First time BULKERS apply here ;)

[Chocopie]

i've been so frustrated because I've been eating so much and nothing was happening with my weight and today it shot up from 108.9 to 112.7! Partly due to water weight with a carb load, but it makes me happy! For once in my life I can really say that it made me happy to gain weight, abz are still there and everything but my arms are feeling denser, really want bigger arms!

[freebirdmac]

i've been so frustrated because I've been eating so much and nothing was happening with my weight and today it shot up from 108.9 to 112.7! Partly due to water weight with a carb load, but it makes me happy! For once in my life I can really say that it made me happy to gain weight, abz are still there and everything but my arms are feeling denser, really want bigger arms!

Are you eating carbs daily? On a bulk there shouldn't be a need for a carb load.

[Yanicka1]

I did a pic comparison of my belly. It is on my bodyspace if you want to see. Sorry for being whiny before. I will shut up now.

[freebirdmac]

I did a pic comparison of my belly. It is on my bodyspace if you want to see. Sorry for being whiny before. I will shut up now.

Lol!

[Chocopie]

Are you eating carbs daily? On a bulk there shouldn't be a need for a carb load.

I cycle carbs, lower (~100g) on rest days and much higher on workout days (300-400g) so I find that i'll retain more water after workout days

[Chocopie]

I was also wondering about a general question, when did you ladies stop bulking? I have a goal in mind (115 lbs) and I'm gonna take my time doing it, but I have a feeling that 115 may not give me the muscle mass I want, how did everyone figure out a good stopping point? I'm new at this, I've never bulked for muscle mass ever (I've gained weight for health reasons for being underweight but never for a "goal")

[toodlepip]

I was also wondering about a general question, when did you ladies stop bulking? I have a goal in mind (115 lbs) and I'm gonna take my time doing it, but I have a feeling that 115 may not give me the muscle mass I want, how did everyone figure out a good stopping point? I'm new at this, I've never bulked for muscle mass ever (I've gained weight for health reasons for being underweight but never for a "goal")

You want to stop when you gain 2 more pounds? That's not bulking. You can easily hold 2 lbs + of water or crap in your system. You just said you retain after carbing up. Often, when somebody stops bulking and starts cutting you'll get a woosh and drop a few lbs immediately due to lowering carbs/glycogen etc.

So say you go from 108 to 115. How much of that 7 lbs 'gained' do you think will be visible muscle if you go and diet down?

It's not always about the scale. You should bulk for as long as you possibly can. Until you can't take the gains any more (and I'm not talking about running the first I-feel-porky day you have) or you have a specific event in mind that you need to be a certain size for.

[Chocopie]

You want to stop when you gain 2 more pounds? That's not bulking. You can easily hold 2 lbs + of water or crap in your system. You just said you retain after carbing up. Often, when somebody stops bulking and starts cutting you'll get a woosh and drop a few lbs immediately due to lowering carbs/glycogen etc.

So say you go from 108 to 115. How much of that 7 lbs 'gained' do you think will be visible muscle if you go and diet down?

It's not always about the scale. You should bulk for as long as you possibly can. Until you can't take the gains any more (and I'm not talking about running the first I-feel-porky day you have) or you have a specific event in mind that you need to be a certain size for.

Yeah you're right, I guess I have that idea in my head that when I weighed above 115, that was when I started looking dumpy. I'm gonna do what you say and just keep going until I feel like I have the muscle pop I want/gains in my lifts. Don't worry about the porky days, I've already had those and I haven't run yet! Thanks!

[Critter5592]

I started working out June 15th, 2011, and I was your typical skinny male, one year out of high school. I was 5'9 140 lbs, 15 months later I am 5'10 150-154lbs. Throughout the first 10 months I ate like a slob, especially when I had the munchies eating nearly 4500~ calories a day. I have a stupid high metabolism so I was still able to slow bulk with that putting on roughly 1 lb a month due to all the water weight and fat I was also burning. The last 3 1/2 months I have cut out a lot of the junk I was eating before and added some better choices to my diet such as grilled chicken, tuna, more fruit and veggies, etc. I also gave a lackadaisical effort to count calories, often failing, so now that winter months are fast approaching I have again stopped counting calories.

Although I have stopped counting again, I am still going to do my best to maintain good choices and try and aim for a good healthy protein packed 3500-4000 calories a day. My goal is to keep a steady 160+ on the scale by March, so it should be a fun and interesting journey. I know 3500-4000 seems like a lot to some people but I have absolutely no problem eating that without feeling full and bloated, in fact I can still eat at the end of the day, lol.

[freebirdmac]

I cycle carbs, lower (~100g) on rest days and much higher on workout days (300-400g) so I find that i'll retain more water after workout days

I was also wondering about a general question, when did you ladies stop bulking? I have a goal in mind (115 lbs) and I'm gonna take my time doing it, but I have a feeling that 115 may not give me the muscle mass I want, how did everyone figure out a good stopping point? I'm new at this, I've never bulked for muscle mass ever (I've gained weight for health reasons for being underweight but never for a "goal")

You need a good 200g of carbs every day. Carbs really help with recovery and prepare you for the next workout. There's no need and every reason to stop carb cycling.

Forget a number on the scale. Bulk for as long as you can. A year would be great, but at least 6 months. The scale doesn't mean anything.

I started working out June 15th, 2011, and I was your typical skinny male, one year out of high school. I was 5'9 140 lbs, 15 months later I am 5'10 150-154lbs. Throughout the first 10 months I ate like a slob, especially when I had the munchies eating nearly 4500~ calories a day. I have a stupid high metabolism so I was still able to slow bulk with that putting on roughly 1 lb a month due to all the water weight and fat I was also burning. The last 3 1/2 months I have cut out a lot of the junk I was eating before and added some better choices to my diet such as grilled chicken, tuna, more fruit and veggies, etc. I also gave a lackadaisical effort to count calories, often failing, so now that winter months are fast approaching I have again stopped counting calories.

Although I have stopped counting again, I am still going to do my best to maintain good choices and try and aim for a good healthy protein packed 3500-4000 calories a day. My goal is to keep a steady 160+ on the scale by March, so it should be a fun and interesting journey. I know 3500-4000 seems like a lot to some people but I have absolutely no problem eating that without feeling full and bloated, in fact I can still eat at the end of the day, lol.

You guys and your freaking metabolisms!

If you are maintaining weight until March then you are recompositioning or maintaining. Depending on your diet and routine. Why not shoot for 1 pound a week gain? You'd still have time to lean out for the summer.

[locolala]

If you are maintaining weight until March then you are recompositioning or maintaining. Depending on your diet and routine. Why not shoot for 1 pound a week gain? You'd still have time to lean out for the summer.

hi freebirdmac, what is the difference bet. recomp and maintaining in terms of diet and training?

[freebirdmac]

hi freebirdmac, what is the difference bet. recomp and maintaining in terms of diet and training?

If you want to recomp you generally keep your calories a bit below maintenance and still shoot for intense workouts. Looking to up the weights. If you want to maintain, you eat at maintenance and your workouts can be more relaxed. You want to maintain size or strength but you're not really looking to up the weights to increase either. Volume can certainly decrease when maintaining. If after awhile you think you need work on an area, you can focus on it. But at this point you're generally happy and everything is much more relaxed. It's kind of nice

[locolala]

If you want to recomp you generally keep your calories a bit below maintenance and still shoot for intense workouts. Looking to up the weights. If you want to maintain, you eat at maintenance and your workouts can be more relaxed. You want to maintain size or strength but you're not really looking to up the weights to increase either. Volume can certainly decrease when maintaining. If after awhile you think you need work on an area, you can focus on it. But at this point you're generally happy and everything is much more relaxed. It's kind of nice

do the weights increase when recomping? do you cycle calories, or are they the same everyday?

[freebirdmac]

do the weights increase when recomping? do you cycle calories, or are they the same everyday?

Yes, the weights should increase. The goal is slowly lose body fat while slowly gaining muscle. You're usually at a 250 calorie deficit. I would not force calorie or carb cycling. I'd go by what your body wants when it wants it. So many people eat less on rest days when they need more to recover. Say the day after a leg workout. Likewise you might need to eat more on a rest day before leg day. You learn to listen to your body rather than be obsessed about losing fat.

[locolala]

Yes, the weights should increase. The goal is slowly lose body fat while slowly gaining muscle. You're usually at a 250 calorie deficit. I would not force calorie or carb cycling. I'd go by what your body wants when it wants it. So many people eat less on rest days when they need more to recover. Say the day after a leg workout. Likewise you might need to eat more on a rest day before leg day. You learn to listen to your body rather than be obsessed about losing fat.

ok thanks, how do you make sure that the goal is achieved though? coz i read somewhere that people who try to recomp, eating at maintenance end up looking the same, or worse. if they don't know how to properly do it.

[mediumraw]

Hello all!

I've been lurking for... longer than I'm willing to admit, have been eating normally and began training in July. I've leaned out and made some mild noob gains, but after doing my research realized if I want to make any real progress, I gotta BULK!

As with a lot of you here, eating to gain weight has been a bit scary and a total 180 from everything that's ever been ingrained in my brain since puberty, but I'm really finding it liberating to feed my body for a purpose, to fuel my workouts, to grow. I'm not going bananas counting my calories right now (also liberating!) but just ensuring I hit my macros as best I can. Trying not to focus on the MUST EAT CLEAN, eating nutritiously but also throwing in a lot of fun foods I haven't allowed myself to consider in a long time.

I plan to bulk for six months, until May, and see where I am and how I feel. I'm feeling so good and so strong right now that who knows what'll happen by then!

Happy to be here with like minded folks... hope to be an active participant on the boards with you inspiring women!

~Sarah

[freebirdmac]

ok thanks, how do you make sure that the goal is achieved though? coz i read somewhere that people who try to recomp, eating at maintenance end up looking the same, or worse. if they don't know how to properly do it.

Recompositioning is a very slow process. It's best for those who need to lean out because that's what will be accomplished far more readily than muscle gain. Think about calories for bulking. For women it's around 250 extra calories, yet one will gain some fat. When recompositioning you're around a 250 calorie deficit. If it's a hard and long process to build muscle at 250 extra, imagine how hard it is at a 250 calorie deficit. You need to be a newbie or have some incredibly gifted genetics.

If you eat at maintenance you stand a better chance of gaining muscle but it really depends on how your body partitions calories. While it takes 3500 calories to lose 1 pound of fat, it only takes about 2500 to gain a pound of muscle.

This is why it's best to pick lean out or bulk if you are looking for solid physique changes.

Hello all!

I've been lurking for... longer than I'm willing to admit, have been eating normally and began training in July. I've leaned out and made some mild noob gains, but after doing my research realized if I want to make any real progress, I gotta BULK!

As with a lot of you here, eating to gain weight has been a bit scary and a total 180 from everything that's ever been ingrained in my brain since puberty, but I'm really finding it liberating to feed my body for a purpose, to fuel my workouts, to grow. I'm not going bananas counting my calories right now (also liberating!) but just ensuring I hit my macros as best I can. Trying not to focus on the MUST EAT CLEAN, eating nutritiously but also throwing in a lot of fun foods I haven't allowed myself to consider in a long time.

I plan to bulk for six months, until May, and see where I am and how I feel. I'm feeling so good and so strong right now that who knows what'll happen by then!

Happy to be here with like minded folks... hope to be an active participant on the boards with you inspiring women!

~Sarah

Welcome Sarah!!

[Yanicka1]

Hello all!

I've been lurking for... longer than I'm willing to admit, have been eating normally and began training in July. I've leaned out and made some mild noob gains, but after doing my research realized if I want to make any real progress, I gotta BULK!

As with a lot of you here, eating to gain weight has been a bit scary and a total 180 from everything that's ever been ingrained in my brain since puberty, but I'm really finding it liberating to feed my body for a purpose, to fuel my workouts, to grow. I'm not going bananas counting my calories right now (also liberating!) but just ensuring I hit my macros as best I can. Trying not to focus on the MUST EAT CLEAN, eating nutritiously but also throwing in a lot of fun foods I haven't allowed myself to consider in a long time.

I plan to bulk for six months, until May, and see where I am and how I feel. I'm feeling so good and so strong right now that who knows what'll happen by then!

Happy to be here with like minded folks... hope to be an active participant on the boards with you inspiring women!

~Sarah

Welcome Sarah. It is great to have newbs like me.

[stephanielynn76]

You are looking hot! Love the jeans!

I've just started PHAT for my bulk and it is great huh? My favourite workout programme to date! It's crazy I feel better with more bulking fill too. Love having all my glycogen stores filled!

I am LOVING PHAT! It is most definitely intense but I feel like it's getting the job done. In just the last several weeks since I've started the program and bumped my calories (ok, since I started pigging out lol) I've had more than one person tell me I'm looking fuller and more muscular! Part of that is, no doubt, fullness due to the extra carbs. However I am totally getting stronger too so I feel like I'm making progress. For instance. My deads were kinda sucky for a long time. I was lucky to get 10-12 reps with my body weight. Today I did 177lbs for 7 reps. That was my 4th set too so I was already fatigued. That is a PR for me. I'm not nearly as strong as some of the women here but it's progress!

You look amazing! And love the jeans. I have a hard time with jeans Now its mostly yoga pants for me.

Thanks girl! Those jeans have an unbelievable amount of stretch to them though... almost like leggings in the thigh area. I should be able to get away with using them for quite a while.

Stephanie is doin' it right .

You look better all filled out, all in the right places too!

Rockin' those jeans.

Awwwwww.... thanks girl! I always love to see you round here... xoxoxo Whether bulking or not, stop by and let us know how you are doing!

You're a great poster rep for this thread!

I love Buckle jeans! Good thing you bought the 27's. You'll probably out grow them but then they'll be your size when you lean back out. It's my size as well

You are right! You know, I had a pair of Big Star size 24's that I wore a lot last summer that I didn't wear once this summer because of the mass I gained on my last bulk! I suppose I might have to give them away... or sell them. They were expensive. I'm bummed they no longer fit but I certainly wouldn't trade the extra quad/ham/glute mass I have. Speaking of glutes... mine are really coming along. I've gotten nicknames around the gym... "Biscuit Butt" .... "Melons"... LOL Last summer I barely even had a butt. I can't tell you how much I love having some "meat" back there. It's so much less saggy too! Legs... twice a week forever.

I agree. She even makes ME want to get back on the bulking wagon, although I think (erm, know) it's incidentally happening anyway

Ha!!! C'mon... you know ya wanna. I'm actually bulking with TWO of my very good friends. Both of them keep setting up lunch dates with me... trying to fatten me up! LOL

You and me both.


Steph - you look amazing, as always.

Thanks girl! What have you been up too???

[happyplace]

I'm meant to be cutting but food is too tasty and my body is still not very resilient so I start getting heart issues when I go below about 2500 cals. So I guess I am still doing a slow bulk. I am kind of pooped about it because on my short frame, I think my legs are looking quite chunky (what can I say, I live for legs day) whereas my upper body is nicely proportioned. Not sure what to do about that really.

BUT......I have that cool separation thing going on in my quad area, you know where you can see two muscles above the knee? Yep, that. So either muscles are growing, or fat is disappearing, or a bit of both. Yays.

[tahinilove]

Stephanie-woo for your personal record!! I think its about beating ourselves not others & doing the best we can do! Also carbs = amazing for muscle filling..plus super tasty!

[liftette]

Please tell me what my starting deadlift weight should be. I'm doing NROLW 3 sets of 10 at 95 pounds and its killing my back after one month.

[megdaig]

Please tell me what my starting deadlift weight should be. I'm doing NROLW 3 sets of 10 at 95 pounds and its killing my back after one month.

How much weight you pull is relative. A lot of factors go in to your ability; genetics, years training, level of muscular development, technique, etc. I've seen someone post a link of strength standards for the major lifts...maybe someone knows where that is.

95# is still quite good. Think of what percentage of your body weight that is, probably 80% plus. If you know you are not recovering well at 95 it doesn't make much sense to try to really push even harder. Maybe try to gradually add more reps and focus on technique. Eventually your strength will catch up and you can increase the weight and maintain some level of comfort.

I too am having a lot of tightness in my lower back on deads lately. I was doing ramp sets at 3 reps per weight and pulling upward of 225 at the end of my cut back in June with no issues, today 145 for reps annihilates my back so I'm capping it there and just doing higher reps.

[freebirdmac]

How much weight you pull is relative. A lot of factors go in to your ability; genetics, years training, level of muscular development, technique, etc. I've seen someone post a link of strength standards for the major lifts...maybe someone knows where that is.

95# is still quite good. Think of what percentage of your body weight that is, probably 80% plus. If you know you are not recovering well at 95 it doesn't make much sense to try to really push even harder. Maybe try to gradually add more reps and focus on technique. Eventually your strength will catch up and you can increase the weight and maintain some level of comfort.

I too am having a lot of tightness in my lower back on deads lately. I was doing ramp sets at 3 reps per weight and pulling upward of 225 at the end of my cut back in June with no issues, today 145 for reps annihilates my back so I'm capping it there and just doing higher reps.

I've experienced the same backward movement in weights on deads. There are so many exercises that tax the lower back. It's like it throws up the white flag and says STOP!

[megdaig]

I've experienced the same backward movement in weights on deads. There are so many exercises that tax the lower back. It's like it throws up the white flag and says STOP!

Yup. But the key is recognizing those signs and adjusting. It's easy to push through the pain in the moment but then come three day later you have a crappy leg workout because your back is in knots and you can't squat for crap. That is just frustrating as hell. I've swapped deads for weighted hyperextensions and my back has been much happier and deads are slowly coming back up.

[Worcestershire]

Mind if I join in? I've been slowly putting on some weight for the past year or so after transitioning out of long distance running, and I started actively bulking in August. I've spent the last couple months getting my form straightened out and figuring out a good program that works for me. I'm definitely a newbie, and I hope I can learn from some of the more experienced women in this thread

[freebirdmac]

Mind if I join in? I've been slowly putting on some weight for the past year or so after transitioning out of long distance running, and I started actively bulking in August. I've spent the last couple months getting my form straightened out and figuring out a good program that works for me. I'm definitely a newbie, and I hope I can learn from some of the more experienced women in this thread

Definitely! The more the merrier!

[tahinilove]

Completely agree-love how many bulkers we have now!

[DaniGrrl]

My deads have been killing me, too!!!! My back is just destroyed the next day. I've been pushing it a lot with weight, and still being on cutting calories, it's just taking longer to recover. And that's every muscle group. I can't wait for more food!

I'm defintely amping myself up to start bulking again. I haven't felt like I lost any strength while cutting up until the past week or so, even hit some PRs, so I'm sure that my feeling weaker lately is signifying it's definitely time to stop with the cut. I also was not as ravenous as I thought I would be while cutting, though maybe that was due to stress. Hard to say. Either way, I have been going to bed hungry lately and I never feel satisfied, still starving after I eat, etc. Again, probably another signal that it's the right time. I was thinking of bumping up to maintenance for a couple weeks, though I'm not sure if that's a waste of time and I should just jump in headfirst LOL I'm going to be doing PHAT and am anxious to start. And am looking forward to being back here full-time instead of lurking!!

[Chocopie]

My deads have been killing me, too!!!! My back is just destroyed the next day. I've been pushing it a lot with weight, and still being on cutting calories, it's just taking longer to recover. And that's every muscle group. I can't wait for more food!

I'm defintely amping myself up to start bulking again. I haven't felt like I lost any strength while cutting up until the past week or so, even hit some PRs, so I'm sure that my feeling weaker lately is signifying it's definitely time to stop with the cut. I also was not as ravenous as I thought I would be while cutting, though maybe that was due to stress. Hard to say. Either way, I have been going to bed hungry lately and I never feel satisfied, still starving after I eat, etc. Again, probably another signal that it's the right time. I was thinking of bumping up to maintenance for a couple weeks, though I'm not sure if that's a waste of time and I should just jump in headfirst LOL I'm going to be doing PHAT and am anxious to start. And am looking forward to being back here full-time instead of lurking!!

I've taken a month off of conventional deads and switched in RDLs with weighted hyper extensions and some heavy lunges. My back has thanked me so much! I'm pumped to start deads again next friday!