Bulking routine and tips for a woman
kharev
Posts: 19 Member
A friend of mine came to me asking to help her out with gaining weight the right way. I'm used to most shredding routines and understand bulking concept to an extent. I was wondering if any female member could help me out with a program that was successful for them and what tips would be useful. Thanks
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Ummm....eat more than you burn and lift weigts.
Honestly, it's not much different for a woman than it is for a man. I'm in the middle of my second bulk. I eat about 300-400 cals over maintenance and lift 4 days a week. I follow 531 (because my primary focus is strength increases) and do my own thing for accessories.0 -
@Sarah -- How long are your bulking / cutting cycles, usually?0
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Thanks for the reply, I will put that into consideration. Should I also look into getting a 0.5 pound per week increase for optimal muscle gain with minimal fatsarahstrezo wrote: »Ummm....eat more than you burn and lift weigts.
Honestly, it's not much different for a woman than it is for a man. I'm in the middle of my second bulk. I eat about 300-400 cals over maintenance and lift 4 days a week. I follow 531 (because my primary focus is strength increases) and do my own thing for accessories.
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Thank you very much for the info. I will set that as the goalzachbonner wrote: »"Women
Newbie: 1-6 months of serious lifting = Roughly .75 to 1 pounds a month in muscle
Newbie: 6-12 months = .5 pounds a month in muscle
Intermediate: 1-2 years of lifting = 0.3-0.4 pounds a month in muscle
Advanced: 4-plus years of lifting = 0.1- 0.2 pounds a month in muscle"
http://www.leighpeele.com/a-realistic-look-at-goal-setting-muscle-gain-2
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zachbonner wrote: »For a woman just starting out with a lifting routine, a 0.25 pound increase per week would be better than 0.5 increase if you are looking to gain as minimal fat as possible.
If you minimise the fat gains, you also minimise the muscle gains.
So that 1lb a month of muscle you mentioned in the next post is not going to be possible with this suggestion (without gear or exceptional genes).
Better to go with 0.5 lb a week gain, get optimum muscle growth and accept that there will also be fat.
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zachbonner wrote: »zachbonner wrote: »For a woman just starting out with a lifting routine, a 0.25 pound increase per week would be better than 0.5 increase if you are looking to gain as minimal fat as possible.
If you minimise the fat gains, you also minimise the muscle gains.
So that 1lb a month of muscle you mentioned in the next post is not going to be possible with this suggestion (without gear or exceptional genes).
Better to go with 0.5 lb a week gain, get optimum muscle growth and accept that there will also be fat.
OP said that his client wants to gain minimal fat. 0.25-0.33 a week would be best to produce those results.
He also mentions optimal muscle gain. And, I consider 0.25 lb of fat gain (0.5 gain per week total - optimistically half being fat, half being muscle) a week to be quite minimal actually.
What you're suggesting would take weeks/months to even know if you were at surplus, at the same time missing a great chance to cash in on 'newbie gains' and would be more of a recomp deal.
OP didn't ask about recomp, asked about women bulking - which, as sarastrezo mentioned, is much the same as a man bulking (granted the muscle gain is less).
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No, you do not know right away, sorry. Granted, this may be different for men - you may not suffer the same fluctuations we do. I started my bulk on dec 1 (and maintained for a month before that) - I'm 3 weeks in and don't know if I'm actually gaining. It's looking like I will need to increase another 250 (I'm looking for a 0.5 lb a week gain) on top of what I originally thought was a surplus. Then I'll need to wait another month to see if that kicks in. That 2 months - imagine how much longer that's going to take if you piddle about with the tiny increments you're suggesting.
Along with taking months to know if anything's happening, what you CAN be sure is happening is that you're cutting the muscle gains you could be making in half.
Anyway, OP's had some advice and more should follow. I'm not going to argue further with a guy who's bulking on 2500 cals.0 -
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I'd say also- esp on their first bulk most women undermine themselves and they assume they are gaining- when really they are sabotaging by barely eating enough- and it just gets manipulated/folded into maintenance.
So no- you don't know right away- you get a 5ish pound jump- people get all giggy that they "gained" then they stop gaining and lose a month or more.Muscle building takes an extraordinary amount of time to begin with, so if OP's client has the patience, then recomp is probably optimal for her.
muscle takes time- and it's hard enough for a woman- recomping is really not nearly as effective and it's practically hammstringing gains.
If she wants to bulk- she should bulk and just needs to learn to accept the fat is inevitable and manageable.0 -
@Sarah -- How long are your bulking / cutting cycles, usually?
My first bulk lasted 20 weeks. I started at 126 lbs and initially had a gaol of hitting 140 lbs, but I just got so sick and tired of eating so much damn food...lol. So, I stopped after 20 weeks and about 11 lb gain.
I don't really remember how long I cut for. I cut for a handful of weeks and then took a break and ate at maintenance for a few more weeks, because my strength started to decline.
By October 1st of this year, I was ready to bulk again. I'm 11 weeks in and up about 5- 5.5 lbs so far.
Gaining muscle is hard. It takes time. lots of time and lots of eating. Women, I think especially, have a hard time with the mental aspect of it. IMO, there is no such thing as a successful bulk (meaning actually adding NEW lean mass) and minimizing fat gains. Not to say that I went hog wild and got fat. I didn't. I started my first bulk at about high 18% body fat and ended around 21%. In the end, I added about 5 lbs of new lean mass...so about half which is what most people can expect.
This time, I started a tad leaning...mid 17% most likely. I'm hoping to put on a solid 11-12 lbs and hoping half of that is muscle again...we shall see.0 -
zachbonner wrote: »
Sounds to me like OPs client is wanting a recomp rather than a traditional bulk. With a traditional bulk you are not very worried about that excess fat gain, but OPs client wants minimal fat gain.zachbonner wrote: »zachbonner wrote: »For a woman just starting out with a lifting routine, a 0.25 pound increase per week would be better than 0.5 increase if you are looking to gain as minimal fat as possible.
If you minimise the fat gains, you also minimise the muscle gains.
So that 1lb a month of muscle you mentioned in the next post is not going to be possible with this suggestion (without gear or exceptional genes).
Better to go with 0.5 lb a week gain, get optimum muscle growth and accept that there will also be fat.
OP said that his client wants to gain minimal fat. 0.25-0.33 a week would be best to produce those results.
He also mentions optimal muscle gain. And, I consider 0.25 lb of fat gain (0.5 gain per week total - optimistically half being fat, half being muscle) a week to be quite minimal actually.
What you're suggesting would take weeks/months to even know if you were at surplus, at the same time missing a great chance to cash in on 'newbie gains' and would be more of a recomp deal.
OP didn't ask about recomp, asked about women bulking - which, as sarastrezo mentioned, is much the same as a man bulking (granted the muscle gain is less).
If you're gaining weight, you are in surplus. You know right away. Why should she have to gain a 1:1 ratio of muscle to fat? Fat is only stored when excess calories exceed the amount used by the body to build muscle, so might as well keep it to 0.25-0.33 pounds a week. If you know your matainence calories, and you are eating above that, then you know you are in a calorie surplus.
Muscle building takes an extraordinary amount of time to begin with, so if OP's client has the patience, then recomp is probably optimal for her.
While that sounds IDEAL, it's not realistic. Your TDEE (maintenance) is not a static number. The more you eat, the more energy you have and the higher your maintenance becomes, even if it's unintentional. When I started my bulk, I was maintaining at 2300. By the end of 20 weeks of eating at a surplus, my new maintenance was closer to 2500.
Whenever people say they want to bulk and add new muscle to their bodies but want minimal fat gain or want to stay lean, I pretty much know right away that they likely won't be successful at the bulk. Trying to minimize fat gains during a bulk just ends up in people spinning their wheels and ending up not that much farther ahead than they started.
So, OP...if your client wants to bulk and actually add new muscle and strength...tell her to accept some new fat gains. Big deal. Added fat with added muscle barely makes your total body fat % increase much. Cutting is so much easier than bulking. Anyone can cut fat....not many people are successful with actually adding new mass to their body.
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Is that in reference to just women or everyone? I can't say I've seen the same thing with women, but I've read a few transformations of guys that have done so.sarahstrezo wrote: »
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sarahstrezo wrote: »Ummm....eat more than you burn and lift weigts.
Honestly, it's not much different for a woman than it is for a man. I'm in the middle of my second bulk. I eat about 300-400 cals over maintenance and lift 4 days a week. I follow 531 (because my primary focus is strength increases) and do my own thing for accessories.
I follow the same routine as Sarah and and also eat 300-400 above TDEE. This is also my second bulk...first time I ate too conservatively, gaining 6 lbs in 20 weeks. This bulk, I'm being more aggressive and have gained 9 lbs in 3 months so far, with another month and a half to go. Cutting is easy, the female client should eat big, lift big and then worry about the cut later.0 -
Bulking women I understand that you're eating "big" in terms of calories. I'm one of those nervous, conservative women you're taking about, considering a first bulk but afraid to eat that much! Would you mind talking a bit about your diets? Is it all vegetables and lean protein?0
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I haven't tried it myself yet, but from what I've read, increased protein matters much less on a bulk. While cutting, you eat protein to protect muscle so your body burns fat instead to make up energy shortages from the deficit. But your body can essentially build muscle from much less protein, and you may actually need more carbs for quick energy and to help reach your calorie goal. Was the info I read correct?0
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Bulking women I understand that you're eating "big" in terms of calories. I'm one of those nervous, conservative women you're taking about, considering a first bulk but afraid to eat that much! Would you mind talking a bit about your diets? Is it all vegetables and lean protein?
Haha.. no way! While vegetables and lean protein do make up a decent portion of my diet, I love and need variety. At first I was doing it the hard way (all the 'clean' types of foods) but wow I got full fast and it wasn't fun at all. Now I eat to hit my protein and fat macros, then fill the rest with carbs (all types of carbs....whole grains, flour, corn, rice, potatoes, cereals, sugar, etc) plus lots of veggies and fruit too. I focus on hitting my cal goals above all else, it is so easy to just not eat at goal everyday then spin your wheels... you 'feel' like you are bulking, but you really aren't (as Jo stated about hanging out at maintenance).
Right now I am 6-7lbs heavier than I was at the start of my bulk in October, about the same weight I was in April before I started using losing and lifting regularly. If you compare how my body looked then and now, it is a huge difference composition-wise.. that reassures me that I am not just getting fat. Bulking can be scary and you will want to give up, but honestly, best decision I ever made. I am building muscle for life, and while I may not have my definition right now, I still look pretty good overall - nothing a sweater and leggings can't handle
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Thanks for taking the time to write that Sardelsa, I found it very powerful. I've lost about 2 and a half stone since I started in March, making me a very nervous maintainer for the last couple of months.
But my weight-lifting is getting (relatively) heavy now and leaves me feeling drained. I think the next step is that I'll stop making gains.
If I had to choose between my dress size or getting stronger, I know I'd pick the former, so your words meant a lot to me. Just what I needed to hear at just the right time.0 -
ForecasterJason wrote: »
Is that in reference to just women or everyone? I can't say I've seen the same thing with women, but I've read a few transformations of guys that have done so.sarahstrezo wrote: »
I think that is for everyone. But I guess I should clarify with the "minimizing fat gains" statement. I think in my bulk, I minimized fat gains...but I did gain new fat. It's just how the human body works...man or woman. When most people say they want to "minimize fat gains", it means they are hoping for NO fat gains and THAT is just not possible.
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eat all the things.
Usually people find it's incredibly difficult to eat ALL their calories in veggies and protein... so pile on the pizza and ice cream and you'll be good to go.0
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