Beggining the slow bulk! Please shed some light!

[blackhawks87]

I am 164 LB down from 191 LB.

Been cutting for a good 8-10 months.

I want to start adding some mass and would like some opinions on how to go about doing this.

Right now im taking in about 1700-1900 calories a day. I am doing Layne Norton's Power/Hypertrophy routine and enjoy it. I am open to switching the routine up if you think it will help mass gains. I have not done a clean bulk before and want to make sure I gain the least amount of fat as possible. My diet is in check.



Please post your thoughts on routines and please if you could guess my BF %?


Reps!

Before

before.jpg

Current

photo1.jpg

[blackhawks87]

added a before pic..

[Cancbrah]

why bulk?

[blackhawks87]

why bulk?

Feelin kinda small want to get some more mass no?

[JL32]

Feelin kinda small want to get some more mass no?

Man great job!! I would say you are at 12%. It's a good bf% to start a bulk. Just eat right and keep track of what you are eating. Well done!

[blackhawks87]

Man great job!! I would say you are at 12%. It's a good bf% to start a bulk. Just eat right and keep track of what you are eating. Well done!

Thanks I appreciate it man.. yeah I have been laboring on whether to continue cutting down further or to just bulk and i think the bulk is a good play...


Repped

[simoxeh]

I am 164 LB down from 191 LB.

Been cutting for a good 8-10 months.

I want to start adding some mass and would like some opinions on how to go about doing this.

Right now im taking in about 1700-1900 calories a day. I am doing Layne Norton's Power/Hypertrophy routine and enjoy it. I am open to switching the routine up if you think it will help mass gains. I have not done a clean bulk before and want to make sure I gain the least amount of fat as possible. My diet is in check.

Please post your thoughts on routines and please if you could guess my BF %?


Reps!

Before

Attachment 5059253

Current

Attachment 5058993

As long as your diet is in check you will gain the weight. Just don't over do the cardio and have an idea of how much you want to gain each week. If you hit it great if not, adjust your diet. You did an awesome job so far I'm sure you will get it done.
11-12% in my unprofessional opinion.

[blackhawks87]

As long as your diet is in check you will gain the weight. Just don't over do the cardio and have an idea of how much you want to gain each week. If you hit it great if not, adjust your diet. You did an awesome job so far I'm sure you will get it done.
11-12% in my unprofessional opinion.

Thanks I appreciate the feedback.. Yeah my diet is definetly in check. I have also done no cardio at all for the cut.. this i regret because of reasons other then fat loss..lol i know i should for my overall health..

But i plan to slowly up carbs and see what happens lol

Repped

[Muggles93]

Make sure you hit carbs.. everyone needs carbs.

[fitpro88]

Dang bro only 1700-1900 cals? Well im sure you know how big protein is for gaining muscle mass...for bulking you wanna atleast have 1g to 1-1/2 ( ideally ) grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. So your cals per day will probably go up but that's ok..just keep up your workouts

[blackhawks87]

Dang bro only 1700-1900 cals? Well im sure you know how big protein is for gaining muscle mass...for bulking you wanna atleast have 1g to 1-1/2 ( ideally ) grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. So your cals per day will probably go up but that's ok..just keep up your workouts

Yeah for sure man, thanks. I will start upping protein and carbs to fill in any calorie gaps... shouldnt I be getting more carbs then protein as in like double?

[ameribrah]

dang 1700 ? do you feel hungy often? mirin gains tho

[blackhawks87]

dang 1700 ? do you feel hungy often? mirin gains tho

Yeah i mean i try and space my meals out like this

6am
oats-whey

Lift-7am-8am

8am - pwo shake

9am - oats whey

12pm - chicken / eggs

3pm - chicken / eggs / or tuna

6pm - tuna or eggs

9pm - prebed cottage cheese / PB / Casein

I eat the same stuff every day.. lol very bland diet and boring but i dont mind the foods... so it works for me..

and I dont think meal timing has anything to do with gains.

I also drink water constantly all day and have espresso shots throughout the day.

[CRIMSON5]

Great progress on the cut! It looks like you have some good mass already, especially in your pecs and arms. Well done and good luck on whatever you decide to do!

[blackhawks87]

Great progress on the cut! It looks like you have some good mass already, especially in your pecs and arms. Well done and good luck on whatever you decide to do!

Thanks man. Appreciate it. Do you think a slow bulk would yield good results? or continue cutting to shred down to 9-10%?

[comtrang]

Looks like you got your diet down, good that you can deal with bland without a problem. It's tough.

[blackhawks87]

Looks like you got your diet down, good that you can deal with bland without a problem. It's tough.

Yeah man honestly.. it was rough for the first month or so then i just got used to it.. and im almost ashamed that i find 2 chicken breasts with 2 eggs delicious.. or mixing oats water and whey.. lol

my roomie makes fun of me so hard for my pre bed snack too cottage cheese / pb / casein looks nasty... but tastes like cheesecake to me haha

[CRIMSON5]

Well, IMO you are at a good bf% for a slow clean bulk (If more mass over cut is what you desire). To put on the size you definately need to up your calorie intake because it is going to be very tough to pack on the muscle with that few amount of calories (1700-1900). On the other hand, It looks like you are successfully cutting without losing mass right now so I think you would look solid at 9-10% bf. But in the end, its your choice....either way, I feel like you will do well!

[blackhawks87]

Well, IMO you are at a good bf% for a slow clean bulk (If more mass over cut is what you desire). To put on the size you definately need to up your calorie intake because it is going to be very tough to pack on the muscle with that few amount of calories (1700-1900). On the other hand, It looks like you are successfully cutting without losing mass right now so I think you would look solid at 9-10% bf. But in the end, its your choice....either way, I feel like you will do well!

Solid advice man i really appreciate it. I think ill eat at or around maintenance for a week and think it over anyway.. if i decide to bulk ill do it really slowly... dont want to pack on un needed fat for sure.

Repped.

[CRIMSON5]

Thanks man and thats a good idea! Repped back!