need help

[Brandon587]

I know it's a common question, but I need some advice. I've been noticing that I've been putting on a bit of fat, to the point now that I'm starting to see a crease form in the once fat roll area on my lower back. It has me worried, because I'm currently in my off season for football, and we are doing our off season workouts during school. I need to get stronger, my goal is to bench 315 and squat 450 by the beginning of may, but I don't want to be a fatty again either, so should I do a quick cut? Or just relaxed and continue a clean bulk(it did get sloppy). I need some fat on me just for extra weight, I'm a defensive end, but I want to be around 15% body fat. My scale says I'm at 17 and putting my measure ments in various sights put me in that range too, but I think I'm closer to possibly 20 % body fat. I'll post pics if need be. Thanks for thehelp.

[BFJ]

i'd advise keeping up with at least a small amount of football specific training as you gain this weight. i think a lot of times it's tough for guys to adjust to their new bodyweight by adding that stuff in after having gained all of it than growing into it with that kind of training in place.

if you're currently doing that disregard. if you're not, just adding that stuff back in a couple times a week may be enough to strip a few pounds of fat off. you're right on in that the off-season is the time to try a cut if you want to - i would not advise trying one during pre-season or in-season. you could also try alternating bulking periods with brief 1-2 week cuts every 4-8 weeks to keep the overall gain in check. at the end of the day i'd be most concerned about how whatever you're doing eating and training wise if affecting your performance on field assuming that's you main goal. thus, all the more reason to keep a little football specific speed and agility work in year round. say your 40 or t-test started to dive south, you'd probably know you were getting too fat. meanwhile if they stay the same or even improve all while gaining weight and setting PRs in the weight room you're likely good continuing what you're doing.

[Brandon587]

Thanks for the reply. We do run 40s and do agility training ect. Last year, my 40 time went from 5.4 ( I was in marching band the years before and did no speed training) to a 5.1 in 5 months. In 6 months I put on 20 lbs and my bench went from 225 to 275, my squat flew up from 250 to 350 in 8 months. But I put on fat and never really lost it, I tried but I kept feeling like craps and performed like crap during our summer crossfit work outs plus weight training. So I javelin that fat plus what I've recently gained, and now I'm up to 200 lb at 5 foot 9. That was somewhat off topics, but I'm just saying that at times I thought I should've cut last year, but didn't. Now this year I'm starting to see that starting to wonder. My 40 time is better, now it's at at 5.01, but I looking feel fatter. A lot of people try to "compete" with me cause I'm the strongest person on the team who doesnt also weigh over 300 lbs. So I know cutting will make me not perform well in the weight room. But I like the idea of cutting 1-2 weeks then bulking x amount of time, if that will keep me at my bfn percentage now. I don't wasn't to get ANY fatter, it took to much work to get from 29 body fat to 16, and now I feel like I'm at around 20 like I said earlier. I

[Brandon587]

Thanks for the reply. We do run 40s and do agility training ect. Last year, my 40 time went from 5.4 ( I was in marching band the years before and did no speed training) to a 5.1 in 5 months. In 6 months I put on 20 lbs and my bench went from 225 to 275, my squat flew up from 250 to 350 in 8 months. But I put on fat and never really lost it, I tried but I kept feeling like craps and performed like crap during our summer crossfit work outs plus weight training. So I javelin that fat plus what I've recently gained, and now I'm up to 200 lb at 5 foot 9. That was somewhat off topics, but I'm just saying that at times I thought I should've cut last year, but didn't. Now this year I'm starting to see that starting to wonder. My 40 time is better, now it's at at 5.01, but I looking feel fatter. A lot of people try to "compete" with me cause I'm the strongest person on the team who doesnt also weigh over 300 lbs. So I know cutting will make me not perform well in the weight room. But I like the idea of cutting 1-2 weeks then bulking x amount of time, if that will keep me at my bfn percentage now. I don't wasn't to get ANY fatter, it took to much work to get from 29 body fat to 16, and now I feel like I'm at around 20 like I said earlier. I