Why is my bulk going horribly wrong? Help!

coolmarine24 · 09-21-2009, 08:35 AM

Hey guys, I have been bulking since March 22 (I was 135 pounds), now I am 150 pounds (gained 15 lbs) but it seems that all 15 pounds that I gained were purely fat and no muscle. I do not know what is wrong, my diet is in check, I eat 100% clean 6 meals per day, enough protein carbs and fat? I workout hard at the gym (have a good 3 day split that hits every muscle group and also do cardio 3 times per week (HIIT for 22 minutes)to minimize fat gains)and yes my lifts have been going up so I just don?t understand why all I gained was body fat. Could it be that my body just reacts that way and that is just the way it is and I have to recognize that??Please help me, this is very frustrating I am even thinking about doing cycles to see some muscle gains although I'd prefer to avoid that..here are my pics from March 22 and also pics from yesterday, you?ll see that all I gained was pure fat and no muscle:

mykim · 09-21-2009, 08:41 AM

Maybe you should try a 5 day split and devote each day to one or two muscle groups.

Also, dont do cardio as it is just counter productive. Right now, im also bulking and i dont do cardio. I have not noticed fat gains so far but i only eat 100 cals over my daily expenditure.

Also, are you lifting heavier each workout?

Also, if you have to use steroids at only 150lbs, that is epic fail. Usually, people use steroids when they have reached their full genetic potential and cannot grow more.

How much protein and fat do you eat? Also how many calories?

coolmarine24 · 09-21-2009, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mykim

Maybe you should try a 5 day split and devote each day to one or two muscle groups.

Also, dont do cardio as it is just counter productive. Right now, im also bulking and i dont do cardio. I have not noticed fat gains so far but i only eat 100 cals over my daily expenditure.

Also, are you lifting heavier each workout?

Also, if you have to use steroids at only 150lbs, that is epic fail. Usually, people use steroids when they have reached their full genetic potential and cannot grow more.

How much protein and fat do you eat? Also how many calories?

Thanks for the info about Steroids, did not realize it would be a fail at 150 pounds. I just thought that perhaps I have achieved my full genetic potential since I am not building muscle. Now I know I should not mess with that stuff.
I do change workouts every 2- 3 months but since starting to bulk they have been 3 day splits, so as you suggested I probably need to do a 5 day split instead.

I am confused about "not doing cardio".....if I stop doing cardio won't that mean that I will gain even more body fat??...I am also eating very little over maintenance thats why I only gained 15 pounds (about 3 lbs per month) in about 6 months.

I do lift very heavy at the gym and I never miss a workout...my lifts have been going up.

I eat 3400 calories everyday, it may seem a lot but if I eat any less I just don't gain weight at all...its that simple...macro break down is 50/30/20 (carbs, protein,fat)

Pumping4Lyyyfe · 09-21-2009, 08:52 AM

It could just be genetics as well.

Look into a nutrient partioning supplement. Some people are just more inclined to have higher fat to muscle ratios..when it comes to packing on mass.

A nutrient partitioning supplement can probably help. Those always helped when I wanted to bulk. It will let you bulk more efficiently.

M-Stak, Glyobol come to mind.

EDIT: I did not see your pics load the first time. It seems like you're on the right track..but if you're still concerned I would recommend something like that.

nsiegel5 · 09-21-2009, 08:54 AM

I dont really see it going that horribly wrong at all. Im not sure what you expected either?? Did you think you were gonna put on 15 pounds of muscle is such a short period of time?? I dont understand why you are doing cardio during a bulk phase either.
At 34 youre no teenager so I think you should keep your muscles growing in perspective. Work hard and try to gain 8-10 pounds of muscle in a year, it is possible you put on 4 pounds of muscle in 6 months that you have done your bulk and thats not that terrible. Quality muscle takes time to build.

mykim · 09-21-2009, 09:01 AM

Does your workout consist of mostly compound exercises like bench press, squat, deadlift, pullup, barbell row, and millitary press?

Also, you can only expect to gain a fraction of a pound in muscle per week. So 3lbs in 1 month sounds normal to me.

You can also check your bodyfat level % to see if you have added lean mass or not. Get some calipers if you dont own one

coolmarine24 · 09-21-2009, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nsiegel5

I dont really see it going that horribly wrong at all. Im not sure what you expected either?? Did you think you were gonna put on 15 pounds of muscle is such a short period of time?? I dont understand why you are doing cardio during a bulk phase either.
At 34 youre no teenager so I think you should keep your muscles growing in perspective. Work hard and try to gain 8-10 pounds of muscle in a year, it is possible you put on 4 pounds of muscle in 6 months that you have done your bulk and thats not that terrible. Quality muscle takes time to build.

Thanks for your comments, they certainly give me some hope, reason why I think its going horribly wrong is that I see absolutely NO muscle gain at all...(even though my lifts have been going up )...all I see in my pictures is fat gain...do you see it differently?..I am not expecting to put on only 15 pounds of muscle and no fat all, I am for sure aware that building muscle while maintaining or even losing fat is impossible but at least I was hoping to see by now some muscle gains and honestly I do not see that, all I see is fat gains, I would be happy if 7 of those 15 pounds would be muscle, i think for 6 months that would be reasonable.

Reason why I am doing cardio 3 times per week is because I was trying to minimize fat gains..(of course that failed)....do you think I should stop doing cardio to allow muscles to recover? but wouldn't that mean that I would gain even more fat?...Thanks for your help man, you certainly have some great points.

eds133 · 09-21-2009, 09:15 AM

when you were on your cut did you limit your carbs?

If you did. did you go straight into a bulking diet with higher carbs? It maybe you are just switching between the two too fast.

Try something like bulking for a month or 6 weeks and then doing an extreme cut for another 3 weeks. you wont gain as much weight but whatever you do gain will be LBM.

coolmarine24 · 09-21-2009, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eds133

when you were on your cut did you limit your carbs?

If you did. did you go straight into a bulking diet with higher carbs? It maybe you are just switching between the two too fast.

Try something like bulking for a month or 6 weeks and then doing an extreme cut for another 3 weeks. you wont gain as much weight but whatever you do gain will be LBM.

When I was on a cut I was eating 2700 calories or so...40/40/20. When I started bulking I was also doing 40/40/20 but on those macros it meant that I had to eat 340 gram of protein which from what I read is too much for my weight.... my weight is 150 pounds and if the rule says to eat 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight then I should be eating 150 to 225 grams of protein.....that meant that I had to increase carbs to compensate for eating less protein (i now eat about 225 grams of protein from chicken breasts, tuna, cottage cheese, whey protein powder,, eggs) Fat still remains at 20%. Maybe I need to increase fats to decrease my body fat gains? lol

Pancito · 09-21-2009, 11:04 AM

you need to increase your fat, if you were cutting with 2700 calories (about 1000 more then me btw) you need to add a lot of calories to your bulk, and the best way to do it is with fat since they have 9 calories per gram.

What is your split? probably your not hitting it with enough intensity?

coolmarine24 · 09-21-2009, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pancito

you need to increase your fat, if you were cutting with 2700 calories (about 1000 more then me btw) you need to add a lot of calories to your bulk, and the best way to do it is with fat since they have 9 calories per gram.

What is your split? probably your not hitting it with enough intensity?

why would I need to add alot of calories?? Righ tnow I am gaining weight just fine... The problem is that the weight that I am gaining is purely fat and no muscle. I dont think increasing calories would help me.

I really do bust my ass at the gym....I dont think that not enough intensity is the issue..

Monday Chest and Tri's
Tuesday Back and Bis'
Wednesday Legs
Thursday ...start all over again
Core Exercises are done on non Cardio Days
Off on Saturday and Sundays
HIIT is done M-W-F

sl4vik · 09-21-2009, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coolmarine24

When I was on a cut I was eating 2700 calories or so...40/40/20. When I started bulking I was also doing 40/40/20 but on those macros it meant that I had to eat 340 gram of protein which from what I read is too much for my weight.... my weight is 150 pounds and if the rule says to eat 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight then I should be eating 150 to 225 grams of protein.....that meant that I had to increase carbs to compensate for eating less protein (i now eat about 225 grams of protein from chicken breasts, tuna, cottage cheese, whey protein powder,, eggs) Fat still remains at 20%. Maybe I need to increase fats to decrease my body fat gains? lol

lol the "rule." You can increase protein and fat. I do 40/40/20 @ 2800 calories and it's pretty easy.

coolmarine24 · 09-21-2009, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sl4vik

lol the "rule." You can increase protein and fat. I do 40/40/20 @ 2800 calories and it's pretty easy.

So you are saying that eating 340 grams of protein for my weight is fine and its not overkill??

Enigma1098 · 09-21-2009, 01:25 PM

its not that bad, at least you put on some muscle. I dont think you should eat 340g of protein, maybe 260 at the most.

its not a dreamer_ bulk and thats good.

sl4vik · 09-21-2009, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coolmarine24

So you are saying that eating 340 grams of protein for my weight is fine and its not overkill??

Add fat instead. Maybe you are going too far above maintenance. 3400 is way too much for 150lbs btw.

Earn_It · 09-21-2009, 02:45 PM

You've put on some fat and some muscle. It's not a bad bulk by any means, you're over-reacting. The only thing you've done wrong is to gain weight too quickly. You could try doing a mini-cut to strip off the excess and I think you'll probably find you could get the same conditioning you had in March but at a slightly higher BW. Marathon, not a sprint!

coolmarine24 · 09-21-2009, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sl4vik

Add fat instead. Maybe you are going too far above maintenance. 3400 is way too much for 150lbs btw.

How can I be going to far above maintenance?? If it eat any less (for example 3300 calories) I DO NOT gain any weight at all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Earn_It

You've put on some fat and some muscle. It's not a bad bulk by any means, you're over-reacting. The only thing you've done wrong is to gain weight too quickly. You could try doing a mini-cut to strip off the excess and I think you'll probably find you could get the same conditioning you had in March but at a slightly higher BW. Marathon, not a sprint!

I hope I am over reacting lol...but why do you think that I gained weight too quickly?? I gained 15 pounds in 6 months, that means that I gained 2.5 pounds each month....is 2.5 pounds per month too much??? I thought that 0.5 pounds per week is good while bulking?

jblack1985 · 09-21-2009, 05:46 PM

.5 lbs a week is a good rate... all i would do is switch up your routine a bit.

Monday- chest
tues -back
wed-off
thurs- legs
fri- shoulders
sat-off
sun- bi/tri

cardio if your worried about fat.. do on empty stomatch on a couple of those days

ravot0706 · 09-21-2009, 05:49 PM

No, man! You have not gained pure fat. You're being way too hard on yourself. You've made very good progress!

Quote:

Originally Posted by coolmarine24

Hey guys, I have been bulking since March 22 (I was 135 pounds), now I am 150 pounds (gained 15 lbs) but it seems that all 15 pounds that I gained were purely fat and no muscle. I do not know what is wrong, my diet is in check, I eat 100% clean 6 meals per day, enough protein carbs and fat? I workout hard at the gym (have a good 3 day split that hits every muscle group and also do cardio 3 times per week (HIIT for 22 minutes)to minimize fat gains)and yes my lifts have been going up so I just don?t understand why all I gained was body fat. Could it be that my body just reacts that way and that is just the way it is and I have to recognize that??Please help me, this is very frustrating I am even thinking about doing cycles to see some muscle gains although I'd prefer to avoid that..here are my pics from March 22 and also pics from yesterday, you?ll see that all I gained was pure fat and no muscle:

MdFitness · 09-21-2009, 07:16 PM

Try a different routine maybe.

Mon: Chest/Arms start with a chest bench press
Tue: Legs start with barbell squats
Wed. Cardio /Abs
Thur: Shoulder/Tris/Chest start with dumbbell shoulder presses
Fri: Back/Bis start with deadlifts
Sat. Cardio / Abs
Sun: Rest.

Really try to mix stuff up, I dont even write stuff down anymore, I just go to town.

some moves I might do 2 sets of 12, some I might do 3 sets of 3, some i might do 3x8, etc... As long as best a previous lift either with another rep or adding weight i call it a success.

For food wise like u stated try different ratios. maybe more fat and less carbs. personally I am bulking with fat/protein only and only eat carbs one day a week and I like what i am seeing. I am 4 months into bulking hard and sometimes I dont see what I want to see in the mirror but as long as my lifts are going up and I am gaining weight I know I have to be gaining some sort of muscle and I keep going. I set a goal to bulk till Jan then, cut 2 month for Spring Break in March.

From my results I found out the following:

I need to eat alot to grow, get 6-8 hours of sleep, and space out my training like I have with the routine I am on.
I started bulking 6/1 now its 9/21 and I am up 23 pounds, I have increased size everywhere however, the same shorts fit me since pre-bulk so I am happy. I have gained quite a few pounds of mass I believe and I will know for sure when I cut again and see how I look at around 160s again.

rivet0r · 09-21-2009, 08:04 PM

This really isn't rocket science. If you're gaining weight too quickly, you're taking in too many calories, period. Cut back on the calories and track your weight gain; and obviously if you decide to cut out the cardio, you're going to have to eat even less to make up for it.

I personally aim for 2lbs. a month, muscle only goes on so quickly, no reason to add unnecessary fat in an attempt to rush muscle gain.. then you have to waste more time cutting off the excess fat you put on.

I highly suggest keeping at around 1.2g/bw for protein, fats around .4g/bw, and the rest in carbs. Keep the carbs around your workout, some to fuel, and some for recovery. Keep the intensity up in the gym and make sure you're always progressing.

The best of luck to ya!

bigdan · 09-21-2009, 09:21 PM

hmm if your lifts are going up odds are you are putting on some muscle. I honestly dont "see" tons of progress but those are just pictures, did you take any measurements? As others have mentioned it takes time... years. If your lifts are going up then I think as long as your training and diet are solid you are doing ok. Honestly it's puzzling dude I mean are you getting enough rest? What does your workout routine look like? Something isn't adding up.

RuFlz · 09-21-2009, 09:35 PM

You gained muscle.. Minimal fat gain.. IdK what your talking about.. If you added 13lbs of fat from that picture you wouldn't look like your first pic.

glen666 · 09-22-2009, 04:54 AM

Looks like a water weight gain to me more than fat have you increased carbs much was your cut on a low carb diet. If you dropped water or played with sodium I bet you would look more cut like before.

coolmarine24 · 09-22-2009, 07:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glen666

Looks like a water weight gain to me more than fat have you increased carbs much was your cut on a low carb diet. If you dropped water or played with sodium I bet you would look more cut like before.

When I was cutting I was on a 40/40/20 macros ratio. Now I am at a 50/30/20f ratio. So yes I have increased carbs. I drink the same amount of water everyday (7 liters) and I always eat less than 3000mg of sodium

By the way the FIRST PICTURE ON THE LEFT IS FROM LAST YEAR.....before I even started lifting or eating right.

Time2BulkUp · 09-22-2009, 08:03 AM

coolmarine24 - you sound like me! hahahaha... I been bulking for about 3 months now and feel the same way. I work out hard, doing a great clean bulk, my lifts are now going up, and seems I'm only gaining fat. We must have the same body type. LOL... I feel like I looked better cut-up vs. bulking. You may feel the same now.

Honestly, everyone's body is so different unique and not 1 person on this earth is the same. What I've done lately is just change things up. This could be just my own personal theory and some may agree or disagree. But, if you're eating the SAME calories each day, working out doing the SAME routine, SAME time of day, SAME everything... eventually your body will adjust and not make progress. It is VERY important to constantly change things. CHANGE your diet, CHANGE your calorie intake on certain weeks, change your workout to target different angles etc. YOU MUST SHOCK YOUR BODY FOR CHANGE!!!

That's what I'm doing lately, but it's still too soon to see if it's helping. One other REALLY important thing is your work-out form. You must go very slow lifting up and down when you're working out. Even go lighter if you have to, but make sure you put emphasis on that muscle(s) when you're doing your reps. You will be SHOCKED how much more of an impact it has on the muscle.

I would say lower your calories, but you also said you don't gain weight if you do. I would also continue with your cardio. Aside from weight lifting, it's good to burn fat, keep the heart rate up, and keep those hormones pumping. NEVER skip your cardio bulking or not no matter what people tell you. You just have to find the right amount of time on it.

Italian_13 · 09-22-2009, 08:23 AM

I personally agree with the above poster on a few thing.

1.) In order to grow, you MUST shock the body. You body does not like to change things, it likes to keep things regular and in balance.
2.) If you eat the SAME thing day in and day out, odds are that you are losing out on some essential vitamins and minerals that other foods are high in. Forget multis for a second, food is the best place to get your vitamins and minerals!
3.) Try playing around with your calories. Say on days you are working out a body part that lagging, add more calories that day. On days off, drop 500 calories or so.
4.) ALWAYS.... ALWAYS...... ALWAYS.... no wait.... ALWAYS do your damn cardio! Bulking is not an excuse to get fat, not do cardio, etc. Cardio not only is great for endurance, recovery, and fat loss, but it is excellent on the heart! Plus, by doing cardio, you can get your body adjusted to the extra weight you added. Has anyone ever gained 30lbs or so and tried walking up the stairs? Compared to when you were 30lbs lighter, it was harder!!

These are just suggestions for the most part. Its takes a while to find out how your body works, what foods are best for you, and what routine works. Thats the best part about it!

good luck

coolmarine24 · 09-22-2009, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Italian_13

I personally agree with the above poster on a few thing.

1.) In order to grow, you MUST shock the body. You body does not like to change things, it likes to keep things regular and in balance.
2.) If you eat the SAME thing day in and day out, odds are that you are losing out on some essential vitamins and minerals that other foods are high in. Forget multis for a second, food is the best place to get your vitamins and minerals!
3.) Try playing around with your calories. Say on days you are working out a body part that lagging, add more calories that day. On days off, drop 500 calories or so.
4.) ALWAYS.... ALWAYS...... ALWAYS.... no wait.... ALWAYS do your damn cardio! Bulking is not an excuse to get fat, not do cardio, etc. Cardio not only is great for endurance, recovery, and fat loss, but it is excellent on the heart! Plus, by doing cardio, you can get your body adjusted to the extra weight you added. Has anyone ever gained 30lbs or so and tried walking up the stairs? Compared to when you were 30lbs lighter, it was harder!!

These are just suggestions for the most part. Its takes a while to find out how your body works, what foods are best for you, and what routine works. Thats the best part about it!

good luck

Thanks for your reply and congrats on a great physique!! I do change my workouts every 2 months so that I can shock my body....as far as diet, yes i eat pertty much the same thing everyday...perhaps I need to start to eat some junk food to shock my body...i eat 99% clean everyday....by the way I agree that I shuld not sop cardio completely but how much cardio is good enough where it wont hurt my muscle gains?

JuiceWeasel · 09-22-2009, 10:44 AM

For a start you will have put on muscle because if you gained 15lbs of fat, then you would look alot worse incomparison to the picture. Like what has been said before, it takes time to make muscle gains and because your older it will take even longer, sorry to break the news, just cut back the cals slightly and keep lifting, aim for 1lb a month.

FrederikP · 09-22-2009, 10:46 AM

Alright man.. Lots of things you can du.. Here are some things for you to focus on..

Sleep 8 hrs every night.. Eat solid meals with LOTS of complex carbs and protein.. Eat DIFFERNET protein, to get a good amino profile.. if u drink milk, eat yuohurt and do whey protein.. You get all your protein from milk = bad amino profile.. Make sure t oget lots of meat. Push urself in the gym.. Lift heavier weight evey time. Force your body to grow. Get intense and push for it dude. Seems to me that them otivation is down because of the lack of musle gains. Get motivated, get working and cook some meat. Also you should use a night time protein. I'd recommend dymatize 12 hr release. Works great for me.

Good luck dude.