Should I start maingaining/gaintaining/lean bulking

[Mrpb]

May be something to the "****totype" idea after all?

Could be although I'm not sure if that's related.

You probably know that there is some support for the idea that people with bigger ankle and wrist size have more capacity to gain muscle. If it's related to the genetic response to bulking too I don't know.

[EiFit91]

Could be although I'm not sure if that's related.

You probably know that there is some support for the idea that people with bigger ankle and wrist size have more capacity to gain muscle. If it's related to the genetic response to bulking too I don't know.

I forgot that bone structure was part of the ****totype idea.

Often when people refer to themselves as "endo" I think they more have an idea of "a person naturally prone to gaining fat" (without necessarily taking bone structure into account when making that statement) and "meso" often loosely means "someone naturally muscular, not prone to gaining much fat". These people are typically countered with statements like "****totypes are a myth". If what you wrote about genetic variation is true, then one should maybe expect different "types" of people in the population who will look different and respond differently to different types of training/diet protocols.

[astrocoyote]

A little late for the party here, but I've found the information shared in this thread very interesting and useful!

In particular with regards to the part about how lean bulking may work well only for certain individuals and much worse for others.
For what my limited experience is worth, I seem to fall in the later category as I store fat very easily in the belly and love handles. Going into a caloric surplus has resulted in storing fat at unsatisfactory amounts, even when the rate of weight gain was between 1-2lbs/month, with sufficient protein and on a proven program. I'm not doing that again, unless I get sufficiently lean maybe.

And as people pointed out above, when I try to think of people I know for whom a bulk has worked well, it's usually people that tend to be naturally skinny/hard gainers etc.

Btw have people seen this recent video by Mike Israetel ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s8I...ePeriodization
It starts with the premise that gaintaining is NOT worth it, but then says it can work if you are above 12%BF, not an experienced lifter and have no trouble gaining weight. That's most people...
Don't get me wrong, I think the guy is extremely knowledgeable and I really enjoy watching his videos, It's just probably addressed to an advanced audience (?)

[GregG13]

Slowly building muscle while gaining some fat = lean bulking.

Slowly building muscle while staying around the same body fat % = gaintaining. (gaining muscle and maintaining body fat)

Gaining muscle while losing fat = recomping.

Lean bulking is generally easier than gaintaining. Both are generally easier than recomping.

Above aren't easy to achieve just give your body what it needs most. Just don't forget to get enough rest, eat a well balance nutrition foods plus a good source of supplements to help you unlock your potential.