Bulking help

S

skinnyman

New Member
I've been on a strict +600 kcal diet on my workout days and in one month i'm only gaining 1 - 1.5 pounds. i was wondering how much the others gain in a span of one month (half a HST cycle) . If 1.5 pounds isn't enough (i find it lean gain but REAAAllllyyy slow...) I was wondering if i can jump up to +800 kcals

thanks for any reply
smile.gif
 
I think the main problem is figuring how far over maintenance I can go without wasting cals which would then just convert to fat. I also find that I lose weight EXTREMELY quickly ... tho that could be my crappy digital scales!

I think I've put on about 11lbs this cycle (almost done - 8 weeks) - so thats just under 1.5lbs a week. But yeh, 1.5 for a month sounds a bit too low to me. Are you noticing a change in measurements at all?
 
yeah i'm definitley noticing differences although pretty small. yeap the main problem is how much over maintainance can we go without wasting cals.

just a piece of info...there was one time i did bulking wrongly... i ate HIGHLY over maintainance even on non-workout days. i gained 8 pounds in a month most of it fat
smile.gif
) hahaha.

neebone - how much caloric surplus do you consume?
 
To quote the MuscleNow system that's worked for thousands of folks...you do 500 cals over maintenance for bulk and 500 under for cuts. But not everyone is exacly the same, different metabolism, 3 different body types, different daily activities...you have to monitor yourself and judge by your gains or lack of gains. There IS no set number, just a suggestion. Some may gain at 250 over, some need 1000, like me. (I'm a carpenter).
 
Daily activities can make a huge impact. I am running around a lot at my job, which is probably another reason why I need a huge surplus, just like quadancer.

You've got to just adjust your own intake periodically and see what happens. Also, as you gain weight, you'll need to reevaluate your calorie needs as well, since your maintenance requirement will go up. It's not an exact science and it takes a bit of time to figure out... However, eventually, you should be able to figure out roughly how much of a surplus you need to bulk and it should stay more or less the same, as long as you don't do something drastic like change jobs, drop half your routine, get injured, etc.

You said you are doing 600 over on workout days, what about non-workout days? Remember, you are building muscle those days too, so you'll want a surplus on those days as well.
 
totenz - well i usually just eat a hundred more than my non-workout days. last time i did eat as much as my workout days, i gained too much fat. Do you mean to say i need to eat above my BMR on all non-workout days?
 
I believe so. You could eat less than on workout days if you want, but I would get a little more than a hundred. Since you do 600 over on workout days, you could try 300 on non-workout days... but I would definitely bump up the calories on non-workout days before bumping them up elsewhere.
 
doesn't excess calories on a non-workout day be only wasted since there is no physical activities? Or is there something I don't know about the timespan of muscle growth after a workout? Ahkk i'm confused. I've read before the rule of thumb is eat a lot on workout days and go easy on non-workout days ( I assumed maintainance level)
 
Your muscles are still repairing themselves on your offdays, thus they still need the extra calories. You're cheating yourself out of some potential growth.
 
Don't forget the calorie thing is always an estimate based on your lean body mass etc. There are a gazillion processes going on in the body at any one time. Cells are constantly being renewed throughout your body as they come to the end of their life (skin, muscle, bone etc.).

So, however accurately you think you have worked cals out using some formula or other it can only ever be an approximation of what you might actually need to grow that day. Much better to have a little too much than not enough. I reckon a pound a week is about right but then you need to be able to do a bf test to see how much fat you added during a cycle. The concensus is that it is very difficult to gain size without adding some fat unless you are untrained and fairly overweight. I'd rather add a bit of fat and know I got my best gains than miss out after all my hard work.

Just as an aside, I put on a jacket today which I have been able to wear for the past four years prior to HST. To my little lads great delight I managed to rip it right down the back doing a most muscular pose (like the Hulk)!
biggrin.gif
I couldn't quite split the sleeves though.
sad.gif
 
Skinny - i usually eat 500kcals over which seems to be the norm (tho I havent been monitoring myself this cycle and I think I've been slipping).

One thing I need to do for sure is reduce my fat intake. I ty to keep it down but the food I eat tends to have more than I'd like - tho its low in saturated fat so not all bad.

LOL - tried the same thing with a jacket from about 3 years ago - tho I was too scared to rip it cos its actually quite a nice jacket!
 
ohh i'm starting to get it... so even on cardio days, i have to eat above caloric surplus. so for example, if i burn 200 calories with my cardio, i have to eat around 500 calories to have a 300 calorie surplus on that day?
smile.gif


so if you guys always have a caloric surplus diet, when do you guys eat at maintenance level? only during SD?

thanks guys
 
I cant speak for the others but I'd say never. Its a yoyo between cutting (sub maintenance) and bulking (over maintenance). I guess the only time one would eat maintenance is if one stopped training - so again, never
laugh.gif
 
i ate 800 caloric surplus on workout days and 300 on non-workout days. i gained about 1/2 a pound in a week. is this a good start?
smile.gif
i heard some gain a pound a week. do you guys think i should bump up the calories some more?
 
I shoot to gain 1 pound a week...which it hardly ever works that perfect.

So an easier way I do it is i bulk to 15% bodyfat and cut after I get over that.
biggrin.gif
 
I'm back again with questions!
is it possible to get a bulking diet plateu?
I've been on a strict +1000 cals on workout days and +300 on nonworkout days. and for the past week I didn't gain ANYTHING. I was wondering if this has something to do with my diet or my workout has come to a plateu (on my 9th week already)
 
If you aren't gaining weight, that means you need to eat more. You have to increase the calories as your weight goes up. Your maintenance level of calories has gone up. Refigure your maintenance, then add 500 to that, or just add more calories onto what you are eating now.
 
I'm in the 3rd week of my 2nd cycle and my weight is almost exactly the same as when I first started. I fluctuate like crazy, sometimes gaining and/or losing 4 lbs in a day. I try to eat a lot and many times a day but I just can't seem to gain weight to save my life. I'm also not seeing the gains that I think I should.

Anyone else having this problem? SHould I try creatine or some supplements or do I just need to eat more?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top