Photo: Results of 2 months of bulking.

iorahkwano · March 2013

11lbs gain on my 5'7" frame.... Of mostly muscle

In an effort to go from "skinny fat" to "lean & toned," I had decided to try the "Bulk & Cut" thing. This is my halfway point (End of bulk cycle, cut cycle starts tomorrow).

- I ate 2200-2400 calories, 120g protein per day
- Strong Lifts 3x a week
- Cut out all cardio.

I put on 11lbs (Went from 137 to 148), most of it appearing to be muscle. I am now 22.44% body fat. My lifting strength increased a lot, in some cases doubled (See stats below). My next step is to do the "cutting phase" where I eat normal calories again, reincorporate cardio & lose the fat I gained during the muscle bulking process. I carry all my fat on my belly (Seems to be the case again) so hopefully after the cutting phase my waist will come in & I will have abs!

Stronglifts 5 reps x 5 sets:
(175lbs) Deadlift (Starting weight 115)
(135lbs) Barbell Squat (SW 55)
(85lbs) Barbell Row (SW 65)
(80lbs) Barbell Overhead (SW 55)
(70lbs) Bench Press (SW 55)

Below is my weight loss & bulking journey so far:

Date.......weight.....bust-waist-(belly)-butt
11/05.....144lbs.....37-31-(37)-39
11/12.....142lbs.....37-31-(36.5)-39
11/19.....140lbs.....36-30-(36)-39
11/26.....140lbs.....36-30-(36)-38.5
12/03.....138lbs.....36-29.5-(35.5)-38.5
12/10.....136lbs.....36-29-(35.5)-38
********Started Strong Lifts & bulking*********
12/17.....137lbs.....36-29.5-(35.5)-38
12/24.....140lbs.....37-29.5-(35.5)-38
12/31.....140lbs.....37-29.5-(35.5)-38
01/07.....137lbs.....37--29.5-(35.5)-38
01/15.....138lbs.....37-29.5-(35.5)-38
01/21.....138lbs.....37-29.5-(35.5)-38
02/30.....141lbs.....37-30-(36)-38 ~ BF 19.73%
02/09.....141lbs.....37-30-(36)-38.5
02/26.....146lbs.....37.5-30.5-(36.5)-39
03/06.....148lbs.....38-30.5-(37)-39 ~BF 22.44%

araimond · March 2013

Awesome Job! Thanks for sharing your story, gives the rest of us who are looking to gain some "healthy" weight some serious motivation!

al369 · March 2013

Awesome! This is exactly what I'm looking to do with another 4 pounds down!

chuckles9189 · March 2013

Thank you!

iorahkwano · March 2013

Thanks! I wanted to show women that heavy lifting will not make you bulky! It'll help replace some of your fat with muscle or get some nice definition lines in the body! Even in the slight chance it bulks you up (Rare % of women), you can always eat less calories or just lift lighter to undo it. As you can see, I can bench press 70lbs, squat 135lbs & deadlift 175lbs but still I don't look "manly" or super-muscly even when flexing.

The body needs a SURPLUS of calories to make fat & muscle. You can't tell your body to only gain one or the other, but you can influence how much of it is fat by getting enough protein & lifting challenging weight.

On the other side of the spectrum, the body needs a DEFICIT of calories to lose fat AND muscle. So if you're eating only 1200 calories a day & trying to gain muscle, you're gonna have a hard time. In fact, your body might breakdown your muscles & use it for energy if carb/fat stores are low.

This is why "bulk" and "cut" are two difference phases. You have to do either, or. Surplus -or- deficit. Or at least that's my explanation in layman terms of what I've learned so far.

itsmedicinalbacon · March 2013

thank you for sharing info-wishing you continued success!

andrea464 · March 2013

Great job, and I'm sure when you're done with the second part it'll be just as awesome- already see the ab definition!

Photo: Results of 2 months of bulking.

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