Bulking Macros Critique

[Epal23]

Hey guys, I've been doing some research in terms of hitting the macros and caloric surplus for my bulk and decided to post it up to see if the numbers seem plausible and to ask a few questions.

Age: 23
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 173 lbs

Resource: ***forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703981

BMR (Calculated by Mifflin-St Jeor BMR): 1802 kCals
Resource: ***myfitnesspal.com/tools/bmr-calculator

TDEE Calories Maint.: Moderately Active (BMR x 1.6): 2883 kCals

TDEE Gain Mass: (2883 + 10%): 3171 kCals
__________________________________________________ ____________________________

Moderate bodyfat and training load = 2.2-2.8g per kg TOTAL weight (about 1-1.25g per pound)
190g of Protein = 760 kCals

Average or low bodyfat: 1 - 2g fat/ kg body weight [between 0.40 - 1g total weight/ pounds]
90g of Fat = 810 kCals

Carb Grams = (Total cal needs - ([protein grams above x 4] + [fat grams above x 9]))/4
401g Carbs = 1604 kCals


What I'm wondering is:
1. Should I increase my total daily energy expenditure by 10% or should I lean more towards to 20% side?
2. Probably gonna get a lot of answers saying you have to experiment for question 1 so what's the bare minimum I should wait after not seeing an increase in weight before I increase the caloric surplus?
3. How often should I have to readjust my fat and protein macros if my goal is to hit 200 lbs? (Every 5 lbs, 10 lbs, month, etc.)
4. Will aiming for 0.5 lb every other week reduce the amount of fat I gain during the bulk or should I just aim for 1 lb a week since I'm still going to gain the same overall amount of fat just at a slower pace and cut after?

Thanks a lot for everyone's time and any responses and criticism.

[beastlymandude]

First off, your macros look okay, but your protein is unnecessarily high. ~0.8g/lb of bodyweight is sufficient, but if you enjoy consuming sources of protein, then that's fine, just know that no extra muscle-building benefit comes from a protein intake that high.

To answer your questions:
1) A surplus of 10-20% is what's generally recommended; this will ensure minimal fat accumulation.

2) After increasing your calories, wait a few weeks for your weight to become more stable. You may gain weight quickly soon after increasing calories, due to water weight. After this, if you hit a plateau and aren't gaining weight after 2-3 weeks, increase your calories slightly until you're gaining at the desired pace.

3) Again, if you hit a point of stalled weight gain, you should increase your calories. This may be done by adjusting any combination of macronutrients, so you can alter your protein and fat numbers to accommodate for your weight change. Also, I'd advise that you don't try to bulk to a random weight. Go by the mirror and your performance in the gym. Once you're satisfied with the amount of muscle mass you've gained and uncomfortable with your body fat, then cut.

4) Aiming for a 0.5-1lb increase per week is the general guideline (I would shoot for about 0.5 a week though). Gaining muscle is a slow process, and trying to rush it will result in unwanted fat accumulation. Unless you're a beginner or on "special" supplements, you won't gain more than ~1-1.5 lbs of muscle a month anyway.

[Epal23]

First off, your macros look okay, but your protein is unnecessarily high. ~0.8g/lb of bodyweight is sufficient, but if you enjoy consuming sources of protein, then that's fine, just know that no extra muscle-building benefit comes from a protein intake that high.

To answer your questions:
1) A surplus of 10-20% is what's generally recommended; this will ensure minimal fat accumulation.

2) After increasing your calories, wait a few weeks for your weight to become more stable. You may gain weight quickly soon after increasing calories, due to water weight. After this, if you hit a plateau and aren't gaining weight after 2-3 weeks, increase your calories slightly until you're gaining at the desired pace.

3) Again, if you hit a point of stalled weight gain, you should increase your calories. This may be done by adjusting any combination of macronutrients, so you can alter your protein and fat numbers to accommodate for your weight change. Also, I'd advise that you don't try to bulk to a random weight. Go by the mirror and your performance in the gym. Once you're satisfied with the amount of muscle mass you've gained and uncomfortable with your body fat, then cut.

4) Aiming for a 0.5-1lb increase per week is the general guideline (I would shoot for about 0.5 a week though). Gaining muscle is a slow process, and trying to rush it will result in unwanted fat accumulation. Unless you're a beginner or on "special" supplements, you won't gain more than ~1-1.5 lbs of muscle a month anyway.

Thanks for your reply. That actually is good advice about bulking until I'm uncomfortable with my body fat rather than to a magic number. So basically in terms of the 10-20% surplus, it's just a guideline for where to start to see if I gain 0.5 lbs a week and if more or less I just adjust accordingly?

I would be 100% for slow gains at 0.5 lb every week to reduce the amount of fat I pack on but how do I determine if I'm actually gaining weight? 0.5 lbs a week is so low that it could easily fluctuate based on how late my last meal the day before was (given that I weigh myself in my boxers in the morning after waking up and using the restroom to try to be as consistent).

I read that you should weigh yourself every other week while bulking but is there a way to find a relatively accurate average when dealing with such small numbers such as weigh yourself for the last 3 days of each biweekly weigh in and average it out or something?

Also in regards to the protein, the stickied thread by Emma-Leigh regarding macros suggested:

"So - General 'bodybuilding' guidelines for protein would be as follows:
- Moderate bodyfat and training load = 2.2-2.8g per kg TOTAL weight (about 1-1.25g per pound)
- Very Low bodyfat or Very Low Calorie or High training load = 2.4 - 3g per kg TOTAL weight (1.1-1.35g per pound)
- High bodyfat, high calorie, or low training load = 1.6 to 2.2g per kg TOTAL weight (.75 - 1g per pound)
Anecdotally, as most find HIGHER protein intake better for satiety, partitioning, blood sugar control, and hypertrophy. UNLESS you have medical reasons for lower protein, or unless guided to use the GENERAL sports nutrition guidelines, I would suggest the BODYBUILDING values."

which is why I chose to go with 190g of protein where I was aiming toward that 1-1.25g per pound just to be on the safe side.