Bulking Question

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gcaracciolo2
gcaracciolo2 Posts: 130 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Hey all

I know this is more of a personal preference but wanted to ask members here and get their thoughts on what they would do.

I'm just under 5 pounds away from my "goal weight" from my cut and starting to think about the plan for bulking. my question is, what triggers you to switch phases? Is it strictly a visual thing (abs, v-cut, etc) or more on how you feel (loss of strength feeling tired, etc.)?

As of now my top abs are visible but still have a layer of fat covering the bottom two with no v-cut visible. my ultimate goal is to get a bit leaner to and start packing on the muscle slowly. Would you wait until you're are satisfied with how lean you are before starting the bulk?

FYI - I am 5'8" and 159 Ibs.

Thanks!

Replies

  • Jams009
    Jams009 Posts: 345 Member
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    Purely visual for me, though I have an idea of what bodyfat % I need to be, and what weight I will reach it at, in order to look my best.

    I like to make the transition into bulking a very slow one; when I've just spent the last 3-4 months getting lean I don't want to cover it all up again straight away. Once I am at a level where I like what I see I'll slowly start putting my calories up by 100 per week, which means I stay in a deficit a couple of weeks after reaching my goal, and hover at maintenance a week or two before I slowly go into a surplus.
  • gcaracciolo2
    gcaracciolo2 Posts: 130 Member
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    Thanks man great advice and pretty much what I was thinking
  • djcolloid
    djcolloid Posts: 13 Member
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    It depends on what your goals are. For powerlifters and bodybuilders, you cut 1-2 months before comp. For aesthetics, ideally it should be a visual thing, but most people I know cut/bulk based on the time of year (cut in the spring before summer, and bulk beginning of fall).

    I've heard this saying, 'you only have 40 or so summers in your lifetime to show off your body'. Really hit me. Sure you want to have the best body possible, but enjoy it while it lasts and cut for the summer if you plan on hitting the beach and pool often. I'd probably suggest cut till you see abs, and start a really lean bulk to still be cut for the summer, but it all depends on what you want.

    Like the person above said, adjust your calories slowly (maybe like 200Cal/week) to roughly 250-500 calories above your TDEE (amt of calories you burn daily naturally). Logistics should be pretty simple. You want to aim at .5-1 lb gain in weight per week, so measure weekly, if it's climbing too fast, cut 100 calories from mfp the next week so on and so on.
  • gcaracciolo2
    gcaracciolo2 Posts: 130 Member
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    Great advice man, thank you
  • xRUiNiURx
    xRUiNiURx Posts: 2 Member
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    I find a lot of people have troubles sticking in either phase because they start feeling small or fat, so they go to the opposite phase but then want more mass or more cuts so they switch back and forth. So what I do is set a goal .. And follow it all the way through no matter what.. If your goal is to gain 10 pounds and you start getting a gut.. Who cares push through, reach that goal and then cut.
  • SteveJWatson
    SteveJWatson Posts: 1,225 Member
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    For me, it should be aesthetics, but in reality it isn't. I can just about tolerate maintaining my lifts, but when I start to lose strength, I seem to swich really rapidly into "*kitten* this, eat MORE!" mode.... :D
  • HamsterManV2
    HamsterManV2 Posts: 449 Member
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    The joke is "Cut till you see abs, bulk till you hate yourself".

    Really though, you cut to reveal your abs/muscles, and then you bulk to gain strength and mass. You can always do a slow-bulk (+250 calories daily instead of +500) for slower strength and fat gains.
  • satchelmcqueen
    satchelmcqueen Posts: 5 Member
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    im always trying to bulk lol. as long as i dont get a fat look or start glossing ovr my definition i just keep eating and lifting. ive done this for 29yrs now. seems to work for me.
  • Rom3oJuli3tt
    Rom3oJuli3tt Posts: 42 Member
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    It's all visual. When I get too smooth it's time to shed some lbs.
  • FabianRodriguez94
    FabianRodriguez94 Posts: 221 Member
    edited April 2016
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    I started after losing weight continuously for 2 years (85 lbs lost). I got to maybe 13-15%, which for some is a bit high to begin a bulk. But for me, I was physically and mentally exhausted from constantly losing weight for 2 years so I went for it and started my first ever bulk about 3 weeks ago. I'm seeing progress in the gym like never before and am not worried if I gain a bit more fat than I would if I had waited to get down more. I'm not worried about being totally shredded, I just really want to be strong and put on mass since I was always really fat and then really scrawny.

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