Gaining muscle

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ivyylam333
ivyylam333 Posts: 24 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So I'm trying to bulk and I'm still really confused. I know you're supposed to increase your calories and carbs and all that but when I see other people trying to bulk I see them eating unhealthy food and all that and they're saying to eat 250-500 more cal in ur cal intake. So I'm confused am I supposed to try to gain unhealthy weight to try to bulk or for my intake on calories I'm still supposed to eat healthy? And other ppl who are eating unhealthy that's just their body???

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  • ivyylam333
    ivyylam333 Posts: 24 Member
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    Does it not matter how I gain my calories as long as I'm eating more? I don't want to gain more fat than muscle
  • 3bambi3
    3bambi3 Posts: 1,650 Member
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    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10049766/bulking-a-complete-guide-for-beginners/p1
  • Mr_Capt_America
    Mr_Capt_America Posts: 32 Member
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    A lot of people use it as an excuse to eat junk. Just add 200-300 extra calories from protein, GOOD carbs and healthy fats. Lift HEAVY....you are stronger than you think! Also, cut back on cardio
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    ivyylam333 wrote: »
    Does it not matter how I gain my calories as long as I'm eating more? I don't want to gain more fat than muscle

    You do just need to eat more. The problem with trying to eat only "healthy" or "clean" is that it can be difficult to eat enough of those foods to get the extra calories. For example, eating an extra 250 calories worth of plain veggies could be difficult due to feeling too full. But eating a small bowl of chili, for example, wouldn't be too difficult. Here's a site with pictures that show what 200 calories look like so you know what I mean.
  • DaddieCat
    DaddieCat Posts: 3,643 Member
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    the things that you eat don't effect how you gain fat in most cases... content of food won't really matter barring medical issues. Obviously it will matter for nutritional content, but for a bulk, consuming more calories, no matter the source will get you there.
  • Michael190lbs
    Michael190lbs Posts: 1,510 Member
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    when I do a bulk 1 big scoop of peanut butter on a large spoon has to be around 200-250 calories and its a good source of food to bulk on.. I love peanut butter..
  • tillerstouch
    tillerstouch Posts: 608 Member
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    This is typically the difference between a clean and dirty bulk. Clean bulk watch what you eat and pay attention to macros. Dirty bulk just eat and then eat some more.

    A clean bulk should help you gain less fat.
  • carltonstedman
    carltonstedman Posts: 18 Member
    edited January 2016
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    If you are a beginner or novice strength trainer, you probably don't need to bulk to gain strength and even some muscle. People with higher body fat percentages can even gain strength and muscle on a cut. Strength "standards" are kind of goofy, but here's a way to estimate: http://strengthlevel.com/strength-standards/female/lb

    Now, if you are past the novice phase in most of the "big lifts", you probably need to bulk to build more muscle and strength.

    The slower you bulk, the less fat you'll gain, but you will gain some fat on a bulk. The goal is to gain more muscle than fat, then cut and lose more fat than muscle (again, if you are lean-ish, you will lose _some_ muscle on a cut). Both of these presume you are an experienced strength trainer and have largely exhausted "noob gains".

    A reasonable bulk or cut is changing about 0.5%-1.0% bodyweight per week.

    How much fat you gain is largely based on calories, sleep quality, stress management, and exercise.

    How well you feel or perform, as well as other health issues, probably changes versus eating "clean" or "dirty". But for purposes of building muscle, as long as you have enough protein (less than you think), your body does not care if the surplus calories come from lean meats or pizza and ice cream. Your pancreas, liver, digestion, etc, however, may suffer.

    For much, much, more information, backed by studies and experience:
    http://www.strengtheory.com/complete-strength-training-guide/
    http://www.strengtheory.com/being-strong-is-not-an-excuse-to-be-fat-and-being-fat-is-probably-holding-you-back/
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    Individual foods aren't "healthy" or "unhealthy" on their own; whether or not a piece of pizza (for example) is a good or a bad choice depends on what macros you need that day. Your overall diet can be more or less healthy, but an individual food taken out of context isn't healthy or unhealthy.

    Most people who run successful bulks, at least here, don't eat 100% "healthy" or "unhealthy" foods; nobody here is bulking on just ice cream and pizza or just chicken and broccoli.

    Whether you gain fat or muscle comes down to the size of your surplus, your resistance training program, and your genetics. Individual food choices won't make you gain more or less fat.

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