ok fine, so there was a 1.5 month cut in between (lost 10 lbs. in that time), but I wonder if I should look better by now and have made more gains. I would like to start another cut in August, if possible, because every day I hate how much fat I still have. Sorry my room is messy btw.
August 14, 2013: 124 lbs.
March 16, 2014: 127 lbs.
Just a day after the second set of photos was taken and I already weigh in at 128.5 lbs. My weight fluctuates a lot by 2-3 lbs.
In case you're curious of my PRs for my main lifts, I'm still just at 60x10 for bench press, 145x8 for squat, and 165x3 for deadlift. Back in August I wasn't doing these exercises; at least, not with a barbell. I started doing them with the barbell when I switched gyms in October, but even then I wouldn't do bench presses very often and was doing stiff-legged deadlifts for a while rather than conventional ones.
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Thread: 7 month bulk progress
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03-17-2014, 06:03 PM #1
- Join Date: Jul 2013
- Location: New Jersey, United States
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7 month bulk progress
Make Fihe Not Fat Again.
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03-17-2014, 07:27 PM #2
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03-17-2014, 07:43 PM #3
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03-17-2014, 08:13 PM #4
- Join Date: Jul 2013
- Location: New Jersey, United States
- Posts: 3,573
- Rep Power: 1662
thx bb
Cool! I only started doing conventional deadlifts a month or two ago. Before that I only used to do stiff-legged deadlifts, and even those I wasn't all that consistent with. I've recently incorporated good mornings into my regular routine, to target the hamstrings more.Make Fihe Not Fat Again.
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03-17-2014, 11:12 PM #5
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03-18-2014, 03:29 AM #6
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03-18-2014, 06:55 PM #7
Ok, so in 7 months, you only actually bulked for 5 and a 1/2? So, best case scenario you gained 3-6 lbs of muscle. Were you in a consistent calorie surplus? Were you on a solid and well-rounded, progressive routine? Did your strength/lifts increase?
I personally would have expected your bench to have gone up higher than that. In a year I went from benching just the bar to benching around 95lbs, and I'm not all that strong. I'm suspicious of your diet and/or routine. You are still under-muscled and I'm wondering if you spent your bulk with one foot on the gas (lifting more) and one on the brakes (not eating enough).
If I were you I'd probably do a quick and dirty cut - drop down to around 122, then do a bulk properly for a solid 6-12 months."Start where you are. It's never too late to change your life."
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03-18-2014, 08:29 PM #8
- Join Date: Jul 2013
- Location: New Jersey, United States
- Posts: 3,573
- Rep Power: 1662
tbh from October through December I had stopped counting calories. I just know I was eating so much food and didn't care because I was bulking. I had a new job at the time that was keeping me very busy (and stressed) and I used to eat out almost every day. As of mid-December, I no longer have that job so I am once again able to eat most of my food from home, and am tracking calories again.
It took some time for me to create a good lifting program, but my lifts did increase during that time. Again, I didn't do much of bench pressing until late December or so because strengthening my chest muscles for some reason wasn't a priority for me.
What do I need to do to no longer become undermuscled? T_T and what would happen if I don't cut right now? I was told I should bulk for a year, so I was gonna do so until August and then cut after.
I'm questioning my whole life now and I feel like the reason I've gotten such little feedback and such a horrible view to reply ratio on this thread is because people don't want to tell me that I'm still fat and my bulk was unsuccessful. Great.Make Fihe Not Fat Again.
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03-18-2014, 09:11 PM #9
- Join Date: Jan 2010
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- Age: 42
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I agree with oregonchick. I dont think you are fat at all. It seems to me like you are still worried about the fat gains you may/may not make on a bulk. And,IMO fearing the fat will just keep you locked in that cut mentality rather than being able to make some nice gains.
I think you need to be on a professional program, not one you made yourself.www.bikinisandbiceps.com
IG@bikinisandbiceps
MPH, CPT and Nutrition and Wellness Coach
No one is going to care more about your progress than you. Everyone else is too busy chasing their own. You either do what you need to do to progress, or you remain where you are. The choice is yours.
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03-18-2014, 09:35 PM #10
Wow. Way to read waaaayyy too much into number of responses/views, etc. You only need one or two solid bits of advice to be successful, not 20 atta boys.
You created your own routine? What's it look like? Generally a bad idea to create your own unless you are seasoned and already know what works best for you.
Your bulk may have been modestly successful. If you got stronger in your lifts, there was some progress.
Let's aim for more betterer progress though, shall we?
You need to figure out where your maintenance level is.
You need to eat slightly over that (100-200 calories or enough to gain 1-2 lbs per month).
You need to track your intake accurately, every day, digital scale in grams, yadda yadda.
You need to make sure you meet your protein requirements.
You need a solid and well rounded progressive lifting routine. (what specific routine are you following?)
You need to be consistent. Let's say it again slowly, together...C-O-N-S-I-S-T-E-N-T.
And PATIENT (give it another 6-12 months).
You have those dreaded weird thighs/saddlebags. They won't go away on your bulk. In fact, they'll get worse. Everything will look bigger on the bulk, including the things you don't like. Get over it. After you're done bulking, then once you diet back down to this weight you will look a lot different.
It will take a few cycles of cutting and bulking to get there.
Longer if you keep shooting yourself in the foot."Start where you are. It's never too late to change your life."
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03-18-2014, 09:44 PM #11
- Join Date: Jan 2010
- Location: , United States
- Age: 42
- Posts: 5,036
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Agree again. For the saddle bags, absolutely spot on. I gained 20 pounds on my bulk, yes the 'bags' got worse but im down 18pounds and now they are looking so much better, not gone, but they are going and my thighs are just about the smallest they have ever been.
You just need to trust yourself and trust the process.
We are not telling you anything that we all ready havent done and experienced.www.bikinisandbiceps.com
IG@bikinisandbiceps
MPH, CPT and Nutrition and Wellness Coach
No one is going to care more about your progress than you. Everyone else is too busy chasing their own. You either do what you need to do to progress, or you remain where you are. The choice is yours.
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03-19-2014, 06:22 AM #12
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03-19-2014, 12:22 PM #13
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03-19-2014, 03:30 PM #14
- Join Date: Jul 2013
- Location: New Jersey, United States
- Posts: 3,573
- Rep Power: 1662
Thank you for all of your feedback! The comments from oregonchick76 and rockangel were especially helpful.
I was just looking through my workout journal today and realized that some of my lifts, such as overhead press and bench press, have improved very little, if at all, since November! :O I had stopped doing them for a while because I had started a new program later in November, but then would abandon it in a month or so. This is really stupid, but I used to hate doing exercises for the upper body because a lot of them make me feel imbalanced. You would think I'd do more exercises (mainly unilateral) for those areas, but for a long time I just didn't make them a priority at all.
I've seen so many lifting programs on this website that it's a bit overwhelming, and I'm not sure what would work best for me. My current routine does have quite a bit of variety, because I like to do a lot of different exercises, and also because I need to trick my mind just as much as my body or else I likely would plateau or just get discouraged. I do always include variations of the same core exercises. For example, I always do some kind of squat and deadlift on leg day. Today I did ATG squats and reverse squats (did the latter for the first time!) and deficit deadlifts.
I currently track my calories each day with MFP, and have a food scale where I measure food in either ounces or grams, depending on what it is. I also really need to get my BF% measured again. It's been months!Make Fihe Not Fat Again.
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03-19-2014, 05:09 PM #15
- Join Date: Sep 2013
- Location: Seattle, Washington, United States
- Age: 57
- Posts: 4,946
- Rep Power: 34072
FWIW I found that I made more progress (for me it means strength) when I stuck with the same exercise/program consistently for at least 8-10 weeks.
Have you tried a PHUL program? It's pretty solid yet has enough variety to keep you from getting bored.** Marie **
"Don't wish it was easier, wish you were better. Don't wish for less problems, wish for more skills. Don't wish for less challenge, wish for more wisdom." - Jim Rohn
OV35 Journal: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=157469793
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03-19-2014, 05:56 PM #16
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03-19-2014, 09:13 PM #17
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03-20-2014, 06:44 AM #18
It's on muscle and strength's website:
http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/phul-workout
I'm on it, and I love it. I feel like I'm making good progress on it.http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?
Bulk to Bikini Journal: t=159898911&p=1200540751#post1200540751
ANSI (Closed): t=160616381&p=1216623541#post1216623541
TSN (Closed): t=160616811&p=1216631611#post1216631611
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03-20-2014, 06:57 AM #19
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03-23-2014, 05:51 PM #20
Thank you! This has been a bit of an eye opener for me. As I am worried a little that I might be shooting myself in the foot. I am wanting to bulk but questioning if I should be cutting because of the fat. also I am wanting to eat only 100 to 200 calories above to do a slow bulk to minimise fat gains. But I am concerned that I am not getting the proper maintenance calories number I have gotten 1650 on programs and I have gotten 1850 on calculating calories on this website so not sure if I am eating at maintenance, or at a surplus. I have read the stickies many times I think I just not good with math or something. I think the different answer are concerning me too. The part about things looking worse in a bulk made me feel better though helped to believe that maybe under all the chubs I have build a lot more than I realize. My daughter would love to know this to as she is stressed about her tummy not getting smaller but I know she is eating well and works out hard.
Last edited by tamrea; 03-23-2014 at 06:17 PM.
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03-23-2014, 06:20 PM #21
- Join Date: Jul 2013
- Location: New Jersey, United States
- Posts: 3,573
- Rep Power: 1662
Ah, this looks like just a slight modification of my current routine. However, I only do one type of bench press per session; I wonder why it incorporates both flat and incline on the upper power day. However, I see that on the upper hypertrophy day there are two types of rows. I sometimes will do a high row and a low row on the same day.
I wonder if it's bad that I do not usually do isolation work with biceps and triceps, and never with calves.Make Fihe Not Fat Again.
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03-23-2014, 06:33 PM #22
- Join Date: Sep 2013
- Location: Seattle, Washington, United States
- Age: 57
- Posts: 4,946
- Rep Power: 34072
As long as you got the main compounds, you are fine. Isolation is not necessary unless super advanced/doing competitions/rehabs etc.
I did take one of the calf exercise and switched it to a SLDL because of my rehab.
Some of the stuff is just to mix and match things and prevent boredom, exercise muscles at different angles - no need to overthink it** Marie **
"Don't wish it was easier, wish you were better. Don't wish for less problems, wish for more skills. Don't wish for less challenge, wish for more wisdom." - Jim Rohn
OV35 Journal: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=157469793
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03-23-2014, 07:03 PM #23
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03-24-2014, 06:16 AM #24
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03-24-2014, 06:36 AM #25
I cut the isolation down to biceps on strength day (3 sets) and tris on hypertrophy day (3 sets). It my least favorite part of the program.
For the bench/incline- I do standard bench then set my incline angle pretty high. This hits more upper chest and shoulders and ends up feeling much different than flat benching or using a smaller incline. Feel free to look at my journal for more random thoughts and tweaks.Homunculus
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