First time BULKERS apply here ;)

[CRascoll]

Hey guys! So I need some help/advice...

I have been trying to "bulk" for about an entire month now. I started out fairly low carb at about 150g per day and about 50g fat. Now, I have steadily increase up to 300g carbs and 100g fat and stayed with 160g protein (I am 5'4 120lbs). Besides what i guess was initial water weight from the extra carbs, I weigh exactly the weight I was four weeks ago!! I am soooo frustrated since the scale has not increased (my strength has increased a bit however).

Does anyone else have this frustrating problem?? It sucks because I feel like every workout has just gone to waste because I obviously haven't been eating enough ): So do I just keep increasing until I put on 0.5lb/week. And how can you make sure that your putting on mass and not just water (if thats possible lol)

Those macros add up to 2,740 calories, which is awesome. I've noticed that my gains come in spurts when I least expect it, so it's best to ride the wave, so to speak. It has never been so linear for me as to .5lb a week, so I just take monthly averages and rely on measurements/progress pictures. I've gained 6lb since about Sept 1, and it's been anything but linear.

[CRascoll]

I need some advice/critiques on my back progress. It's the part of my body I know the least about, and even less about how it's supposed to look with more mass. Will you fellow bulkers let me know if I put a pic up?

[chelseaspinos]

Those macros add up to 2,740 calories, which is awesome. I've noticed that my gains come in spurts when I least expect it, so it's best to ride the wave, so to speak. It has never been so linear for me as to .5lb a week, so I just take monthly averages and rely on measurements/progress pictures. I've gained 6lb since about Sept 1, and it's been anything but linear.

Thanks for the advice! I'll give it some more time. Do you just base progress on strength gains and measurements/physical changes more so? I feel like the scale just never measures progress well ha

[CRascoll]

Thanks for the advice! I'll give it some more time. Do you just base progress on strength gains and measurements/physical changes more so? I feel like the scale just never measures progress well ha

It's a combination. I mean, if my big lifts (squats, deadlift, bench, press etc) are going up AND I'm eating enough, I see it in the mirror and with measurements. That's not to say I haven't gained strength while in a deficit, but my lifts have shot up on the bulk. Just keep it simple: keep killing it with your training so that every time you finish, you can honestly say to yourself that you did your best and gave it 100%. Logs help too. Bang out 1 more rep with last week's weight or up a lift by 5lbs for example.

[vhenley164]

It has never been so linear for me as to .5lb a week, so I just take monthly averages and rely on measurements/progress pictures. I've gained 6lb since about Sept 1, and it's been anything but linear.

This is good to know. I was continuing to track as regularly as I was when I was cutting and realised that I can pretty much weigh myself once every two weeks but worried this would not be enough. Glad someone else is finding the scales going up in spurts

[CRascoll]

Back Relaxed: Can I get some feedback? Should I have more definition at this point? (I'm only asking because I don't know much about back development, sadly)

[CRascoll]

Is everyone still in a food coma from Thanksgiving? Where is everybody? :-(

[Novesia]

Is everyone still in a food coma from Thanksgiving? Where is everybody? :-(

I transitioned from my Thanksgiving coma into a 'year-end, only two more weeks in the office before Christmas' coma. SO busy at work. Still getting my lifts in and making good progress in the gym so it's all good.

I think your back looks great lady! Especially considering that this is a somewhat relaxed pose! I noticed that I really only started to see some definition on my back towards the end of my cut. Apparently I hold water/fat there longer. As long as you are increasing weight/reps on your lifts you are good. You can always throw in some burn-out sets towards the end of the lift for body parts that are lacking. That has helped me a lot with shoulder and leg progress.

How much longer are you planning to bulk? Just asking because I'm so happy with how I feel right now that I might just join team forever bulking haha.

[CRascoll]

I started my bulk hard around mid September. I plan on bulking until around Feb/or 145lb which would be a 15lb gain in 7 months. Then in Feb I can do a nice slow 3 month cut. I don't even wanna think about it yet. The gains are great- I can now do almost 5 pullups, for example. Very recently, I have accumulated some definite fluff on my hips and lower belly, but my legs and butt are tighter. Boobs are so swollen,too, so I'm like...this is fantastic!

[CRascoll]

Ok, so I've just recently become very aware of the extra fluff I've accumulated. Since Sept 1, (about 14 weeks) body fat is now between 18-19% and I'm between 137-138. Up from 16% and 130lbs. This is the highest I've been in a long time. The fluff has chosen to nest on my hips, butt and lower belly. Sigh. To even out the ratio of fat gain to muscle, should I incorporate an extra day or 2 of cardio? Currently only doing cardio 1-2x a week if that.

[natnat5]

Is everyone still in a food coma from Thanksgiving? Where is everybody? :-(

I got mono and had to stop working out... =( I just went back to the gym for the first time yesterday and I can barely do anything. Gotta work my way back up.

[vhenley164]

The fluff has chosen to nest on my hips, butt and lower belly. Sigh. To even out the ratio of fat gain to muscle, should I incorporate an extra day or 2 of cardio? Currently only doing cardio 1-2x a week if that.

I am feelin this. My extra fat always sits on my hips (I have a very unfriendly relationship with my saddlebags) and I am bulking with the knowledge that this is going to have to get worse before it gets better. I would say just struggle through concentrating on the lifting and we will see the results when we cut again - if you're not careful excess, unnecessary cardio could result in you loosing some of that hard gained muscle.

[vhenley164]

I got mono and had to stop working out... =( I just went back to the gym for the first time yesterday and I can barely do anything. Gotta work my way back up.

A set back due to sickness is always sh*t, good luck with getting back to full force. Take care of yourself

[natnat5]

A set back due to sickness is always sh*t, good luck with getting back to full force. Take care of yourself

Thanks. I really want to get back soon. I'm going crazy!

[VO2Maxima]

Alright guys, I'm confused as to what's going on here. Two weeks ago, I was weighing consistently between 127-129. Weighing myself almost every day because my weight fluctuates enough on a day-to-day basis that weighing myself once per week might mean that I catch the high end one week and the low-end the next, and think that I lost weight when I'm actually on a gaining trend. Got sick a little over a week ago, had to take two days off, and had a couple inconsistent eating days. Got back to the gym and weighed in at 123. No big deal, everyone loses water weight when they're sick. But now I've been back lifting normally (and my strength is pretty normal-ish by now), eating at a surplus, and staying well-hydrated for over a week, and I've been between 122-124 this entire week and it feels like I have to readjust my lever belt. If I weren't bulking, I'd probably throw a little celebration, and it's making my pull-up numbers look awesome, but seeing as I'm actually trying to gain weight, what's going on here?

[JessicaLynne09]

So I've been eating around 2000 cals a day since March 2014, there have been cheat meals and cheat days and fall off the wagon weeks ( 😔😔😔 ) but I've always gotten back up. I am 154 lbs and it fluctuates but stays around that number. I want to bulk just to try something new but I am unsure on exactly how to do that.

I am 5'10, 154 lbs and 24 years old. I looking to gain muscle, not compete but hopefully get myself on that path (fingers crossed). I eat ~2000 cals, 160 protein, 215 carbs and ~60 fat. I want to up it to 2400 cals, ~300 carbs ~160-180 protein and ~75 fats. Is that a good idea for me?

Also when lifting I know I will be doing heavy weight with low reps, but cardio should be slim to none right??

Any advice / experiences would be greatly appreciated

Jessica

[natnat5]

So I've been eating around 2000 cals a day since March 2014, there have been cheat meals and cheat days and fall off the wagon weeks (  ) but I've always gotten back up. I am 154 lbs and it fluctuates but stays around that number. I want to bulk just to try something new but I am unsure on exactly how to do that.

I am 5'10, 154 lbs and 24 years old. I looking to gain muscle, not compete but hopefully get myself on that path (fingers crossed). I eat ~2000 cals, 160 protein, 215 carbs and ~60 fat. I want to up it to 2400 cals, ~300 carbs ~160-180 protein and ~75 fats. Is that a good idea for me?

Also when lifting I know I will be doing heavy weight with low reps, but cardio should be slim to none right??

Any advice / experiences would be greatly appreciated

Jessica

I'm by no means an expert but I'm 5'4 and 125 lbs and I eat like 2100 calls a day so yes you should increase. Gaining muscle means gaining weight and you need to eat more to do that.

Edit: I forgot to answer the rest of your question.. you can do cardio but it just means you need to eat even more.

[Novesia]

So I've been eating around 2000 cals a day since March 2014, there have been cheat meals and cheat days and fall off the wagon weeks ( ������ ) but I've always gotten back up. I am 154 lbs and it fluctuates but stays around that number. I want to bulk just to try something new but I am unsure on exactly how to do that.

I am 5'10, 154 lbs and 24 years old. I looking to gain muscle, not compete but hopefully get myself on that path (fingers crossed). I eat ~2000 cals, 160 protein, 215 carbs and ~60 fat. I want to up it to 2400 cals, ~300 carbs ~160-180 protein and ~75 fats. Is that a good idea for me?

Also when lifting I know I will be doing heavy weight with low reps, but cardio should be slim to none right??

Any advice / experiences would be greatly appreciated

Jessica

I'm about your size (5'11) and weigh around 140lbs. I eat 2,400 calories a day and I have the hardest time gaining weight. I'm still doing cardio 1-2 times a week because I like it. But I make sure to eat more on the days that I lift and do cardio. So - yes definitely increase your calories. You probably have to test out for a couple of weeks what works best and how much you have to eat to gain around 1-2lbs per month.

[vhenley164]

What a day! It is the first day of Hanukkah and, although I am not Jewish, working for an Israeli company means that lots and lots of large donuts were ordered in by the bosses. May have over indulged

I have a feeling that with all the Christmas parties over the following 2 weeks I am going to need to eat a bit cleaner in Jan. I know an absolutely clean bulk is not particularly necessary but all this naughty stuff can't be doing me any good. I don't even dare weight myself at the moment for fear of where I may be.

[TearsOfIce]

Hey girls!
I'm not a real first time bulker, but this is my first real bulk without playing tennis and I'm a bit lost with my maintenance.
I set my macros at 2341 calories (61 f - 122 p - 326 c) but I have no idea on whether this is too much, too little or fine....
I know it's impossible for you to know how much I burn etc...but I hope of you can tell me if it sounds about right. I go to school in the morning from 8 to 13. In the afternoon I go to the gym for around 1 hour and then I go back home. As you can see I'm very sedentary because apart from the gym and the cooking I sit around all day. I workout 5x per week. I started yesterday with the bulk after 4 months without tracking and lifting. How does it sounds for you? I know I must just wait for about 2 weeks and see what happens but I don't wanna risk to lose weight these weeks so I just wanted to get some opinions..

EDIT: Already upped to 2601 (the 1 is just to have whole numbers for macros) since my family wants me to gain quickly and well...I also want the gainz. I hope it will go well even if I'm veeery sedentary. I feel like since I've been an athlete (tennis player) my calorie requirements are higher than the average person...is that possible? Well, I will find out in a couple of weeks anyways.

[CRascoll]

Hey girls!
I'm not a real first time bulker, but this is my first real bulk without playing tennis and I'm a bit lost with my maintenance.
I set my macros at 2341 calories (61 f - 122 p - 326 c) but I have no idea on whether this is too much, too little or fine....
I know it's impossible for you to know how much I burn etc...but I hope of you can tell me if it sounds about right. I go to school in the morning from 8 to 13. In the afternoon I go to the gym for around 1 hour and then I go back home. As you can see I'm very sedentary because apart from the gym and the cooking I sit around all day. I workout 5x per week. I started yesterday with the bulk after 4 months without tracking and lifting. How does it sounds for you? I know I must just wait for about 2 weeks and see what happens but I don't wanna risk to lose weight these weeks so I just wanted to get some opinions..

EDIT: Already upped to 2601 (the 1 is just to have whole numbers for macros) since my family wants me to gain quickly and well...I also want the gainz. I hope it will go well even if I'm veeery sedentary. I feel like since I've been an athlete (tennis player) my calorie requirements are higher than the average person...is that possible? Well, I will find out in a couple of weeks anyways.

Just to give you a reassuring perspective, I'm 5'8 136lbs, and eat a minimum 2600 calories with abs still showing. So I'm about to up them a bit because I'm not gaining. Everyone's body is different, which is why I've stopped listening and reading sites that tell me what or how much to eat.

[Novesia]

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you all enjoy some good food in the next couple of days!

I'm back home in Germany for two weeks and am not really tracking macros at the moment. I'm a little paranoid about my protein intake though especially because I don't really have access to protein powder or bars here. I wonder how much damage I would do if I was low on protein for those 2 weeks? I'm still lifting heavy every other day. Has anyone else been in a similar situation by any chance? Also any high-protein non-dairy food tips would be highly appreciated. Chicken and eggs don't count haha.

[TearsOfIce]

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you all enjoy some good food in the next couple of days!

I'm back home in Germany for two weeks and am not really tracking macros at the moment. I'm a little paranoid about my protein intake though especially because I don't really have access to protein powder or bars here. I wonder how much damage I would do if I was low on protein for those 2 weeks? I'm still lifting heavy every other day. Has anyone else been in a similar situation by any chance? Also any high-protein non-dairy food tips would be highly appreciated. Chicken and eggs don't count haha.

Uhm... tofu and seitan, any type of meat that's not chicken, legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas,etc), soy products (are they dairy? lol). You can also try to get your carbs fromoats and wholewheat products since they tend to be higher in protein.

[CRascoll]

I posted awhile back about loss of strength on all of my lifts, and thought perhaps I was just going too hard. Well, the MRI results are in and show a herniated/dessicated discs in my L1/L2 discs (mid back). I'm stunned. If anyone has dealt with this, please let me know. At this point, I'm having pain on almost every lift, even abs, once I start getting past 7 or 8 reps. I don't know how to change my workouts around to where I can still go hard enough to build mass. Even the dang leg press gives me pain. Such a sad panda lately!

[vhenley164]

Hope all you lovely ladies had a good Christmas. Isn't it great to be able to enjoy the holiday and eat, while everyone else worries about putting on weight (I know, smug )

My gym has been closed the last few days so looking forward to pushing it tomorrow and see if I can put those extra calories to good use and break some PBs

[vhenley164]

I posted awhile back about loss of strength on all of my lifts, and thought perhaps I was just going too hard. Well, the MRI results are in and show a herniated/dessicated discs in my L1/L2 discs (mid back). I'm stunned. If anyone has dealt with this, please let me know. At this point, I'm having pain on almost every lift, even abs, once I start getting past 7 or 8 reps. I don't know how to change my workouts around to where I can still go hard enough to build mass. Even the dang leg press gives me pain. Such a sad panda lately!

Sounds awful Get access to a good physio pronto and just do whatever you need to help it heal. Never had this myself but I know the frustrations of setbacks due to injury.

Good luck and hope you feel better soon

[CRascoll]

Hi everyone, just checking in. Squats are still way down which no doubt has to do with my recent disc issues, I simply can't move as much weight nor will I attempt to atm. My abs seem harder even though they're nestled under a bit of squish. Other than that, not much to report. It's finally snowing a little in CT!

[viccles007]

I'm bulking for the first time (former overweight person here). It's doing my head in though.

[skulpted]

I'm a first time bulker as well. 20+ years of lifting but I never did this until now..

Question - How often do you ladies workout during your bulk? I am on week 5 of Strong Curves. My main goal is to build glutes and I am loving this program. I am doing the beginner program which I am planning to do for 12 weeks then 12 weeks on the advanced program and then a 12 week lean out.

The workouts are only 3 days a week - is that enough? Not doing any cardio either? Has anyone done this program who can comment?

[vhenley164]

I'm bulking for the first time (former overweight person here). It's doing my head in though.

I can sympathise. I am a former fatty and after loosing so much weight having the scale go back up can be a mind fuk. I know it will be worth it though and hopefully at the end I will have something to show for it.

I originally planned to bulk for 6 months, put on about 1st (14lb) and then cut down but I am wondering whether 6 months isn't long enough but I want to cut in time for Summer. I think after this bulk/cut cycle I will see what the results are and whether I need to go longer for my next bulk.

How long do you ladies plan to bulk for before cutting?