How are you doing YOUR bulk?

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Replies

  • terizius
    terizius Posts: 425 Member
    Moya, I agree 100%.. bulking is difficult for we folks that are naturally slim.. So far, I've gained about 4.5 lbs in 3 weeks, but food is no longer the pleasure that it once was. Something about stuffing your face regardless of whether or not you are hungry dampens the pleasure. I've been eating 6 boiled eggs in the morn. Today, my wife made me 6 scrambled eggs and my only thought is that it looks like so much more...
  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
    Waldo - can you clarify what you are doing between phases?

    For example, the second picture of phase 2 is dated Jan 2013 and then the first picture of phase 3 is dated August 2013.

    Are you bulking between those dates? Just curious because you actually look leaner to me.

    Thanks for the clarification and for the awesome info.

    A full bulk/cut cycle between each pic.

    I am getting both more muscular and leaner between each pic (but not at the same time, recomping is a terribly inefficient waste of time).

    After bulk #2 I cut for a very long time (relatively speaking). It is when I figured out that I was a lot fatter than I thought I was; I wanted to get rid of the last bits of gut and kept cutting and cutting and cutting. I cut from April to August after bulking from January to March. Fortunately a cut like that is something you only have to do once unless you bulk out of control.

    That is also when I figured out that cutting slow, 1 lb/wk, sucks and is not better in any way shape or form. It doesn't preserve more muscle mass or metabolism, it just increases the length of time spent cutting, and cutting while lean is torture after a while.

    Do you think you're one of these people with a good P ratio? If I cut that fast....say 1-1.5lb a week, (current128)I def lose LBM even with the protein and heavy lifting...I know because I was wobbly at 123lb. I think some people can cut faster than others without losing LBM. Maybe more males than females or perhaps people that haven't dieted much in their lives? I too believe in no longer than 6 week cuts, and therefore prefer shorter bulks cut cycles ....a la Lyle McDonald.
  • waldo56
    waldo56 Posts: 1,861 Member
    How are you measuring LBM?

    Faster cutting leads to lower carb intake which leads to lower glycogen levels. Lower glycogen levels led to lower strength, smaller muscles, and LBM loss. However the flipside is that raising your cals will increase glycogen levels (rather rapidly too), which will reverse most/all of the strength, size, and LBM loss. Real muscle gain and loss happens very slowly.

    You also have to be aware of muscle groups where body fat levels highly influence size (like legs), where size loss doesn't necessarily mean muscle mass loss.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Moya, I agree 100%.. bulking is difficult for we folks that are naturally slim.. So far, I've gained about 4.5 lbs in 3 weeks, but food is no longer the pleasure that it once was. Something about stuffing your face regardless of whether or not you are hungry dampens the pleasure. I've been eating 6 boiled eggs in the morn. Today, my wife made me 6 scrambled eggs and my only thought is that it looks like so much more...

    LOL I eat 6 scrambled eggs for breakfast all the time- I'd rather do that than 6 hard boiled eggs!!!
  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,301 Member
    bump
  • cmeiron
    cmeiron Posts: 1,599 Member
    Bumping to stalk awesome bulkers.

    I've been bulking on ~2650 (150g protein) since September, weight has gone from 128 to 140, doing 3x/week full body lifting routine, no cardio. Planned end date of this bulk (my first one) is a week and a half from now. Based on bf% estimates I've put on somewhere between 4 and 6 lbs of lbm in this time (5 months). Lyle McDonald suggests 13 lbs/yr is pretty much the max for a female (10-12 lbs/yr on average), so pretty happy with those results considering it's my first try at this!
  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,301 Member
    I'm doing my 4th bulk right now.

    Workout program is the same for all, an upper/lower split (4x a week total, 2x each) with a general intensity/volume weekly periodization, and a static/dynamic split in the upper body (virtually all my strength training work (upper and lower) is bodyweight work or loaded calisthenics). I also do some smaller workouts outside of my main workouts, easy workouts on stuff I'm working on.

    My first bulk I tried to maintain a 500 cal/day surplus (4 months)
    My 2nd bulk I tried to maintain a 500 cal/day surplus (3 months)
    My 3rd bulk I tried to maintain a 400 cal/day surplus (3 months)
    This one I'm trying to maintain a 400 cal/day surplus (2 months)

    I'm moving toward shorter bulks and increasing the intensity of my cuts so that I'm only spending 3 weeks tops each cycle between cutting and tapering out, in order to maximize time spent bulking. With longer bulks the cutting period becomes longer and it becomes infeasible to get rid of all the fat with a short super intense cut.

    Progress pics for each bulk cut cycle (progress photo is taken at the end of the cut, immediately before starting the next bulk)

    Before:
    78620f69-06e2-40d1-8cfc-a4fa15ee6fba_zps5f45d50d.jpg

    Following bulk/cut #1:
    4b04e312-6efe-4c3c-a6ec-a08df3e146f6_zps2321e77f.jpg

    Following bulk/cut #2:
    e1b69e00-753d-4dea-b3c9-28f10544012e_zps685ea46d.jpg

    Following bulk/cut #3:
    dce1f4a9-ba7e-4c40-bcaa-c45f486fad39_zps3edbcaa5.jpg


    WOH! That's Amazing!!!

    Yep, this guy is dialed in; incredible results. Jan '13 to Jan '14 4 pound difference, but the abs are so much more defined. Somebody figured it out; great results.
  • Shadowknight137
    Shadowknight137 Posts: 1,243 Member
    Been bulking for over a year now.

    Gone from 47-49kg (somewhere in that range) to now at 62.5kg. 3x a week ICF routine, no cardio, bulking on 2650 or more a day. I should be bigger, I reckon, but I think my "no cardio" doesn't count the amount of walking I do - not to mention now I have a physically active part-time job - which explains why my lifts are suffering. This means I guess I'm gonna have to add more food to what I'm eating now if I want results :/
  • GBPackerFan14
    GBPackerFan14 Posts: 55 Member
    I dirty bulked from November to January and went from 142 to about 155 but I would not recommend. Lots of fat gains along with some muscle and increased lifts but my abs are basically gone. I was eating too much junk and not really tracking macros or calories, very stupid.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    I dirty bulked from November to January and went from 142 to about 155 but I would not recommend. Lots of fat gains along with some muscle and increased lifts but my abs are basically gone. I was eating too much junk and not really tracking macros or calories, very stupid.


    I suspect that
    not really tracking. . .calories
    is a more important part of the story than
    eating too much junk
    .
  • Wooly_I_am
    Wooly_I_am Posts: 109
    Bulks need to be pretty slow to minimise fat which is what I've just started. My previous bulk was way too aggressive which obviously lead to excess fat. I then cut from 200 lb down to my current 176 lb.

    My plan now is to bulk for well over a year at a rate of around .5 lb a week. Hopefully this keeps excess fat down (I know there will be some) and slowly build strength back up which I lost from the previous cut.

    At the moment I'm experimenting with 2800 cals a day and see how I progress over the next month or so. I was cutting as low as 2000 cals a day.

    Not sure if it really matters but I'm doing a push/pull/legs routine which I've found to get the best progress and growth on.
  • GBPackerFan14
    GBPackerFan14 Posts: 55 Member
    I dirty bulked from November to January and went from 142 to about 155 but I would not recommend. Lots of fat gains along with some muscle and increased lifts but my abs are basically gone. I was eating too much junk and not really tracking macros or calories, very stupid.


    I suspect that
    not really tracking. . .calories
    is a more important part of the story than
    eating too much junk
    .

    Lol yeah, lesson learned now I am cutting :(
  • BarbellApprentice
    BarbellApprentice Posts: 486 Member
    I am venturing into my first bulk. Actually still slowly reversing up and finding my maintenance number. I have been upping the calories for a while now with no weight gain, but my strength has really jumped the last week or so..exciting.
    Shooting for about a .5 lb gain a week for about 4 months.

    I have been using 5/3/1 since Sept. Love the program and progression, so sticking with that for now. I have reduced my cardio from 2 to 1 time a week.
  • steve0820
    steve0820 Posts: 510 Member
    First "real" bulk here as well, been about 2 months. Never counted calories or anything before, Always been in relative good shape, but wanted to really improve my strength and add size. The number on the scale hasn't moved at all, currently at 177, but can certainly see a muscular difference, and huge difference on my lifts. Aiming for 0.5-1lbs, 1lbs tells me to get almost 3000 cals a day, which i normally go over (except yesterday, was a bad day)

    I design my own programs around the big lifts, lift heavy 3 days/week, day of bag work or HIIT and I also add a Calisthenics day.
  • bheathfit
    bheathfit Posts: 451 Member
    Bump
  • AndrasLOHF
    AndrasLOHF Posts: 14 Member
    This was my first real bulk(on purpose) in the 15 years I've been lifting. Always was more into gaining strength but losing weight but this last summer I got too light and wanted to put some weight back on. It was really tough to be honest. First month I didn't gain anything as I guess I was eating far under my maintenance as I am really active. I increased calories by about 250 calories a day for a week at a time until weight came on. I had to go from 2750 calories a day all the way up to 4000-4250 before the scale started to move. I do not drink my calories(short of cream/sugar in a cup of coffee or 2 a day)and ate mostly as clean as if I was cutting. I weigh and track everything I eat. Getting in all those calories as clean food was a challenge.

    All in all in 5 months I went from 175.4 lbs 11.1% bodyfat to 192 12.4% bodyfat. I weigh myself every morning on a Fitbit Aria. I know scales aren't 100% accurate and would put my bodyfat about 3% higher compared to the scales reaching a middle ground checking with calipers. The Aria does seem to give a good reference after using it for 6 months though. I really hit my legs harder than I have been able to in years due to a reoccuring back injury and put a little over 2 inches on my quads/hamstrings and about an inch on my calves. Gained about inch on my arms. Didn't get a good chest/back measurement. Did put just shy of 2 inches on my waist but I know some of that is from so much food and water in my stomach. I literally haven't been hungry once since September lmao.

    Still not ready to cut but am lowering calorie intake 500-750 caolories a day until end Feb/March to go more into a lean bulk stage. Food bill is just to high and am getting a little exhausted eating so much food for so long. My former fat self would never had thought eating would ever be a challenge lmfao. After that I'll go straight into a cut.
  • trojan_bb
    trojan_bb Posts: 699 Member
    started my bulk again last week. I've only ever cut once before, a few years ago. Now it's either bulk or maintenance while struggling to eat enough. When I'm not fully committed to bulking, I lean up pretty easily while keeping my weight steady. At least to about 7% BF which is fine as I'm not competing now and don't need to be leaner. It's frustrating though, some days I'll eat till I'm quite literally sick, and yet be 3 lbs lighter the next day

    Aiming for 5000+ Calories. I won't put on a pound if I average less than 4500.
    Workouts are Mountain Dog style, 3-6 days a week. Depends on my travel schedule.
    Intraworkout shakes which have been helping with recovery and weight gain.
    Lots of carbs! the more the merrier. 400-1000g a day.
    Not logging cals this time around, just eyeballing it and eating till I'm sick.

    Up a few lbs since last week, mostly bloat/water. Will be bulking until June, I don't anticipate going over 11-12% BF.
  • terizius
    terizius Posts: 425 Member
    Trojan - Sounds like you have it tougher than I do. I've gained about 3.5lbs so far on about 3500 calories a day (three weeks). Body fat is right around 6% (5.4 w/ calipers, 6.2 with body impedence). Just yesterday I was thinking about how food has lost is pleasure and become more of a chore.. and thats with only 3500. Good luck to you and everyone thats bulking. Keep the reports coming.
  • TheSwollMinister
    TheSwollMinister Posts: 246 Member
    Seefood diet

    ^ This. Mine has been dirty as hell.
  • trojan_bb
    trojan_bb Posts: 699 Member
    Trojan - Sounds like you have it tougher than I do. I've gained about 3.5lbs so far on about 3500 calories a day (three weeks). Body fat is right around 6% (5.4 w/ calipers, 6.2 with body impedence). Just yesterday I was thinking about how food has lost is pleasure and become more of a chore.. and thats with only 3500. Good luck to you and everyone thats bulking. Keep the reports coming.

    That's still a ton of food for your size. I'm a bit over 200 lbs. Yeah eating food is rarely a pleasure now. When I go out, I eat for pleasure. But eating food at home is just a chore and has been for a few years now.
  • terizius
    terizius Posts: 425 Member
    If I recall correctly, you used to be around my size (pretty sure you responded on my "How much do you lift - 130-160" thread.. what weight did you start at and how long did it take you to get where you are? My long term goal is only about 165 (so, 20 more lbs), since I'm actually more interested in increasing my physical performance than my physical appearance..
  • trojan_bb
    trojan_bb Posts: 699 Member
    I started at around 135-140 lbs when I was 20. 25 in a month now. I've been between 190-205 for the past 3 years. Took me about a year to hit 165 lean. Then another year to be 180's. I'm a mm under 5'11". Height makes a big difference.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member

    Well, those numbers are just endpoints of the whole cycle.

    In terms of actual bulking weight gain:

    #1: 189 -> 203
    #2: 197 -> 207
    #3: 187 -> 197
    #4: 193 -> (current, goal is 199-200)

    Since I started at a relatively higher bodyfat % (I thought it was 10% at the time but in hindsight it was more like 18%), I've had the general rule with each bulk/cut cycle that I end the cycle leaner than I began. Now that I'm at a leanness I'm pretty happy with and really only looking to fine tune a bit, my weight will start rising more consistently, though with the shorter bulk cycles I'm using, it will be a lower amount per cycle.

    IMHO there is no need to get fat while bulking and that doing so is counterproductive. Short intense cuts are far more efficient than any other means of cutting, there is less in the way of a metabolic drop, you don't get the side effects of cutting, and because of that you can hop right back into bulking with very little taper. In the end greatly compressing non-bulking time. But doing short intense cuts really only works if you have a few pounds to lose.

    you should write a book my friend
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    you should write a book my friend

    strengthunbound.com

    he has a great website (hopefully I typed that right- i can't access at work)
  • taryn_09
    taryn_09 Posts: 196 Member
    my picture shows where im at now.
    went from 88 to now 102 pounds @ 5-5
    still have about 10 to go.


    calories around 2100. but about to increase again.
    protein 190-200 g typically
    carbs -180 ish.
    fats 45-55 depending
    so kinda going on a 40/35/25 macro split.

    but might change that i like carbs for the most part, but protein seems to make me feel better.

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