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Can anyone help? Ideas tips etc. I'm 28 6ft2 and 165lbs my goal is 180lbs but I'm stuck and can't seem to get past 165, my intake is good, at least 3200kl a day. Decentish foods plenty of carbs and protein and topped up with fats . I trt n get to the gym when I can but it's hard with working shifts. I'm making good gains in my strength and have seen a lot of aesthetic change but my weight stays the same. Help please0
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richardwilliams706 wrote: »Can anyone help? Ideas tips etc. I'm 28 6ft2 and 165lbs my goal is 180lbs but I'm stuck and can't seem to get past 165, my intake is good, at least 3200kl a day. Decentish foods plenty of carbs and protein and topped up with fats . I trt n get to the gym when I can but it's hard with working shifts. I'm making good gains in my strength and have seen a lot of aesthetic change but my weight stays the same. Help please
Eat more. Add another 200 calories and in a few weeks if you aren't gaining add 200 more.0 -
richardwilliams706 wrote: »Can anyone help? Ideas tips etc. I'm 28 6ft2 and 165lbs my goal is 180lbs but I'm stuck and can't seem to get past 165, my intake is good, at least 3200kl a day. Decentish foods plenty of carbs and protein and topped up with fats . I trt n get to the gym when I can but it's hard with working shifts. I'm making good gains in my strength and have seen a lot of aesthetic change but my weight stays the same. Help please
Eat more. Add another 200 calories and in a few weeks if you aren't gaining add 200 more.
Yep, keep adding the calories. Also, stick to the basics exercises (squats, press, pull) stay away from secondary exercises and cardio.
In your case it sounds like sleep may be an issue too. Maybe try a supplement like ZMA?0 -
richardwilliams706 wrote: »Can anyone help? Ideas tips etc. I'm 28 6ft2 and 165lbs my goal is 180lbs but I'm stuck and can't seem to get past 165, my intake is good, at least 3200kl a day. Decentish foods plenty of carbs and protein and topped up with fats . I trt n get to the gym when I can but it's hard with working shifts. I'm making good gains in my strength and have seen a lot of aesthetic change but my weight stays the same. Help please
If you're not gaining weight, you're not in a caloric surplus. Do what usmcmp said above.0 -
sjohnson__1 wrote: »Week 4 is gone. The recap so far:
Week 1: 196 lbs.
Week 2: 198 lbs.
Week 3: 199 lbs.
Week 4: 200 lbs.
Will stay on 2800 calories for week 5.
Also new for week 5 is the incorporation of Animal Stak. Trying to get the "T" higher. And, I got a supp of BCAA which I am planning on adding to the after workout shake.
"May the gainz be with you..."
Memo: "May the gainz be with you..."
Me: "And also with you..."
I'll update while I'm here, as well:
Week 1: 174.5
Week 2: 174.2 (got sick)
Week 3: 175.0
Week 4: (in progress 1st weigh-in was high, @ 179.2. Likely due to a couple days of loose tracking and a few beers on both Friday & Saturday)
Week 4 calories are 2890 on (4) training days and 2675 on (3) rest days.
Lol! Grew up Catholic, huh?0 -
sjohnson__1 wrote: »Week 4 is gone. The recap so far:
Week 1: 196 lbs.
Week 2: 198 lbs.
Week 3: 199 lbs.
Week 4: 200 lbs.
Will stay on 2800 calories for week 5.
Also new for week 5 is the incorporation of Animal Stak. Trying to get the "T" higher. And, I got a supp of BCAA which I am planning on adding to the after workout shake.
"May the gainz be with you..."
Memo: "May the gainz be with you..."
Me: "And also with you..."
I'll update while I'm here, as well:
Week 1: 174.5
Week 2: 174.2 (got sick)
Week 3: 175.0
Week 4: (in progress 1st weigh-in was high, @ 179.2. Likely due to a couple days of loose tracking and a few beers on both Friday & Saturday)
Week 4 calories are 2890 on (4) training days and 2675 on (3) rest days.
Lol! Grew up Catholic, huh?
Ha, nope! But went to a Catholic high school.0 -
Week 5 is history. The recap so far:
Week 1: 196 lbs.
Week 2: 198 lbs.
Week 3: 199 lbs.
Week 4: 200 lbs.
Week 5: 201.5 lbs
Half way thru the 12 weeks plan. Not bad, but I don't think I will get to the 210lbs I was aiming for.
Last week I started taking Animal Stak, that stuff is strong, just a couple of days after I started taking it, I was all messed up, made me angry and irritable, but felt stronger on each workout last week.
Been eating between 2800-2900 calories a day, seems to be working fine so I will keep the calories the same for week 6. Not doing any cardio currently, just walking in the mid-morning and in the afternoon, no more than 15 minutes each walk.
Noticing gains in my upper body, shoulders and upper back are fitting tight in shirts that were a little loose before, it is a good feeling. Working on filling up upper chest but that fuxer it is not cooperating lol.
See you next week.0 -
Happy new year everyone! Let's make some gainz this year.
Update:
October 10th - 147#
December 27th - 165#
Lost most of my 6 pack and gained some spare tire. I'm going to keep bulking until about March 1st, then start a cut. I'll try to hit 170# which I've never been before.
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Hello thread.
Credentials: Lifts things, tracks macros, currently bulking.0 -
Happy new year everyone! Let's make some gainz this year.
Update:
October 10th - 147#
December 27th - 165#
Lost most of my 6 pack and gained some spare tire. I'm going to keep bulking until about March 1st, then start a cut. I'll try to hit 170# which I've never been before.
Happy New Year! I just wanted to make a comment about your plan of bulking until March.
I noticed that lots of people bulk for very long periods of time (more than 12 weeks)
When I first started training, about 20 years ago, I was lucky to join a gym owned by a very dedicated bodybuilder. He was happy to teach everybody how to train and how to eat to be a bodybuilder, no extra charge.
His rule for bulking was: bulk for 12 weeks, then either cut or maintain for 4 to 6 weeks, then get back to bulking for 12 weeks and so on.
At the time I did not understand many of his "rules". Many years later, and after reading tons of material in the subject, it seems that he was right on the money. According to some researches, bulking or cutting for longer than 12 weeks, becomes less efficient because your hormones become "lazy".
By cycling the bulking and cutting, is like giving your body a "vacation" and a chance to "reset'. I am not saying bulking for a long time is wrong, just less efficient.
His reason for the cycling was to stay close to his competition weight, example: for 12 weeks bulk and put on 6-8 pounds, then cut for 4-6 weeks and lose 3 pounds of fat, notice the word "fat" not body weight. Just and example, everybody will get different results.
I have used this system almost my whole life with great results. It may take longer to get to the weight you want, but you look good in the meantime, many years ago I weighted 175lbs very lean, today I weight 202 and I can still see my abs and obliques in the mirror. I think it helps keep my sanity too when bulking.
Okay, this is getting ridiculously long, just my two cents. Give it a try, nothing to lose, just muscle to gain.
Chau.0 -
Cool. I'm in. I'm at 155 right now. 5'7". I don't really have a goal weight. My plan is to bulk until about March.
I'm shooting for 2500-3000 calories for the next few weeks and see if I'm gaining. 1 gram per pound of protein. Let carbs and fat fill the rest. I want to stay as lean as I can while still gaining. Don't want to put on too much fat.
Sounds good man!
I was about the same stat as you, I'm also 5'7". In fact this picture I have up now I think I was at close to 160 lbs, I bulked up to 170 lbs and it looked to me that I was getting fat, I had a belly and my chest started getting some fat, which isn't a good look, but my arms and shoulders got bigger which is good! I'm now cutting down to 160 lbs again and seeing how much muscle I've gained, the only way you'll know is if you cut down to 10% bf and the only way to really do that is by cutting weight, not too much weight. Ideally you want to do everything slowly and gradually. I might be cutting to quick right now so I'm keeping a close eye on it. I kept my protein up and fat up, but significantly reduced my carb intake.0 -
Hi everyone! I'm a body builder, add me as a friend if you're trying to gain weight and we can be friends on here! I'm currently at 3,500-4,000kcal a day, 55%Carbs, 25%Protein, 20%Fats and making very good progress :-)
Join the community and we can make this journey a lot more fun!
I also agree and think this calorie intake is too much! I was also trying to gain weight for a long long time! I never went up to this many calories. You're also eating way too many carbs you should probably lower the carbs to 50%, but hey if you're getting good results that you want then keep doing what you're doing, just from experience very high carbs and very high caloric intake leads to quick fat gains and that you don't want because then you'll end up doing what I'm doing now and dropping weight to keep your muscle and lose fat. Like Ive said before you should do things slowly! I mean how much weight are you trying to gain and in how long? You should aim for 5-10 lbs in an entire year to really gain more muscle than fat. Any quicker than that and you're asking for a belly and unwanted gains. I'm sure you're gaining muscle which is great but you want to SHOW your muscles not hide them, bulking is great, but it can't be done foolishly or without being careful, not saying that's what you're doing, but your intake just sounds too extreme and more is NOT always better! Remember that! That's a really important expression especially when it comes the body building life! In fact sometimes LESS is better! Although you can never work too hard or be too devoted that's for sure. PM me if you have any further questions or want to seek more guidance and if anyone has any criticism to what I've said in my post please feel free to let me know I don't claim to be a genious but I"ve doing this for awhile and have been doing lots of research, but could always use new information!
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Hi there, bulking season is on! Currently at 196 pounds, 5' 11". Aiming for 205 lbs in 8 weeks. then 6 weeks of cutting.
The plan is like this:
week 1: 2400 calories, then add 200 calories each week, but adjust depending on gains, if putting on less than a pound a week, then add 300 calories the next week, if putting on more than 2 pounds a week, then only add 100 calories next week. You get the idea.
The macros are 40% protein, 40% carbs, 20% fats, but as the calories go up the carbs will get higher and the protein will stay around 220 grams per day.
It is worth to note that when I bulk, I do not each junk (of course I eat some bad stuff here and there), I eat more calories from "good" carbs, so there is lots of chicken breast, brown rice, beef, eggs, sweet potatoes, oatmeal.
The clean bulking has worked great for me in the last few years, I was at 175 lbs when I first competed (over 10 years ago), today at 196 lbs you can still see my abs.
Cheers
Looks good my friend! I personally don't think anyone should ever be gaining more than 1 lb per week, also don't be afraid of increasing your fat %, you can have 40, 30, 30, nothing wrong with that, fat doesn't make you fat, lots of people don't realize this concept. Also just curious what is your current body fat %?
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Happy new year everyone! Let's make some gainz this year.
Update:
October 10th - 147#
December 27th - 165#
Lost most of my 6 pack and gained some spare tire. I'm going to keep bulking until about March 1st, then start a cut. I'll try to hit 170# which I've never been before.
Happy New Year! I just wanted to make a comment about your plan of bulking until March.
I noticed that lots of people bulk for very long periods of time (more than 12 weeks)
When I first started training, about 20 years ago, I was lucky to join a gym owned by a very dedicated bodybuilder. He was happy to teach everybody how to train and how to eat to be a bodybuilder, no extra charge.
His rule for bulking was: bulk for 12 weeks, then either cut or maintain for 4 to 6 weeks, then get back to bulking for 12 weeks and so on.
At the time I did not understand many of his "rules". Many years later, and after reading tons of material in the subject, it seems that he was right on the money. According to some researches, bulking or cutting for longer than 12 weeks, becomes less efficient because your hormones become "lazy".
By cycling the bulking and cutting, is like giving your body a "vacation" and a chance to "reset'. I am not saying bulking for a long time is wrong, just less efficient.
His reason for the cycling was to stay close to his competition weight, example: for 12 weeks bulk and put on 6-8 pounds, then cut for 4-6 weeks and lose 3 pounds of fat, notice the word "fat" not body weight. Just and example, everybody will get different results.
I have used this system almost my whole life with great results. It may take longer to get to the weight you want, but you look good in the meantime, many years ago I weighted 175lbs very lean, today I weight 202 and I can still see my abs and obliques in the mirror. I think it helps keep my sanity too when bulking.
Okay, this is getting ridiculously long, just my two cents. Give it a try, nothing to lose, just muscle to gain.
Chau.
Ok. I'll try that. I'm right at 12 weeks now so I'll try to maintain for January and re-start the bulk in February.
Thanks!0 -
Here we go, cheers to a happy bulking new year!
Week 6 is past, looking forward to the next half of the plan. The recap so far:
Week 1: 196 lbs.
Week 2: 198 lbs.
Week 3: 199 lbs.
Week 4: 200 lbs.
Week 5: 201.5 lbs
Week 6: 202.2 lbs
Hasta la vista!0 -
I've done three shows and prepping for my 4th. 5"9 190 10%bf and I'm using 2600 calories 50%c 30%protien 20% fats. I'm new to counting macros so I'm interested to see how this is gonna work. I also incorporate all my cardio into diet so usually a 5k jog allows me to eat another 500 calories. so 3000 but I'm not eatai0
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Hi everyone! I'm a body builder, add me as a friend if you're trying to gain weight and we can be friends on here! I'm currently at 3,500-4,000kcal a day, 55%Carbs, 25%Protein, 20%Fats and making very good progress :-)
Join the community and we can make this journey a lot more fun!
Down! I'm beginning my journey to fitness with Stronglifts 5x5. Might switch up to Weiders 5/3/1 later. Afterward, I may focus more on aesthetics. Just want to build a solid strength foundation before anything though. My caloric intake is exactly where yours is. My macros are 50C/35P/15F. Good luck to you!0 -
Hi everyone! I'm a body builder, add me as a friend if you're trying to gain weight and we can be friends on here! I'm currently at 3,500-4,000kcal a day, 55%Carbs, 25%Protein, 20%Fats and making very good progress :-)
Join the community and we can make this journey a lot more fun!
Down! I'm beginning my journey to fitness with Stronglifts 5x5. Might switch up to Weiders 5/3/1 later. Afterward, I may focus more on aesthetics. Just want to build a solid strength foundation before anything though. My caloric intake is exactly where yours is. My macros are 50C/35P/15F. Good luck to you!
@dvis334 -- Increase your fats brother. It's almost always suggested to consume fats at a minimum of 20-25% of your caloric intake.
35% protein seems a bit high, too. If you're at 3500-4000 calories/day, you don't need even close to 300g of protein. That's insane. How much do you weigh? What's your LBM? Try setting protein (if bulking) to the lower end of the range. The range I'm referring to varies from person to person, but most probably fall somewhere within: 1-1.5g per lb of Lean Body Mass or .7-1g per lb of total body mass.
If you only take one thing from my comment make it that, for health reasons, you make sure your fats come up a tad!! Good luck to you!0 -
sjohnson__1 wrote: »Hi everyone! I'm a body builder, add me as a friend if you're trying to gain weight and we can be friends on here! I'm currently at 3,500-4,000kcal a day, 55%Carbs, 25%Protein, 20%Fats and making very good progress :-)
Join the community and we can make this journey a lot more fun!
Down! I'm beginning my journey to fitness with Stronglifts 5x5. Might switch up to Weiders 5/3/1 later. Afterward, I may focus more on aesthetics. Just want to build a solid strength foundation before anything though. My caloric intake is exactly where yours is. My macros are 50C/35P/15F. Good luck to you!
@dvis334 -- Increase your fats brother. It's almost always suggested to consume fats at a minimum of 20-25% of your caloric intake.
35% protein seems a bit high, too. If you're at 3500-4000 calories/day, you don't need even close to 300g of protein. That's insane. How much do you weigh? What's your LBM? Try setting protein (if bulking) to the lower end of the range. The range I'm referring to varies from person to person, but most probably fall somewhere within: 1-1.5g per lb of Lean Body Mass or .7-1g per lb of total body mass.
If you only take one thing from my comment make it that, for health reasons, you make sure your fats come up a tad!! Good luck to you!
Thanks for your response! I have read about keeping fats at or above 20% and with your comment ill definitely be making those changes. I weigh 150lbs. Not sure what my BF% is though. At 5'10" im skinny-fat 28th it all stored in my belly.
Question: I thought protein was essential to building muscle and strength. I figured the more protein the better. What's the disadvantage of keeping it high? Advantages of dropping it to say 1g/lb ? Thanks again for your response. Looking forward to your feedback!0 -
sjohnson__1 wrote: »Hi everyone! I'm a body builder, add me as a friend if you're trying to gain weight and we can be friends on here! I'm currently at 3,500-4,000kcal a day, 55%Carbs, 25%Protein, 20%Fats and making very good progress :-)
Join the community and we can make this journey a lot more fun!
Down! I'm beginning my journey to fitness with Stronglifts 5x5. Might switch up to Weiders 5/3/1 later. Afterward, I may focus more on aesthetics. Just want to build a solid strength foundation before anything though. My caloric intake is exactly where yours is. My macros are 50C/35P/15F. Good luck to you!
@dvis334 -- Increase your fats brother. It's almost always suggested to consume fats at a minimum of 20-25% of your caloric intake.
35% protein seems a bit high, too. If you're at 3500-4000 calories/day, you don't need even close to 300g of protein. That's insane. How much do you weigh? What's your LBM? Try setting protein (if bulking) to the lower end of the range. The range I'm referring to varies from person to person, but most probably fall somewhere within: 1-1.5g per lb of Lean Body Mass or .7-1g per lb of total body mass.
If you only take one thing from my comment make it that, for health reasons, you make sure your fats come up a tad!! Good luck to you!
Thanks for your response! I have read about keeping fats at or above 20% and with your comment ill definitely be making those changes. I weigh 150lbs. Not sure what my BF% is though. At 5'10" im skinny-fat 28th it all stored in my belly.
Question: I thought protein was essential to building muscle and strength. I figured the more protein the better. What's the disadvantage of keeping it high? Advantages of dropping it to say 1g/lb ? Thanks again for your response. Looking forward to your feedback!
If you're bulking, try going to 25% or higher with fats. This will make it easy for you to cut some calories quickly by decreasing your fats all while staying above your suggested minimums (when you do decide to cut). Also, protein is essential for building and maintaining muscle, you're right, but only to a certain extent before its just a more expensive carbohydrate. Here's a decent forum run down of calories/macronutrient calculations: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703981
When bulking, I like to set my minimums and then stay within ranges of 20 or 30g's in each macronutrient to keep a somewhat steady macro ratio. IE: For my bulk right now I'm at 2750 kcals (gaining roughly 1lb/week). Macros: Fats: min. I'm comfortable with is 68g (22%) - I try to stay around 70-90g's of fat. Protein: I'm 175lbs. I try to aim for a min of 155g's but have it set for 165. Anything between 155-185g is cool with me, as long as I'm meeting other nutrition needs. Carbs: I fill in the remainder of my calories with these. anywhere from 345-370g/day.
Also...you should probably find your BF% before you decide how you want to pursue your bulk. If by skinny fat you mean greater than 15% bf, then maybe try and eat at maintenance and let your beginning muscle gains level out your bf% before you eat at a surplus. Or eat at a very slight surplus so not to add more fat than muscle!
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