afraid of bulking?

[buckcr250r]

i've just started going to the gym a few weeks ago and man i'm in love. i'm 6ft 225lbs 20yrs old and 23% body fat so i'm kinda chunky. i'm just afraid that i'm going to end up really fat because of my lack of knowledge of bulking and had a few questions.

is there a list of basic foods to eat to give ma an idea?

should a beginner try to bulk?

what are the basics of bulking?

how do i know if i'm lifting enough to keep the muscle coming on and not fat?

i go to the gym twice a day for at least an hour each time.

[buckcr250r]

oh and i have roughly 4-5 months to do this in if possible?

[PowderMonkey]

bulking is fine, although if you've just started, given your height and weight, you'll probably find that eating at or just very slightly above maintenance will give your body enough to recomp without having to go on a full bulk cycle.

don't go to the gym every day, don't go more than once a day. don't work out for more than 1 hour at a time if you can help it.
when you go to the gym, you break down muscle tissue. it is during rest and recovery that new, stronger muscle tissue is built. if you go to the gym without giving your body enough time to rest, you will only wear yourself out, and won't make any real progress.

keep an eye on your weight and body fat. if you are gaining weight, and your body fat remains constant or decreases, well done, you are gaining muscle mass.
77% (100-23) of 225 is 173, your lean body mass. if your lean body mass increases, then you are gaining muscle. if you gain 10lb, and your body fat increases to 24%, then your lean body mass has also increased to 178 (76% of 235), so you have put on some muscle.

normally in a bulk cycle, some of what you gain is muscle and some is fat. with your new strength and fitness levels, it's then a bit easier to cut back the fat. you will need to just try out what is going to work for you, but my initial suspicion is that you won't need to eat above maintenance until your strength gains start to plateau, probably in around 2-3 months. then, start eating above maintenance so as to continue the gains.

after that, you can go on a cutting cycle.

just try it out.
get plenty of sleep, don't overtrain, if you start to slow down, eat more. if you are gaining too much fat, eat less.

[chris123wiz]

bulking is fine, although if you've just started, given your height and weight, you'll probably find that eating at or just very slightly above maintenance will give your body enough to recomp without having to go on a full bulk cycle.

don't go to the gym every day, don't go more than once a day. don't work out for more than 1 hour at a time if you can help it.
when you go to the gym, you break down muscle tissue. it is during rest and recovery that new, stronger muscle tissue is built. if you go to the gym without giving your body enough time to rest, you will only wear yourself out, and won't make any real progress.

keep an eye on your weight and body fat. if you are gaining weight, and your body fat remains constant or decreases, well done, you are gaining muscle mass.
77% (100-23) of 225 is 173, your lean body mass. if your lean body mass increases, then you are gaining muscle. if you gain 10lb, and your body fat increases to 24%, then your lean body mass has also increased to 178 (76% of 235), so you have put on some muscle.

normally in a bulk cycle, some of what you gain is muscle and some is fat. with your new strength and fitness levels, it's then a bit easier to cut back the fat. you will need to just try out what is going to work for you, but my initial suspicion is that you won't need to eat above maintenance until your strength gains start to plateau, probably in around 2-3 months. then, start eating above maintenance so as to continue the gains.

after that, you can go on a cutting cycle.

just try it out.
get plenty of sleep, don't overtrain, if you start to slow down, eat more. if you are gaining too much fat, eat less.

i know im not experianced but tbh i think it is ok for him to go 2x a day maby not every day though..... unless durring the hour period he works our rigoursly then that is different but considering he is a beginner i am going to asume not

[UCFBuilder]

if u are 23% BF...do not bulk...u need to cut your BF down to a respectable amount...say around 8-9%....the way you do that properly is to diet and lift weights...u can do cardio if u want so u can eat a bit more..but it unnecessary if u lift intensely enough and watch your diet like a hawk

get yourself on a diet that has u in a caloric deficit...hit your protein, fat and carb requirements for the day with whatever foods you would like...no food is better than another

[IowaHulkeyes]

if u are 23% BF...do not bulk...u need to cut your BF down to a respectable amount...say around 8-9%....the way you do that properly is to diet and lift weights...u can do cardio if u want so u can eat a bit more..but it unnecessary if u lift intensely enough and watch your diet like a hawk

get yourself on a diet that has u in a caloric deficit...hit your protein, fat and carb requirements for the day with whatever foods you would like...no food is better than another

He's exactly right. You already have a good base to work with. Now if you get in the gym and work your ass off you'll burn off a lot of that fat and it'll help feed your muscles through intense workouts.

[buckcr250r]

ok, i dont really have any money and not much food in the house so i stick to around 800 calories of whatever i find a day. i usually walk, bike, and light cable lifting at 6 in the morning and do the real deal at 1 or 2 in afternoon. i had a personal trainer for a few days just to show me how to do things properly and he said it would better for me on all the equipment to lift the max i can lift and keep the reps low instead of having it midweight with a bunch of reps? should i be doing that?

[SuffolkPunch]

800 calories is crazy low. You won't do yourself any favours even though you might think faster is better. You will screw up your hormone balance and gain back lots of fat on the rebound when you start eating normally again. Also, you have protein count to consider - you need at least 200g of protein a day which is 800 calories on it's own.

Far better to find a calorie level that lets you lose 1-2 lbs a week without feeling starving and without working your ass off. Just concentrate on heavy lifting (4 times a week) - the basics (dead/squat/bench/military/row) and only do 2 sessions of cardio a week.

[Jasonpan]

800 calories is crazy low. You won't do yourself any favours even though you might think faster is better. You will screw up your hormone balance and gain back lots of fat on the rebound when you start eating normally again. Also, you have protein count to consider - you need at least 200g of protein a day which is 800 calories on it's own.

Far better to find a calorie level that lets you lose 1-2 lbs a week without feeling starving and without working your ass off. Just concentrate on heavy lifting (4 times a week) - the basics (dead/squat/bench/military/row) and only do 2 sessions of cardio a week.

^^ This x1k

I made a similair mistake...dont do it brah...listen..Suffolk spoke wisely