Hi, count me in for bulking I've started yesterday, and I hope to gain some 6-8lb of muscle during the next year. Before that, I was focused on losing the 30lb that I had gained, and then maintained my weight for about 2 years. I think I still have some muscular potential that I have not tapped into, and I'd like some more muscle on my body. It wasn't a quick decision, but now I've set my mind to it and decided to do my first bulk ever
My stats:
1. Starting weight: 106lbs
2. Bulk goal weight: 118-120lbs
3. Maintenance calories: 1800-1830
4. Bulk calories: 1950 for the beginning, I might increase that if I see the need for it. I aim to gain 1lb per month.
5. Bulk goal duration: 12 months
6. Lifting program: I'm not following a program, instead I've designed my own workout (upper/lower split). I have quite some experience with training and my body (5 years), so I'm positive it'll work for me.

hello

have fun wit the bulk! :drinker:
and I agree with HMVOL, very nice back!

So I just noticed this sticky. Whoops - here we go. My starting weight was as of 2/2/14 when I started my bulk:

1. Starting weight: 136.9 lbs (I'm 5'8, and at this weight I got a lot of "you're too skinny" comments
2. Bulk goal weight: don't really have one. Just hoping to gain .25-.5 lb per week for as long as I can stand it
3. Maintenance calories: 2200
4. Bulk calories: 2400
5. Bulk goal duration: at least 12 weeks. Any longer will just be icing on the cake.
6. Lifting program: Was doing PHUL for the first 4 weeks. Week 5 - switched to Strong Curves.

So I just noticed this sticky. Whoops - here we go. My starting weight was as of 2/2/14 when I started my bulk:

1. Starting weight: 136.9 lbs (I'm 5'8, and at this weight I got a lot of "you're too skinny" comments
2. Bulk goal weight: don't really have one. Just hoping to gain .25-.5 lb per week for as long as I can stand it
3. Maintenance calories: 2200
4. Bulk calories: 2400
5. Bulk goal duration: at least 12 weeks. Any longer will just be icing on the cake.
6. Lifting program: Was doing PHUL for the first 4 weeks. Week 5 - switched to Strong Curves.

how are you doing on this?? been about a month right...

only 200 over seems like way not enough- esp as you start this you're body will need MORE (meaning maintenance level will rise- you might stall out)

Well as of yesterday I was 138.9. So 2 lbs in 4 weeks seems pretty solid to me. But let me know what you think. I was told a "clean" bulk was 125 calories over maintanance for a woman, so I went with 200 because I figured I might miscalculate something and being over on a bulk is always better.

Well as of yesterday I was 138.9. So 2 lbs in 4 weeks seems pretty solid to me. But let me know what you think. I was told a "clean" bulk was 125 calories over maintanance for a woman, so I went with 200 because I figured I might miscalculate something and being over on a bulk is always better.

clean just means a small surplus- there isn't a fixed number really- more of a guide line- usually I got with anything around 250 is clean - 500 is pushing dirty.

Men can get away with 500 being clean- over that starts getting dirty.

And yes- being on a bulk- being over is a little better- it's so easy to sabotage yourself LOL- I actually erred on the side of lower- knowing I was more than likely going to over eat- starting maintenance for me was 1800- so I was shooting for 400 over- and it took m e almost a month to see some changes (I think I was under estimating maintenance a hair but not by much). I started playing a little faster and looser with my calories and saw better gains to be honest.

You are shooting for 12 weeks? that's only 3 months- I would personally up it if I was you- if you were doing a longer bulk I would say go "leaner" with 2-300 calories on the bulking phase- but since it's shorter- I'd go ham. If I was doing 2-3 months- I'd personal be shooting for 5-700 over. I assume the first weight I gain isn't gain at all- it's retention/replenishment- but if you mean 2 lbs of solid gain (meaning your average has gone up and stayed up) then yes it's good- 1/2 lbs a week- solid.

But there is no right answer here- if you are happy with it- go for it- it's very trial and error. Get your lift on and use the time to enjoy LOTS of the foods you normally have to be careful with LOL

I don't know what strong curves is like for lifting- I know it's a solid- reputable program- but really-as long as you are lifting- have at it!

Thanks Jo for all the great advice. I'm definitely going to look into increasing my calories. As you said, everything is an estimate and especially this first time around it's all trial and error. I appreciate all the advice I can get. For the immediate future I think I'm going to stick with 2400 and see if my gains continue to be solid. I said 12 weeks because that's my first goal. I may end up going 4-6 months. I really have no idea. It's all up in the air. For now I'm loving the small gains I'm seeing (minus bloat!) and really loving the lifting. Thanks again - your advice means a lot.

Hai I'm new. I'm not bulking right now but just came off a 2 year-ish bulk and can't wait to get back on that game after doing a small cut to stay in my powerlifting weight class. Here are my stats from my last bulk, just by way of an intro.

1. Starting weight.
92 lbs

2. Bulk goal weight.
110 was the goal, kept going to 130 though bc YUM

3. Maintenance calories.
2700ish

4. Bulk calories.
3000 but stopped counting after a few months

5. Bulk goal duration.
2 years in reality, had planned only 6 months

6. Lifting program.
All sorts. Mostly my own. Powerlifting based in the past year including stuff like Smolov Jr for squats and bench, weird adaptations of 5x5 etc...


Would love some more friends who eat properly. Even on my cut I'm eating 2000-2400/day, and seeing anyone eat less than 2000 makes me sad

Ya I have the metabolism of an 18 yr old boy, haha. And amen to the short aggressive cuts. 2k cals hurts me, but I'm already down a bunch in just 3 weeks. I'll be done with it pretty soon so I can bulk before World Champs. Yeah, for me this is aggressive. Any lower and I'd probably be screwing my health.

I haven't yet done full Smolov but I ran Smolov Jr for bench+squat simultaneously, both with an inflated 1RM. My ego learnt many lessons from that. Was eating 3500/day just to get through it, and dropped all leg/chest accessory work. Got strong bench gains but not squats. Currently running Smolov Jr for bench, plus training legs 3x/week (1 day quad volume, 1 day heavy squats + posterior chain accessory work, 1 day heavy DL + a ****load of accessory DLs), which is going very nicely. Sorely tempted to run full Smolov in the run up to Worlds but will probably go for Coan/Phillippi DL 12 week program + stick with what I'm doing for squats/bench + keep up my other crapola bc I'm a very vain powerlifter indeed.

Ya I would not recommend Smolov Jr for anyone who is not used to training body parts multiple days per week already and handling high volume. Otherwise you will either fail to complete it or have to drop so much other training that overall you're not getting any real benefit. It's kind of ok to drop DLs if you're running it for squats (my DL increased by 10% from running it for squats despite no DL training, LOL) but you don't wanna be skipping leg day to get more benching in if you're a powerlifter/bodybuilder.

Having done squat+bench together, I'm now finding just bench to be no trouble at all. In fact I get to the end of it and am always a bit like...'that's it? Can I do chest accessory work now?' bc I'm so used to high volume that it doesn't even give me a pump any more let alone DOMS (lol DO NOT run accessory work unless you are insane, seriously) Would love to hear about it if you decide to try bc it's an amazingly effective program and so simple.

Thanks! I am more together now than previously. History of anorexia and obesity has taught me a lot about this stuff and what not to do. Finally found my groove in powerlifting and back in a good place.

Hey, I just scanned this thread and realized I met my goal! Now it's time to cut. I think if I can actually cut to what I'd like I won't be so scared of the bulk next winter.

I know I haven't actively participated in this forum, but I sure appreciate following the bulking logs. I know it's the way to go, it's just a frightening process.

Hi. *waves*

I don't know what I'm doing, honestly, but I'm here to learn and it's impolite to lurk so here I am.

My current weight is ~123

I've just started thinking about bulking so I haven't really set target weights, schedules, or macros yet. I've been recomping for about a year, first with Stronglifts and more recently with my own program based on 5/3/1.

I've got health issues, which is a concern for me. Recovery continues to be a problem. And I also run, so that's something to consider as well.

My maintenance (with running 6 miles per week) is about 1950-2000. I've been slowly increasing running distances and gradually increasing calories at the same time.

So, that's all I've got for now. Hope to learn a lot from you ladies.

Welcome!

Hi HMVOL

My BMI's pretty low - in the 1400s but I thought it was a bit low too and was hoping I'd be gradually increasing it - unfortunately, I've packed it on a lot quicker than I'd hoped (I was hoping for 0.5 lb gain a week). I've been pretty much over everyday though, so that shouldn't surprise me I did have a 0.2 drop today, so hopefully things are speeding up and I'll be able to maintain on a bit more eventually.

Got my numbers from IIFYM.com 'textbook' option and compared those to MFP suggestions which were pretty similar calorie wise.

Hi ladies. I've been silently lurking for about a month now. I feel comfortable enough to come out and say hello. I'm Toni, 42 yo, 5'6" and around 127 lbs.

I want to bulk in mid-August or early September until mid-February. My maintenance calories are 1900-2000 cals. My bulking calories are 2200-2300 cals.

I'd like to put on between 8-10 lbs which would land me at around 135-137 lbs. Although I'd be happy with five lbs. The areas I'd like to see grow would be my glutes, biceps, and back. I'm quite lean already so it will be a real mental challenge for me to see the scale go up, and my abs disappear for awhile but I'm committed to doing this.

The program I plan to follow is "The New Rules of Lifting for Life". I train myself at home. I've gotten good results doing some of the other new rules programs, and I like their structure overall.

I probably won't post again here until I start my bulk but I wanted to say that I'm inspired by all of you. I finally feel I have the confidence and knowledge to properly bulk.

*waves*

Hi all. I just joined the group today. I have gotten squinty eyes from reading the whole thread on my phone.
So my story so far. I dropped a heap of weight, reached goal, but still felt fat. I had started lifting and I liked it but I was buggering about with different programs and had no clear goals. I tried my first bulk at the end of the year but quit quite early in as I could not mentally eat above maintenance, I was not ready. I was starting to try for heavier lifts at this point. Then came Christmas and I easily put on a kilo without even trying. In Feb I decided to give it another go, I was aiming for 12 weeks. I gained about 2 kilos in 8 weeks but felt really fat and not at all strong. Also I was mentally ok with extra calories but physically struggling to eat them( trying to eat too clean I think) So I went on maintenace, a couple of weeks in I got sick, dropped 2kg in 3 days and put it back in a week. Stayed on maintenance to reset. Now this month I am trying to cut a couple of pounds for my holidays.

Long story sorry. The point being, after reading all the posts here I feel confident when I get back to try again. I was overweight for so long that I know I have problems with the "putting on weight" thing, but I know to get more muscle and be stronger I have to not be afraid to put on fat. Hopefully if I can prove to myself that I can actually get a cut phase right then I will be ready for a proper bulk at the end of June. Hopefully nice and slow and for 6 months so I can eat those Christmas calories :-)

Stats
Was 71-78k 30% bf for about 20 years up and down
Dropped to 59kg 27% bf
Currently 63kg 26% bf
Maintenance cals 1800 plus updated by fitbit eating back exercise calories
This week only set to 1240 (I had a really wild weekend to make up for)
Next week plan to be cutting around 1600 plus (I actually came here via your cut thread)
Plan to bulk around 1900 plus
Lifting 3 day split set by a pt at the gym. I have felt a real improvement in strength this time. I have been researching the stronglift 5x5 programme. Which I am seriously considering starting after holidays when I begin my bulk. But for now I have cut my reps, increased my weights, and challenged myself to increase either reps or weight each workout. So far it is working out nicely and I am really pleased to finally feel I am making some progress.

Ok ramble over. I just got really excited to find a whole bunch of ladies on the same wavelength as me. I am really happy for any input, comments or advice. My long term goal is very simply more muscle/strength, less fat, and a tummy like barbellgirl :-) Looking at where I started (a big tummy from 3 babies 2 of them where 10lbers) I realize this may not be possible, but it is my motivation.

Hi everyone! I finally decided to join the group although I'm not quite ready for my first bulk. I have friends in this group and I'm always being refrenenced information that is posted here so it's time I joined in.

My name is Steph, I'm 5'7, 150ish pounds, 23 year old female. I'm following the SL program currently white at a slight cut. I'm going to cut until about July-September. I would like to cut for a few more months because I still have a high-ish BF% (23-25%) and honestly, I'm vain and want to look the best I can in a swimsuit. Cutting is hard though so I might start maintenance or a bulk earlier. I still have some newbie gains to squeeze out so I want to take advantage of that while still losing some fat.

A quick summary of my fitness progress; Started in Jan 2013 at 180. Lost 30 pounds over 2013 but haven't made any weight progress since then. Ate at maintenance for a few months, started a body weight lifting program then moved on to weight machines at my apartment gym for a few months before starting SL. I ate a little too much during the holidays and then with my recent move so I got up to about 155. I'm hovering around 150-152 right now but I've lost some inches in the last few months.