up- so by the time you realize it hasn't actually moved- and make adjustments 6 weeks in- you're half way done with your bulk.

Ultimately the best thing is to try it- you may not be happy with it- but at least you tried and have new data to move on.

honestly from what I'm reading it doesn't sound like you really need to bulk- you should still be able to make significant strength gains even after your newb gains- it's just going to be slower.

I've been lifting for almost 2 decades and my bulk last november was purely about I WANT A 300 POUND DEADLIFT. Period.

But I'd made it all the way up to 285 without one. I suspect you have a lot more gas in your tank when it comes to lifting- you just have to realize you won't have the same quick linear gains.

And don't worry about OHP- mine hasn't gone up significantly in quiet some time- it's the first to stall and EVERYONE struggles with it.

See about investing in fractional plates- like 1.5 pounders.

Also see if you can schedule a session with a knowledgeable lifter to give you pointers on form- you may have some technique issues that you aren't aware of that are not huge- but significant enough to stall out your lifts.

Also don't be afraid to not have perfect form. Women often are the first to give up on pushing forward b/c they are afraid of not having 100% perfect form. It's not always going to be 100% and that's okay- if it's shakey- and not clean- sometimes you just gotta put some english on it and power through. I'm not suggesting abandon all form- but don't just quit at the first sign of a shakey knee. It's part of the game.

Bulking takes a lot of confidence in what you want and a bigger picture of a long term goal.

If you really aren't mentally ready to see weight gain- it's not going to work- it'll be counter productive for you. You really have to want it. So right now- it doesn't seem like it's a great option for you.

What you might do is tinker with your calories and just eat at maintance- and add 50-100 extra and see if that helps- it won't really be a recomp or a bulk- just give you a little extra umph to get it in.

ultimately it's up to you- but just know that trying it and seeing if you like it- or hate it- IS an option. if you don't like what's happening- you can always go back the other way!

husseycd

I can definitely relate. I'm moving forward with my bulk on Nov. 1st, but I really, really, want to cut down to 125-127 first. (I'm 5'5"). But man am I struggling with that.

My bulk will still be small. Five months, max 10 lbs. But It's what I'm comfortable with right now.

1600 sounds awfully low, btw. It's my cut amount. My maintenance calories are 2100-2200/day.

3laine75

What about a few weeks/months at maintenance? You wouldn't be gaining weight that way and you'd have a lot more energy than you do at 1600.

Like Jo said, you've probably still got some strength gains left in the tank. OHP is my worst lift too - have you tried switching up programmes or even just going slower on the OHP progression if you're still getting gains in the other lifts?

I'm all about the bulk and would usually say go for it but it can be scary seeing the scale creep up.

AliceDark

It takes me 3 weeks to figure out if the scale even actually went up- so by the time you realize it hasn't actually moved- and make adjustments 6 weeks in- you're half way done with your bulk.

This. I wasted almost two months at the beginning before I got everything dialed in and started gaining consistently. My issue was that my maintenance range was a lot bigger than I realized. It went like this: add 100 calories, wait two weeks, same weight...add another 100 calories, wait three weeks this time, same weight...etc.

JoRocka

It takes me 3 weeks to figure out if the scale even actually went up- so by the time you realize it hasn't actually moved- and make adjustments 6 weeks in- you're half way done with your bulk.

This. I wasted almost two months at the beginning before I got everything dialed in and started gaining consistently. My issue was that my maintenance range was a lot bigger than I realized. It went like this: add 100 calories, wait two weeks, same weight...add another 100 calories, wait three weeks this time, same weight...etc.

THIS- maintenance is a range- it's not an exact number- and it's why adding 50-100 calories at a time for a "slow" bulk usually is not particularly effective.

SilentDrapeRunners

If you want to build muscle, lift more, and increase your BMR, bulking is the way to go. But you have to be ready to step on the scale and see gains. Or you could just forgo weighing yourself if seeing your weight go up is bothersome. But it will be difficult to track your progress if you're not weighing in (especially if this is your first bulk). Recomping is the safer route and like the others have said, might be the best option for you, but it's just a really slow, inefficient process. I spent about a year and a half recomping, and there was some change but nothing drastic. And my lifts didn't really start to increase until I started bulking.

And yeah, like others have said, maintenance is usually a wide range, so be prepared to significantly increase your cals if you really want to see legitimate, consistent weight gains. Before I found out about bulking (and I was basically just recomping), I was eating at the LOW end of my maintenance range (didn't know it at the time). Transitioning to the high end of my maintenance range (and eventually into surplus) really made a big difference in my strength gains.