bf%? / do i 'look like i lift' yet?

[Megisto]

hey all, long story short, started bulking up from being a skinnyfat **** at 147lbs at the end of january. It's been 2 months of eating at 3k+ cal (35/35/30, ~170-190g protein/day) and lifting 3x a week as hard as my joints let me. Just broke 160 so decided to post and see where i'm at after ~9 weeks.

didn't really take amazing pics back in january, posting the earliest i have in feb around that time (before.jpg)

know its not much of a comparison to work with, but did i make any noticeable gains at all or does it seem more fat than muscle? and do i look like I lift yet? (obvi i'm not asking if i look like a bber, more along the lines of whether i look like someone who has picked up a dumbbell in their life =p)

I'm guessing I've hit about 18-20% bf here, so should I be cutting down before I bulk up again? or would it be more logical to continue this bulk up to 175ish then go for a cut?



thanks, looking forward to any feedback at all so i can evaluate(and possibly re-evaulate) my plans for the next couple of months.

[pc9]

cut/recomp then reevalute after a while.

what about your lifts pre/post bulk?

[HYDRAE]

I'd guess your BF is solidly in the 20's but I do see more mass in there.

If I were you, I'd cut down to low teens and re-evaluate.

And to anwser your question, yes, you can tell that you work with weight or are active in some kind of sport.

[Megisto]

thanks!

as for lifts,

pre --> post (lbs)
bb bench 135 x 6 --> 175 x 6
bb dl 135 x 5 --> 225 x 5 (been stuck here due to fail grip/tendonitis, actually, pretty sure i can lift more with my back)
db shoulder press 40 x 6 --> 55 x 6
squats 135 x 12 --> 165 x 12 (haven't really focused as much on legs since my quads are naturally pretty big, and upper body needs to catch up fast)

at the start, I wasn't lifting with proper form at all, so most of my focus has been on form, and as a result I think the changes in lifts aren't as high as they should be. Cut sounds like a plan, thanks! Just kinda worried I might not have enough muscle to cut down to something solid

[solrac77]

Def need to cut back on calories. And yes you can tell you lift. I would focus on compound lifts and don't neglect squats just because your legs are big. they have many more benifits that just big quads.

Keep it up!

[Megisto]

alright, gonna be starting a cut on a ~300-400cal deficit and upping protein intake, maintaining lifting and adding 3x cardio/week, think hopefully that'll help me get down to 15-14% in a couple of months,

do you guys think i have enough muscle to cut down to though? mistake i used to make was to cut with no muscle, ended up looking like a 130lb pile of bird ****

[stosman05]

You look like you have only been training for a short amount of time, this is made more evident with the term "lift" being used. The best results will come from diet along with strength training. Remember it takes more dedication then just stepping foot in a gym. You've come to the right place for motivation and advice so stick with it.

[Megisto]

You look like you have only been training for a short amount of time, this is made more evident with the term "lift" being used. The best results will come from diet along with strength training. Remember it takes more dedication then just stepping foot in a gym. You've come to the right place for motivation and advice so stick with it.

thanks for the adv bro, yeah, I just recently started taking it seriously after letting myself go post-injury for so many years in college & now full time work..not compromising my health anymore though.

and yeah, I'm definitely doing the proper research now, and working on my nutrition etc. I know it's not just stepping into a gym and doing curls for 15 minutes

also, what should i be saying instead of 'lift'? =o