Gamechanger: Gain 30, Pull 500.

Starting to get a bit chubby, but so far gains have been great!

Started at 190 lb.s at 12% bodyfat.

Now at 206 lb.s at 15% bodyfat.

So that is a gain of 8 pounds of fat, and a gain of 8 pounds of lean mass. I am quite pleased with the results, however, I am wondering if I should stop bulking after this cycle, and shed a bit of fat for one cycle, before I proceed to any further bulking. 15% is an arbitrary number, but there is a decent amount of mush hanging over my belt when I cinch it up, and it is becoming more noticeable.

SO, should I throw caution to the wind and keep on bulking? Or should I end my bulk after this cycle, and do a cutting cycle as a "fat control" before further bulking? All opinions welcome.
 
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nativetroutbum said:
Or a more "disciplined bulk" where you don't gain quite so fast but you still slowly gain.
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I don't see how that would help? A 50/50 fat/lean gain ratio is pretty good, considering I am natural, 35, and a "trained individual". Even if I slowed it down, it doesn;t get much better than 50/50 during a natural bulk. (except for beginner maybe)
 
I think I would do a short cut-cycle next. See if you can get back to somewhere around 12% in around 5-6 weeks while maintaining as much of your hard-earned lean mass as possible. If you can get to 10% bf in that time then so much the better. A cut of this duration is a lot more doable than one that drags on for months, which might end up being the case if you carry on bulking from this point.

Nice gains BTW. 8)
 
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Sci said:
I don't see how that would help? A 50/50 fat/lean gain ratio is pretty good, considering I am natural, 35, and a "trained individual". Even if I slowed it down, it doesn;t get much better than 50/50 during a natural bulk. (except for beginner maybe)
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Yes, 50/50 is good, maybe I misunderstood your post, but I thought you were concerned about gaining too much fat. I was thinking maybe trying a slightly more "disciplined bulk" next bulk cycle (assuming you cut down again) to see if you can gain at a slightly better ratio... granted, you won't gain as much, but maybe will gain at a slightly better ratio. Really it's just experimenting with calorie and macro levels to see what happens...
 
Sci said:
Starting to get a bit chubby, but so far gains have been great!

Started at 190 lb.s at 12% bodyfat.

Now at 206 lb.s at 15% bodyfat.

So that is a gain of 8 pounds of fat, and a gain of 8 pounds of lean mass. I am quite pleased with the results, however, I am wondering if I should stop bulking after this cycle, and shed a bit of fat for one cycle, before I proceed to any further bulking. 15% is an arbitrary number, but there is a decent amount of mush hanging over my belt when I cinch it up, and it is becoming more noticeable.

SO, should I throw caution to the wind and keep on bulking? Or should I end my bulk after this cycle, and do a cutting cycle as a "fat control" before further bulking? All opinions welcome.
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I would bulk again and then spend the 3-4 weeks doing a bitch of a cut. Just my take. You seem to be gaining too much for me to put the breaks on, if it was me in that spot.
 
nativetroutbum said:
Yes, 50/50 is good, maybe I misunderstood your post, but I thought you were concerned about gaining too much fat. I was thinking maybe trying a slightly more "disciplined bulk" next bulk cycle (assuming you cut down again) to see if you can gain at a slightly better ratio... granted, you won't gain as much, but maybe will gain at a slightly better ratio. Really it's just experimenting with calorie and macro levels to see what happens...
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I am happy with my gains so far, my main concern is letting my bodyfat % go too far... Thus my idea ( and Lol's ) of cutting some fat, and then bulking again... Or I could just keep bulking as Alex suggested... I have a couple weeks to think it over.
 
Gotcha. Yeah, I would be happy with 8 more pounds of muscle too!! I think I gained about 8 pounds of muscle in an entire year!! Now that I think about it, I'd probably side with Alex too; keep riding that train!!
 
Coach Totentanz, what's your opinion? Keep going, or cut some fat first? Obviously my goal of weighing 220 stands, but I realize this may take some time, and I want to do it as responsibly as possible.
 
There is definitely something to be said in favour of reaching your desired bodyweight (220) first and then stabilising at that weight. You'll get used to eating enough to maintain that amount of weight. Once you've done that for a while, you can take turns gaining a bit more weight and then cutting off some fat, while attempting to keep the incremental lean gains. I've never done that but it would work.

I prefer to remain a bit leaner the whole time because I like doing bodyweight/gymnasticy activities and having to carry around extra fat mass is not helpful. So it really depends on whether you mind carrying around the extra fat, buying new clothes etc. Bear in mind that in my first year or so of HST I gained around 40lb in bodyweight. I liked being stronger but I didn't like all the extra fat mass; so then I had to spend 6 or 7 months cutting it off. That was not fun. I don't want to go back there again.
 
I've never been a fan of bulking/cutting for the sheer impact on the body. What I think is lost in the overall conversation is the notion of a "slow bulk", something that I read about at least a decade or so ago that I attempt to do always. Essentially, eat slightly over maintenance, all the time. Train upper boundaries with enough frequency to push through new PR's. At the same time, stay healthy and don't persist the stress of bulk/cut. I dunno, Sci - I think you'll hit your goals no matter what, but the nutrition method may be worth considering.

And - bear in mind with the "slow bulk" approach, you constantly evolve your diet as you grow and get stronger.
 
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How quickly does your body react to losing weight?

I'm thinking if you can shed weight fast then I'd agree with Lol and do a short cycle with a drastic cut to get the fat to fall off. If not then I'd suggest keep going as you're on a roll. I know summer is around the corner but I'd be tempted to push through it with the gains your making (you only need 14lb after all, less than you have gained so far), get to 220lbs and then cut.

The way I see it, when you get to 220lbs you're going to change your diet to maintenance or a cut anyways, so you may as well get there ASAP, then cut the fat down and then slowly increase it back up the final few pounds again. Second time around at 220lbs you'll be a lot happier as you'll be far leaner.

The hardest part I think you'll face are those bulges you're not used to and knowing your BF is above where you want it to be, but you're almost there...
 
Good points all around. It makes sense to me to keep bulking , as per Lol's last post. Makes a lot of sense to push to 220, then stabilize.

Assuming a 50/50 ratio again, I'll be 17% or so when I finally reach 220. Not bad.
 
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How important is being lean? Like Alex, I would have a hard time stopping when I'm making awesome gains like you are. If you cut now, you'd have to drop back under 200. If you bulk to 220 and make similar gains, you likely will only have to cut down to 200 or 205 to get lean again. That means likely 15 weeks of cutting... not impossible as long as you do it right. I would keep going. You set a goal of hitting 220 or else.
I will write more once I get power back. We had a huge storm Wednesday night, haven't had electricity since. It's hard writing a lot on my phone.
 
_tim said:
I've never been a fan of bulking/cutting for the sheer impact on the body. What I think is lost in the overall conversation is the notion of a "slow bulk", something that I read about at least a decade or so ago that I attempt to do always. Essentially, eat slightly over maintenance, all the time. Train upper boundaries with enough frequency to push through new PR's. At the same time, stay healthy and don't persist the stress of bulk/cut. I dunno, Sci - I think you'll hit your goals no matter what, but the nutrition method may be worth considering.

And - bear in mind with the "slow bulk" approach, you constantly evolve your diet as you grow and get stronger.
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This is essentially what I was trying to say... just not as eloquently as Tim. :) Slow bulk sounds considerably less "judgmental" than "disciplined bulk" :)

Keep riding that train, Sci!! 220 is right around the corner!
 
HST 3x5

Pulldowns: 200
45 Incline Bench: 205
Supported Row: 230
Dips: 270 (+60)
Leg Press: 540 (12 plates)
Uni-calf Raise: 350 (+140x12)
Leg Curl: 135

Will be bulking all weekend! :)
 
I don't believe in "slow bulks". I don't think it results in less fat gain, just makes things take longer. As long as I am seeing a 50/50 lean/fat ratio, that means I am going slow enough as is.
 
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