Macros for a bulk - please help!

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13

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  • va_01
    va_01 Posts: 176 Member
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    bump?
  • Hitesc
    Hitesc Posts: 86 Member
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    www.bodybuilding.com a lot more info on that website
  • va_01
    va_01 Posts: 176 Member
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    Anyone?
  • tquill
    tquill Posts: 300 Member
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    Personally, I think your calories are too high for a bulk... and I think you should cut down lower before bulking.

    Long story short, I was 200 lbs, +20% BF and cut down to 170 lbs. From there I bulked back to 200 over 5 months.

    Now I'm cutting again.

    I'm 6' 1", 187 pounds 13.5% BF... and I regret bulking as much as I did. I'd rather cut down to 10%, then bulk to 13-14%, and repeat.

    I'd rather stay decently lean year-round and bulk and cut in shorter intervals.
  • va_01
    va_01 Posts: 176 Member
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    Personally, I think your calories are too high for a bulk... and I think you should cut down lower before bulking.

    Long story short, I was 200 lbs, +20% BF and cut down to 170 lbs. From there I bulked back to 200 over 5 months.

    Now I'm cutting again.

    I'm 6' 1", 187 pounds 13.5% BF... and I regret bulking as much as I did. I'd rather cut down to 10%, then bulk to 13-14%, and repeat.

    I'd rather stay decently lean year-round and bulk and cut in shorter intervals.

    I know that's what I would like to do too, but I feel like I am too "small" to survive a cut at this point. Also, I feel like my lifts aren't strong enough. But maybe that's just me having too much pride? I don't know.

    Did it work well for you?
  • tquill
    tquill Posts: 300 Member
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    I know that's what I would like to do too, but I feel like I am too "small" to survive a cut at this point. Also, I feel like my lifts aren't strong enough. But maybe that's just me having too much pride? I don't know.

    Did it work well for you?

    Well I'm still in the process of getting down to 10% again, but I was happier with my body at 170 (too skinny) than my bulk body at 200 (too fat).

    As for lifts... I'm not sure if you're referring to numbers, but if so... who cares? I tell my wife all the time, I'm doing this for looks, I couldn't care less if my max bench was 135... as long as I looked good. Of course, looks and strength are related... but I'm ultimately after a better looking body, not one that can out-bench or out-squat anyone in the room.

    Again, it's your choice but I probably won't ever bulk high enough again where I can't see my abs at least a little.
  • _benjammin
    _benjammin Posts: 1,224 Member
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    I looked at your other thread. Personally, I'd cut and forgot about what weight you are lifting. For me, I'd rather look good in the summer than increase my lifts. Work on form and your lifts may go up. Even if your measurements go down you'll look bigger when leaner.
  • va_01
    va_01 Posts: 176 Member
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    my worry is that I don't have enough muscle to even look good when I cut though
  • Swilla_Swole
    Swilla_Swole Posts: 333 Member
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    Are you lifting HEAVY?
  • va_01
    va_01 Posts: 176 Member
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    Yes - I am progressing using 6-10 rep schemes on different lifts
  • tquill
    tquill Posts: 300 Member
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    my worry is that I don't have enough muscle to even look good when I cut though

    Even if that's the case, when you do start bulking after a cut, you'd have a better idea of much muscle you're actually putting on.

    If you want to bulk, then go ahead. It doesn't really matter which way you go. But again, from my personal experience, I'd rather be lean with less muscle than too fat with more muscle. Just a personal preference though.
  • va_01
    va_01 Posts: 176 Member
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    how did you gauge your progress, and when to stop/start your cycles?
  • Swilla_Swole
    Swilla_Swole Posts: 333 Member
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    What do you consider HEAVY? What % of your 1RM? Also, what is your training split? How often are you training each muscle group?
  • Swilla_Swole
    Swilla_Swole Posts: 333 Member
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    Also, why do you feel the need to "bulk" (overeat) to build muscle?
  • se015
    se015 Posts: 583 Member
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    I see everyone saying eat 3,000 or 3,500 calories/day. How does someone "build" an appetite for that? I find that I can't eat more than 2500 calories a day without feeling sick. Is there a way around this??
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
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    I see everyone saying eat 3,000 or 3,500 calories/day. How does someone "build" an appetite for that? I find that I can't eat more than 2500 calories a day without feeling sick. Is there a way around this??

    Eat more caloricaly dense foods
  • markusp8e
    markusp8e Posts: 1
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    Check out LDNMUSCLE either on twitter or Facebook. They'll help. They have a bulking diet. They even have cutting diets which I'm already on. See what you think.
  • jcranston13
    jcranston13 Posts: 35
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    how did you gauge your progress, and when to stop/start your cycles?
    You decide by the mirror or having your BF% checked or both. The other thing to do is take measurements with a fabric tape, this way you can track changes that can be hard to see in the mirror. I would weigh once a week just to have an idea of your scale change. As long as you use the same scale preferably at the same time, the accuracy of the scale matters less as you can monitor change which should be accurate.
  • ccf_trainer
    ccf_trainer Posts: 86 Member
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    186 lbs, 6'2, 15% bf

    Currently taking in 3,500 calories / day on a slow bulk, but I am not seeing enough strength gain or any weight gain. Thinking next week or the week after (depending if I still see no results) to bump up my caloric intake to 3,700. How does this look for my macros?

    3,700 calories
    190g P
    123g F
    463g C


    How would you alter this? Or does this look decent?

    Your macros look fine. It really depends on what you could be consuming for your macros. What you're eating can make a difference. Example: Types of breads, how much fats you're consuming, if you're eating enough of the good carbs, etc. Keep in mind that it takes longer to bulk up, and it's a lot more challenging, than it would to actually lose weight.

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