Gaining muscle mass/without spilling over in bodyfat %?

demo_man wrote: »

The quest he is asking should and can he do a lean bulk. No one seems to think that is a bad idea.

No one thinks he is fat already. 20%bf is bulk enough. What when he is 200lbs 25%bf he will look better.

Sure he needs a solid training and nutrition plan. I see it all day every day the guy that wants to look ripped but thinks he needs to do It by bulking and adding more muscle when most of the time they just need to diet.

My advise is to not bulk but cut slowly and get his macros correct. Get down to a weight where your abs are visible at least faintly. Then do mini bulks and cuts to add muscle mass.

See pics, OP is not 20%. Probably lower teens, 13-14%..does lack a little size in areas. He could lean out a little more, but he is NOT fat.

What's the point of posting Raymond's pic again, to name drop? He's a genetic outlier anyway, even as an alleged natural.

I like Lyle's advice to ideally get down to 10-12% before starting a bulk:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/core3.htm
I agree you are around 13-14% now so your LBM is about 161 lbs. That means you would need to cut down to about 179 lbs to get to 10%. The farther you go below that, the more you risk losing LBM while cutting. Judging by your pics you have lots of room for natural potential gains left. Don't forget to reverse diet into your bulk.

gains_123 wrote: »

I've been eating roughly 3400 calories a day. 370-400 carbs, 70-85 grams of fat, 250-270 grams of protein.

For someone who wishes to bulk wisely, you are overconsuming protein and underconsuming dietary fat. Protein is the most expensive macronutrient in the supermarket. Why would you eat double the protein you need if it isn't going to do anything for new muscle synthesis? (more on that below)...

Also, why would you not eat more dietary fat? At 9 calories per gram, dietary fat is the macronutrient with the highest caloric load so it will be easier to bulk with a diet higher in fat. Protein and carbs are both 4 calories per gram, so upping those macros while keeping dietary fat low will be an uphill battle to bulk town.

Macronutrient Targets:

• Protein: 0.60-0.80 grams per pound of bodyweight -- the highest amount justified by research for active individuals. You can push this to 1 gram per pound if you wish, but too much more than this, and you're just wasting money.
  
• Dietary Fat: 0.40-0.45 grams per pound of bodyweight -- the lowest amount implied by clinical observation (unless obese). Someone who is maintaining or bulking should be getting more than this.
  
• Remaining caloric budget: whatever mix of macronutrients you prefer. I recommend a rich variety of high fiber foods, nutritious carbs, fruits, veggies, and healthy fats.

gains_123 wrote: »

I'm 24 yr old male 5'10 186lbs.

If your activity level is moderate and you're about 16% bodyfat, which you seem to be, then I have your TDEE (maintenance calories) around 2,950 per day. A clean bulk would be 10% greater calories than this figure, which will result in increased mass, but not so drastic to cause excess bodyfat. A dirty bulk (20% greater cals than TDEE) will add some chub along with your bulk. You don't want to do that... a cut would be the opposite by the way, 10-20% less than TDEE.

Page 2 of this calculator (ignore everything else) will help you gauge your current TDEE: http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/

Enter: age, gender, height, weight, activity level, and bodyfat%


For your current weight and goals:

2,950 x 10% = 3,245 cals/day target

• Using the 0.60-0.80 g/lb. factor ~ 112-149 grams protein per day (444-596 calories) can up this to 1g/lb. if desired
• Using a higher 0.70-0.90 g/lb. factor ~ 130-167 grams dietary fat per day (1170-1503 calories)
• Remaining caloric budget (see above recommendations)

Adjust macronutrient goals for every 5 lbs. lost or gained.

gains_123 wrote: »

My routine looks like this
Go to the gym early in the morning fasted.
Chest/biceps
Day off
Back/triceps
Day off
Calves/abs
Shoulders
Day off
Quads/hams
Day off
Day off

That's quite the poor routine. Check out the workout programs section on bodybuilding.com for a better routine with more of a goal progressing pattern and less rest days. You don't need a trainer per se, but try to think about what a trainer would tell you. A good trainer will look at your body and see the areas you need to work on more. From your pictures, you really need to focus on your chest; that is your weak point. Traps could use some work. Try to incorporate more lower back and oblique exercises too.

gains_123 wrote: »

Usually have a protein shake after work out and a grape juice/5g creatine. 40min -1 hour later eat a meal.

Timing protein and creatine is essentially a useless strategy. For protein, what matters is total daily intake. Be consistent with that goal vs. timing protein around your workouts. Your muscles will not go catabolic if you don't ingest a quick shot of protein immediately after a workout.

Creatine is a system saturater; it doesn't matter when you take it, just as long as you are consistently taking 3-5 grams every day or even every other day. Personally, I would get unflavored micronized creapure creatine monohydrate and just mix that into water or my protein shake.


I hope that helped. Good luck!

gains_123 wrote: »

Well when I was 176 I was like this

But I felt too skinny cuz I haven't really put on any muscle size .

So I should what? Try eating maintenance and doing a compound full body routine for a bit? Or that PHUL 4 day upper lower split? Not sure if you can send pm's here but sorry for this long thread and all my questions lol

Sorry if I misread your original post; I thought you had not started your bulk yet. If you are already in the middle of your bulk, there is no harm in riding it out until you get up to 15-18% or wherever you start to feel too fat. Do you mind posting your maxes on the compound lifts? That will give us a better idea about what program you should try out. Beginners and most intermediates have lots of room to make initial strength gains and usually do better bulking on a high frequency strength-oriented program instead of a pure hypertrophy program. Reassess your macros and your calorie intake (sixxpoint gave you some good advice there). Track your weight, and if you are gaining more than 1 pound a week, it is probably too aggressive and will result in a higher fat:muscle gain ratio.