Prep for bulk

craigyallan
craigyallan Posts: 37 Member
edited November 27 in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
In the next 30 days i begin my bulk after cutting for 90 days, My question is however am I currently within my cut able to take creatine monohydrate to try keep muscle endurance up as well as stength ? or will it just make me hold more water and make it harder to gauge my weigtht loss ?.

Also when I begin this bulk would I be safer aiming for 0.5lbs gain per week ? or 1lbs gain ? I'm concerned that if I aim for 1lb most of the gain would be water and fat rather than lean mass .

also add me i'll add back :smile:

Replies

  • jdscrubs32
    jdscrubs32 Posts: 515 Member
    edited December 2015
    craigyallan wrote: »
    In the next 30 days i begin my bulk after cutting for 90 days, My question is however am I currently within my cut able to take creatine monohydrate to try keep muscle endurance up as well as stength ? or will it just make me hold more water and make it harder to gauge my weigtht loss ?.

    Also when I begin this bulk would I be safer aiming for 0.5lbs gain per week ? or 1lbs gain ? I'm concerned that if I aim for 1lb most of the gain would be water and fat rather than lean mass .

    also add me i'll add back :smile:

    I'll deal with your second question as I don't have any experience with creatine. Do a slow bulk so that the increase in fat and muscle will be more or less equal. Be mentally prepared to see an increase in your body fat though cos the two go more or less hand in hand. Also pre log your day so you know what you are eating and when and aren't left with a million calories left to fill at 9pm in the evening.

    Also do you know what your body fat % is at the moment? Are you following a lifting programme?
  • craigyallan
    craigyallan Posts: 37 Member
    i have calipers in the house i can use , i think it might still be a bit high , I'm concerned that if i cut beyond 90 days my lean mass will suffer ? i've cut from 15 stone 7 to 14 stone 8 still got 30 days to go . I train 3 days a week

    chest/ triceps Monday
    back/biceps Wednesday
    Legs and shoulders Friday
  • jdscrubs32
    jdscrubs32 Posts: 515 Member
    craigyallan wrote: »
    i have calipers in the house i can use , i think it might still be a bit high , I'm concerned that if i cut beyond 90 days my lean mass will suffer ? i've cut from 15 stone 7 to 14 stone 8 still got 30 days to go . I train 3 days a week

    chest/ triceps Monday
    back/biceps Wednesday
    Legs and shoulders Friday

    Calipers can be unreliable is the only thing. @psulemon or @ndj1979 might have better suggestions as to what is better to test your body fat %. What height are you? Going on that weight, you might still be a bit high on the body fat front to start a bulk. When you finish cutting in 30 days, you could always switch to maintenance and do a slow recomp to get the body fat down but it takes time. I'm doing this at the moment. Your workout schedule seems fine.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    jdscrubs32 wrote: »
    craigyallan wrote: »
    i have calipers in the house i can use , i think it might still be a bit high , I'm concerned that if i cut beyond 90 days my lean mass will suffer ? i've cut from 15 stone 7 to 14 stone 8 still got 30 days to go . I train 3 days a week

    chest/ triceps Monday
    back/biceps Wednesday
    Legs and shoulders Friday

    Calipers can be unreliable is the only thing. @psulemon or @ndj1979 might have better suggestions as to what is better to test your body fat %. What height are you? Going on that weight, you might still be a bit high on the body fat front to start a bulk. When you finish cutting in 30 days, you could always switch to maintenance and do a slow recomp to get the body fat down but it takes time. I'm doing this at the moment. Your workout schedule seems fine.

    Calipers are one of the more effective means to measure body fat, especially if you do a 12 point test. When I do this, I make sure I get 3 consistent measurements per point.

    Creatine is a muscle saturator and can be taken either either a cut or bulk. I can't take it (upsets my stomach) so I haven't spent much time researching it. @USMCMP might have some more inform based on her lifting/bulking experience for comps.

    Generally, people tend to aim for a slow bulk to minimize fat gains. Generally, its 250 calories or 10% above TDEE. If you don't mind a little extra fat in hopes of greater muscle growth 500 is fine. Outside of that, it will mainly be fat. With that said, most people should bulk until they are sub 15% bod fat... generally, more lean would be ideal.


  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    If you take creatine consistently it won't impact scale or measurements. If you miss days or weeks of taking it you will see fluctuations on the scale, BIA and tape measure. This is true for bulking, cutting or maintaining.
  • jdscrubs32
    jdscrubs32 Posts: 515 Member
    psulemon wrote: »
    jdscrubs32 wrote: »
    craigyallan wrote: »
    i have calipers in the house i can use , i think it might still be a bit high , I'm concerned that if i cut beyond 90 days my lean mass will suffer ? i've cut from 15 stone 7 to 14 stone 8 still got 30 days to go . I train 3 days a week

    chest/ triceps Monday
    back/biceps Wednesday
    Legs and shoulders Friday

    Calipers can be unreliable is the only thing. @psulemon or @ndj1979 might have better suggestions as to what is better to test your body fat %. What height are you? Going on that weight, you might still be a bit high on the body fat front to start a bulk. When you finish cutting in 30 days, you could always switch to maintenance and do a slow recomp to get the body fat down but it takes time. I'm doing this at the moment. Your workout schedule seems fine.

    Calipers are one of the more effective means to measure body fat, especially if you do a 12 point test. When I do this, I make sure I get 3 consistent measurements per point.



    Was right to bring you in @psulemon cos I thought I had read on other posts that callipers were unreliable but wasn't 100% sure. Thanks for clarifying.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    jdscrubs32 wrote: »
    psulemon wrote: »
    jdscrubs32 wrote: »
    craigyallan wrote: »
    i have calipers in the house i can use , i think it might still be a bit high , I'm concerned that if i cut beyond 90 days my lean mass will suffer ? i've cut from 15 stone 7 to 14 stone 8 still got 30 days to go . I train 3 days a week

    chest/ triceps Monday
    back/biceps Wednesday
    Legs and shoulders Friday

    Calipers can be unreliable is the only thing. @psulemon or @ndj1979 might have better suggestions as to what is better to test your body fat %. What height are you? Going on that weight, you might still be a bit high on the body fat front to start a bulk. When you finish cutting in 30 days, you could always switch to maintenance and do a slow recomp to get the body fat down but it takes time. I'm doing this at the moment. Your workout schedule seems fine.

    Calipers are one of the more effective means to measure body fat, especially if you do a 12 point test. When I do this, I make sure I get 3 consistent measurements per point.



    Was right to bring you in @psulemon cos I thought I had read on other posts that callipers were unreliable but wasn't 100% sure. Thanks for clarifying.

    There are variations in skin thickness and hydration level that can effect the results, but it's probably the best method that doesn't require professional equipment such as a DEXA or water immersion (hydrostatic).
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