Bulking too fast?

[Ibballard]

About two weeks ago I switched back to a bulking diet, still eating clean, but upping all my calories and carbs. All my lifts are increasing very quickly, my muscles are looking significantly bigger already, and though I'm looking a little less cut I haven't gained too much apparent bodyfat. However, I have gained close to 12 lbs in 2 weeks, and I know that the typical bulk rate is supposed to be 1-1.5 lbs per week. At this rate I'll hit my bulking goal of 190 in another two weeks and be ready for cut again already.

So the question, is there something going wrong that I am not noticing, or is this just working out ridiculously well?

[Phenom01]

Originally Posted by Ibballard

About two weeks ago I switched back to a bulking diet, still eating clean, but upping all my calories and carbs. All my lifts are increasing very quickly, my muscles are looking significantly bigger already, and though I'm looking a little less cut I haven't gained too much apparent bodyfat. However, I have gained close to 12 lbs in 2 weeks, and I know that the typical bulk rate is supposed to be 1-1.5 lbs per week. At this rate I'll hit my bulking goal of 190 in another two weeks and be ready for cut again already.

So the question, is there something going wrong that I am not noticing, or is this just working out ridiculously well?

water weight gain and foos weight. Could be muscle and fat gain also.

[Skull Crusher Chris]

have you just started using creatine?

[geesp0t]

Mate thank god that you can gain such rate that quick (must have good genes). I know someone whos been trying to gain bulk with high carbs and calories for ages and to no avail.

[skinnyboipgh]

U r gaining fat a LOT faster than u r gaining muscle -- 1-1.5 lb/week is about it 4 muscle weight gains. Whatever additional weight u put on has 2 b mainly fat & water weight.

[slaydox]

Im expecting 7lbs this first week. Because of water weight and glycogen stores being filled. After that its going to be 1-1.5 a week =D hopefully...

[Ibballard]

The water weight and food weight I was expecting, and I fluctuate daily on a huge range because I typically drink 3-4 gallons of water a day. But despite continually low sodium intake, my water retention would have to be way up, and I would think that would obscure my muscle definition more than it does. And though yes I am using creatine, I don't think that would account for this much gain. Further, if I am gaining as much fat as I supposedly should be, it would be very surprising to me because I'm only eating about 600-700 calories over my daily maintenance, and about 1000 over what I was eating when I was cutting and losing weight.

[jay.]

Here's part of the following article: http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1268956

How Much Muscle Can We Really Build?

The origin of the problem lies in the belief that our bodies can build a lot of muscle fast. Simply put, the average trainee has unrealistic expectations when it comes to building muscle.

I can't state a precise number, but the average gym rat (especially the younger members of said group) believe that gaining twenty pounds of muscle in three months is ''normal." In fact, I've seen many young lifting aficionados complaining about only gaining ten pounds in two months of training! I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your body (if you aren't using growth-enhancing drugs) can't build that much muscle that fast... not even close.

Normally I don't have any problems with people who have high expectations. However, in that particular case, the belief that it's possible to grow that fast can often lead to erroneous dietary approaches or even drug use (both out of frustration from not gaining twenty pounds in two or three months of training). So I'm here to set things straight. Many of you won't like what I'm about to say, but it's the truth.

Under the best possible circumstances (perfect diet, training, supplementation, and recovery strategies) the average male body can manufacture between 0.25 and 0.5 pounds of dry muscle tissue per week. That is the amount your natural body chemistry will allow you to build. So we're talking about around one or two pounds per month. It may not sound like much, but that can add up to twelve to twenty pounds over one year of training.


Understand that it's possible to gain more weight without adding fat because when you increase your muscle size you also increase glycogen and water storage in those muscles. More muscle equals more glycogen.

A trained individual can store up to 40g of glycogen per 100g of muscle tissue. So if you're gaining ten pounds of new muscle (4545g) you'll also increase glycogen storage by around four pounds (1.8kg). So if you gain ten pounds of muscle, your scale gain will actually be closer to fourteen pounds (if you didn't gain any fat).

Chances are if you're gaining more than three pounds per month, you're gaining some fat.

[Ibballard]

Jay, thanks for the information.

I am aware of the "Unrealistic expectations" that commonly occur, and certainly don't believe that I've gained 12 lbs of muscle in two weeks. It's taken me roughly six years of working out to put on 65 pounds of muscle without considerable fat gain. I would anticipate that roughly 2/3 (8 lbs) of the weight I've gained is water weight and glycogen retention. However, that leaves approximately 4 pounds of gain, or two pounds a week. I am not averaging 7000 calories over my daily maintenance, and the appearance of fat/water retention is not occurring. As should be discerned from my original post, the question is 1) Why/Where am I retaining water with a continued low sodium diet, and 2) Why am I gaining at a rate of 2 lbs a week with apparently positive results in all my lifts and perceived muscularity, if I am less than this amount of calories over my maintenance.

As always, I appreciate the input, and hope for any more feedback you can provide!

[chaosad420]

Originally Posted by Ibballard

Jay, thanks for the information.

I am aware of the "Unrealistic expectations" that commonly occur, and certainly don't believe that I've gained 12 lbs of muscle in two weeks. It's taken me roughly six years of working out to put on 65 pounds of muscle without considerable fat gain. I would anticipate that roughly 2/3 (8 lbs) of the weight I've gained is water weight and glycogen retention. However, that leaves approximately 4 pounds of gain, or two pounds a week. I am not averaging 7000 calories over my daily maintenance, and the appearance of fat/water retention is not occurring. As should be discerned from my original post, the question is 1) Why/Where am I retaining water with a continued low sodium diet, and 2) Why am I gaining at a rate of 2 lbs a week with apparently positive results in all my lifts and perceived muscularity, if I am less than this amount of calories over my maintenance.

As always, I appreciate the input, and hope for any more feedback you can provide!

The most reasonable answer to your dilemma is that you have gained considerably more water weight then you percieve. I strongly agree with the article that Jay posted, especially considering that youve been working out for 6 years. Cant cry "noobie gains" on this one.

[jay.]

Originally Posted by Ibballard

and the appearance of fat/water retention is not occurring.

don't forget, there is a gray area in body fat where physical change is not noticeable...if you're getting your BF% tested and it stays roughly the same...then......


i dunno.