Getting ready for first bulk need help

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rachelmazour
rachelmazour Posts: 31 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
hi! So I'm a momma to a 10month old and 25 yrs old. 5'3", female, down from 143.5 (January weight) to 126lb (today). I'm in a small town and have been educating myself for cutting and bulking.. Just cuz I like the fitness trainer physique. It's easier to find fat loss stuff for women than muscle building. I've lost the weight FINALLY and am actually really anxious about my first 'bulk' cuz it took a lot of work to get it off (plus summers comin up and I don't wanna be fluffy lol).. I don't know my body percentage if anyone could help me with that and anyone who can shine some light on the process of bulking like when the heck do I do this lol.. I keep putting it off and setting new fat loss goals. When do I know it's time cuz I still have a few stubborn problem areas. What do I need to know to move forward? I'm finally fitting into clothes I haven't in a long time (some of you men might not understand) and am worried I'll feel like a train growing out of them again. I want this. Just mental game is not on fleek ;)

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  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Most people bulk over winter so they don't feel fluffy in summer.

    You could always recomp for a few months before you bulk in autumn? Do yiu know your numbers for maintenance and a surplus? As you say, a lot of bulking in mental, you need to have your head in the right place to do it.
  • rachelmazour
    rachelmazour Posts: 31 Member
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    I know my numbers according to st jeor equation and a different one..it's around 1600-1700 I believe... I've never been there tho so does it work to add calories slowly so as to let my body adjust and for me to figure out what my maintenance is that way? So basically if I eat the same amount of calories per day and gain weight at my weekly weigh in, I'm in a surplus? Sorry if I'm asking questions with obvious answers
  • LazSommer
    LazSommer Posts: 1,851 Member
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    I feel like I read the word bulk on this site more frequently every day.
  • wilsoncl6
    wilsoncl6 Posts: 1,280 Member
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    Most people do bulks during the winter months so they have the body they want and enjoy during the summer. I haven't done a bulk before as I tend to do more of a recomp because I don't like the idea of gaining excess fat. Doing a bulk, you probably should gradually add the calories back to ease into it and to be able to really dial in your surplus calories, to try to get as close to a 50/50 split since not everyone can eat at the same surplus and have the same kind of gains. If you want to bulk, you should change up your weight routine to more heavy lifting and compound exercises if you aren't already doing that. It's going to be tough going for a woman since putting on muscle is difficult. Just make sure your macros are on point. If you're doing a clean bulk, you should see a raise in numbers on the scale. If you're concerned about gaining the excess fat, do a recomp. Eat at maintenance and continue to lift heavy and adjust your maintenance eating as you build. Doing it this way will take longer but you'll have less worries about body fat and your clothes not fitting how you like.
  • _benjammin
    _benjammin Posts: 1,224 Member
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    If you are new to strength/weight training I'd recommend spending a few months at maintenance calories while working on your lifting technique. A lot of novice strength gains can be made without gaining weight.
    Generally for women bulking or maintaining it is recommended to compare weekly weight averages to the same weekly averages of hormonal cycles, not week to week. (Compare Week 1 average to the Week 1 average of the following month,etc.)
  • rachelmazour
    rachelmazour Posts: 31 Member
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    Thanks a bunch that helps a lot! Definitely something for me to look into. I think I need to cut a bit more (Someone estimated me at 22% area BF by looking at some pics)before building or recomping but it sounds like a recomp is what I need to take master first:) thanks for all the help. Thanks a bunch!

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