Bulking up - am I on the right path?

margussytt
margussytt Posts: 5 Member
edited February 2020 in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Can anyone look at my current plan on gaining muscle for three months (Jan-March) and see if there is anything I should finetune? I would appreciate your advice.

I've been on this regime for 5 weeks and planning to start cutting in April. I have increased my weight from 92kg to 94kg within those 5 weeks. TDEE calculators and the information online conflict quite a bit thus I have tried to land somewhere in the middle and consume around 3000-3300 calories a day.

Weight: 94kg / 207lbs
Height: 191cm / 6'3
Age: 31
Body fat: It's definitely above 20%. I'm guessing 21-22%

I exercise every day:
- 5 days of weightlifting (50-60 minutes) and finishing with 12-minutes of cardio (elliptical).
- 2 days of cardio 34-40 minutes on elliptical.

My typical diet is:

Breakfast
- 120g of high-quality oatmeal (measured as dry produce)
- 1 banana
- 28g of almonds
- 1 slice of whey bread and 20g of peanut butter
- 25g of whey protein powder

1st lunch
- 100g jasmine rice
- 250g chicken breast (measured as raw produce)
- 100g steamed broccoli
- 1 red bell pepper (approximately 200g)

2nd lunch
- everything is the same as first lunch but instead of bell pepper, I'm having 100g of grapes and one granny smith apple.

Dinner
- Beans, ground beef, crushed tomatoes stew (cooking in bulk but one serving of 400g contains 23g of carbs, 44g of fat, and 49g of protein)

Snacks:
- Occasionally a small portion of nuts (cashew or almonds)
- Occasionally around 100-200g of grapes
- Occasionally 1 large banana
- Occasionally 1 small granny smith apple

NB! I also take creatine immediately after my workout.

Overall macros:
Carbs ~370g (45%)
Fat ~85g (23%)
Protein ~263g (32%)

Replies

  • GaryRuns
    GaryRuns Posts: 508 Member
    edited February 2020
    margussytt wrote: »
    NB! I also take creatine immediately after my workout.

    I'm no expert so I'll leave most of the specifics to those that are. But, there's no timing issue with creatine. It has to build up in your system over time and then it's just a matter of maintaining the level. General recommendation is 5g per day. Taking it immediately after your workout isn't necessary. As long as you consistently take it every day you can take it any time.
  • fitnessguy266
    fitnessguy266 Posts: 150 Member
    margussytt wrote: »
    Can anyone look at my current plan on gaining muscle for three months (Jan-March) and see if there is anything I should finetune? I would appreciate your advice.

    I've been on this regime for 5 weeks and planning to start cutting in April. I have increased my weight from 92kg to 94kg within those 5 weeks. TDEE calculators and the information online conflict quite a bit thus I have tried to land somewhere in the middle and consume around 3000-3300 calories a day.

    Weight: 94kg / 207lbs
    Height: 191cm / 6'3
    Age: 31
    Body fat: It's definitely above 20%. I'm guessing 21-22%

    I exercise every day:
    - 5 days of weightlifting (50-60 minutes) and finishing with 12-minutes of cardio (elliptical).
    - 2 days of cardio 34-40 minutes on elliptical.

    My typical diet is:

    Breakfast
    - 120g of high-quality oatmeal (measured as dry produce)
    - 1 banana
    - 28g of almonds
    - 1 slice of whey bread and 20g of peanut butter
    - 25g of whey protein powder

    1st lunch
    - 100g jasmine rice
    - 250g chicken breast (measured as raw produce)
    - 100g steamed broccoli
    - 1 red bell pepper (approximately 200g)

    2nd lunch
    - everything is the same as first lunch but instead of bell pepper, I'm having 100g of grapes and one granny smith apple.

    Dinner
    - Beans, ground beef, crushed tomatoes stew (cooking in bulk but one serving of 400g contains 23g of carbs, 44g of fat, and 49g of protein)

    Snacks:
    - Occasionally a small portion of nuts (cashew or almonds)
    - Occasionally around 100-200g of grapes
    - Occasionally 1 large banana
    - Occasionally 1 small granny smith apple

    NB! I also take creatine immediately after my workout.

    Overall macros:
    Carbs ~370g (45%)
    Fat ~85g (23%)
    Protein ~263g (32%)

    Let me say, this program was very well planned....huge kudos to doing the proper research. Given your routine volume (paired with the cardio days) it looks as though you are looking to greatly minimize the amount of fat gain during your bulk. Nice work! Be sure to adjust when needed according to your progress!
  • margussytt
    margussytt Posts: 5 Member
    @sardelsa, thanks for the feedback. Gaining weight indeed is my goal. To be precise, gaining muscle is the goal :) Thinking about it, it does seem more reasonable to cut first and then bulk, but since I'm already committed to that goal, I'm continuing on the mass gain path. Though, can you elaborate on why cutting later is harder?

    Regards my lifting routine, I'm using an app called FitBod. It builds my personalized workout based on what muscle groups have I worked at the latest. It takes into account the whole body, as well as adds progressive overload. My knowledge of weight lifting experience is relatively advanced due to several visits to personal trainers within the past 3-4 years. Also, I've been doing CrossFit in the past, which taught me a lot about the correct technique.

    Regards my diet. I agree it's quite bland but it's fine. I don't have much of a chance to enjoy my meals during lunch anyway due to a busy schedule, so spending less time on meal prep due to simple ingredients is actually a good trade-off. Sometimes adding a bit more variety during weekends, so that helps.

    What would you say a good ratio of macros is?
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    Well typically most people get fairly lean before they put on weight to bulk. However, if you feel like you are making progress and are happy with your aesthetics and strength, then keep going. I think as long as you keep the surplus reasonable (not too high) and make progress in the gym you should be ok. If your goal is to get fairly lean then cutting will take some time, if you are starting off at 20% then get higher, then you want to get down to 12% for example, it is going to take some time since there will be more fat to cut.

    That being said, are you sure about your bodyfat%? You might be leaner than you think depending on how it was measured or if you are eyeballing it. If you are comfortable maybe post a picture and others can help you if you'd like.

    Oh I hear you, I am like that during the week too sometimes.. I keep my diet very similar and basic then switch up dinner and weekends. If it's working, you can adhere to it easily and you feel good, keep it up.

    Typical macro recommendations are usually by g per lb bodywieght or lean body mass:
    Protein: 0.8-1g per lb (minimum you can definitely go higher if you want)
    Fat: 0.35-4g per lb (minimum again)
    Carbs: The rest (keep in mind you want to get a good amount if you are trying to gain muscle for building and energy for workout performance)

    Again if your macros are working for you then stick with it.

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