First bulk...

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jollyjoe321
jollyjoe321 Posts: 529 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Hi all,

I'm just starting my first bulk, here are my stats:

Age: 18
Weight: 158lbs
Height: 5ft 9inches

I'm lifting 3 times a week as per the Starting Strength programme.
I'm a bit nervous going into this as I used to weigh 186lbs, and had always been at least a bit overweight through school etc. Recently (last year and a half) I lost a couple of stone, so I'm a bit weary of actually increasing my weight on purpose!

I'm aiming for about 2500 calories to start with to be a bit cautious, is there any advice you guys can offer?

Thanks,

Replies

  • ChangeYourPace
    ChangeYourPace Posts: 127 Member
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    I'm in a similar situation (6' 2" at 155lbs), down from nearly 200 a decade ago. The thought of intentionally gaining makes me nervous, but I want to add muscle mass. Part of me takes a little comfort in realizing that when I was at my heaviest, it was because I was eating horribly and not exercising at all. Like you, I think I'm looking for reassurance that gaining weight will be a good thing this time.

    Good luck on your journey.
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
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    Bulking can be good psychologically as it makes most people realise how much they really have to eat, and on a consistent basis, in order to gain weight.

    At your age I would imagine that you will probably need more than 2500 to bulk, but as you say, it's a starting point. From there you can increase as necessary until you reach a gradual and steady weight gain.
  • laddyboy
    laddyboy Posts: 1,565 Member
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    A recent article I read in Muscle & Fitness magazine suggest you only eat calorie surplus on weight lifting days. On off lifting days / cardio days you would eat a calorie deficit or maintenance if not doing cardio.
    I'm going to be giving this a try when I try bulking again. I too have an issue with purposely gaining weight having come down from about 250 lbs.

    Good Luck
  • navyrigger46
    navyrigger46 Posts: 1,301 Member
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    You'll need more than 2500, and every day, not just on lifting days, rest days are when muscle is made. Don't be scared to gain, get comfortable with the fact that it's part of the process. Don't skip days in the gym, hit your protein macro every day, and on lifting days, get more carbs. Plenty of water, plenty of rest, and embrace the process.

    Rigger
  • Chrisparadise579
    Chrisparadise579 Posts: 411 Member
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    I was in the same situation a few months ago. 2500 is good to start with. If you dont put .5 pounds on in the first week or 2 then go up another 100 until you see that you gain half a pound a week that will allow you to bulk without fat gain. I would also recommend lifting more then 3 days a week. I am doing a 6 day a week program with a large support group and have put on about 4 pounds already. Your welcome to join. Message me if you are interested.
  • zeussmith718
    zeussmith718 Posts: 29 Member
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    I was in the same situation a few months ago. 2500 is good to start with. If you dont put .5 pounds on in the first week or 2 then go up another 100 until you see that you gain half a pound a week that will allow you to bulk without fat gain.

    I dont see how people can accurately measure themselves to be a half pound heavier or lighter... I can gain 3-5 lbs just from coming home from work, eating dinner and drinking water. Then by the next morning I will lose 2-3 pounds and some of rest through out the day.... its nothing for me to have an 8 lbs swing through out the week and I have no idea how to get this mor consistent.
  • musclemindca
    musclemindca Posts: 8
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    Hello

    My husband is currently adding lean muscle, we both added 10 pnds together when we met three years ago. We used Paleo eating to do so very effectively without adding any extra body fat.

    I think step one is stop calling It "weight gain" - Think of yourself as nourishing the growth, recovery and repair of lean muscle which you are breaking down during heavy weight training days.

    Also, ensure you are training right, train heavy -for lasting muscles. Deadlifts, Pull Ups, Presses, Squats. I strongly recommend working with a "Strength Coach" - I work with one every 6 mo - just for a workout or two a week and do the others on your own - you'll be thrilled you did.

    KEY - know how much protein you need - there are a lot of calculators on line. I and my hubby eat 1.5 Gram per body weight - the weight you want to be. The more carbs you eat, lower your fat, the more fat you eat, lower your carbs accordingly. I have my high carb days on training days - non training days (remember, you grow when you rest, so train 4-5 days and rest!!) I eat protein and fat and just the carbs I need.

    Read about carb cycle plans - I love these for gain without bf gain. get your macro's down and ask a great coach (not on line, or friends, or gym rats for a solid plan.

    Good luck! And enjoy!
  • SteveJWatson
    SteveJWatson Posts: 1,225 Member
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    Just eat, lift and rest.

    You need to be hitting 1g protein/500g lean body mass (you can use inline calculators to guesstimate what your LBM is.

    Carbs are important when you bulk, so don't skimp on them. I put on .5 lb/week muscle on about 3200 calories, but I am 6'0". You will gain fat (unless you want to try and recomp but that is a long, slow process), but the nice thing is that MFP has probably already taught you how much you need to eat to cut the fat back off again when you finish bulking.
  • Chrisparadise579
    Chrisparadise579 Posts: 411 Member
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    zuesssmith, If you weigh yourself at the same time of day every day the measurement should be consistent. I weigh myself in the morning and will see a fluctuation of less than .0.1 pound a day.
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
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    I went from 210 down to 160. In the 2 years since I am back up to 175. I went through exactly what you are talking about and I think everything in this article is correct and I could not really add anything to it.

    http://strengthunbound.com/bulking-complete-guide-for-beginners/
  • zeussmith718
    zeussmith718 Posts: 29 Member
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    zuesssmith, If you weigh yourself at the same time of day every day the measurement should be consistent. I weigh myself in the morning and will see a fluctuation of less than .0.1 pound a day.

    if I use just mornings I can still get a 3-5 pound difference.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    Keep your rate of gain between 2-4 lbs per month. I'd say 2 for most people but being that you are 18 years old and likely lean, you can probably get away with slightly faster pacing initially.

    I'd set your protein to about 1g/lb lbm give or take. 1.5g/lb is just expensive carbohydrate at that point, especially in a caloric surplus.
    Set fats in the .35-.5g/lb range give or take, and fill the rest of your call with cho. Adjust carbs up/ down slightly to keep your rate of weight gain roughly in the 2-4/mo slot.

    I wouldn't bother with cyclical dieting in a surplus unless it improves adherence or performance.
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
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    I was in the same situation a few months ago. 2500 is good to start with. If you dont put .5 pounds on in the first week or 2 then go up another 100 until you see that you gain half a pound a week that will allow you to bulk without fat gain.

    I dont see how people can accurately measure themselves to be a half pound heavier or lighter... I can gain 3-5 lbs just from coming home from work, eating dinner and drinking water. Then by the next morning I will lose 2-3 pounds and some of rest through out the day.... its nothing for me to have an 8 lbs swing through out the week and I have no idea how to get this mor consistent.

    You have to track over time. Yea, it's not always easy or obvious, but you can follow the trend line.
  • mrbyte
    mrbyte Posts: 270 Member
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    I need 3200 cals just to maintain. So if you are active and trying to bulk..I'd go for 3000+ calories. When I bulk, which I won't do anymore because I have no desire to be 230 pounds I'm eating 5000 calories+. Currently I'm 200 and eating around 3200 per day.
  • ftrobbie
    ftrobbie Posts: 1,017 Member
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    I was in the same situation a few months ago. 2500 is good to start with. If you dont put .5 pounds on in the first week or 2 then go up another 100 until you see that you gain half a pound a week that will allow you to bulk without fat gain.

    I dont see how people can accurately measure themselves to be a half pound heavier or lighter... I can gain 3-5 lbs just from coming home from work, eating dinner and drinking water. Then by the next morning I will lose 2-3 pounds and some of rest through out the day.... its nothing for me to have an 8 lbs swing through out the week and I have no idea how to get this mor consistent.

    Eat and workout fairly consistently, measure everything, food and exercise, then use a 7 day average. I am losing weight and the 7 day average has had a constant slope for the last 4 months after allowing for me changing the calorie deficit I was working to. I am trying to balance out weekly calorie targets. Your food diary has some big daily fluctuations including large swings in sodium intake. This will make your task of maintaining a stable increase/ decrease/ maintenance difficult.
  • Dboppey
    Dboppey Posts: 1
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    I am one of those people that can not keep the weight on. I am not trying to bulk, but simply gain muscle and add 7 or 8 lbs. Any suggestions to stay on a healthy diet and and gain. I have a very high metabolism, so I am told.
  • bapbanger
    bapbanger Posts: 1 Member
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    It's reasonable when first stating out lifting to gain 1 pound of lean muscle mass per month. Anything more than that is fat. There is a great article over at t-nation.com by Christine Thibodaux on bulking. Lots of science and experience behind it:

    http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/the_truth_about_bulking

    Good luck!
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
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    I am one of those people that can not keep the weight on. I am not trying to bulk, but simply gain muscle and add 7 or 8 lbs. Any suggestions to stay on a healthy diet and and gain. I have a very high metabolism, so I am told.

    Hard gaining = undereating.

    Either

    a) eat more volume of the same things you eat now (sufficient to put you in a calorie surplus). This will be tough going if you eat a lot of low-fat stuff like lean meats and steamed veg.

    or

    b) eat more calorie dense foods as well as your current diet (more dairy, nuts, oils, fatty meat, cream based sauces, etc)
  • riadhdeb
    riadhdeb Posts: 211 Member
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    Cycle your carbs.

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