switching from cutting to bulking

[canadiancoops]

I'm coming to the end of my cut. I've been consistently 1000 calories under maintenance every day and losing 2 pounds a week. My maintenance is 3000 calories.

My question is when I bulk is it exactly the reverse? Should I take in 1000 calories over my maintenance, or should it be a slower approach?

I'm assuming 2lbs increase a week wont be all muscle so needs to be slower but then even 1lb a week wouldn't be all muscle. Bit confused.

Any advice?

Thanks

[lukepeter]

the general consensus is to eat in a very slight surplus - enough for about 1-2lb gain a month. (250kcal a day surplus)

[canadiancoops]

the general consensus is to eat in a very slight surplus - enough for about 1-2lb gain a month. (250kcal a day surplus)

Ah OK - makes sense medically otherwise it'd be fat and muscle but I didn't know if after a long cut, whether at first those 500-1000 surplus calories might go straight to muscle gain as the muscles hadn't grown for so long. If that makes sense?

[lukepeter]

your body has a limited ability to make muscle out of the building blocks we give it... A number of things effect your bodies protein synthesis, but for the majority of us (natural), only a small surplus is usable for muscle gain. Conversely, the average human has the remarkable ability to store a monumental surplus as fat. Your starved muscles will build not much faster than normal, unstarved muscles, assuming you were not massively muscular before (its easier to re-build muscle than it is to build it initially).

[canadiancoops]

your body has a limited ability to make muscle out of the building blocks we give it... A number of things effect your bodies protein synthesis, but for the majority of us (natural), only a small surplus is usable for muscle gain. Conversely, the average human has the remarkable ability to store a monumental surplus as fat. Your starved muscles will build not much faster than normal, unstarved muscles, assuming you were not massively muscular before (its easier to re-build muscle than it is to build it initially).

Interesting - almost unfair isn't it. That makes sense otherwise we'd all hit our goals after a year of lifting weights.

Ok - I'll go with 250 calories surplus and go from there.

Thanks for your advice.

[DutchTeamUltra]

Long story short.

(I'M NOT SAYING METABOLIC DAMAGE IS REAL MIND YOU)
Your metabolism will downregulate a little bit, because of various reasons, during a cutting phase.
If you whack on 2000 calories, as in maintenance + 1000, you will get pretty fat pretty damn soon.

I advise you to stick to maintenance + 300 and see what the scale does.
Keep weighing yourself and compare weekly averages to change up your game plan if/when needed.

[canadiancoops]

Long story short.

(I'M NOT SAYING METABOLIC DAMAGE IS REAL MIND YOU)
Your metabolism will downregulate a little bit, because of various reasons, during a cutting phase.
If you whack on 2000 calories, as in maintenance + 1000, you will get pretty fat pretty damn soon.

I advise you to stick to maintenance + 300 and see what the scale does.
Keep weighing yourself and compare weekly averages to change up your game plan if/when needed.

Thanks! Appreciate the reply.

The extra calories - does it matter much about whether all protein or mix of protein/carbs etc? I'm currently getting 200 gr protein a day on my cut. Was thinking of going to 250gr of protein and the rest carbs with my new found calorie allowance.

[Teague242]

In. I’m currently getting close to the end of my keto as well.

My vote goes to keeping protein at the same amount or a little higher and slowly adding carbs.

[DutchTeamUltra]

Thanks! Appreciate the reply.

The extra calories - does it matter much about whether all protein or mix of protein/carbs etc? I'm currently getting 200 gr protein a day on my cut. Was thinking of going to 250gr of protein and the rest carbs with my new found calorie allowance.

Well, the thing is;

If you meet your minimum requirements, which for bulking would be:

0,82 grams of protein per pound.
0,4 grams of fat per pound.

* Per pound of total bodyweight.

You are free to fill the rest however you'd like.
If you like more protein, go for it, but it's not like it's a necessity.

[canadiancoops]

Well, the thing is;

If you meet your minimum requirements, which for bulking would be:

0,82 grams of protein per pound.
0,4 grams of fat per pound.

* Per pound of total bodyweight.

You are free to fill the rest however you'd like.
If you like more protein, go for it, but it's not like it's a necessity.

Is that from a scientific study? Interesting as I couldn't imagine going down to around 150 gr of protein having got used to 200 on a cut.

[DutchTeamUltra]

Is that from a scientific study? Interesting as I couldn't imagine going down to around 150 gr of protein having got used to 200 on a cut.

https://bayesianbodybuilding.com/the...-bodybuilders/

This article contais a boatload of them.

There are some people that are adamant about getting 1 gram of protein per pound at all costs.
Me? I get .82 minimum, but go over most days. So I'm at 1 gram per pound most of the time.

With that. You used 200 on a cut. Why would you need more during a bulk?
Excess energy/carbs are protein/muscle sparing.

[Laszlo18]

eat at maintenance for a week then go on a surplus 250/300 kcal

[canadiancoops]

https://bayesianbodybuilding.com/the...-bodybuilders/

This article contais a boatload of them.

There are some people that are adamant about getting 1 gram of protein per pound at all costs.
Me? I get .82 minimum, but go over most days. So I'm at 1 gram per pound most of the time.

With that. You used 200 on a cut. Why would you need more during a bulk?
Excess energy/carbs are protein/muscle sparing.

Great cheers!

Good question about 'why more protein' Its cos I thought I'd read somewhere 1gr of protein x bw on cut and up to 1.5 gr of protein x bw on a bulk. Prob bros science as they say