Bulking for the First Time

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This is my first attempt at bulking. Just curious what others have done in their first months of bulking? 5 lbs? 10 lbs? or more? Wondering what people have had that has worked for them.
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  • cacamanonetwothree
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    Dude its better to set a time phrame with your goal like that its exact. My first seriius bulk i gained 50 pounds in about a year. That was focusing on getting as many meals as possible in, about 5-7 meals, thats what it takes when you kill your workouts. If you havent watched Rich Piana on youtube, i encourage u to look him up, he knows how to get HUGE.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    You'll put on more in the first month especially due to water weight (just like you lose a lot your first month of weight loss). I think I put on 15lbs my first month which was startling, but within a few months at the same calories I wasn't even gaining at all even more. Gotta play it by ear and settle in for the long haul.
  • beastcompany
    beastcompany Posts: 230 Member
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    This is my first attempt at bulking. Just curious what others have done in their first months of bulking? 5 lbs? 10 lbs? or more? Wondering what people have had that has worked for them.

    During your first month, you will have no accurate idea of weight gain balance due to drastic variances in water retention during metabolic adjustment to higher caloric intake.

    After around the 3-4 week range you should have a better balance with your new intake and can begin determining accurate weight fluctuations.


    Target weight development should fall around the .5lb/week range, with very lean, or "skinny" guys usually having room to push upwards of the 1lb/week range and still maintain leanness throughout the process.
  • HawkTheKnight
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    I'm not worrying about keeping it really lean, always been the skinny guy so a little fat wouldn't be unwanted. And yeah I'm not in a hurry to bulk and be done with it in a month or two. I'm in it for the long haul, hoping to add about 30 - 40 lbs of muscle in the end. I'll see how fast I gain bulking and go from there. I plan on sticking with it for years.
  • eriamjh
    eriamjh Posts: 4 Member
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    Your age is very important. Those 25 and under can put on 20 lbs of muscle in less than three months. It's part of that whole still growing phase of your life.

    For those like me, over 45, it's more like 1-2 lbs per month, unless you lift every day, and even then, it can be hard to put on anything but fat.

    Remember to eat enough calories and lots of protein while you train.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    eriamjh wrote: »
    Your age is very important. Those 25 and under can put on 20 lbs of muscle in less than three months. It's part of that whole still growing phase of your life.

    For those like me, over 45, it's more like 1-2 lbs per month, unless you lift every day, and even then, it can be hard to put on anything but fat.

    Remember to eat enough calories and lots of protein while you train.

    20 lbs of muscle in three months? You can't even do that on gear.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    Apparently in magical pony land you can.
  • MagnumBurrito
    MagnumBurrito Posts: 1,070 Member
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    ^lol
  • ForecasterJason
    ForecasterJason Posts: 2,577 Member
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    Maybe he's talking about during the teenage growth spurt.
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
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    eriamjh wrote: »
    Your age is very important. Those 25 and under can put on 20 lbs of muscle in less than three months. It's part of that whole still growing phase of your life.

    For those like me, over 45, it's more like 1-2 lbs per month, unless you lift every day, and even then, it can be hard to put on anything but fat.

    Remember to eat enough calories and lots of protein while you train.

    What if I'm 25 and my birthday is tomorrow? Does it get cut in half?
  • Cortelli
    Cortelli Posts: 1,369 Member
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    This is my first attempt at bulking. Just curious what others have done in their first months of bulking? 5 lbs? 10 lbs? or more? Wondering what people have had that has worked for them.

    You're going to put on a chunk right away, especially if you're coming off a cut with a relatively short maintenance period. And then be pissed that despite eating all the food, you're not really adding a lot. Then get to a point (and this is probably 12 weeks out) where your gain looks like perhaps what you'd expected it would be on a weekly average basis (assuming you have pretty good sense of your TDEE before you started the bulk). Shorter version for most (and certainly for me) of the three stages: Gain a crapton; stall out; get to a point where the gains are slower and steady.

  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
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    It's hard to day what you will gain and what your gains will be in terms of muscle, fat and water until you go through a bulk cycle and see how you respond. 5 to 10 pounds in n the fist month is possible but how you will look depends on your workouts, rest, eating and genetics.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
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    JoRocka wrote: »
    Apparently in magical pony land you can.

    bahahahahaha ….
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    I put on about 5 Lbs right away and it's been slow going ever since. The past couple of months I've put on about 3 Lbs or so...but that's about the pace I intended to go.
  • _benjammin
    _benjammin Posts: 1,224 Member
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    I reversed out of a cut to maintenance over 2 months and then a gradual bulk with increasing calories. I hit my lowest weight about 1 month into my reverse. 7 months later I was up right at 14 pounds.
  • sarahstrezo
    sarahstrezo Posts: 568 Member
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    Cortelli wrote: »
    This is my first attempt at bulking. Just curious what others have done in their first months of bulking? 5 lbs? 10 lbs? or more? Wondering what people have had that has worked for them.

    You're going to put on a chunk right away, especially if you're coming off a cut with a relatively short maintenance period. And then be pissed that despite eating all the food, you're not really adding a lot. Then get to a point (and this is probably 12 weeks out) where your gain looks like perhaps what you'd expected it would be on a weekly average basis (assuming you have pretty good sense of your TDEE before you started the bulk). Shorter version for most (and certainly for me) of the three stages: Gain a crapton; stall out; get to a point where the gains are slower and steady.

    Yep.... ^^^ This is my experience too. I know I'm not a dude, so my experience will likely be half of what a guy should expect. But, I'm in the middle of my second bulk. The first time, I bulked for 20 weeks and put on about 11 lbs total. I just finished week 10 of my second bulk and I'm up about 5.5-6 lbs. I know I'm set to stall out here soon, I'll have to up my calories again and then I should hit a pretty steady increase.
  • HawkTheKnight
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    Cortelli wrote: »
    This is my first attempt at bulking. Just curious what others have done in their first months of bulking? 5 lbs? 10 lbs? or more? Wondering what people have had that has worked for them.

    You're going to put on a chunk right away, especially if you're coming off a cut with a relatively short maintenance period. And then be pissed that despite eating all the food, you're not really adding a lot. Then get to a point (and this is probably 12 weeks out) where your gain looks like perhaps what you'd expected it would be on a weekly average basis (assuming you have pretty good sense of your TDEE before you started the bulk). Shorter version for most (and certainly for me) of the three stages: Gain a crapton; stall out; get to a point where the gains are slower and steady.

    Yep.... ^^^ This is my experience too. I know I'm not a dude, so my experience will likely be half of what a guy should expect. But, I'm in the middle of my second bulk. The first time, I bulked for 20 weeks and put on about 11 lbs total. I just finished week 10 of my second bulk and I'm up about 5.5-6 lbs. I know I'm set to stall out here soon, I'll have to up my calories again and then I should hit a pretty steady increase.

    Over the last 3 weeks since I started to bulk, I've now gained a full 14 pounds (at least, didn't weigh myself till the 4th day or so into my bulk) which by my best guess would be half muscle and half fat. Biceps have increased 3/4" and chest over a full 1". I assume now will be when it starts to 'stall out' as you have put it.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    14 pounds in 3 weeks

    TO MUCH TO MUCH TOO MUCH!
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
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    Cortelli wrote: »
    This is my first attempt at bulking. Just curious what others have done in their first months of bulking? 5 lbs? 10 lbs? or more? Wondering what people have had that has worked for them.

    You're going to put on a chunk right away, especially if you're coming off a cut with a relatively short maintenance period. And then be pissed that despite eating all the food, you're not really adding a lot. Then get to a point (and this is probably 12 weeks out) where your gain looks like perhaps what you'd expected it would be on a weekly average basis (assuming you have pretty good sense of your TDEE before you started the bulk). Shorter version for most (and certainly for me) of the three stages: Gain a crapton; stall out; get to a point where the gains are slower and steady.

    Yep.... ^^^ This is my experience too. I know I'm not a dude, so my experience will likely be half of what a guy should expect. But, I'm in the middle of my second bulk. The first time, I bulked for 20 weeks and put on about 11 lbs total. I just finished week 10 of my second bulk and I'm up about 5.5-6 lbs. I know I'm set to stall out here soon, I'll have to up my calories again and then I should hit a pretty steady increase.

    Over the last 3 weeks since I started to bulk, I've now gained a full 14 pounds (at least, didn't weigh myself till the 4th day or so into my bulk) which by my best guess would be half muscle and half fat. Biceps have increased 3/4" and chest over a full 1". I assume now will be when it starts to 'stall out' as you have put it.

    That's far too much.
  • PwrLftr82
    PwrLftr82 Posts: 945 Member
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    Cortelli wrote: »
    This is my first attempt at bulking. Just curious what others have done in their first months of bulking? 5 lbs? 10 lbs? or more? Wondering what people have had that has worked for them.

    You're going to put on a chunk right away, especially if you're coming off a cut with a relatively short maintenance period. And then be pissed that despite eating all the food, you're not really adding a lot. Then get to a point (and this is probably 12 weeks out) where your gain looks like perhaps what you'd expected it would be on a weekly average basis (assuming you have pretty good sense of your TDEE before you started the bulk). Shorter version for most (and certainly for me) of the three stages: Gain a crapton; stall out; get to a point where the gains are slower and steady.

    Yep.... ^^^ This is my experience too. I know I'm not a dude, so my experience will likely be half of what a guy should expect. But, I'm in the middle of my second bulk. The first time, I bulked for 20 weeks and put on about 11 lbs total. I just finished week 10 of my second bulk and I'm up about 5.5-6 lbs. I know I'm set to stall out here soon, I'll have to up my calories again and then I should hit a pretty steady increase.

    Over the last 3 weeks since I started to bulk, I've now gained a full 14 pounds (at least, didn't weigh myself till the 4th day or so into my bulk) which by my best guess would be half muscle and half fat. Biceps have increased 3/4" and chest over a full 1". I assume now will be when it starts to 'stall out' as you have put it.

    Bro, if you "stall out" now, you'll be lucky. You're headed toward blimp ville if you keep up that pace!