NRBreit Member

OP, if you're just starting a heavy lifting program, you are well-positioned to gain lean body mass via recomp or a small bulk. Take advantage of those first few months of gains. If you decide to bulk, I would recommend 250 cals/day or roughly 1/2 pound per week. Anything less and you will likely chase your tail because…

If he's 6'1" 183 @ 6% he's already pretty jacked.

Weight loss is 100% food intake... if you want to look like a smaller version of what you currenty look like. Exercise becomes important if you want to change/improve your body shape while you are losing.

^^^This. If you still have the ability to make strength gains without eating at a surplus, then do that first before bulking. But, if you've stalled for a few months on the major compound lifts, then bulking/surplus eating will allow you to keep adding weight to the bar.

Either way it's not a long term commitment. Just pick a path and commit to it for 15-20 weeks. It sounds to me like you're really after more definition, so you should probably cut first. You are not small by any means. You are at the very top of normal BMI range and if you truly have 163 lbs. LBM, you're gonna look killer…

You carry the 18% BF well. I see why you're confused. You could bulk or cut from where you're at. Why not cut until the holiday season and then go full scale bulk mode?

Just as point of reference, I am similar height as you and did a bulk last year. Here are my measurements bulked up and then cut: Bulked - 186 lbs., 18% BF, 41" chest, 36" waist at navel, 15.75" arms, 23" thighs Cut - 160 lbs., 10% BF, 40" chest, 32" waist at navel, 14.5" arms, 21.5" thighs I was at 18% BF at the top of my…

He may have used a half stick. Either way, it made my skin crawl just thinking about it.

A buddy of mine did the Bulletproof diet for awhile. He told me he mixed a stick of grass fed butter into his morning coffee as part of the diet. He also talked about taking a bath in ice. Crazy.

I prefer to look up high on the wall. Keep your butt down, shoulders back, and take all slack out of your arms (pre-load your arms). Start the pull using your legs first keeping weight on the heels. Keep the bar as close to your shins as possible (if you're doing it right you will occasionally knick your shins). It will…

Correct. I consider both of my previous bulks as 'clean' bulks where I gained 1 lb. per week on average (even though I ate ice cream, etc.).

I've done 2 bulks. 165>180, and 170>186. I'm currently cut back down to 165. I gained 1 lb. per week eating 3,000-3,300 cals both times. First bulk was 'clean' food and 2nd bulk was IIFYM. No difference in results. Gained plenty of fat both times. I followed a very simple SL5x5 routine on the 2nd bulk with some additional…

My wife has a similar build. I'd say low to mid-20's BF is spot on. Based on your goals, you could either bulk or cut from where you're at.

Unless you have great genetics, the weight you gain will likely be close 50/50 regardless of how slow you gain. .5 lbs per week is a good rate to gain. Any slower and it will be very difficult to measure progress because the gain will not be linear week to week as stated. The fat gained can be lost quickly so try not to…

I recently completed a cut from 186 lbs. to 165 lbs. I started at 2,200 cals until I stalled in the low 170's, then went down to 1,900 cals. Macros where approx. 165g Protein, 150g Carbs, 80g Fat.

I shoot for 1g per pound of bodyweight (165-180g). Unless I resort to whey protein, I find it difficult to consistently get more than that when I'm running a calorie deficit. You really have to concentrate on getting your protein in first and I'm usually under on days that I don't log. It's easier on a bulk.

^^^ I do this. I will normally try to find a machine nearby to wait near or maybe do a few warm up sets. If the person in the rack is going to be there for awhile, I will adjust my workout and come back later.

I really boils down to simple math. Your boyfriend's TDEE is probably around 2,700 cals. Yours might be 1,800 and if you are eating 1,400 cals, you're gonna lose 1/2 pound per week. Your boyfriend could eat 1,900 and still lose twice as much as you in the same timeframe. Don't worry about how long it takes, just keep doing…

6'1" 45 year old male, small frame Highest: 218 Current: 168 Lowest: 158 Goal: 175-180 10% BF

You gotta love the dessert room at Bern's. The homemade Macadamia Nut Ice Cream is superb.

I normally stay around 2,000-2,200 gross while cutting. But I just recently tried 7 days at 1,700 cals (body weight x 10) and it worked well. But I wouldn't want to do it for long.

I regularly make a similar recipe with kidney beans, canned tomatoes, lean ground turkey, and spices. Mine is a little high on sodium but has great Protein/Carb/Fat macros.

I like to continually set new fitness related goals. Doesn't matter what it is. Could be a new personal best for a 5K run. Or maybe a body fat % goal. Or maybe adjust your diet/macros for awhile just to see if you like the changes. Maybe to look good for a special event. Always have a goal. The tracking will come along…

Maintain approx. 500 cal deficit with 1g Protein per lb body weight and .45g Fat per lb body weight. Continue lifting heavy as you where before. You WILL lose some muscle in the process and your genetics will play a role in how much.

I recently had Cajun trout over a crawfish corn cake at one of my favorite local places. It was out of this world.

Are you on a program? If so, which one? If you have flexibility in the program, do both. Better yet, you can do both sitting and standing BB press. And you can do regular and Arnolds with DB's. I find it hard to do sitting BB presses without a spotter. I have trouble pulling the bar from the rack and putting it back. But I…

Most people tend to lose a little bit of strength when they are cutting. I find it gets worse the longer you cut. But you should still be lifting as heavy as your strength allows. For example, if you were lifting 100lbs. x 6 reps to failure before you started your cut, you may only be able to lift 90lbs. x 6 reps to…

Losing fat without losing weight is considered a 'recomp'. Do a search here and you'll find endless views on how effective or ineffective recomping is. From my own experience, it is possible to gain muscle and lose some fat if you are just starting to weight train or you are coming back from a long period of not training.…

My wife is 5'6" 135ish and you look to be in the same range. Based on your pics provided, I would not have guessed 147.

OP, I am genuinely trying to understand your logic here. It seems that you're trying to say that the composition of body fat is a combination of 'oil' or dietary fat (9 cals per gram) and water (0 cals per gram). Correct me if I'm wrong, but I do not think there is any direct correlation between dietary fat consumed and…