terizius Member

^^ Great stuff! BTW, I saw that you are providing training now. Hows that going for you?

Thanks! If you need any help with the graphs or excel, just let me know.

Week 6 Review: This marks the midpoint of my bulk so its a good time for a review. Instead of reviewing each graph as normal, I wanted to create new ones that highlights the changes from then to now. In the 6 weeks that I've been bulking, I've increased weight by 11.2 lbs while body fat has increased by 0.5%. This results…

As soon as I saw 340 PR, I tried to click the "like" button. Forum posts really need a like button.. Good stuff, and seems somewhat similar to what I am experiencing. My waist got smaller for a week or two also, but it has reversed that trend (as evidenced by the difficulty I had with my pants this morning)

Thanks blankie! I actually spend most of my time in the Gaining Weight forum, so I've seen that one. Not a ton of success stories there though. Any others?

Once you hit a plateau in weight gain for a few weeks, I think it would be safe to add 100-200 calories per day (so, up to 2700 calories daily). Try that for a few weeks and if you still don't see an increase in weight, keep adding until you do. As a person gains more weight, their daily calorie requirements increase, so…

Rather than maintain, I'd say its time for a cut to bring body fat back down to the 10-12% range. Its important here to maintain an intense, heavy lifting program with a relatively high protein intake so that muscle is maintained. Once body fat is back down, bulk again until that 15% mark. Rinse and repeat.

It is generally recommended to switch from bulk to cut at around 15%. This is because the body tends to store/build more of what it already has. So, the higher body fat a person is, the more likely that additional weight will also be fat.

^^ Thanks, my pleasure.

Sounds about right to me. I drink a weight gain shake usually, but yours sounds better.

Well, the most accessible ways aren't really the most accurate, and the most accurate are too expensive to do regularly. I've used both calipers and a handheld device. I currently use a handheld omron body fat analyzer. While they aren't known to be the most accurate for determining exact body fat %, they are supposed to…

The very first thing I did for my most recent bulk was swap out 1% milk to whole milk..

So I'm clear, are you gaining weight at 2500 calories?

There are all three options then. Any of them seem more satisfied with their arrangement? Which of the three pose the most issues and/or solve the most problems? Is there a difference in profit margins between the three?

No one..?

haha, truth is I simply prefer wine, but thanks for giving me an even better reason to stick with my plan!

I have a pretty in depth discussion going on over in the "Stronglifts for Hypertrophy" thread. All said and done though, being persistent is probably the most important factor and you did that. Would you have had better or worse gains if did something else? Who knows.. all you know is that what you did worked for you - and…

Great info here, thanks for taking the time to lay it all out. Out if curiosity, is there a program you recommend for someone that wants to start bulking? Rather, two people... one of them a beginner and one an intermediate lifter.

Currently, I'm putting on size. I'm still fairly lean, but expect to cut at the end of this bulk to get back below 10%. I've lifted on and off for a few years, but haven't been all that consistent with moves, new careers and getting my masters degree. Most of my knowledge comes from research. I worked as a correctional…

I read all of Lyle's articles about a year ago, but I'll check it out again in a few. Time to put kiddos to bed.

No, I haven't had time to go through everything yet. Its gonna take a while, you provided a lot of good info. How am I taking things out of context? (btw, I know I'm just a guy on the other side of the comp, but I really am interested in expanding my knowledge and understanding of all this, not in being argumentative as so…

Nancy, glad you are trying to understand all this. I'll try to lay it out for you. Bulking means eating more calories than your body actually "requires" while doing a lifting program. The lifting program is important, because if we just eat extra, it will all turn into fat. Even with an intense lifting program, some of…

I think the point is that there is only one way to reach your goal.. get more calories one way or another.

Is it a big assumption? As Bret and Brad clearly point out in the article, bodybuilders are much better at building muscle than powerlifters due to the way they lift. And yes, everything equalized so that each are on the same caloric surplus...

I am discussing this conversation with my wife now (who is doing Stronglifts). I made the point that even if its not the best program for hypertrophy, there are still numerous reasons to recommend it. Its very simple to perform and easy to remember (though there is a learning curve to get the lifts right). Its a pretty…

^^Absolutely, I fully agree (and do it myself) but the question was Stronglifts for bulking.. Over and over again, Stronglifts is recommended for those who are new to bulking and want a program to start with. As I said, I've recommended it myself. I'm now questioning that advice if someone is bulking for hypertrophy (and…

This leads back to my original question. What would be the difference between two identical people with one performing a hypertrophy based program and the other a strength based program on the same number of surplus calories.. Lets say each gain 15 lbs over 3 months. In theory, a hypertrophy program would see a greater %…

@Sarauk2sf I pulled up Schoenfelds site today while having dinner to begin reading his work. I started at the bottom and interestingly, the article was about why bodybuilders are bigger than powerlifters. Essentially, they (Schoenfeld and Contreras) were discussing if strength or hypertrophy programs are better for those…

I'm familiar with Lyle, I've read most of his stuff. Also, I've read pretty much every meta-analysis on lifting/hypertrophy that pubmed has, but it still has the limitations of not being aligned or consider all/the same factors. I will check those studies you linked and the discussions tomorrow. Thanks again.

There are a number of folks coming from your background. They will pipe up soon I'm sure. I'm a big fan of tracking anyway, but I think that its even more important for those with your background to show where those gains are going (and the corresponding weight gain) so that you don't freak out (not that you are a freaky…