Calories to Bulk

FrnkLft

Hi guys, I just finished a cutting regiment and now I've started eating to bulk this week. My goal isn't to eat everything in sight, I want an efficient target to minimize fat gains.

So from what I understand you want to eat 500 calories beyond what you burn each day. For instance, if I burn 2,200 calories a day including exercise, I should be eating 2,700.

For the record eating even more than sounds rediculous. I would gain needless fat even if I am building muscle.

Is this right? What do you suggest?

JenMc14

I think I'd start a little slower and gradually increase calories. Eat at maintenance for a week, let your body adjust. Add 200-300 calories over that for a couple of weeks, so where your gains go. If you're not happy with your gains, add more. Be aware, that you will gain fat along with the muscle, even if you don't eat crappy food or go way over your maintenance calories.

mryak750

as Jen said start slow....add 100 cals each week or so until you hit 500 cals...slow bulk so you dont add too much fat...look up omarlsuf on youtube...he has calculators and everything

DostThouEven

I think I'd start a little slower and gradually increase calories. Eat at maintenance for a week, let your body adjust. Add 200-300 calories over that for a couple of weeks, so where your gains go. If you're not happy with your gains, add more. Be aware, that you will gain fat along with the muscle, even if you don't eat crappy food or go way over your maintenance calories.

This is good advice. Still in the end, I bet you end up needing more than you would think

jasonp_ritzert

www.bodybuilding.com provides some good insight into eating to bulk up.

mattogusfitnessLOA

aim for 600-700 extra. make sure you get your proteins and fats exact then keep adding more and more carbs every week till you start to notice bad fat gains then lower carbs again

mustgetmuscles1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLhtjYoU9aQ

StaticEntropy

I think I'd start a little slower and gradually increase calories. Eat at maintenance for a week, let your body adjust. Add 200-300 calories over that for a couple of weeks, so where your gains go. If you're not happy with your gains, add more. Be aware, that you will gain fat along with the muscle, even if you don't eat crappy food or go way over your maintenance calories.

This. /thread

jacksonpt

As others have said... start slower and gradually increase.

Most people seem to like .5lb gain per week. It's fast enough to see some muscle gain, but not so sloppy that you pile on the fat. Obviously there is some personal preference here... if you don't mind a little extra fat in order to optimize muscle gains, then you can gain faster. If you hate/suck at cutting, then you might want to gain a little slower.

FrnkLft

I think I'd start a little slower and gradually increase calories. Eat at maintenance for a week, let your body adjust. Add 200-300 calories over that for a couple of weeks, so where your gains go. If you're not happy with your gains, add more. Be aware, that you will gain fat along with the muscle, even if you don't eat crappy food or go way over your maintenance calories.

Yeah this seems about right. TDEE at 1910 + 200 in exercise a day + 300 surplus gives about 2400 cal a day. Better steady minimal fat growth than not. I'm 5"4', gaining fat weight shows quick and looks worse.

waldo56

A pretty good % of guys that are bulking as if they are cutting, just eating more (as in watching your diet fully and hitting calorie targets) undershoot their calorie goals the first time. Often by a lot.

Strength training burns A LOT of calories. Most people will ramp up their strength training a bit, which compounds the problem. You aren't going to gain until you overcome your strength training calorie burn.

I highly doubt any guy will gain muscle mass grossing 2xxx calories.

I gain at about 0.8 lb/wk grossing about 4000 calories a day (6'1", 205). Very clean, not much fat.

FrnkLft

I lift for about 45-60min a day, doing max weight for 4-6 reps, 3 sets, about 4 exercises, 5 days a week.

I figure I burn about 200 cal per session + after burn (which I don't bother with becasue I can't quantify it).

What does your routine look like?

NRBreit

I recently bulked for 15 weeks and gained 15 pounds (165 - 180 lbs.) eating 3,000-3,100 calories per day. I used the MFP calculator for 1 lbs gain per week. I ate back my exercise calories (using the MFP calories for strength training). Worked like a charm for me.

waldo56

I lift for about 45-60min a day, doing max weight for 4-6 reps, 3 sets, about 4 exercises, 5 days a week.

I figure I burn about 200 cal per session + after burn (which I don't bother with becasue I can't quantify it).

What does your routine look like?

My best guess is that you burn closer to 500-600 calories per session (3/4 your running calorie burn in that time frame is a good approximation for hard lifting, I burn about 900 cal/hr running). Add on the afterburn effect (which gives a 10% rise in BMR or so), and a 500 calorie surplus, poof, gone.

I "lift" 4 times a week (bodyweight mostly). 2x leg days, 2x upper body days. I usually do 2 main exercises on leg days, and 4 main exercises on upper body days. Reps and sets vary though I rarely work over 10 reps or over 5 non-warmup sets per exercise. Usually takes me about an hour each day.

I also run 2x a week (nice and easy, a 2.5 mile run and a 5 mile run) and do yoga 1x a week. Weekdays I like to get out and take a 30 minute walk on my lunch break to get out of cube land. Weather permitting I also sometimes do an easy workout outside 1x a week (specifically working on doing a bar muscle-up).

waldo56

Also keep in mind, its hard to adjust exactly to a bulk. Even if I keep my daily net intake fixed, gains when bulking go in waves. I go 2-3 weeks gaining weight at a frightening pace then without warning go 2-3 weeks flatlining or even losing a little, before starting the cycle over again. Weight tends to move a lot choppier when bulking than it does when cutting.

Only adjust to long term trends, not shorter term movement. Adjusting to the short term change will only magnify the wave effect.

Instead of reevaluating too quickly, do so only on a monthly-bimonthy basis, try to stay steady otherwise.