Bulking

[ScottishMark]

Bit of a general topic but I'd like to hear views from people who have been genuinely lean, then went back to an offseason..

Do some of you find it pretty much impossible to stay under 10% and gain any appreciable weight? I swear my body has a set point around 10-12% where any lower and it just doesn't want to be there, let alone let me build muscle at that point..

Thoughts, experiences and opinions welcome..

[lovesthajuice]

personally bro, im same s you, my body wants to be at a certain bf, but with smart nutrition and cardio, u can gain muscle while staying lean,...

however here comes the argument of, shuld i eat just 500 calories over maintenece, even if im hungry dont eat any more as it will result in fat gains?
vs eat as much as you can to grow to your ful potential with the fat gains...

up to u bro

[ScottishMark]

personally bro, im same s you, my body wants to be at a certain bf, but with smart nutrition and cardio, u can gain muscle while staying lean,...

however here comes the argument of, shuld i eat just 500 calories over maintenece, even if im hungry dont eat any more as it will result in fat gains?
vs eat as much as you can to grow to your ful potential with the fat gains...

up to u bro

I'm talking about even if I gain .5lb a week, unless I'm over 10% it appears to be more fat than anything else..

[_jim_]

My body hates being under 10%. I feel like my strength and size gains progress more from the 12-15% range. Besides, I'm married with kids so I don't need to be super lean all year long LOL.

[enzo15]

hi stranger !
remember Mark that the average natural bodybuilder can gain between 7lbs and 14lbs of muscle its just dependent on your genetic makeup , if your body only allows you to gain 7lbs a year or less you are going to be talking about 0.5lbs a month or less however, muscle growth inst as consistent as growing exactly (X)lbs a month you may not make any gains for a couple months while your reps and strength may increase and then all of a sudden you find yourself weighing 1 or 2 lbs heavier ! just keep at it, natural building is a slow process dude and not everyone can do it !

I got my bf done the other day and I'm sitting at 10.2% at 178lbs so I've put on a freakish amount of muscle just depends on your genes dude keep consistent, hope to see you on the stage soon

[ScottishMark]

hi stranger !
remember Mark that the average natural bodybuilder can gain between 7lbs and 14lbs of muscle its just dependent on your genetic makeup , if your body only allows you to gain 7lbs a year or less you are going to be talking about 0.5lbs a month or less however, muscle growth inst as consistent as growing exactly (X)lbs a month you may not make any gains for a couple months while your reps and strength may increase and then all of a sudden you find yourself weighing 1 or 2 lbs heavier ! just keep at it, natural building is a slow process dude and not everyone can do it !

I got my bf done the other day and I'm sitting at 10.2% at 178lbs so I've put on a freakish amount of muscle just depends on your genes dude keep consistent, hope to see you on the stage soon

Sup bud.

Yeah, it's all relative but I see people on here constantly who seem to be able to maintain ( and gain ) at a constant state of under 10%, where are we going wrong

A while till I'll be back on any stage mate haha.

[bwelch1985]

hi stranger !
remember Mark that the average natural bodybuilder can gain between 7lbs and 14lbs of muscle its just dependent on your genetic makeup , if your body only allows you to gain 7lbs a year or less you are going to be talking about 0.5lbs a month or less however, muscle growth inst as consistent as growing exactly (X)lbs a month you may not make any gains for a couple months while your reps and strength may increase and then all of a sudden you find yourself weighing 1 or 2 lbs heavier ! just keep at it, natural building is a slow process dude and not everyone can do it !

I got my bf done the other day and I'm sitting at 10.2% at 178lbs so I've put on a freakish amount of muscle just depends on your genes dude keep consistent, hope to see you on the stage soon

i agree w/ your ideas here...but 7-14lbs per year for a trained natural is just crazy. if that were the case wouldn't there be a helluva lot more of us competing at well over 200lbs by now?

realistically, if all of us could gain 7lbs of LBM per year naturally, then in 10 years we would pretty much all be the biggest natural bodybuilders in history!

[enzo15]

i agree w/ your ideas here...but 7-14lbs per year for a trained natural is just crazy. if that were the case wouldn't there be a helluva lot more of us competing at well over 200lbs by now?

realistically, if all of us could gain 7lbs of LBM per year naturally, then in 10 years we would pretty much all be the biggest natural bodybuilders in history!

yes, again this all depending on your genetics ! I believe you will gain all the time until you reach your natural maximum genetic potential and once you hit this, you will not gain unless you start using PH or ASS. but as you grow closer to your maximum genetic potential there is no doubt that the gains will slow down as it becomes harder to gain those extra lbs of muscle.

And mark there are literally 1000's of teens on here and others who use all different ways of keeping sub 10's and gain muscle and if I am honest I don't think its down to good genetics and good diets ! however, there are a small proportion on here who will have good genes and potential for gaining muscle.If your wanting help Id get along to a Scottish meet and speak to viki or guy ! they will help u dude

[lth]

some people like to stay pretty lean and closer to contest weight, i personally have never had any success trying that or mini cuts or any thing like that. I'd say 10-12% yeah is an optimal range for gaining lbm, too lean offseason and you dont have enough fat on you to really be at a solid anabolic state imo.

[UCFBuilder]

yeah im like that...after my show i tried my hardest to stay sub 10% but my body just doesnt like being there...my mood and sex drive were not up..my strength was low..and i felt like i was just spinning my wheels trying to stay around 8%..im now around 10% and feel fantastic..strength is going up...mood and sex drive through the roof like it should be...and for all intensive purposes..10% is still pretty damn lean..i mean i can still hold a full six pack,very visible serratus, and quad seperation at 10-11%

[lth]

i'm the same way, if i'm under 9% or so i want gain much quality muscle, around 11% or so is usually more optimal, i think thats a good general area to shoot for offseason, visible abs, some seperation in the quads, no out of control waist. a semi tight and full look

[terry917]

i agree w/ your ideas here...but 7-14lbs per year for a trained natural is just crazy. if that were the case wouldn't there be a helluva lot more of us competing at well over 200lbs by now?

realistically, if all of us could gain 7lbs of LBM per year naturally, then in 10 years we would pretty much all be the biggest natural bodybuilders in history!

Well spoken with good common sense.

[terry917]

Bit of a general topic but I'd like to hear views from people who have been genuinely lean, then went back to an offseason..

Do some of you find it pretty much impossible to stay under 10% and gain any appreciable weight? I swear my body has a set point around 10-12% where any lower and it just doesn't want to be there, let alone let me build muscle at that point..

Thoughts, experiences and opinions welcome..

I don't think your topic is so general. Many wonder where to allow bf to go when massing but either don't ask, don't consider genetics, and come diet down fail to make the grade on stage. I've found it inetresting reading through your thread and others comments. Thanks for posting this.

[DanTheManB]

i'm the same way, if i'm under 9% or so i want gain much quality muscle, around 11% or so is usually more optimal, i think thats a good general area to shoot for offseason, visible abs, some seperation in the quads, no out of control waist. a semi tight and full look

The one thing I can't get out of my mind is that the biggest/thickest dudes on stage usually have gone thru a "fat stage" at some point in their lifting career....say at like over 15% bodyfat but solid/strong.

I can't seem to bring myself to go that high but those I've seen who have been there usually look mind blowing when they cut

[rewaste]

some people like to stay pretty lean and closer to contest weight, i personally have never had any success trying that or mini cuts or any thing like that. I'd say 10-12% yeah is an optimal range for gaining lbm, too lean offseason and you dont have enough fat on you to really be at a solid anabolic state imo.

this is true I'm Off-season now untill Till March I'll be about 12% because I love to Powerbuild in the off season. I wouldnt dare try to Dead 705 under 10% at my age I would just end up damaging myself I think a little bit of water in the joints and stuff will help you lift a bit harder in return build some nice dense muscle. Plus all my meals went to Meat and Eggs for 5 meals and 3 meals shakes

[lth]

The one thing I can't get out of my mind is that the biggest/thickest dudes on stage usually have gone thru a "fat stage" at some point in their lifting career....say at like over 15% bodyfat but solid/strong.

I can't seem to bring myself to go that high but those I've seen who have been there usually look mind blowing when they cut

Exactly, i think the majority have had some fat point, whatever it takes to lay down the base. I plan on staying fairly close to stage weight (25 lbs instead of almost 50 lol) this offseason though. I want to stay in this weight class a couple more years at least so a free for all offseason when i'm prepping in another 6 months wouldn't make much sense. But for a good long offseason, i say f*ck it, get big son.

[DanTheManB]

Exactly, i think the majority have had some fat point, whatever it takes to lay down the base. I plan on staying fairly close to stage weight (25 lbs instead of almost 50 lol) this offseason though. I want to stay in this weight class a couple more years at least so a free for all offseason when i'm prepping in another 6 months wouldn't make much sense. But for a good long offseason, i say f*ck it, get big son.

you're still young too (especially younger than i am) so yeah compete in that weight class a few more years then maybe take another long offseason to get nasty. your call though. it's for fun anyway

[DaveBriggs]

coming off a couple of shows i was planning to add some lean muscle while staying under 10%. probably still am under 10% at the moment but only just. i found that coming off a show in a very lean state i still had that kind of delicate feeling when using heavy weights. really though, almsot allshows i go to the leanest guy wins each class all being equal and if youcan start yourprep in an already lean state then you are wel ahead of the game and will beat out alot of other guys as you know.

being ectomorphic certainly does not help, if your like me then you have a naturally light bone structure and weigh stupidly light for your height and size yet look bigger than alot of heavier guys due to your muscles looking bigger than theyare.

personally i am looking to add maybe 5-8 pounds of muscle before i start prepping foy mext show. not really aiming to bulk just upping my carbs by having alot of oats and eating more red meat. if your naturally lean it does not make much sense to put on a boat load of fat in my oppinion. if you can step on stage with 5 pounds of extra muscle in the right places it can have a dramatic efect.

did'nt you win the junior class at one of the northern bnbf shows?

[zmcdole]

Everyone has a set point that their body likes. Mine is somewhere between 10-12%. I tried to stay lean after my last cut. I slowly worked my way up to about 192 and tried to keep that same level of leaness while building. Wasn't happening. I had to up the cals and bring my weight up to around 200. Then I felt better in regards to test levels (libido was my indicator) and I started making more progress.

You just need to find out what your setpoint is. It took me 3 cuts/preps to figure out that I need to be just a tad softer than I'd really like. I'd rather grow and be swole than sit around staring at my six pack. Plus the wife has her needs too

[Withoutreason]

I dont think I'm disciplined enough to stay under 10% bf, I like being strong and lifting heavy + food
If you were a professional BB then it might be worth it once you have the mass

It doesn't really matter what you're bf% is in the off season, the higher bf% you are the longer you'll be cutting and you risk losing more muscle
Try to keep under 20% though cause anything above you risk stretch marks, saggy skin etc

[ScottishMark]

I don't think your topic is so general. Many wonder where to allow bf to go when massing but either don't ask, don't consider genetics, and come diet down fail to make the grade on stage. I've found it inetresting reading through your thread and others comments. Thanks for posting this.

No problem.

The one thing I can't get out of my mind is that the biggest/thickest dudes on stage usually have gone thru a "fat stage" at some point in their lifting career....say at like over 15% bodyfat but solid/strong.

I can't seem to bring myself to go that high but those I've seen who have been there usually look mind blowing when they cut

x2.

I think there is a truth to this.

yes, again this all depending on your genetics ! I believe you will gain all the time until you reach your natural maximum genetic potential and once you hit this, you will not gain unless you start using PH or ASS. but as you grow closer to your maximum genetic potential there is no doubt that the gains will slow down as it becomes harder to gain those extra lbs of muscle.

And mark there are literally 1000's of teens on here and others who use all different ways of keeping sub 10's and gain muscle and if I am honest I don't think its down to good genetics and good diets ! however, there are a small proportion on here who will have good genes and potential for gaining muscle.If your wanting help Id get along to a Scottish meet and speak to viki or guy ! they will help u dude

Been up, although not for a while, you going any time soon?

Everyone has a set point that their body likes. Mine is somewhere between 10-12%. I tried to stay lean after my last cut. I slowly worked my way up to about 192 and tried to keep that same level of leaness while building. Wasn't happening. I had to up the cals and bring my weight up to around 200. Then I felt better in regards to test levels (libido was my indicator) and I started making more progress.

You just need to find out what your setpoint is. It took me 3 cuts/preps to figure out that I need to be just a tad softer than I'd really like. I'd rather grow and be swole than sit around staring at my six pack. Plus the wife has her needs too

This is exactly how I feel, I could run a mini cut, drop 5lbs, look how I like but then when I look to gain weight those 5 lbs of fat would be back on in 6 weeks tops. It is what it is..

I dont think I'm disciplined enough to stay under 10% bf, I like being strong and lifting heavy + food
If you were a professional BB then it might be worth it once you have the mass

It doesn't really matter what you're bf% is in the off season, the higher bf% you are the longer you'll be cutting and you risk losing more muscle
Try to keep under 20% though cause anything above you risk stretch marks, saggy skin etc

See I'm not on about the lack od discipline, I have an abundance of that, it's that my body just doesn't wish to grow and be lean haha.



Some though provoking posts in here, good to read and glad I'm not the only one.

[Withoutreason]

Are you sure you cant grow at sub 10% bf, Is it because your lifts are weaker?

Even though 10-12% bf is very lean it still takes a good amount of dieting to get into "contest conditioning"

Maybe give it some time at sub 10% bf, it will probably seem like you aren't growing at all cause of the gradual process

[ScottishMark]

Are you sure you cant grow at sub 10% bf, Is it because your lifts are weaker?

Even though 10-12% bf is very lean it still takes a good amount of dieting to get into "contest conditioning"

Maybe give it some time at sub 10% bf, it will probably seem like you aren't growing at all cause of the gradual process

No weight gain, no size gains, strength does go up, albeit more slowly than if I'm eating more/above 10%.

When I slowly add more food in, it seems to be mostly fat gain up untill around 10/11%.. Weird..

[enzo15]

Ive not been up recently !
I wont relay start going until 2012 kicks in or the end of 2011.
My plan is to come back in 2012 at 22 and bigger and better !
I WANT THE BNBF JNR TITLE