How to gain muscle, not fat?

sheep_dog

A little history: Started my fitness journey about 2.5 months ago, at a very fat 174 lbs (I did NOT look like many people at 174, had a gut, very nice start to some man boobies, etc. lol). I started eating healthy with MFP, and doing cardio every day, riding my bike 7-10 miles.

After 2 months, I hit my goal weight (that I really just randomly made...) of 156 lbs (male, 5'9", 19 years old, btw). I have now tried to maintain that, and I have stayed EXACTLY 156.0 for the last two weeks. I went to my university gym and had a fitness assessment to find I have 17.3% body fat. My gut has definitely decreased and my man boobs are pretty much gone.

Now I'm taking the next step in my fitness journey, but i'm a bit confused/concerned. My goal is to have about 14-15% body fat, and weigh about 174 (I want to gain muscle mass, but also want to decrease body fat %).

I've learned now that I must eat at a caloric surplus to gain muscle. I will soon be starting the "big man on campus" routine from bodybuilding. It has me eating about 2730 calories a day. I'm scared to death (and people would tell me it would happen..) that when I start to eat more, and work out, I'll bulk up with muscle but also put on some fat. Is this just destined to happen, should I just accept it? If so, do I go through the 3 month routine, and then do a "cutting" phase, or what?

If so, after the 3 months and I"ve bulked on some muscle and some fat with it, what do I do then to cut my Bf% without losing the muscles I worked so hard to make? Thanks!

FullOfWin

Well first off the higher your bf% the faster you put on fat. It might seem daunting, but it would be best to drop to 10% first. At that point you could eat at just 300 over maintenance and do the routine linked below.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=147447933

meshashesha2012

when you bulk there is some fat that comes along with the muscle. this is why bodybuilders cycle between bulking and cutting phases.

when you cut, just eat at a (not too large) surplus and keep doing the weights.

i consider myself to have been on a 10 year bulking plan and now i'm in 2 year cutting phase. :laugh: the weightlifting is making sure i dont lose any LBM while i lose fat.last i checked i had only lost 10% LBM

FightingGenetics

Agree with above. You shouldn't start eating a surplus until you hit your goal BF%. Get to 10% and then start eating a small surplus. I am sorry to say but there is no way you are going to put on 20+ lbs os muscle in three months. shot for about 2lbs of muscle growth a month. PM if you have any question. I'v gained 10lbs of muscle and dropped 40lbs of fat in the last 3 months.

TheRealParisLove

If anyone can answer that question, they would be an instant millionaire. Body builders have been searching for that holy grail since the sport of bodybuilding was invented. For now, you are going to have to accept some fat gain while bulking and some lbm loss while cutting.

flechero

In your shoes (I have been there not too long ago) I would start out by only eating a very small surplus... Many people claim you can continue to drop fat % and build muscle on a slight surplus. The thought being that you will continue to burn a little fat, combined with a small surplus, will allow you to gain muscle. You can up your intake slowly- like 100-200 cal/day, every couple weeks as needed to address actual results.

My example: I'm currently eating maintenance but lifting heavy. I am slowly continuing to lose fat % and maintaining weight so there is (at least some) muscle building going on. Also eating back almost all of my exercise cals.

They say the key to cutting w/o losing muscle is to be working out (lifting heavy and taxing muscles) while on a very slight deficit so the body burns fat, and doesn't burn lean mass.

Good luck!

sheep_dog

Blah, well I suppose I'll see how things go. for some responses to particular posts:

-No I definitely was NOT planning to gain 20 lbs of muscle mass in 3 months, LOL. This is just my starting planning, the 176 lb is a very long term goal.

-For people suggesting I drop to 10% body fat before starting, it doesn't fit into my schedule sadly, as I'm doing this with a partner starting Monday. Also I hear it's easier to lower body fat percentage earlier on. My trainer at my university gym says that is so because when you have the muscle, it takes more to maintain it, and you burn more of that body fat percentage off just up keeping those muscles. So I suppose I'll be "bulking" for the next 3 months, I'll take all my measurements and do another fitness assessment to see my body fat % (I hope to god it doesn't go up too terribly much), and then I'll start trying to cut some fat off and keep the muscle I made.

Thanks for the responses, I didn't realize though that fitness would be so depressing .

FullOfWin

It's only depressing if you are impatient

wellbert

Some people have had luck gaining muscle with a ketosis-like diet without ballooning up.. There's a blog series about it with some examples (including the author's success with it)
I can't link it though, it's extremely NSFW.

It also requires a great deal of dedication, includes 4-5 days of weight training with maximal efforts. Way more than any off-the-shelf program suggests.


I'm skeptical, but people have had results, so, I'm giving it a shot.