Does this sound reasonable?
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LiveMore101
Posts: 84 Member
All right! So, I am FREAKING out because I just want to make sure I do things correctly... I mean, I know there's going to be trial and error, but I'd like to be as SPOT ON as possible! 
Anyways, here goes. Tell me if this sounds good, looks manageable, or is TOTALLY ridiculous! :
Current Stats:
Weight: 101 LBS.
Height: 5"1 1/2.
Body Fat % (estimated): 15.
Goal Stats:
Weight: 107-8 LBS.
Body Fat %: 15.
Bulk Period:
June (2014) - February (2015).
Goal Gains for Bulk:
6-7 LBS of muscle.
No more than 5 LBS of fat.
Cut Period:
March (2015) - July (2015).
Exercise/Lifting Schedule:
4 Days of Lifting with an Upper/Lower Body Split.
2 Days of light cardio or HIIT.
Maintenance Calories:
1600-1800.
(Increase by 100 calories starting in June, every two weeks, until I hit 2,000-2,200).
Muscle Gain/Week:
.25 LBS.
Muscle Gain/Per Month:
1 LB. (I'm a newbie, obviously, so this MIGHT be more possible).
Starting Weight for (some) Movements:
Bench Press - The bar.
Deadlift - 25-30 LBS.
Squats - 20 LBS.
Lunges - 20-40 LBS.
Military Press and Rows - 15-20 LBS.
(Then increase by 5-10 pounds each month?)
So, YEAH! A TON of information, but I am just SO lost and I need to make sure that the stuff that I'm thinking of doing will give me good results. I've talked to a lot of people and have gotten many suggestions and advice, but after given all the details and creating a plan for myself, I just would like to send it out to others who have bulked successfully and if this sounds ANYTHING close to right!
Thanks!
PM me if you want/can! I'd LOVE to have more tips and pointers!
Anyways, here goes. Tell me if this sounds good, looks manageable, or is TOTALLY ridiculous! :Current Stats:
Weight: 101 LBS.
Height: 5"1 1/2.
Body Fat % (estimated): 15.
Goal Stats:
Weight: 107-8 LBS.
Body Fat %: 15.
Bulk Period:
June (2014) - February (2015).
Goal Gains for Bulk:
6-7 LBS of muscle.
No more than 5 LBS of fat.
Cut Period:
March (2015) - July (2015).
Exercise/Lifting Schedule:
4 Days of Lifting with an Upper/Lower Body Split.
2 Days of light cardio or HIIT.
Maintenance Calories:
1600-1800.
(Increase by 100 calories starting in June, every two weeks, until I hit 2,000-2,200).
Muscle Gain/Week:
.25 LBS.
Muscle Gain/Per Month:
1 LB. (I'm a newbie, obviously, so this MIGHT be more possible).
Starting Weight for (some) Movements:
Bench Press - The bar.
Deadlift - 25-30 LBS.
Squats - 20 LBS.
Lunges - 20-40 LBS.
Military Press and Rows - 15-20 LBS.
(Then increase by 5-10 pounds each month?)
So, YEAH! A TON of information, but I am just SO lost and I need to make sure that the stuff that I'm thinking of doing will give me good results. I've talked to a lot of people and have gotten many suggestions and advice, but after given all the details and creating a plan for myself, I just would like to send it out to others who have bulked successfully and if this sounds ANYTHING close to right!
Thanks!
PM me if you want/can! I'd LOVE to have more tips and pointers!
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Replies
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I think you could probably start higher on some of those lifting numbers… it's very much dependent on how comfortable you feel, but for deadlifting especially, you'd be surprised how strong you probably are! I personally also increase weights as soon as I can finish all my sets at a certain weight with good form, not on a set time schedule.0
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Relax. Seriously.
Relax- this is a long time consuming process.
It is impossible to manipulate your body precisely- weight gain and loss isn't linear so you will not be able to regulate it to the Nth degree- and it requires faith that you trust the numbers worked out- and since it's a time consuming process- if it's not working you just adjust. you are not loss- you seem to have a good idea.
I would skip the add 100 every two weeks bit. That's just a waste of time.
If you know maintenance is 1700 roughly- jump up to 2200 and stay there for a month.
Give up on the idea of 5 pounds of fat gain and 6-7 pounds of muscle. Under ideal conditions you might get a 1:1 ratio.
you WILL gain fat- and you WILL see a jump in your weight the first week or two- usually upwards of 5=7 pounds- mine jumped and stayed for almost a month. I had to up again quickly.
Most people under estimate their body's ability to adapt and start with a calorie surplus so small it gets morphed into maintenance. And waste 2-4 weeks thinking they are at surplus- and they are at maintenance.
You're target goal for surplus is a moving target it- meaning as you gain- it also goes up because your metabolism speeds up- and it's also not a fixed point- it's a band, not a line.
You can do it- dont' freak out- really you just have to trust your numbers and go for it.
Buy stretchy pants and skirts
Tape yourself- the scale is a mediocre reflection of your gain.
buy stretchy pants
tell someone supportive what you are doing and ask them to not freak out and question you but just support you.
Did I mention buying stretchy pants yet? Put your jeans away. seriously- just go ahead and stop wearing them.
(running joke now with my BF- so you're cutting now? you're going to complain about being hungry all the time aren't you??
So next winter when you bulk again you're going to complain about being fat all winter? )
He's got it down LOL
Give yourself a time frame- like 4-6 months. At minimum HIT the min window- that way you don't freak out and quit too soon.
And just trust the numbers. You can do it- but you can't over manipulate- it doesn't work that way.0 -
Relax. Seriously.
Relax- this is a long time consuming process.
It is impossible to manipulate your body precisely- weight gain and loss isn't linear so you will not be able to regulate it to the Nth degree- and it requires faith that you trust the numbers worked out- and since it's a time consuming process- if it's not working you just adjust. you are not loss- you seem to have a good idea.
I would skip the add 100 every two weeks bit. That's just a waste of time.
If you know maintenance is 1700 roughly- jump up to 2200 and stay there for a month.
Give up on the idea of 5 pounds of fat gain and 6-7 pounds of muscle. Under ideal conditions you might get a 1:1 ratio.
you WILL gain fat- and you WILL see a jump in your weight the first week or two- usually upwards of 5=7 pounds- mine jumped and stayed for almost a month. I had to up again quickly.
Most people under estimate their body's ability to adapt and start with a calorie surplus so small it gets morphed into maintenance. And waste 2-4 weeks thinking they are at surplus- and they are at maintenance.
You're target goal for surplus is a moving target it- meaning as you gain- it also goes up because your metabolism speeds up- and it's also not a fixed point- it's a band, not a line.
You can do it- dont' freak out- really you just have to trust your numbers and go for it.
Buy stretchy pants and skirts
Tape yourself- the scale is a mediocre reflection of your gain.
buy stretchy pants
tell someone supportive what you are doing and ask them to not freak out and question you but just support you.
Did I mention buying stretchy pants yet? Put your jeans away. seriously- just go ahead and stop wearing them.
(running joke now with my BF- so you're cutting now? you're going to complain about being hungry all the time aren't you??
So next winter when you bulk again you're going to complain about being fat all winter? )
He's got it down LOL
Give yourself a time frame- like 4-6 months. At minimum HIT the min window- that way you don't freak out and quit too soon.
And just trust the numbers. You can do it- but you can't over manipulate- it doesn't work that way.
This.0 -
Hi! I also agree with what's been said. I'm fairly new to bulking myself- really committed in January of this year. I really just had to put my worries about getting fat aside and just do it. Because you will get fatter to some degree. But you'll also get much stronger and you'll be able to actually put on real muscle.
I agree with what's been said about abandoning the 'add 100 calories every 2 weeks.' It's good that you're committed to increasing your calories (because that's really important), but it's difficult to predict how much you're going to have to increase. Just to use myself as an example, I started bulking in Jan. at 102 pounds at 1900 calories. Since that time, I've gotten up to 108 pounds and I'm currently eating 2200 calories. My goal is to gain roughly 2 lbs each month (but actually it's turned out to be less than that). So today, I'm increasing to 2300. I'm the type of person who likes to plan everything out in excruciating detail, but with something like bulking you just have to kind of 'play it by ear' and be adaptable. But that's not to say you change everything all the time- you should probably only manipulate calories & macros once a month, because you need to give it time to see how you react to a change.
Personally, I like to weigh myself every day so that I have more data points. But some people don't weigh themselves at all. You have to keep in mind that the number on the scale fluctuates a lot for many different reasons. I like to weigh myself because it helps keep me on track and moving towards my goal (because I tend to self-sabotage and think I look or feel way fatter than I actually am).
You also have to be flexible with the weight you're lifting. As others have said, I increase my reps or weight whenever I'm able to (it's not on a set schedule). I try to beat my previous session at least by a rep or 2 or a small increase in weight. It's much easier to beat PR's when I have enough calories on board.
Good luck!!0
