First time BULKERS apply here ;)

[Cass40]

Another good one is I mix 1/2 a cup of plain greek yogurt with 1/2 a scoop of chocolate protein powder and a little honey. It's kinda like pudding. Sometimes I put almonds and fruit in it too.

I use protein powder in my Greek yogurt too, sometimes.

In for anything that's easy and requires zero effort

[Spark77]

1/2 cup old-fashioned (not instant) oats in a bowl with enough water to cover

Microwave on high 1 min.

Stir in 1 to 1.5 tbsp. natural peanut butter and 3/4 to 1 scoop of chocolate protein powder

Add a little almond milk if it's too thick to mix

Yum!

I also sneak in calories by adding some olive oil to my salads. Only works if I can remember to do it, though. :P

[ms_mac]

I am back....bulking season for me. Anyone else in?

[natnat5]

I am back....bulking season for me. Anyone else in?

I'm still here. going so slow...

[LondonGirlie74]

Hey im in!

Must been in my 5th week so far, so not been long at all. Going slowly, and going to stick to it until January this time. First time of actually carrying a bulk on. Was scared of the fat last time so it only lasted about 3 weeks!

First time soon to do some cardio in all of this, as think that I am starting to need it. Wont go mad though. Spin lesson in half hour!

Enjoying the lifts though, although not impressive yet, that is to come, working my way up. Love more food though, best bit!!

[TorreTornado]

I'm in, 5 weeks into my first bulk. I struggle with Hyperthyroidism and now some very strict food restrictions due to a health diagnosis and last week I slacked in the food department and I lost some weight. UGH. Back to really being ON the food.

I am currently eating around 2100-2200 calories a day. My diet is Paleo, no dairy, gluten, grain, soy, and no Folic acid or B vitamin enriched foods. I get extra calories with red skin potatoes and almond butter, Paleo pumpkin pancakes, EVOO, vega protein powder, chia seeds, real maple syrup, whole farm fresh local eggs, a few servings of fruit a day (I have allergies to Oranges and pineapple, and probably many many more), I am also on FODMAP restrictions which further complicates things. I just REFUSE to give up. I just keep on eating. I'm so full most of the time I want to puke.. LOL

[MissMeliss86]

Totally in for this! Won't be starting my bulk until the beginning of November but looking forward to reading about tips and experiences from others

[LondonGirlie74]

I'm in, 5 weeks into my first bulk. I struggle with Hyperthyroidism and now some very strict food restrictions due to a health diagnosis and last week I slacked in the food department and I lost some weight. UGH. Back to really being ON the food.

I am currently eating around 2100-2200 calories a day. My diet is Paleo, no dairy, gluten, grain, soy, and no Folic acid or B vitamin enriched foods. I get extra calories with red skin potatoes and almond butter, Paleo pumpkin pancakes, EVOO, vega protein powder, chia seeds, real maple syrup, whole farm fresh local eggs, a few servings of fruit a day (I have allergies to Oranges and pineapple, and probably many many more), I am also on FODMAP restrictions which further complicates things. I just REFUSE to give up. I just keep on eating. I'm so full most of the time I want to puke.. LOL

I totally understand about stomach issues. I have IBS and a hiatus hernia so have to be careful what I eat. Cant have too much fibre! But in another way its good becuase if I have too much sugar and stuff it mucks me up, so there is that The odd doughnut is ok though hah

[TorreTornado]

I totally understand about stomach issues. I have IBS and a hiatus hernia so have to be careful what I eat. Cant have too much fibre! But in another way its good becuase if I have too much sugar and stuff it mucks me up, so there is that The odd doughnut is ok though
hah

Yeah, none of that for me, I am strictly paleo. I have a genetic disorder and my body doesn't rid itself of toxins properly and my cells do not work/regenerate properly. It causes a myriad of issues. It totally sucks. I am new to the diagnosis..

[MissMeliss86]

I use protein powder in my Greek yogurt too, sometimes.

In for anything that's easy and requires zero effort

Probably one of my favourite go-to snacks! Another option is 1 serving of cottage cheese and 1/2 scoop of protein powder. I usually have this is my last snack of the day

[shakesclub]

In! First-time bulker. Hate the feeling of being stuffed and refuse to eat "dirty." Trying to gain 2lbs a month for the next 6 months. It can be done, right?!

[keehui3]

I am new to this. I am bulking with some help of chocolates, after my weight taped off around 48kg. Used to eat very clean.
I am gaining fast. I have 4.5kg more to go......

[evegagnon1]

I just started too! Since September, I've been eating just as much as I want until I was full, but on Sunday, I've decided that it was time to bulk cause I'm starting off with about 13.5% bodyfat (according to a machine, not sure how accurate this is), so building muscles is so hard for me! Like I was seeing some progress, but my legs are not going to grow proportionally to my butt without a surplus!

Honestly, I was convinced bulking was easier than cutting. Gosh was I wrong! I'm trying to eat at least 2k5 calories every day. Until today, actually, I would just go buy a box of Whippets daily cause it's about 900 cals for the entire thing, but I want to try to do a clean bulk and I truly am out of ideas on what I should be eating. Guess I'm going to have some reading to do!

How much time would you suggest someone to bulk on their first time?

[IrishLassie78]

I just started too! Since September, I've been eating just as much as I want until I was full, but on Sunday, I've decided that it was time to bulk cause I'm starting off with about 13.5% bodyfat (according to a machine, not sure how accurate this is), so building muscles is so hard for me! Like I was seeing some progress, but my legs are not going to grow proportionally to my butt without a surplus!

Honestly, I was convinced bulking was easier than cutting. Gosh was I wrong! I'm trying to eat at least 2k5 calories every day. Until today, actually, I would just go buy a box of Whippets daily cause it's about 900 cals for the entire thing, but I want to try to do a clean bulk and I truly am out of ideas on what I should be eating. Guess I'm going to have some reading to do!

How much time would you suggest someone to bulk on their first time?

Eat what you like. Just make sure you're getting enough calories to gain about 1/2 a pound per week. If you're having trouble eating that much, add some calorie dense foods like nuts, avocado, nut butters, heavy cream, etc. That'll help you up the calories without a lot of food volume so you don't walk around feeling stuffed. As far as how long to bulk... As long as you can stand it but I think the general consensus is at least 6 months to gain anything resembling appreciable muscle mass.

[nicholina]

Im back. This will be my second bulk. I gained 15lb the last time I bulked...but have lost about 9 lb since january. Ive kept a LOT of the muscle Ive gained since I looked completely different than I did last time I was at this weight. Way more defined and "curvier" due to the muscle. Anyways, Ive been maintaining at 1600 cals...so my first increase will be this week. I just needed to post here since Ive been knowing I need to for awhile but have been lacking the motivation. None of my clothes from last winter fit me and its depressing
Id like to be back up to 90lb by spring.

[CRascoll]

Fall means football, delicious foods and bulking. I'm eating about 2400 cals and loving it. Weight is up 5lbs, but bf has gone up less than 1% to around 16.7 (give or take with those scanners). All lifts are up and my bum is growing! Lol I'm definitely pushing it to 140

[Novesia]

I'm in too! Just coming off a cut and am slowly but surly increasing calories. I gained around 15 lbs during my first bulk, which I was able to completely get rid off without losing too much muscle (I actually increased weight on a couple of lifts during the cut which blows my mind... But I take it).

I'm currently sitting at 2,000 calories at 5'10, 141 lbs and around 16-17%. Calories are definitely still below maintenance because the scale hasn't moved in a week. So, bumping up calories to 2,100 this week.

I'm struggling a bit with getting out of my cutting mentality. Still doing more cardio than I should and don't feel like eating crazy amounts of food just yet. I'm sure that's going to change once Thanksgiving and Christmas rolls around though.

[MilaGroski]

I am bulking in offseason. 4 mos so far, 10 lbs, 4 more mos before prep starts.

[nicholina]

I started my calorie increase today. Roughly 1700 cals. 180p/80f/75carbs. If I can stick with it all week I will be really happy.

[CRascoll]

I'm in too! Just coming off a cut and am slowly but surly increasing calories. I gained around 15 lbs during my first bulk, which I was able to completely get rid off without losing too much muscle (I actually increased weight on a couple of lifts during the cut which blows my mind... But I take it).

I'm currently sitting at 2,000 calories at 5'10, 141 lbs and around 16-17%. Calories are definitely still below maintenance because the scale hasn't moved in a week. So, bumping up calories to 2,100 this week.

I'm struggling a bit with getting out of my cutting mentality. Still doing more cardio than I should and don't feel like eating crazy amounts of food just yet. I'm sure that's going to change once Thanksgiving and Christmas rolls around though.

I struggled to get in a different mindset too at first. I kept thinking that I would put on way too much fat if I started eating more AND doing less cardio. I started dropping the cardio more and more each week, and now I barely do 2 cardio days. It helps when you see how much harder and bigger the muscles get when you give them more rest. Also, instead of doing cardio, do a half hour intense weighted ab routine, and treat it just like a lifting day intensity-wise.-it's a big boost to see the abs growing during a bulk. That's what has helped me, at least.

[Novesia]

I struggled to get in a different mindset too at first. I kept thinking that I would put on way too much fat if I started eating more AND doing less cardio. I started dropping the cardio more and more each week, and now I barely do 2 cardio days. It helps when you see how much harder and bigger the muscles get when you give them more rest. Also, instead of doing cardio, do a half hour intense weighted ab routine, and treat it just like a lifting day intensity-wise.-it's a big boost to see the abs growing during a bulk. That's what has helped me, at least.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who struggles with this. I guess my main issues is that this cut has taken wayyyy to long (I started working full-time and had a couple of diet slip-ups adjusting to the new life) that I'm subconsciously scared of gaining weight that I will have to lose eventually. That's why I'm taking baby steps right now. I can see a huuuge difference already though compared to a couple of weeks ago on 1,600 calories. So much more energy during the workout and so much more post-workout pump haha.

I like the ab instead of cardio idea! I love hanging out in the gym and that seems to be a good excuse to go!

[CRascoll]

Asking for advice: So far on my bulk, my shoulders back and bis have gotten to a point where I personally don't want them to develop anymore. In this case, how would one alter their routine? I usually do 2 upper, 2 lower days and cardio/ab work 2x a week. I don't want any more days off...but like I said, I am trying to slow down the growth of my back/shoulders and bis.

[vhenley164]

After putting it on hold for ages I am going to officially start my first bulk. I have been worried about putting on weight after loosing so much these past few years but realise I will never reach my goals otherwise. Plus I figure autumn/winter is a good time to start I have been cutting for months on 200c/120p/80f and 1600 cals but looking increase my protein/fat and lower my carbs and increase my calories gradually and see how I get on.

Probably going to bulk for about 5-6 months and looking to put on about 13lb - so about 0.5lb per week. What rate do people find is easier to bulk at? - don't want to go too fast but want to make some good gains. At the moment lifting 3 days a week, with some swimming and yoga mixed in there, which I would like to carry on.

Any advice or support you ladies have would be great. Going to hang around this thread for a while and see how everyone is getting on

[CRascoll]

After putting it on hold for ages I am going to officially start my first bulk. I have been worried about putting on weight after loosing so much these past few years but realise I will never reach my goals otherwise. Plus I figure autumn/winter is a good time to start I have been cutting for months on 200c/120p/80f and 1600 cals but looking increase my protein/fat and lower my carbs and increase my calories gradually and see how I get on.

Probably going to bulk for about 5-6 months and looking to put on about 13lb - so about 0.5lb per week. What rate do people find is easier to bulk at? - don't want to go too fast but want to make some good gains. At the moment lifting 3 days a week, with some swimming and yoga mixed in there, which I would like to carry on.

Any advice or support you ladies have would be great. Going to hang around this thread for a while and see how everyone is getting on

For me at least, weight gain is never linear. My body doesn't abide by the .5/week rule regardless of if I'm doing everything right. I have weeks where I stall, weeks where I gain 1 lb, weeks where water fluctuations show 3lbs..so I take the average from each week over the course of time. I think being a woman makes relying on strict gain guidelines tough because our weight fluctuates more than a man's. I go by measurements, progress pics, and the mirror more than anything tbh. Focus on the big picture

[vhenley164]

For me at least, weight gain is never linear. My body doesn't abide by the .5/week rule regardless of if I'm doing everything right. I have weeks where I stall, weeks where I gain 1 lb, weeks where water fluctuations show 3lbs..so I take the average from each week over the course of time. I think being a woman makes relying on strict gain guidelines tough because our weight fluctuates more than a man's. I go by measurements, progress pics, and the mirror more than anything tbh. Focus on the big picture

Thanks for the heads up

Is it like cutting where I found that sometimes it can stop and you kind of have to re-work it and change things up a bit and see what works?

Will take your advice with tracking gains. Are you bulking to meet a target weight over the long term just for a set period of time. How do people usually create targets?

[Novesia]

Asking for advice: So far on my bulk, my shoulders back and bis have gotten to a point where I personally don't want them to develop anymore. In this case, how would one alter their routine? I usually do 2 upper, 2 lower days and cardio/ab work 2x a week. I don't want any more days off...but like I said, I am trying to slow down the growth of my back/shoulders and bis.

I think you have a couple of options. Some ideas off the top of my head:
- Keep the weight on the lifts the same for the body parts that you are happy with. No progressive overload = no muscle growth.
- Decrease the weight on the lifts and increase volume - I would pick a weight that you can do 8-12 reps relatively comfortably with but that is still challenging
- Change your routine to PPL with 2 leg days. So basically - PLPL haha. That way you would train upper body only once per week and leg twice without cutting down on the number of workouts.

Also, I wish I would be at the point where I was happy with my shoulders and back and didn't have to worry about growing them. Especially my shoulders take a loot of attention!

[cdhussey]

I think you have a couple of options. Some ideas off the top of my head:
- Keep the weight on the lifts the same for the body parts that you are happy with. No progressive overload = no muscle growth.
- Decrease the weight on the lifts and increase volume - I would pick a weight that you can do 8-12 reps relatively comfortably with but that is still challenging
- Change your routine to PPL with 2 leg days. So basically - PLPL haha. That way you would train upper body only once per week and leg twice without cutting down on the number of workouts.

Also, I wish I would be at the point where I was happy with my shoulders and back and didn't have to worry about growing them. Especially my shoulders take a loot of attention!

Getting ready to bulk for the first time too, starting Nov. 1st. Well, really October 30th because I'm heading to New Orleans for Halloween. Not like I watch calories down there, lol.

Anyway, I'm a bit concerned about my upper body getting too developed as well. In addition to lifting weights, I also do aerial arts: silks, pole, and lyra. So my upper body gets constant work, and to be honest, is already at a point where I'm happy. I have been doing 2 lifting days of arms where I concentrate on pushing exercises to help balance all the pulling that is inherent in aerial work, especially silks.

Do I simply keep the weight steady and drop my lifting arm day to 1x/week? I know I'll probably still grow a bit in the lats and back, but I just don't want to maximize the growth. Unlike my glutes and abs which need a little more oomph.

[cdhussey]

I love protein powder in my Greek yogurt too! Another great option is vanilla protein powder and PB2. Tastes a bit like a vanilla wafer. For bulking, I plan on simply replacing my nonfat yogurt with full fat. I may also replace the PB2 with real peanut butter, just depends on how easy getting in the extra calories ends up.

[CRascoll]

Thanks for the heads up

Is it like cutting where I found that sometimes it can stop and you kind of have to re-work it and change things up a bit and see what works?

Will take your advice with tracking gains. Are you bulking to meet a target weight over the long term just for a set period of time. How do people usually create targets?

I started bulking at 128lbs, and set a rough goal of 140 which eventually I want to maintain at around the same body fat. Now that I'm at 135 and see very little difference with fat gain, I'm just going to play it by ear. On another note, even at 7lbs, the difference in my bust is fabulous! The girls are coming back! lol

[CRascoll]

Getting ready to bulk for the first time too, starting Nov. 1st. Well, really October 30th because I'm heading to New Orleans for Halloween. Not like I watch calories down there, lol.

Anyway, I'm a bit concerned about my upper body getting too developed as well. In addition to lifting weights, I also do aerial arts: silks, pole, and lyra. So my upper body gets constant work, and to be honest, is already at a point where I'm happy. I have been doing 2 lifting days of arms where I concentrate on pushing exercises to help balance all the pulling that is inherent in aerial work, especially silks.

Do I simply keep the weight steady and drop my lifting arm day to 1x/week? I know I'll probably still grow a bit in the lats and back, but I just don't want to maximize the growth. Unlike my glutes and abs which need a little more oomph.

This. cdhussey. In a perfect world, my bulk would go to my butt and boobs. lol. It's not that I think I'm "done" with upper body, it's more of a personal preference. Just holding the dang barbell makes my arms take off. It's actually pretty frustrating because my upper is so much quicker than the lower. As with most women I suppose.