To keep bulking or not

[Hamzy]

In the June 2013 picture I have been bulking for the past 4 months. Up to 190lb's.

In the December 2012 pic I finished my cut at 174lb's.

Thats about 15 lb's of gains in 4 months. Is this too quick??

It was meant to be a lean bulk.. i was going at about 2800 cals a day.. for some reason i have gained a massive gut in that time **** and this time i thought i would do it right LOL.

My lifts have gone up pretty well though so im happy with that. Im not sure if you can tell with the pics, but in person when i have a shirt on i look much bigger now then i did December last year. Obviously with the shirt off is a different story.

The fat gain is getting to me, I seriously think carbs and me just dont work well together. I really want to put on some monster mass but whenever i try to i just end up gaining fat and having to cut it all back down.

Anyway advice on whether to keep bulking up to about 200lbs and then cut or to start cutting now back down to about 180lbs.

Im 25 yrs old. 184 cm. work out around 5-6 times a week. no cardio atm due to lazyness.

[doughnutgut]

Bud get away from the thinking that carbs make you fat...

Eating above TDEE in any form makes you fatter...

You have put on a bit of weight and with a cut you will then see what gains you have made...

I suggest you incorporate major compounds in your routine.. You will notice a gain of strength...

It is hard to want to bulk then cut so late in the summer...

Maybe do a bit of a cut then rebulk.

I will bulk until my abs are only slight then cut again until there then repeat.

Did i mention compounds lol......

Good luck

ps in 4 months you have actually aquired a lot of fat in that time... You have not tracked your cals in correctly or you have just went off the rails.... Easy to do i suppose...... Get tracking and try again.

[Hamzy]

Bud get away from the thinking that carbs make you fat...

Eating above TDEE in any form makes you fatter...

You have put on a bit of weight and with a cut you will then see what gains you have made...

I suggest you incorporate major compounds in your routine.. You will notice a gain of strength...

It is hard to want to bulk then cut so late in the summer...

Maybe do a bit of a cut then rebulk.

I will bulk until my abs are only slight then cut again until there then repeat.

Did i mention compounds lol......

Good luck

ps in 4 months you have actually aquired a lot of fat in that time... You have not tracked your cals in correctly or you have just went off the rails.... Easy to do i suppose...... Get tracking and try again.

Thanks for replying man. Im actually from Australia so its winter here for the next 3 months..

And i do compound lifts such as deadlifts, bench press, military press.. i dont squat due to flexibility issues tho.

In terms of tracking calories. I do track however i cheat on the weekends. I think the cheating has played a major part in the fat gains and i need to take control of it.

[doughnutgut]

Thanks for replying man. Im actually from Australia so its winter here for the next 3 months..

And i do compound lifts such as deadlifts, bench press, military press.. i dont squat due to flexibility issues tho.

In terms of tracking calories. I do track however i cheat on the weekends. I think the cheating has played a major part in the fat gains and i need to take control of it.

The way i dropped my initial 70 pounds was to take the philosophy of "I spent 36 years enjoying abusing my body"

This thought used made me at least give my body the correct nutrition needed for it to get into the correct form for once it its abused life.

Cheat days are just an excuse to eat the foods you like and enjoy? correct ...

Incorporate them cheat days into your daily food intake using the philosophy. IIFIYM eat it......

You can eat whatever, whenever you want as long as you hit your target nutrients for the day.... Maybe try leangains .. It gives you enormous discipline and allows you to track your food easily as you eat in a specific timeframe.

Cheating is just that.... Cheating....

And the saying goes.... (cheats never prosper)

Keep me posted mate... hope you hit your goals.....

[Huzy]

personally i would start cutting, its prolly because i dont have bulking gut lol

also, my friend was about that size, and he kept on bulking, now hes having serious trouble cutting

[Hamzy]

personally i would start cutting, its prolly because i dont have bulking gut lol

also, my friend was about that size, and he kept on bulking, now hes having serious trouble cutting

Thanks for the advice man!

[Hamzy]

Here are two more photos of before and after progress. Would anyone be able to estimate my bodyfat before the bulk and current bf%.

Im thinking of introducing cardio 2 days a week and continuing the bulk for another month. then maintaining for a month and going into a 12 week cut?

[Hamzy]

The way i dropped my initial 70 pounds was to take the philosophy of "I spent 36 years enjoying abusing my body"

This thought used made me at least give my body the correct nutrition needed for it to get into the correct form for once it its abused life.

Cheat days are just an excuse to eat the foods you like and enjoy? correct ...

Incorporate them cheat days into your daily food intake using the philosophy. IIFIYM eat it......

You can eat whatever, whenever you want as long as you hit your target nutrients for the day.... Maybe try leangains .. It gives you enormous discipline and allows you to track your food easily as you eat in a specific timeframe.

Cheating is just that.... Cheating....

And the saying goes.... (cheats never prosper)

Keep me posted mate... hope you hit your goals.....

Cheers for the motivation u have been repped

[LiftToLive19]

I would personally clean bulk. Eat as much lean meat/protein/healthy fats as you can throughout the day and continue to lift hard. you'll drop a little excess BF, but should still continue to grow a bit.

[adam247]

Forgetting the terminologies that are fashionable on here , what looks good is subjective but carrying excess fat has no advantage to gaining muscle , I personally believe physiques look best between 6 % and 10 % but that is just my view : /

[CTC1993]

CUT! Lose about a pound every 6-8 days until you get sub 12% and see where you want to go from there. You will feel smaller in your shirts, your sleeves won't fit as tight, and your lifts will go down a little bit, but when your shirtless and at the beach you will feel much better. If you cut and stay around 10% or above 8%, you will still gain mass and your cloths will get tighter again over time or back to just as tight as they felt(1-8 months depending on how dedicated and strict you are at following a good routine.) Your strength will come back after 1-3 months and you will soon be lifting the same weight, if not more than you were, at lower body fat. If hypothetically you were benching 250 at 16% bf and 190lbs and you cut to 10% bf, your bench will probably drop down as low as 225. Once you stop cutting and up the calories to a little above maintenance, then you will slowly get your lifts back up (bench back to 250) and you will weigh less, but lifting just as much and if not more. Your muscles will have a harder look and you will look just as big as you were at a higher body fat, but instead the mass will be less fat and more muscle.

[BasicAirman22]

I would start cutting. What is your workout routine consisting of. You look skinny still to be bulking. I've heard the term "skinny fat" used before. Almost as if you don't lift weights. Even after four months of intense calisthenics you would be more shapely. I don't see any muscles. I would definitely cut.

[doughnutgut]

^^^^^^^^^^^
...WTF......

someone wrote a story and explained absolutely nothing of any help.... like it....

[Hamzy]

I would start cutting. What is your workout routine consisting of. You look skinny still to be bulking. I've heard the term "skinny fat" used before. Almost as if you don't lift weights. Even after four months of intense calisthenics you would be more shapely. I don't see any muscles. I would definitely cut.

Lol geez take it easy bra. I work out 5 days a week.

[Hamzy]

CUT! Lose about a pound every 6-8 days until you get sub 12% and see where you want to go from there. You will feel smaller in your shirts, your sleeves won't fit as tight, and your lifts will go down a little bit, but when your shirtless and at the beach you will feel much better. If you cut and stay around 10% or above 8%, you will still gain mass and your cloths will get tighter again over time or back to just as tight as they felt(1-8 months depending on how dedicated and strict you are at following a good routine.) Your strength will come back after 1-3 months and you will soon be lifting the same weight, if not more than you were, at lower body fat. If hypothetically you were benching 250 at 16% bf and 190lbs and you cut to 10% bf, your bench will probably drop down as low as 225. Once you stop cutting and up the calories to a little above maintenance, then you will slowly get your lifts back up (bench back to 250) and you will weigh less, but lifting just as much and if not more. Your muscles will have a harder look and you will look just as big as you were at a higher body fat, but instead the mass will be less fat and more muscle.

Thanks for the advice. u have been repped. I did this last year and ended up losing alot of muscle.. i went from 200lbs down to 174lbs. was not happy.. i had kept my protein at 280grams per day as well so not sure why it didnt work out for me. Anyway after the cut i started bulking up slowly again and now im at 190lbs with a fair bit of fat gain again.. Wierd thing is i dont go too high on calories.. always keep it under 3000. My body is very wierd

[Hamzy]

My problem is that when i try to bulk up and put on some solid muscle, my body naturally puts on alot of fat with it. If i go over 2,800 calories a day i start bloating up very quickly.. Im thinking about incorporating cardio about 3-4 days a week while eating at 3,000 calories. do you think this would help??

[doughnutgut]

Thanks for the advice. u have been repped. I did this last year and ended up losing alot of muscle.. i went from 200lbs down to 174lbs. was not happy.. i had kept my protein at 280grams per day as well so not sure why it didnt work out for me. Anyway after the cut i started bulking up slowly again and now im at 190lbs with a fair bit of fat gain again.. Wierd thing is i dont go too high on calories.. always keep it under 3000. My body is very wierd

your body is not very weird.... your body is not the issue here buddy... Your diet is the issue.....

Please explain to us all how on earth you managed to get to the point of consuming 280 grams of protein a day and please then explain the benefit of this since you weigh 190 pounds..

You are consuming 360 calories that are being wasted when you could be consuming an extra 40 grams of good fats..

bodyweight x1 for protein.
bodyweight 0.5 for fat
Rest of TDEE can be used as a mix of both and , or CARBS.

You know that anything your body does not require protein wise is just dropped out the arse..... ??? Now unless you are a millionaire and like chucking good protein away i suggest you get your diet in check and stop blaming your body for being WEIRD......













Sometimes i need to be harsh cos no one listens if i am polite.

[doughnutgut]

My problem is that when i try to bulk up and put on some solid muscle, my body naturally puts on alot of fat with it. If i go over 2,800 calories a day i start bloating up very quickly.. Im thinking about incorporating cardio about 3-4 days a week while eating at 3,000 calories. do you think this would help??

Now this quote also.... Bolded area...

your body puts on a lot of fat because you are eating possibly not along the lines of 40-40-20....

CARDIO.... Is an excuse for not tracking your inuput/expenditure correctly....

I have NEVER done cardio.. NEVER done an ab exercise... Lost 70 pounds.... how???????? one word..... macros.

[Hamzy]

your body is not very weird.... your body is not the issue here buddy... Your diet is the issue.....

Please explain to us all how on earth you managed to get to the point of consuming 280 grams of protein a day and please then explain the benefit of this since you weigh 190 pounds..

You are consuming 360 calories that are being wasted when you could be consuming an extra 40 grams of good fats..

bodyweight x1 for protein.
bodyweight 0.5 for fat
Rest of TDEE can be used as a mix of both and , or CARBS.

You know that anything your body does not require protein wise is just dropped out the arse..... ??? Now unless you are a millionaire and like chucking good protein away i suggest you get your diet in check and stop blaming your body for being WEIRD......

I was told to keep my protein intake up very high whilst cutting so there is minimal muscle loss.. so i kept it at 280 grams.. still lost a fair bit of muscle tho. At the moment i keep protein at around 230-240. Fats at 70-80 and Carbs at 230.

[doughnutgut]

I was told to keep my protein intake up very high whilst cutting so there is minimal muscle loss.. so i kept it at 280 grams.. still lost a fair bit of muscle tho. At the moment i keep protein at around 230-240. Fats at 70-80 and Carbs at 230.

So your cutting on 2600 cals a day..... Theres your weird ..... Right there....

If that person told you to wear a clown aoutfit to assist in weight loss would you of done that also?

NUTRITION section ----------------------->>> that way

[Hamzy]

So your cutting on 2600 cals a day..... Theres your weird ..... Right there....

If that person told you to wear a clown aoutfit to assist in weight loss would you of done that also?

NUTRITION section ----------------------->>> that way

No im BULKING on 2600-2800 cals a day.. I was cutting on 2000- 1800 cals a day.

The problem is that on the 2600-2800 cals i am gaining alot of fat weight. which is what i am trying to figure out. How to gain less fat and more muscle on a normal 2600-2800 cal diet. If i go any lower to limit fat gain then i wont be putting on any muscle.

[Violander]

No im BULKING on 2600-2800 cals a day.. I was cutting on 2000- 1800 cals a day.

The problem is that on the 2600-2800 cals i am gaining alot of fat weight. which is what i am trying to figure out. How to gain less fat and more muscle on a normal 2600-2800 cal diet. If i go any lower to limit fat gain then i wont be putting on any muscle.

You need to find a good 'sweet spot' of calories that don't make you gain too much fat, and that are enough for a steady ~0.5 lbs per week gain.

Having said that, as long as you're making good progress in the gym (track your weights and so on) - dont be afraid to put on some fat, that's only natural.

[mdejong]

In the June 2013 picture I have been bulking for the past 4 months. Up to 190lb's.

In the December 2012 pic I finished my cut at 174lb's.

Thats about 15 lb's of gains in 4 months. Is this too quick??

It was meant to be a lean bulk.. i was going at about 2800 cals a day.. for some reason i have gained a massive gut in that time **** and this time i thought i would do it right LOL.

My lifts have gone up pretty well though so im happy with that. Im not sure if you can tell with the pics, but in person when i have a shirt on i look much bigger now then i did December last year. Obviously with the shirt off is a different story.

The fat gain is getting to me, I seriously think carbs and me just dont work well together. I really want to put on some monster mass but whenever i try to i just end up gaining fat and having to cut it all back down.

Anyway advice on whether to keep bulking up to about 200lbs and then cut or to start cutting now back down to about 180lbs.

Im 25 yrs old. 184 cm. work out around 5-6 times a week. no cardio atm due to lazyness.

With any above maintenance cycle you will put on some fat. Don't stress I am half way through my bulking cycle and have put a bit of a gut as well. I am tracking my calories everyday. Don't put it to the mirror, seriously it will discourage you. I have 6 weeks to go and another 4 weeks of bulking to go. Spring isn't that great in Australia in September so don't stress and just go on a good cut later on. That is when you will see the awesome progress. Though maybe do a small 3 week cut and then try a very clean bulk

[mikey78910]

i'd keep bulking for 2-3 months then cut for summer

[doughnutgut]

lol noob

Rich Coming from the JUNE 2013 joiner post (3) Rep power (0) sitting at a whopping 154 pound at 6'3"

[doughnutgut]

Am bigger den u lol! U mad? I gut moer muscle den u wituot evin werkin uot lulz chek mai picz

I have... u are a small GINGER young boy who trolls the site.