Clean bulking without loosing your toned abs.

[cybertronik]

Hi

165lb
bf 16%

I havent been in to the gym long (6 months) but Im already on my way to getting to my 10% (min) bf goal. Im currently doing a normal calorie control diet, deficit of 500 cals of my maintanence, eating my 165g of protein a day and low gi carbs and Im slowly loosing weight, and my bf is slowly dropping with help of cardio and heavy weight training.

My question is this.. Once (if) I get to my goal, and I want to gain more muscle but keep my b/f low, how to I gain weight without gaining it as fat?

Its prob a simple question that 1 million users on here can answer but its one thing I have never understood? I know If i was for eg. to increase my calorie intake to maintance + 500 cals a day, then I would roughly gain 1lb a week in weight, but wouldnt this be fat?

[WonderPug]

Bulk slowly.

Eat about 10% to 20% over maintenance, insuring adequate protein (1.0 to 1.5 grams per pound of LBM) and adequate fat (0.45 to 1.0 grams per pound of bodyweight).

You will gain some adiposity, but the majority of your weight gain should be LBM, assuming you also engage in progressive, intensive resistance training.

[PWOGasMan]

^^ That is your answer.

This topic went better than expected!

A nice articulated post makes up for the topic "speeling"

[Chuck2600]

I know If i was for eg. to increase my calorie intake to maintance + 500 cals a day, then I would roughly gain 1lb a week in weight, but wouldnt this be fat?

You probably wont hit that anyway and allot of it will be water/glycogen. Also you would be surprised as to how much muscle your body can build within the first 6 months or so of training as long as you're doing it properly.

[cybertronik]

You probably wont hit that anyway and allot of it will be water/glycogen. Also you would be surprised as to how much muscle your body can build within the first 6 months or so of training as long as you're doing it properly.

well atm, Im mainly doing 20 mins rowing machine, then a good hour on weights, then another 10 mins cardio. I wanna concerntrate on loosing the body fat first.

I have gained a bit of muscle, all my friends keep telling me, but obv still have a small layer of fat over my abs lol.

NOT GOOD!

[Joseph1990]

well atm, Im mainly doing 20 mins rowing machine, then a good hour on weights, then another 10 mins cardio. I wanna concerntrate on loosing the body fat first.

I have gained a bit of muscle, all my friends keep telling me, but obv still have a small layer of fat over my abs lol.

NOT GOOD!

Can't gain muscle on a deficit. I think it's funny how all my friends say I got bigger and if I get any bigger im going to explode. I lost pounds of fat and a few of muscle even.

Try doing what pug said when you put on mass. I'm scared of gaining fat myself. Gonna try hard as I can to keep it all lean gains, best of luck with your cut!

[feelsg00dmayne]

Bulk slowly.

Eat about 10% to 20% over maintenance, insuring adequate protein (1.0 to 1.5 grams per pound of LBM) and adequate fat (0.45 to 1.0 grams per pound of bodyweight).

You will gain some adiposity, but the majority of your weight gain should be LBM, assuming you also engage in progressive, intensive resistance training.

THIS. slow bulking is the way to do it. currently on one, with a ~15% increase over maintenance with sufficient protein and fat. Filled the remainder of my calories with a combination of of proteins, carbs, and fat (mostly fat, because I love my PB).

It's going rather well seeing that I'm gaining approx 1-1.5 lb/week and I still have dat dere abs. A little fat gain, but nothing I'm too worried about it. Don't be scared of a little fat gain OP, it's inevitable. Do this until you cut slowly, then aesthetics will be yours.

[cybertronik]

THIS. slow bulking is the way to do it. currently on one, with a ~15% increase over maintenance with sufficient protein and fat. Filled the remainder of my calories with a combination of of proteins, carbs, and fat (mostly fat, because I love my PB).

It's going rather well seeing that I'm gaining approx 1-1.5 lb/week and I still have dat dere abs. A little fat gain, but nothing I'm too worried about it. Don't be scared of a little fat gain OP, it's inevitable. Do this until you cut slowly, then aesthetics will be yours.

nice..

[ven33]

You lose your abs.
You loosen your shoe strings.

Please use the correct spelling.

[Cruxxe]

Bulk slowly.

Eat about 10% to 20% over maintenance, insuring adequate protein (1.0 to 1.5 grams per pound of LBM) and adequate fat (0.45 to 1.0 grams per pound of bodyweight).

You will gain some adiposity, but the majority of your weight gain should be LBM, assuming you also engage in progressive, intensive resistance training.

Thanks for this! And thanks for posting this topic OP. Coincidentally this has been something that has been puzzling me as well and then this topic pops up today.

So you're basically got it backwards if you try to build LBM and stay with a low BF with a calorie deficit?

[PerpetualHeaven]

Can't gain muscle on a deficit. I think it's funny how all my friends say I got bigger and if I get any bigger im going to explode. I lost pounds of fat and a few of muscle even.

Try doing what pug said when you put on mass. I'm scared of gaining fat myself. Gonna try hard as I can to keep it all lean gains, best of luck with your cut!

I'm pretty sure you can build muscle on a deficit... Maybe not as much as you could, but it's still happening. Otherwise your strength wouldn't be increasing.

[phal]

I'm pretty sure you can build muscle on a deficit... Maybe not as much as you could, but it's still happening. Otherwise your strength wouldn't be increasing.

You can most certainly gain strength while not gaining muscle.

That being said, newbies/obese people are usually the ones that can put on muscle while being in a deficit - but for experienced trainees that'd be a stretch.

[PerpetualHeaven]

You can most certainly gain strength while not gaining muscle.

That being said, newbies/obese people are usually the ones that can put on muscle while being in a deficit - but for experienced trainees that'd be a stretch.

Good thing I'm fat then. I'm cutting down, though.

[Backtothestack]

Adding mass while on IF at around 1900 cal/day. Whoda thunk

[JeffR88]

You lose your abs.
You loosen your shoe strings.

Please use the correct spelling.

the first thing I was thinking


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