Time to Gain! Anyone running a bulk?
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Thank you my friends
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Sadly, just pulled my back so I'll be backing off the strength training for a bit, as it hurts to pick anything up. I am going to attempt to keep up the walking/steps with new shoes coming in Monday!3
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I have discovered that bulking and cutting is bull crap. It really only benefits drug users because they have artificially high rates of protein synthesis. Plus yo-yo dieting and crash diets are not healthy. It's best to just stay at a healthy weight. You will put on muscle plus you will lean out. Instead of just putting on muscle that is covered with fat.
Also, the the insane amounts of protein people keep pushing is a myth as well for natural people. Again, this is for drug users. The majority of muscle building advice trickles down from pro bodybuilders and that of course is for druggies who don't have a healthy life style. I've read that there are many people who claim to be natural but really aren't. The whole fitness industry is a big illusion like anything else. They care about $$$ because it's a business.
http://www.stormbodyfitness.com/why-bulking-just-doesnt-work/
https://propanefitness.com/optimalproteinmyth/
There are more article out there. I had one bookmarked and the other I did a quick search on.0 -
Are you a bodybuilder? Do you have experience doing any of the things Greg speaks about? I am just genuinely curious because there is no one size fits all for everyone, different things work for different people.
That's exactly the point of the video. If you pay attention to the information provided and not jump to conclusions about the person providing it you will see that you can achieve your goals either way. I just want people to understand the dangers of bulking to an unhealthy weight and then cutting back which leads to eating disorders.
As I mentioned in the other thread, do you think I could have reached my goals starting at almost underweight to get to 135lbs without bulking/gaining weight? I'm not saying recomp doesn't have a place but for certain people bulking is a very helpful and sometimes necessary way of gaining muscle.
And am I supposed to listen to a non-natural bodybuilder, who has clearly run many bulks over his life, telling me to recomp and not bulk. Ha. I'm confused is all.
Anyways this is a thread I started to gather people who are bulking. If you want to debate bulking there is a debate section for that
Thanks.
@tictoerest Sal is that you? I'm just going to quote myself again. Please feel free to check out my physique and tell me how I would have reached by goals without gaining starting from almost underweight.
Why are you so adamant about telling people not to bulk? Again it is a very specific path for very specific goals. I am lean enough I don't need to be leaner. That is why I'm bulking
I am trying to connect with people on the same path as I am. Please feel free to share your results here if you want.
Sigh.
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And just for fun here is a series of progress photos, left is when I just I started lifting, before bulking, right is after several bulk/cut cycles. 12-15lbs heavier on the right. I don't know how I would get there without gaining. Magic perhaps
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If you can believe it, it was from a home workout and 2 20lb DBs doing some RDLs! I knew I can kick my own butt in isolation but damn1 -
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@sardelsa No, I'm not Sal.
Gaining weight because you're underweight is a different subject. That's why I said, "It's best to just stay at a healthy weight." What I'm talking about is the cycle of bulking and cutting which is nonsense. People will yo yo diet where they fatten up and then lower their calorie intake to get rid of the fat so their muscles will show, but this is not necessary for drug free people. If you're underweight then you should raise you calorie intake to whatever is a healthy amount for your figure.
I was thinking I needed to bulk, but then I figured out it doesn't make sense and I was having wishful thinking like so many other people trying to pack on muscle. I'm around a normal weight for my size. I do need to lean out though. My body fat is above normal. So I went back to my regular calorie intake and I'm trying to eat healthier. I will continue my progression with weight lifting.
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tictoerest wrote: »@sardelsa No, I'm not Sal.
Gaining weight because you're underweight is a different subject. That's why I said, "It's best to just stay at a healthy weight." What I'm talking about is the cycle of bulking and cutting which is nonsense. People will yo yo diet where they fatten up and then lower their calorie intake to get rid of the fat so their muscles will show, but this is not necessary for drug free people. If you're underweight then you should raise you calorie intake to whatever is a healthy amount for your figure.
I was thinking I needed to bulk, but then I figured out it doesn't make sense and I was having wishful thinking like so many other people trying to pack on muscle. I'm around a normal weight for my size. I do need to lean out though. My body fat is above normal. So I went back to my regular calorie intake and I'm trying to eat healthier. I will continue my progression with weight lifting.
You have to consider one's goals and current physique before making such a statement. If one has a good muscle base and already lean, then a recomp may work. But if a person is under-muscled than a bulk is going to be ideal. Bulking isn't just eating donuts all day long. It does involve eating a well balanced diet.2 -
tictoerest wrote: »@sardelsa No, I'm not Sal.
Gaining weight because you're underweight is a different subject. That's why I said, "It's best to just stay at a healthy weight." What I'm talking about is the cycle of bulking and cutting which is nonsense. People will yo yo diet where they fatten up and then lower their calorie intake to get rid of the fat so their muscles will show, but this is not necessary for drug free people. If you're underweight then you should raise you calorie intake to whatever is a healthy amount for your figure.
I was thinking I needed to bulk, but then I figured out it doesn't make sense and I was having wishful thinking like so many other people trying to pack on muscle. I'm around a normal weight for my size. I do need to lean out though. My body fat is above normal. So I went back to my regular calorie intake and I'm trying to eat healthier. I will continue my progression with weight lifting.
Well I am also bulking again now. I am at a healthy weight. But I am quite lean. I can't make progress by leaning out more, and while I could recomp it wouldn't give me what I want which is to get bigger and heavier.
There is successful bulking and unsuccessful bulking. Just like successful cutting, recomping, you name it. It can all go wrong.
If your bodyfat is above normal I agree you should NOT bulk. No one is recommending that anyone bulks if they have a high bodyfat.3 -
I don't see anyone suggesting to bulk for the sake of bulking and exceed the confines of "normal" or "healthy" body fat (8-19% for Men, 21-33% for women per a google... though in my non-expert judgement I'd probably make the cutoffs at 15% and 25-28%). Since I started training with barbells in 2015 I've been able to experience a linear-ish improvement to body composition with significant improvements to strength and muscularity while my weight has fluctuated, though within the confines of "healthy/normal" for my size.
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I don't see anyone suggesting to bulk for the sake of bulking and exceed the confines of "normal" or "healthy" body fat (8-19% for Men, 21-33% for women per a google... though in my non-expert judgement I'd probably make the cutoffs at 15% and 25-28%). Since I started training with barbells in 2015 I've been able to experience a linear-ish improvement to body composition with significant improvements to strength and muscularity while my weight has fluctuated, though within the confines of "healthy/normal" for my size.
I would like to see a comparison of someone who doesn't go through the cycle of "bulking and cutting" to see how much of a difference there is in terms of body fat and strength gains. Is is that huge a difference or is it minuscule?0 -
tictoerest wrote: »I don't see anyone suggesting to bulk for the sake of bulking and exceed the confines of "normal" or "healthy" body fat (8-19% for Men, 21-33% for women per a google... though in my non-expert judgement I'd probably make the cutoffs at 15% and 25-28%). Since I started training with barbells in 2015 I've been able to experience a linear-ish improvement to body composition with significant improvements to strength and muscularity while my weight has fluctuated, though within the confines of "healthy/normal" for my size.
I would like to see a comparison of someone who doesn't go through the cycle of "bulking and cutting" to see how much of a difference there is in terms of body fat and strength gains. Is is that huge a difference or is it minuscule?
It's not surprising that my biggest strength gains correspond with my early training but also my biggest jump in scale weight while dropping body fat percentage. Though that scale jump wasn't necessarily intentional. From 2015 through mid-2017 I was relying an a HR monitor to measure calories for my workouts and eating back those calories more often than not, however my intent was always to get leaner as all the research suggests I was not in an optimally lean state for bulking efficiently. I was able to find documented maxes from the end of 2016 and by 9/27/16 I'd gotten to a 300lb deadlift and a 235lb bench at 173 lbs. I don't know I have the same success gaining strength in those first 18 months without gaining that weight, though it's not like I got super fat; we're talking less than 15 lbs at peak (below the "overweight" threshold per BMI) and allegedly <15% body fat by the end of 2016.
I have dealt with lower back and pec injuries since then (late 2016 and late 2017, respectively) which have certainly had an impact in my progress and muddles the data if you're looking at my lifts over the full span. The last few years I've also taken to more hypertrophy and aesthetics training goals rather than pure strength and bigger numbers.
For comparison's sake, my current calculated deadlift and bench maxes are 412lb and 288lb with most recent actual maxes of 395 and 285 in May 2020. I was able to add 20 lbs to my bench 5/2019 to 5/2020 so I'm curious what I can manage for 5/2021 with an actual intentional bulk this winter. That might help answer your overall question on recomp vs. bulking.1 -
Great personal perspective from layne
Here regarding recomp v bulk and cut
https://youtu.be/y54S8wspWRE 0 -
Layne is pretty great!
@sardelsa you are making some good gains!
I am finding it hard to keep maintenance diet during my recovery period hehe I want to keep up my bulk but no training
Thanks @alexmose those are photos from before I had my third baby so I think I lost some gains. But I do like my look now too.2 -
And here the bulk will end. I am out on a severe back injury for 4-6 weeks. Will focus on high protein and just eating when I am hungry, intuitive maintenance i guess.4
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And here the bulk will end. I am out on a severe back injury for 4-6 weeks. Will focus on high protein and just eating when I am hungry, intuitive maintenance i guess.
I am just coming out of recovery from a back injury. I chose not to record my food as I did not want the helpless feeling of no control with exercise. I chose to eat healthy at a surplus for aiding recovery and only step on the scale to know what is happening.0
hope it's nothing serious and it heals up fast 
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