Calorie balance

T

tcc2

New Member
If you increased your calorie intake to match the extra calories burnt by additional HST workouts (i.e. going from 3 to 6 weekly workouts) so your bodyweight did not change over the course of the more frequent cycle,

are you just wasting your time?

or will you improve your body composition?
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (tcc2 @ July 09 2003,12:45)]are you just wasting your time?
Click to expand...
Yep.

UNLESS you want to remain constant, that is. If you want to cut, you have to have a calorie deficit. If you want to gain, you need surplus. Most of what you do pretty much comes down to simply that.

Just my 2 cents.
 
You may ultimately adjust your body composition, but if you are lean, or have been at it a fair while, it aint gonna happen at a measurable rate.
IF your fat, and or a newbie, you can alter your composition nicely while eating maintenance calories
 
I'm not a newbie and I'm not too fat either (by my standards, at least - 13% bf). So I guess I'll have to find ways to eat more.

My first HST cycle was a bulking cycle and I added 8 pounds by eating approx. 3100 kcals / day. I measured the gains to be half muscle and half fat.

Second cycle I cut 10 pounds by eating about 2300 kcals / day. I measured it to be 80/20 fat to muscle lost.

I going to have to do some new calculations. I have been eating 2950 this first week of my third cycle without any bodyweight change. I'd like to finish the cycle 6 pounds heavier with a better muscle to fat gained ratio - something like 4 pounds of muscle added to 2 pounds fat this time. Maybe if I bump the calories up slowly (100 extra per day) and see where that takes me next week.

The problem with trying to add so slowly is that it is difficult to see week by week. It's almost easier to just pile on the fat and strip it away later.
 
I'm no expert at cutting and bulking but it seems to me that if you were gaining half muscle and half fat (and gaining quite well) and then cutting with an 80-20 ratio you may as well eat like a horse, pile on the fat and musscle and then cut. The main obstacle to putting on as much weight as you can (I would have thought) is if you have trouble losing the fat and maintaining muscle mass when you cut. Doesn't seem a problem for you so I would go for it, unless you can't stand being a bit of a fatty! :D
 
robefc,

I was disappointed with a 50/50 ratio muscle to fat gained during my bulk cycle, but your point is well taken.

Preferentially dropping fat was easier for me than preferentially gaining muscle so I should accept the fat with the muscle knowing I can rid myself of it later.

So it comes down to a decision of whether I want to cut or bulk for this cycle. But I have to choose and that is not an easy decision for me.
 
jsraaf -

178 pounds this morning at 5' 9.5"
small frame, 6.5" wrists
max bench ~ 240
max squat ~ 300
max deadlift ~ 365
other info just for reference (certainly not going to impress anyone here
blush.gif
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] ] My first HST cycle was a bulking cycle and I added 8 pounds by eating approx. 3100
kcals / day. I measured the gains to be half muscle and half fat.

I going to have to do some new calculations. I have been eating 2950 this first week of my third cycle without any bodyweight change.
Click to expand...

I find I burn a lot of cal during the 15's.
I'd eat between 3200-3400 cal and try to put on some mass/fat then worry about cutting next cycle.

Also your stats are DANG close to mine
thumbs-up.gif
 
Bryan commented, awhile ago, that someone at my bodyweight (170-175) needs only about 2500 cals to gain (of course some will be fat), which is about 15x BW. If they were to go to 3000, expect to also gain an additional 1lb of fat per week.

My impression from this is that many folks overestimate their intake needs when bulking; eating 3-4000+ then wondering where all the fat came from. (If I can find a reference to that post, I'll add it).

<span style='color:red'>Edit: here's that post.</span>

Based on that advice, I'd say that you should be able to gain on be 2600-2800 cals. If you are going too far over that you may be gaining extra fat.

Everyone is different, and you may prefer to go hell-bent on gaining &amp; diet it off later which is just fine if that works for you. Slightly lowering your cals may cause you to gain more slowly, and maybe gain less fat.

Just my 2 cents, based on what I have seen/read, on a very debatable subject. I'm sure others will chime in.
 
mikeh,

Well then ours are great stats!

jsraaf,

Thanks for the link and the info. That's certainly food for thought.

After I finished my cutting cycle at 2300 kcals, I took in about 2500 during decon (full 2 weeks) and didn't gain any weight back. So I assume that 2500 is a good estimate of my calorie needs for sedentary maintenance.

If I do a little maff, I should be able to figure out a good calorie target for gaining muscle with the least amount of fat.

I will update...
 
Eat your bodyweight x 19 to gain.

And enjoy it, yeah you'll get some belly on you but you can cut it down easily considering the muscle you gained just raised your metabolsim even more. What I do is I bulk for 2 cycles then cut for 2, etc..
 
bodyweight x 19 :confused:?

yikes, that's about 3400 for me

I couldn't imagine how fat I'd get

Maybe 10 years ago, but at almost 33, I don't think I could pull it off

But I guess if I continue experimenting, I might find that's what it takes. But I will creep up to that level if I have to, not go there all at once.

Thanks for the suggestion.
 
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