200 Pounds 5'8

[melantus]

I told a friend that I would like to hit 200 pounds by 12/08. I'm currently 156, and want to clean bulk my way up. He told me it might be a bad idea since I'm not that tall. Is there any truth to what he told me? Examples he gave were all that weight could effect my joints, heart, lungs, and bones.

[killatiger]

I told a friend that I would like to hit 200 pounds by 12/08. I'm currently 156, and want to clean bulk my way up. He told me it might be a bad idea since I'm not that tall. Is there any truth to what he told me? Examples he gave were all that weight could effect my joints, heart, lungs, and bones.

Highly unrealistic to get that big and add 46 lbs of muscle. It is possible to get to that weight and add about half fat and muscle but that would not be optimal. I would say a realistic goal would be about 175-180lbs with an add of 18lbs of pure muslce and the rest fat if your diet is in check, training is in check, and that you do everything else right. But you will still need an Ironwill and decent genetics. 15-20lbs of muscle is good progress for 1 year so let that be a generic to go by.It could effect all the things he mentioned because IMO i dont believe it is possible to accomplish that feat with all muscle or even mostly half muslce NATURALLY.

[melantus]

My last bulk blew up in my face I was 150 and bulked to 178. What happened was 1 1/2 months into my bulk my car died and I wasnt able to hit the gym anymore. So I lept gaining anyways and then when I was able to lift again about 4 months later I probably added 5-8 pounds of muscle if that. When I got back to gym I just tried start eating clean and just lifting to get some of my strength back. Then once I felt a little better I cut beacuse I felt fat. I'm down to 156 and feel a lot better and want make a good bulk this year becuase my other was cut short. I figured 2 pounds a week give or take would get me my goal.

[killatiger]

My last bulk blew up in my face I was 150 and bulked to 178. What happened was 1 1/2 months into my bulk my car died and I wasnt able to hit the gym anymore. So I lept gaining anyways and then when I was able to lift again about 4 months later I probably added 5-8 pounds of muscle if that. When I got back to gym I just tried start eating clean and just lifting to get some of my strength back. Then once I felt a little better I cut beacuse I felt fat. I'm down to 156 and feel a lot better and want make a good bulk this year becuase my other was cut short. I figured 2 pounds a week give or take would get me my goal.

I would personally go with .5 lb to 1 lb a week as a goal for muscle gain. Depending on how seasoned you are and your frame. Depending on your frame you will pleatuea fast in terms of lean muscle which I assume is your ultimate goal. A more reasonable plan would be to bulk for about 2-3 months with an ultimate clean diet then cut for a month or two. You will want the same fat loss a week, no more than 1 lb or you risk losing muscle. Then repeat. Once you get to 180-185 lbs I believe you will find it more difficult to break through depending on your frame and genetics because your body will try to fight you on it.

[melantus]

Well I have a picture of myself on here. I'm not sue what kind of frame I have but that pic is a year old now. I've put on a little bit more muscle now, but I wouldn't say a drastic amount since that pic.

[killatiger]

When I was talkin about frame I was talking mainly about yoru shoulders and legs. You dont have a very wide frame from the appearance of it which would make it harder to pack on mass. I would shoot for 15 lbs-20 lbs of muscle a year. You can accomplish more but it will take extreme dedication from every angle. I would educate myself if I were you thoroughly. I think you will find it more difficult once you get to about 185 to add muscle, it can certainly be done but not very quickly given your stats. Like I said before your body will fight you tooth and nail. I'm 5'11 and have very broad shoulders and I'm 220 and about 8.5% bf and it takes a great deal of effort to stay the same. And an even greater effort to improve. My point is that once you reach a certain point its gets tougher and tougher so your initial goal needs to be revised. Id suggest 175 lbs of lean clean muscle. To do that you will need to rotate bulking cycles with cutting cycles.

[DukeOfManlets]

im 5'5" 200lbs solid. i have to eat 4000+ calories daily to stay this way clean bulking that much is just silly. . .

[killatiger]

how long did it take was his question. Too put on 46 lbs of pure muscle takes a lot longer than 6 months if done naturally. That would be hard even with roids.

[melantus]

At 3 months bulk at 1 pound I'm looking at 12 pounds. Then you want me to cut again? I'd be 168 so should I just cut 1 month and then bulk again for 3? Could you elabortate on the cycle terms, becuase I don't understand why I would cut again so soon.

[f4k]

IM 5'9 150. Started at 140. my plan was to build as much as I could naturally using Starting Strength (until diminishing returns is obviously holding me back) then I will re-evaluate my diet, my training, my routine and do it again... Hopefully nailing 165-175 before a major plateau. I have learned that as long as you make progress... weights are moving up... there is no reason to hammer the body with mass supps. Just watch your diet...

[killatiger]

Its all relative to how you train and your diet. If you do it very clean there might not be a very high need to cut. But you will ultimately pack on a little fat even if done clean with that weight gain. I would gauge where you are after 3 months. I highly doubt 12lbs in 3 months would be all muscle but you can make it to where most of it is like 9-10, but that feat is hard for most anybody even the most seasoned vets. Just try to be as healthy as possible within your means. After you have had a fair amount of training and added some muscle over time reevaluate your body possibly with measurements, including accurate bf% and let that and your ultimate goals be your guide. You may have to cut for more than a month or less but only time will tell. The reason I say switch it up is because its easier to lose 2-5 lbs of fat as opposed to 20lbs without sacrificing muscle. Its hard to tell where you will be in the 3 months especially if you are new to hard core training because results vary but if you are a noob you should be able to make great progress for awhile so take advantage of it because it will level off sooner than later. Hope that helps if not let me know.