Could do with some objective opinions....

[CharliC]

Hey girls, I'd appreciate your thoughts on something that's been troubling me just lately.

I've been bulking for roundabout a year and I'm fairly pleased with the progress I've made during in that time. However, I'm now at a point where I don't know whether I should continue bulking, or whether to cut back to maintenance cals and just work on body recomposition. My long-term goal is to look something like Pauline Nordin here.

As a side effect of my ED background, I still suffer from a bit of BDD, and I know that I can't objectively look at myself and decide if it's time to stop gaining weight. So, although it's ultimately my decision what to do, your opinions would be appreciated to help me form a realistic idea of where I'm at.

My latest progress pics are from last month, so that's basically how I'm looking at the moment.

Any bf% guesses are welcome as well, from those in the know.

Thanks in advance for any input

[Miranda]

if you're *tired* of gaining mass, why not take your mind off it for a few months and just 'be'? then continue to sloowly put on muscle and alternate it with maintenance / cut periods (if you think you gain too much goo). i think it's the best thing to do, given your background.

pauline nordin has trained for over a decade so you're not in a hurry. you won't gain 'more' muscle, no mattter how hard you try to do your 'best'. it'll only lead to frustration.

methinks BF% is ca. 20-23% ish. you can certainly afford to gain some more until your partitioning shifts towards fat storage.

[CharliC]

Originally Posted by Miranda

if you're *tired* of gaining mass, why not take your mind off it for a few months and just 'be'? then continue to sloowly put on muscle and alternate it with maintenance / cut periods (if you think you gain too much goo). i think it's the best thing to do, given your background.

pauline nordin has trained for over a decade so you're not in a hurry. you won't gain 'more' muscle, no mattter how hard you try to do your 'best'. it'll only lead to frustration.

methinks BF% is ca. 20-23% ish. you can certainly afford to gain some more until your partitioning shifts towards fat storage.

Thanks Miranda for the response.

I'm definitely not tired of gaining mass- I love bulking. I realise that there's a limit to the amount of muscle I can gain, so I've been eyeing my weight gain accordingly- I'm resigned to it being a slow process and have been trying to keep fat gain minimal.

I'm really trying to judge whether I've reached the maximum fat gain I should allow before trying to cut some, so it's very helpful to read your comments on that. Is there any more information you could pass on regarding energy partitioning?

EDIT: Found some
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/mus...ng-part-1.html

[CharliC]

Bump for any more thoughts....

[kimm4]

I would continue bulking, you're not ready to cut yet. Just keep a nice, slow clean bulk and you'll be good to go. Monitor your fat gains. If you get to a point where you feel you've added more, then it's very simple to switch over to a cut.

I would guess body fat around 22-23 ish...

Takes years to add lean mass...so just keep at it!

[Kruczynski]

Just keep adding weight to the bar

[CharliC]

Originally Posted by kimm4

I would continue bulking, you're not ready to cut yet. Just keep a nice, slow clean bulk and you'll be good to go. Monitor your fat gains. If you get to a point where you feel you've added more, then it's very simple to switch over to a cut.

I would guess body fat around 22-23 ish...

Takes years to add lean mass...so just keep at it!

Thanks Kimm, good to have your input. I definitely wouldn't think about cutting yet- I was wondering whether I should maintain for a while. But the general consensus seems to be to continue my slow bulk, which I'm quite happy about- I've become quite attached to the extra 200 calories

Originally Posted by Kruczynski

Just keep adding weight to the bar

Damn straight

[juliacheh]

Hi, I am in the same position as you are right now.
I will try to bulk for another six months and then do a slow cut to see how I look.
Right now, I am not so lean, but at the same time do not have enough muscle to look good if I cut.

[CharliC]

Originally Posted by juliacheh

Hi, I am in the same position as you are right now.
I will try to bulk for another six months and then do a slow cut to see how I look.
Right now, I am not so lean, but at the same time do not have enough muscle to look good if I cut.

Hey Julia- good luck to both of us then huh . How long have you been bulking for so far?

[juliacheh]

Originally Posted by CharliC

Hey Julia- good luck to both of us then huh . How long have you been bulking for so far?

Two months, but didn't gain much weight yet:-). My lifts are increasing though and shoulders and lats look bigger.
Good luck to you.