1st Serious Bulking cycle

R

ratty

New Member
Hey guys,

This is my 1st log that i have recorded and thought i would share my 1st proper bulking cycle with you all as i have read a few logs and have learnt a thing or two!

I would be one of those guys saying there dissapointed with HST because my weight hasn't changed much during the 2-3 years i have been training HST style, just gained abit of muscle and lost abit of fat!

But lately i have been tracking my cals and reading alot in the nutrition section. Looking back i think my diet has let me down in the past.

So..after a cut i got down to 130lbs 11.8% body fat. I was 17% body fat weighing 142lbs. I dieted for about 6-7 weeks and from bio-impedence only lost a couple of pounds muscle. My SD was about 10-11 days. My bulk cycle started on 23rd Nov. I was consuming 1600 cals on my cut so i started at 2000 cals on 23rd Nov and i have ramped it upto 2500 cals on 2nd Dec. A week and a half into this cycle and i have put on 3-4 lbs although it keeps fluctuating.

Goal: to weigh 150lbs. I have never weighed this much. I prob think i can achieve this weight during next cycle not this one as that is a 20lb increase and i dont think it would be wise to put on that much weight in 8-10 weeks (i want to look good, and not a muscly chubster!).

Diet plan: Put on 1-2 lbs a week. I will stay at 2500 for this week and monitor, i will update in 6-7 days.

Training plan: Full body 3x week.

Routine:
Squat
Calf Raise
DB Bench Press
DB Row (upper back/ rear delts)
Lat Pull
DB shoulder press
EZ bicep curl
EZ skull crusher
Ab crunch

HST tweak - increase the weight every 3 workouts instead of every workout with zig-zag. So it looks like this for my squat:

week 1 45kg
week 2 50kg
week 3 55kg
week 4 60kg
week 5 65kg
week 6 70kg (around 8RM)

I havent a plan yet for after week 6. Im thinking of dropping frequency to 2x a week (for recovery so i can do another 2-3 weeks with heavy weights) and dropping arm iso's. Also i will either stick with the heavy weight or try to increase if possible OR change a few exercises with a more stretch component like change DB bench press to DB flye etc.

Well there it is guys..any comments/advice
/suggestions welcome!

Matt.
 
well a week later i weigh about the same but i have noticed a little fat gain!

From bio impedence measurement since the start of the cycle i have put on 1 lb fat and 1 lb muscle.

Ill stick with 2500 and update again in about a week...
 
Hey Ratty, how tall are you?

Are you keeping your hydration levels consistent at the time of measurement?

Lyle McD seems to think BIA can be okay but you need to monitor hydration levels carefully if you are going to use them for any meaningful readings.

Personally, I'd rather use an accurate skinfold caliper and take a set of measurements from the usual range of sites. Then just check for any change once a week.

I find it quite hard to see how you can notice one pound of fat gain when it's spread over your whole body. If you were well under 10% bf then maybe but over 10% it's got to be hard to spot. Fluid variation (the usual cause of body weight fluctuations) is going to cause as much visible difference.

Here's some useful info on BIA:
<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Another popular method is bioelectrical impedance (i.e. the Tanita scales and hand held analyzers). Bioelectrical impedance devices measure the body's resistance to an electrical current. Unless you have a pacemaker or some other electrical implant, you won't feel a thing. If you look closely at a Tanita™ scale, you'll see four metallic electrodes. Two of those electrodes generate a voltage and the other two measure the residual voltage that remains after the current passes through the body.

The ratio between the starting and ending voltages is called impedance. To determine how to convert impedance values into a %BF, validation studies were done with HW or better yet, multi-compartment body composition models. The impedance value was combined with things like weight, height, and sex to create a complicated algorithm that converts all these factors into a percent body fat. (9) Okay, that may sound reasonable, but here are some problems that we run into when we use these scales.

The problems are primarily caused by changes in total-body water (TBW). TBW is assumed to be about 73% of your FFM. Any changes to this quantity of water or to its electrolyte content will change your impedance and thus change your %BF value. So, assume that this device is measuring your TBW and that TBW is 73% of your FFM. It then calculates FFM and subtracts that mass from your body weight, leaving you with a measure of your fat mass (FM). You divide FM by body weight and that gives you a percent body fat value. If you remember the problems with HW Assumption #3, they all still apply here.

Bodybuilders and athletes are nightmares to deal with when it comes to assumptions regarding fluid balance. I drink at least two gallons of fluids a day. The people used in these studies probably drank less than a half-gallon per day. The reason this method may be better for the bodybuilder or athlete is that it's convenient, requires no third-person assistance, and isn't very expensive (aside from the initial $100-150 investment).

Impedance measurements can also be altered by changes in skin temperature, skin moisture, body posture and much more. To maximize reliability, you need to find the time of day when your skin temperature, TBW, and skin moisture are the most consistent. If you don't work out in the morning, then it's pretty easy. If you have a Tanita™ scale, wake up, go to the bathroom and hop on with no clothes on or with the same type of clothing on every single time. It's okay to measure in your underwear, but remember: clothes add to your weight and can artificially change your percent body fat. After you have this measurement, get another measurement after you've taken your morning shower and completely dried off (hair also). Track the numbers over a couple of weeks and then just use the one (before shower or after) with less variability.


Tips for Bioimpedance Measurements

1. Take 3-5 measurements each time you step on the scale and average the measurements except for the first. (Drop the first measurement because the metal electrodes are cold and often it takes most people a minute or two to adjust to not wearing any clothes.)

2. Measure yourself every day and then average the measurements over the course of the week for tracking purposes. Day to day variations will drive you nuts, but a weekly average will be very reliable. I've had great results with this technique and it correlates very well with my skinfold data.

In summary, bioelectrical impedance may not be the best choice, but with a little manipulation, it can work very well.
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lol, my hydration level is consistent yeah!

I havent looked at myself and decided hmm thats about a pound..

Thats what the reading tells me!

yeah fluid levels have literally changed my weight from upto 6 lbs in a day..cray and annoying when your tracking your weight...

Im just gonna carry on eating 2500 cals a day. Yeah ive put on a little fat but its been gradual so ill weight myself next week again and report back..

Also im now doing 3 sets of about 7-10 reps depending on the exercise performed, and im now into my 4th week
 
ive weighed my self 3 times today and took an average of 135 lbs! so im prob at the right amount with 2500 with my weight slowly increasing!

Ive started taking 9 fish oil capsules today as recommended in bryans eating for size article as i have only been taking 3..lets see if my partitioning ratio benefits at all...ill take a bioimpedence measurement on sunday and update the figures i get!
 
ok its been about a week so i thought id update...

Just weighed myself and i weigh 137 lbs! in 4 and 1/2 weeks thats about 1 and 1/2 lb weight gain a week..

Which is good, but also i have noticed the fat gain for sure..but the muscle its hard to tell??

Anyway im getting about 4-8 reps depending on the exercise so next week i might drop the frequency to 2x a week and maybe add drop-sets...not sure might wait for the week after yet...
 
sorry guys i havent posted for a few weeks..christmas and new year eating was CRAP! ate too much then got ill and didnt eat properly for 3 days..

Anyway i now weigh 134lbs..and im going to carry on bulking for now..i was eating a little too much, i put on about 8-10 lbs in 4-5 weeks and too much fat too quick in my opinion..

Im now aiming for 2300-2400 cals/ day as i was eating 2500 cals a day.. Im also more consistent with my protein intake. Im now consuming 0.5 grams/ lb lean mass with whey protein shake a day and including protein in my meals to make up about 1gram/lb.

Ill update in about a week....
 
i am now training 2x full body per week, i have dropped arm isos and just doing 3x5 for the rest of the exercises.

Almost 4 weeks since my last post and i have put on about 2-3 lbs, i have not been counting cals over this period so i havent eaten enough and been consistent with my eating!

Ill update in another 2 weeks when i should have hopefully put on 2-3lbs to weigh around 140lbs..

At this time i will decide whether to carry on 2x week attempting to push up the weights when i can or SD and start over with light weight and revert back to 3x week.
 
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