Weird body controversy

PlasticGains
PlasticGains Posts: 76 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I train abs 3x a week and I've read that on bulls people tend not to hit abs since the muscle growth makes fat look larger. I dont know if it's this but I take daily progress pics after my workouts and I look fatter but my weight is staying somewhat in the 5pound difference range. I guess on average I gained 2-3 pounds but still!
Before my bulk, I ate little before my workout since I tried forms of IF and after my workouts I would have somewhat RIPPED upper abs and obliques and some veins under my non existant lower and middle abs but now I can somewhat see my upper abs, my obliques are fading away, and my lower stomach looks either bloated or just large...
Is it possible to gain fat and not muscle?
Even dirty bulking builds muscle
I see that I appear more muscular at times but the key words being "at times" because I eat way more pre workout right now than I did before my bulk and so I thought it was just glycogen making my muscles I already had look full. However I'm still unsure on both ends of the spectrum

I also tried posting pictures but myfitnesspal and my phone dont seem to get along

Appreciate all replies!

Replies

  • PlasticGains
    PlasticGains Posts: 76 Member
    PlasticGains wrote: »
    I train abs 3x a week and I've read that on bulls people tend not to hit abs since the muscle growth makes fat look larger. I dont know if it's this but I take daily progress pics after my workouts and I look fatter but my weight is staying somewhat in the 5pound difference range. I guess on average I gained 2-3 pounds but still!
    Before my bulk, I ate little before my workout since I tried forms of IF and after my workouts I would have somewhat RIPPED upper abs and obliques and some veins under my non existant lower and middle abs but now I can somewhat see my upper abs, my obliques are fading away, and my lower stomach looks either bloated or just large...
    Is it possible to gain fat and not muscle?
    Even dirty bulking builds muscle
    I see that I appear more muscular at times but the key words being "at times" because I eat way more pre workout right now than I did before my bulk and so I thought it was just glycogen making my muscles I already had look full. However I'm still unsure on both ends of the spectrum

    I also tried posting pictures but myfitnesspal and my phone dont seem to get along

    Appreciate all replies!

    By the way before my bulk I did 0 lower an exercises maybe 1 but now in my ab routine I try to put in 1-2 sets of reverse crunches and 1 set of mountain climbers along with cable woodchoppers and thiskneeling upper ab machine thing
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    I would imagine if you are gaining weight without doing any exercise at all, very poor macros and at a very high pace, very little muscle would be built. It doesn't sound like that is the case for you, but there is different levels of optimal in there.

    If you are bulking, even under the best conditions, you will gain some fat (unless you somehow gain muscle faster than you gain fat which is pretty rare or you have some performance assistance).

    When I was bulking I looked bloated and full all the time because of how much food I was eating. That is pretty normal. I did not train abs very often so I have no advice in that department.

  • PlasticGains
    PlasticGains Posts: 76 Member
    sardelsa wrote: »
    I would imagine if you are gaining weight without doing any exercise at all, very poor macros and at a very high pace, very little muscle would be built. It doesn't sound like that is the case for you, but there is different levels of optimal in there.

    If you are bulking, even under the best conditions, you will gain some fat (unless you somehow gain muscle faster than you gain fat which is pretty rare or you have some performance assistance).

    When I was bulking I looked bloated and full all the time because of how much food I was eating. That is pretty normal. I did not train abs very often so I have no advice in that department.

    So it's due to having food in the system that made me look fatter? Considering I ate less preworkout before my bulk?
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,069 Member
    If you were very lean before, just a few lbs can make a big difference. Also, you may just be bloated. I don’t know your age, but another MFP’er and I seem have a lot of bloating issues as we are closing in on menopause. As in we only look lean a few days of the month.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    edited December 2018
    PlasticGains wrote: »
    sardelsa wrote: »
    I would imagine if you are gaining weight without doing any exercise at all, very poor macros and at a very high pace, very little muscle would be built. It doesn't sound like that is the case for you, but there is different levels of optimal in there.

    If you are bulking, even under the best conditions, you will gain some fat (unless you somehow gain muscle faster than you gain fat which is pretty rare or you have some performance assistance).

    When I was bulking I looked bloated and full all the time because of how much food I was eating. That is pretty normal. I did not train abs very often so I have no advice in that department.

    So it's due to having food in the system that made me look fatter? Considering I ate less preworkout before my bulk?

    Could be a factor but there are many contributors. It could be food, sodium, digestive upset/sensitivity, water retention in muscles (pump), fat.

    If you are concerned about your fat gain, you may want to consider..how long have you been bulking, what kind of program are you running (how are you progressing), How quickly are you gaining, how are your measurements, etc.
  • PlasticGains
    PlasticGains Posts: 76 Member
    sardelsa wrote: »
    PlasticGains wrote: »
    sardelsa wrote: »
    I would imagine if you are gaining weight without doing any exercise at all, very poor macros and at a very high pace, very little muscle would be built. It doesn't sound like that is the case for you, but there is different levels of optimal in there.

    If you are bulking, even under the best conditions, you will gain some fat (unless you somehow gain muscle faster than you gain fat which is pretty rare or you have some performance assistance).

    When I was bulking I looked bloated and full all the time because of how much food I was eating. That is pretty normal. I did not train abs very often so I have no advice in that department.

    So it's due to having food in the system that made me look fatter? Considering I ate less preworkout before my bulk?

    Could be a factor but there are many contributors. It could be food, sodium, digestive upset/sensitivity, water retention in muscles (pump), fat.

    If you are concerned about your fat gain, you may want to consider..how long have you been bulking, what kind of program are you running (how are you progressing), How quickly are you gaining, how are your measurements, etc.

    Basically 2-4 pound gain on average and have been bulking 2-3monthish
  • PlasticGains
    PlasticGains Posts: 76 Member
    Sorry but bump :/
  • PlasticGains
    PlasticGains Posts: 76 Member
    Bump #2

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