I don't know if you'd call it progress, but it's something...

[rimduglep]

I stopped trying to get lean at 153 pounds at around Thanksgiving. I've gained about ten pounds since then, with five of those pounds coming in the first month due to adding more carbs to the diet.

Current big three...

Bench 177.5 X 2
Squat 175 X 2
Deadlift 312.5 X 1

Yeah, I know squat is low... I want to point out that I didn't start squatting until right around Thanksgiving. It has been a struggle but I've added weight every week.

I'm hoping to keep gaining, two pounds a month, for another year or so... Hopefully I'm not back where I was at the start.

[thomasbroad]

Don't put yourself down, man - you have definitely made progress!
From that base, a lean bulk and you'd look great.

GJM.

[gbullock32]

Well, you gained weight and look a lot leaner and more muscles; I would say that is not only progress, but some damn good progress!

[cory2731]

any progress is good progress! keep it up op

[rimduglep]

Don't put yourself down, man - you have definitely made progress!
From that base, a lean bulk and you'd look great.

GJM.

Thanks.

I think what I have noticed the most over the past ten pounds that I've gained is that I am so much thicker than I was - not much fatter but definitely thicker, and that's pretty cool.

Even though I struggle so much with overhead press, I feel like I'm starting to get some visual results out of it and I hope that continues. I don't see why it shouldn't.

[unplugged]

Thanks.

I think what I have noticed the most over the past ten pounds that I've gained is that I am so much thicker than I was - not much fatter but definitely thicker, and that's pretty cool.

Even though I struggle so much with overhead press, I feel like I'm starting to get some visual results out of it and I hope that continues. I don't see why it shouldn't.

Yea man that progress is great def more muscle and less fat then before and look very fit! If you keep this up and pack on some more quality meat you will look awesome!

[rimduglep]

Yea man that progress is great def more muscle and less fat then before and look very fit! If you keep this up and pack on some more quality meat you will look awesome!

Thanks, I appreciate it.

I'm planning on keeping it going, nice and slow, for as long as possible until I feel like I'm too fat. Like I said, I'd like to get to a year of this. That's about eight months away and thus I'd likely be around 180-185 pounds at that point. If can do that without getting closer to 20% than 15% in terms of body fat, I'll be pretty happy and ready for a short cut back into the low to mid teens.

[comps]

Progress looks good.

[rimduglep]

Three months later, up five more pounds to 168.4 and two days before my thirty-seventh birthday...

Current Big Three

Bench: 190 X 1
Squat: 200 X 1
Deadlift: 340 X 1

[rimduglep]

One year into this lean bulk, I have put on 27 pounds. That's a little more than I should have, and I think I'm gaining more fat than I should have as well. I am thinking that I might want to cut some fat for the two months after Thanksgiving and then start trying to gain slowly again. I'd rather just keep trying to gain but I think that I'm at the point where I'm too high in BF to justify gaining and thus I would probably gain about 1/2 and 1/2 or worse from here on out. Thoughts?

I went from 153 on Thanksgiving morning to 180, as of Yesterday evening.

Strength gains are hard to say, but at last measure my 1 RMs were as follows...

Bench: 192.5
Squat: 212.5
Deadlift: 370
OHP: 112.5

[rimduglep]

[rimduglep]

Bumping.

[rimduglep]

I swear I'm leaner than this, in the right lighting, ha ha...

Christ, maybe 2 lbs a month was too fast.

[Libulas]

I read all your update posts and the lift seems to have progressed well. Whether you want to shed some fat or not is up to you and what you find most comfortable in your own skin.

[unplugged]

Well you def have a considerable amount more muscle in the 3rd pic then the 2nd but also have gained some noticeable fat as well. If it were me, I would do a really slow cut to preserve the mass you have built while shedding some extra fat. If you do a slow cut from where you are now (180) to about 160-165 you should be able to preserve your mass well and come out looking a lot more muscular then the 2nd pic. Good luck!!

[rimduglep]

Well you def have a considerable amount more muscle in the 3rd pic then the 2nd but also have gained some noticeable fat as well. If it were me, I would do a really slow cut to preserve the mass you have built while shedding some extra fat. If you do a slow cut from where you are now (180) to about 160-165 you should be able to preserve your mass well and come out looking a lot more muscular then the 2nd pic. Good luck!!

Thanks for the response.

This is pretty much what I was thinking - a slow cut of about half of the pounds that I have gained, at about a pound a week, and then a reassessment from there... I think if I keep pushing it as far as the poundage goes, I should be able to maintain quite a bit of whatever lean mass I have actually gained. We shall see.

[unplugged]

Thanks for the response.

This is pretty much what I was thinking - a slow cut of about half of the pounds that I have gained, at about a pound a week, and then a reassessment from there... I think if I keep pushing it as far as the poundage goes, I should be able to maintain quite a bit of whatever lean mass I have actually gained. We shall see.

Yea man, best piece of advice I can give you is do NOT sacrifice weight on the bar for volume. If one needs to be cut down a bit reduce volume while keeping intensity high. Do this while getting your protein and fat minimums and you should have no issues