Afraid to bulk
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Johnshelly32
Posts: 2 Member
So I am a former fat kid previously 22st after losing 9st gone down to 13st and having abs for the first time in my life but now I want to bulk up and gain muscle but I am afraid to. Any help?
Age :21
Current calories :3100
Height : 6ft 6inch
Age :21
Current calories :3100
Height : 6ft 6inch
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Replies
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Not sure if you've read these articles but they are a great read (links in this thread):
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1069962/the-former-fat-boy-girl-syndrome/p10 -
I have no help but I can empathize. I know I need to bulk to get the body I want but I'm afraid I'll just get fat again.0
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Johnshelly32 wrote: »So I am a former fat kid previously 22st after losing 9st gone down to 13st and having abs for the first time in my life but now I want to bulk up and gain muscle but I am afraid to. Any help?
Age :21
Current calories :3100
Height : 6ft 6inch
Big boy! I've been fat and I've gotten fit and what I can say from my experience is I bulked too fast. I lost ~100 lbs and then got in that bodybuilding mind frame and wasted a lot of time trying to bulk right away. I suggest this to anyone who has lost a lot of weight and wants to bulk, take some time to eat at maintenance, lift like a mad man, eat your protein for 3 months THEN start increasing your cals. If you increase your cals too fast your body has not had time to adapt and wants to still be fat and you can gain just as much fat as you do muscle if not more. Once you've lost weight, to refrain from gaining fat you have to move slowly.
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Not sure if you've read these articles but they are a great read (links in this thread):
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1069962/the-former-fat-boy-girl-syndrome/p1
These are great! Thanks for the link.0 -
In a nutshell: set goals and adhere to them.... over time you will know you have the willpower to do what you want. Monitor your progress and if you start getting fat- make corrections. Everyone will tell you- you can't gain muscle without a little fat too.0
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I was pudgy growing up and had a really hard time with the "there's no way I should eat that much, I'll just get fat" mental block; it really hampered my strength and aesthetic gains as a beginner lifter.
By the TDEE Calculator I typically use, 3100 is about a 400 calorie surplus (0.8 lbs/week). If you're comfortable bulking I think that's probably a good place to start, keep an eye on the scale and adjust calories accordingly if gain rate is too much faster or slower than that 0.8 lbs/week (or if you want to bulk faster and with a little more fat gain). At 21 you should be able to add muscle easily (my almost 29 y/o hormones are jealous). Might be worth a trip over to the r/gainit subreddit which is dedicated to bulking and gaining muscle. r/fitness has a great wiki and knowledgeable users too.1 -
You can gain lean mass without being in a huge calorie surpluses... people get stuck on the word "bulk" and think they need to gain loads of bf/"mass" to progress. Keep a hundred or so in a cal surpluse and if bf creeps up too much chuck in a short aggressive mini cut and repeat.0
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willandrews65 wrote: »You can gain lean mass without being in a huge calorie surpluses... people get stuck on the word "bulk" and think they need to gain loads of bf/"mass" to progress. Keep a hundred or so in a cal surpluse and if bf creeps up too much chuck in a short aggressive mini cut and repeat.
According to this https://bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/muscle-gain-math.html/, I could bulk on a 60 cal per day surplus. I’m still trying to absorb this. I’ve been under the impression (apparently erroneous?) that a surplus adequate to stimulate synthesis needs to be substantial. I would be so happy to gain 0.5lb LBM per month. Not because I’m “advanced “ but because I’m female, small and over 50. I *think* I gained one pound LBM in the past whole year recomping (to the best of my tape measuring ability per navy bf% formula). It’s hard to track changes this small. And I suck at tape measuring, which doesn’t help my accuracy. My pie in the sky goal is gaining 4lb more LBM while, after a cut, ending up with fat pounds essentially same. Is this true—could I actually gain LBM on a surplus this small? I mean, it’s like less than a glass of wine every other day.0 -
willandrews65 wrote: »You can gain lean mass without being in a huge calorie surpluses... people get stuck on the word "bulk" and think they need to gain loads of bf/"mass" to progress. Keep a hundred or so in a cal surpluse and if bf creeps up too much chuck in a short aggressive mini cut and repeat.
According to this https://bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/muscle-gain-math.html/, I could bulk on a 60 cal per day surplus. I’m still trying to absorb this. I’ve been under the impression (apparently erroneous?) that a surplus adequate to stimulate synthesis needs to be substantial. I would be so happy to gain 0.5lb LBM per month. Not because I’m “advanced “ but because I’m female, small and over 50. I *think* I gained one pound LBM in the past whole year recomping (to the best of my tape measuring ability per navy bf% formula). It’s hard to track changes this small. And I suck at tape measuring, which doesn’t help my accuracy. My pie in the sky goal is gaining 4lb more LBM while, after a cut, ending up with fat pounds essentially same. Is this true—could I actually gain LBM on a surplus this small? I mean, it’s like less than a glass of wine every other day.
The issue I see with such a small surplus is that any tracking inaccuracies could wipe out it completely, and then you could just be maintaining.3 -
willandrews65 wrote: »You can gain lean mass without being in a huge calorie surpluses... people get stuck on the word "bulk" and think they need to gain loads of bf/"mass" to progress. Keep a hundred or so in a cal surpluse and if bf creeps up too much chuck in a short aggressive mini cut and repeat.
According to this https://bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/muscle-gain-math.html/, I could bulk on a 60 cal per day surplus. I’m still trying to absorb this. I’ve been under the impression (apparently erroneous?) that a surplus adequate to stimulate synthesis needs to be substantial. I would be so happy to gain 0.5lb LBM per month. Not because I’m “advanced “ but because I’m female, small and over 50. I *think* I gained one pound LBM in the past whole year recomping (to the best of my tape measuring ability per navy bf% formula). It’s hard to track changes this small. And I suck at tape measuring, which doesn’t help my accuracy. My pie in the sky goal is gaining 4lb more LBM while, after a cut, ending up with fat pounds essentially same. Is this true—could I actually gain LBM on a surplus this small? I mean, it’s like less than a glass of wine every other day.
Essentially you would be doing a hair more than a recomp, since muscle building is possible at maintenance it is definitely possible in a small surplus. It can be hard to track but keep a trend weight and take photos, measurements, etc.3 -
Davidsdottir wrote: »willandrews65 wrote: »You can gain lean mass without being in a huge calorie surpluses... people get stuck on the word "bulk" and think they need to gain loads of bf/"mass" to progress. Keep a hundred or so in a cal surpluse and if bf creeps up too much chuck in a short aggressive mini cut and repeat.
According to this https://bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/muscle-gain-math.html/, I could bulk on a 60 cal per day surplus. I’m still trying to absorb this. I’ve been under the impression (apparently erroneous?) that a surplus adequate to stimulate synthesis needs to be substantial. I would be so happy to gain 0.5lb LBM per month. Not because I’m “advanced “ but because I’m female, small and over 50. I *think* I gained one pound LBM in the past whole year recomping (to the best of my tape measuring ability per navy bf% formula). It’s hard to track changes this small. And I suck at tape measuring, which doesn’t help my accuracy. My pie in the sky goal is gaining 4lb more LBM while, after a cut, ending up with fat pounds essentially same. Is this true—could I actually gain LBM on a surplus this small? I mean, it’s like less than a glass of wine every other day.
The issue I see with such a small surplus is that any tracking inaccuracies could wipe out it completely, and then you could just be maintaining.
... or more often than not end up in a deficit half the time. Which explains why so many people end up spinning their wheels trying to “lean bulk”.
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jseams1234 wrote: »Davidsdottir wrote: »willandrews65 wrote: »You can gain lean mass without being in a huge calorie surpluses... people get stuck on the word "bulk" and think they need to gain loads of bf/"mass" to progress. Keep a hundred or so in a cal surpluse and if bf creeps up too much chuck in a short aggressive mini cut and repeat.
According to this https://bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/muscle-gain-math.html/, I could bulk on a 60 cal per day surplus. I’m still trying to absorb this. I’ve been under the impression (apparently erroneous?) that a surplus adequate to stimulate synthesis needs to be substantial. I would be so happy to gain 0.5lb LBM per month. Not because I’m “advanced “ but because I’m female, small and over 50. I *think* I gained one pound LBM in the past whole year recomping (to the best of my tape measuring ability per navy bf% formula). It’s hard to track changes this small. And I suck at tape measuring, which doesn’t help my accuracy. My pie in the sky goal is gaining 4lb more LBM while, after a cut, ending up with fat pounds essentially same. Is this true—could I actually gain LBM on a surplus this small? I mean, it’s like less than a glass of wine every other day.
The issue I see with such a small surplus is that any tracking inaccuracies could wipe out it completely, and then you could just be maintaining.
... or more often than not end up in a deficit half the time. Which explains why so many people end up spinning their wheels trying to “lean bulk”.
Exactly.1 -
jseams1234 wrote: »Davidsdottir wrote: »willandrews65 wrote: »You can gain lean mass without being in a huge calorie surpluses... people get stuck on the word "bulk" and think they need to gain loads of bf/"mass" to progress. Keep a hundred or so in a cal surpluse and if bf creeps up too much chuck in a short aggressive mini cut and repeat.
According to this https://bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/muscle-gain-math.html/, I could bulk on a 60 cal per day surplus. I’m still trying to absorb this. I’ve been under the impression (apparently erroneous?) that a surplus adequate to stimulate synthesis needs to be substantial. I would be so happy to gain 0.5lb LBM per month. Not because I’m “advanced “ but because I’m female, small and over 50. I *think* I gained one pound LBM in the past whole year recomping (to the best of my tape measuring ability per navy bf% formula). It’s hard to track changes this small. And I suck at tape measuring, which doesn’t help my accuracy. My pie in the sky goal is gaining 4lb more LBM while, after a cut, ending up with fat pounds essentially same. Is this true—could I actually gain LBM on a surplus this small? I mean, it’s like less than a glass of wine every other day.
The issue I see with such a small surplus is that any tracking inaccuracies could wipe out it completely, and then you could just be maintaining.
... or more often than not end up in a deficit half the time. Which explains why so many people end up spinning their wheels trying to “lean bulk”.
Something I'll never understand. I never accidentally end up in a deficit lol.
Bulking can play mind games on you but if you really want something, you have to stick with the process. What I found to be enjoyable and helped me get over seeing the fat gain, was how much FUN my gym performance was. I thought I liked lifting when I was losing weight but damn, it feels amazing to be making gains and doing it while you're fueled.2 -
The issue with bulking up with former fat people is that many think that they'll go back to their former selves if they intentionally eat more. Well you would if you ate the same amount of calories you did previously. So how do you fix that? You DON'T eat as much as before. Figure out what your TDEE is and just add 250 calories to start and see how that goes.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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I'm a former fat person who bulked and never successfully cut. It can be scary, but I also love training. So even though I never got back down to 135, I feel that training in maintenance for awhile really helped to change my body composition for the better. I'm 147 at 5'4" in my profile pic.
I'm just saying, it's not the end all be all. You can stop a bulk. Or, you know how to lose the weight if you don't. Ultimately if you're reaching performance goals while eating a bit more, you can end up looking better even if the bulk doesn't go perfectly.3
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