Time to B-U-L-K UP

[Litewatenatty]

Ok here are my 2 week progress pics, just now got them loaded. Like i said, i'm up 3.5 lbs and feeling much stronger, filled out quite nicely:













I'm really gonna have to fix that damn smirk i always make!!

[DanTheManB]

looking good! keep it going man! nice and steady!

[Litewatenatty]

thanks man, everything is improving nicely. i said i'd re-evaluate at 2 weeks, but i dont think i need to change much since i put on quite a bit of weight. i did move traps to back day which makes that a very big workout, so i'll probably bump up cals on that day the same way i do with legs. i'll also try to get red meat on back and leg day to help with strength in the gym. wish i could just add more back thickness right away, but it takes time i suppose

[DanTheManB]

thanks man, everything is improving nicely. i said i'd re-evaluate at 2 weeks, but i dont think i need to change much since i put on quite a bit of weight. i did move traps to back day which makes that a very big workout, so i'll probably bump up cals on that day the same way i do with legs. i'll also try to get red meat on back and leg day to help with strength in the gym. wish i could just add more back thickness right away, but it takes time i suppose

Red meat, PB an almonds as much as you can afford and stomach man.

I wouldn't say you" put on quite a bit of weight"

You're adding pounds steadily so keep that up ...but try putting on 40lbs in 4 weeks. lol Thats" quite a bit of weight" ha
164 on stage-I'm at 200 or so now...different experience levels/bodies though. Not saying my way was best but its how it happened

[Litewatenatty]

40lbs!? now that's a big accomplishment! how fast did your strength come back after the show?

[DanTheManB]

40lbs!? now that's a big accomplishment! how fast did your strength come back after the show?

Took 3 weeks. My avatar pic is me on the 17th...still lean right?

I'm not at FULL strength but I'm around 95%. Squats are 405 for 2 as of last week. I think I got 4 reps in me today.

I had 4 cheats postcontest...relatively big ones ...100% clean eating other than the cheats. ....

Clean food while bulking is....a TON of food. i s hit my brains out lol

[Litewatenatty]

yea i here ya, staying with clean foods keeps me so overly full its unreal! i've finally gotten past the indigestion, you were right it just takes time. starting to fill all my shirts out quite nicely again, something i havent done for a while now. i enjoyed being cut but i really forgot how much i missed being strong and big (i'm not big yet, but getting there!)

[DanTheManB]

yea i here ya, staying with clean foods keeps me so overly full its unreal! i've finally gotten past the indigestion, you were right it just takes time. starting to fill all my shirts out quite nicely again, something i havent done for a while now. i enjoyed being cut but i really forgot how much i missed being strong and big (i'm not big yet, but getting there!)

Yeah bro! Doesn't it feel f'ing GREAT to be big(er) while being cut?!?! The looks you get when you go out is awesome!!!

Keep up what you're doing bro! If you need a cheat, cheat, otherwise CLEAN cals! And a lot of them!

BTW squats today: : 225x10, 315x8, 405x4!!! yea baby!, 365x8!!, 315x10, 275x12, 225x11

[Litewatenatty]

Well i FINALLY decided to work on squat form and get back into doing them again. i hurt my lower back like 3 years ago doing them and have just shied away ever since. i went really light yesterday, practiced low bar squat and really focused on keeping my abs, back, and shoulders tight and it made a world of difference. cant believe my r-tard weights teacher in high school never took time to teach us proper form, all he did was tell us to keep going deeper! my form has been terrible ever since but now i finally got it. i'll also be starting deads this week, gonna start light with that as well to get form down but those two should make a huge difference in my physique over the next few weeks

[Quelly]

Well i FINALLY decided to work on squat form and get back into doing them again. i hurt my lower back like 3 years ago doing them and have just shied away ever since. i went really light yesterday, practiced low bar squat and really focused on keeping my abs, back, and shoulders tight and it made a world of difference. cant believe my r-tard weights teacher in high school never took time to teach us proper form, all he did was tell us to keep going deeper! my form has been terrible ever since but now i finally got it. i'll also be starting deads this week, gonna start light with that as well to get form down but those two should make a huge difference in my physique over the next few weeks

it definitely will make big changes, and smart call being cautious bro

[Litewatenatty]

it definitely will make big changes, and smart call being cautious bro

yeah i'm really excited about it, my back still gets quite tight so i'm gonna switch up my routine to keep 3 days separating back and leg workouts to prevent injury

[Litewatenatty]

been feeling really good lately and all my lifts are going up, finally got the 105's on DB press today for 5 reps, first time i've been back in the hundreds in over a year i guess. i feel like the clean bulk is going extremely well, i look quite cut in the morning still before i start holding water from all the carbs and creatine so i definitely recommend going clean whenever you are bulking unless you just cant gain weight. will start adding real weight to squats and deadlifts this coming week once i feel like my form is solid, so i may have to start increasing cals a bit to keep up with those two workouts. cant wait to get some more pics up next week for the 4 week progress, hopefully we'll start seeing some thickness in the hams/lower back!

[Litewatenatty]

up to 149 now, just had a sick leg workout. first time in YEARS i actually was able to do squats without my lower back hurting. it felt great to go low and power through without any crippling pain, and i was able to get up to 225 for 5 reps (not much yet, but quickly getting back my strength). low bar squats have saved my entire leg routine, and i was able to focus on frying my hams later on due to the lack of pain, something that used to really hurt my hamstring workouts. loving the bulk so far, up 6.5 lbs in 3.5 weeks and the waist is still looking good! i'll post more pics on friday

[Quelly]

dude that's great...food and squats...that's the way it should be!

but just maybe slow it down on rate of gain...1lb/week might be a little leaner of gains, just my opinion

[Litewatenatty]

dude that's great...food and squats...that's the way it should be!

but just maybe slow it down on rate of gain...1lb/week might be a little leaner of gains, just my opinion

yea but i'm going to be away from the gym for like 6 weeks over christmas holidays so i'm not too worried about putting on weight too quickly, i'm just taking advantage of the gym right now as long as i can! plus i'm still not as big as i used to be so i think muscle memory is still working for me. i used to weigh around 165, did 120's on dumbell press for 5 or 6 reps...so i've still got some catching up to do

[Quelly]

yea but i'm going to be away from the gym for like 6 weeks over christmas holidays so i'm not too worried about putting on weight too quickly, i'm just taking advantage of the gym right now as long as i can! plus i'm still not as big as i used to be so i think muscle memory is still working for me. i used to weigh around 165, did 120's on dumbell press for 5 or 6 reps...so i've still got some catching up to do

sounds like you got a plan bro can't wait to see you get back to where you were and beyond

[Litewatenatty]

well i did back yesterday and my lower back was really bothering me on the deadlifts. i've been working on stretching and doing light lowerback exercises for the past week since i discovered that my posture is pretty bad and thats probably the cause of most of my back pain. anyway, i just have a lot of trouble keeping my back properly arched and tensed during heavy deads so i've decided to scrap those for now until my back gets stronger and i have corrected my posture a bit. i'm very sore today and i know i still managed to get a really good workout in, so i'm hoping my back will look a bit thicker in my next set of photos than in the previous ones. strength is still going up very quickly all over, and i've had ridiculous amounts of energy in the gym. it actually feels like i'm using anabolics or something just because i'm not used to such quick increases in strength, almost like i'm a newbie again!

[Quelly]

well i did back yesterday and my lower back was really bothering me on the deadlifts. i've been working on stretching and doing light lowerback exercises for the past week since i discovered that my posture is pretty bad and thats probably the cause of most of my back pain. anyway, i just have a lot of trouble keeping my back properly arched and tensed during heavy deads so i've decided to scrap those for now until my back gets stronger and i have corrected my posture a bit. i'm very sore today and i know i still managed to get a really good workout in, so i'm hoping my back will look a bit thicker in my next set of photos than in the previous ones. strength is still going up very quickly all over, and i've had ridiculous amounts of energy in the gym. it actually feels like i'm using anabolics or something just because i'm not used to such quick increases in strength, almost like i'm a newbie again!

food is good! And excellent call on the deads...if you can't keep your arch, DONT DEADLIFT

[Litewatenatty]

yea man, food is just magical! i wish i'd started my bulk a few months ago but the cut was good i guess so i shouldn't complain. i'm just afraid that i'll get back to my old strength right around the time that i leave for oz and then i'll lose it again! i'll be doing a bunch of outdoor workouts though and an occasional gym visit so hopefully i'll still be on track by the time i start back at the gym

[Litewatenatty]

ok, here are the newest pics. these are 4 weeks into the bulk:





Legs are coming up but still look terrible! pretty happy with the way things are progressing though, sucks to lose some of the cuts but it'll be worth it in the long run

[DanTheManB]

been feeling really good lately and all my lifts are going up, finally got the 105's on DB press today for 5 reps, first time i've been back in the hundreds in over a year i guess. i feel like the clean bulk is going extremely well, i look quite cut in the morning still before i start holding water from all the carbs and creatine so i definitely recommend going clean whenever you are bulking unless you just cant gain weight. will start adding real weight to squats and deadlifts this coming week once i feel like my form is solid, so i may have to start increasing cals a bit to keep up with those two workouts. cant wait to get some more pics up next week for the 4 week progress, hopefully we'll start seeing some thickness in the hams/lower back!

Get your form down before hittin 105's bro. no offense. do you get that DEEP stretch at the bottom and the contraction at the top? if not lower it 30lbs

[DanTheManB]

GREAT job with the bulk so far BTW! thickening up nice!

[Litewatenatty]

Ok so i've got some updates on the bulk. Found out through trial and error that oats and possibly gluten were responsible for my stomach problems, i've cut them out and have felt 100% better for the past 3 days. Energy is up and even though i'm disappointed (i love oats) i know that i'll have a much easier time putting on muscle and getting through my workouts. had a leg workout yesterday that would have made me puke if my stomach hadn't been right so i've already turned it into a positive. squatted 275 for 4 good reps, still not too heavy yet but i'm up about 70 lbs in 4 weeks! my recovery has never been better, i'm not even all that sore in the legs today compared to how sore i used to get, and my strength is continuing to improve very quickly. belt still fits the same as it did 2 weeks ago and my shirts are all fitting tighter, so i feel like i'm doing quite well on the bulk. i'll get some more pics up in a few days and try to get some more leg shots this time too

[DanTheManB]

Ok so i've got some updates on the bulk. Found out through trial and error that oats and possibly gluten were responsible for my stomach problems, i've cut them out and have felt 100% better for the past 3 days. Energy is up and even though i'm disappointed (i love oats) i know that i'll have a much easier time putting on muscle and getting through my workouts. had a leg workout yesterday that would have made me puke if my stomach hadn't been right so i've already turned it into a positive. squatted 275 for 4 good reps, still not too heavy yet but i'm up about 70 lbs in 4 weeks! my recovery has never been better, i'm not even all that sore in the legs today compared to how sore i used to get, and my strength is continuing to improve very quickly. belt still fits the same as it did 2 weeks ago and my shirts are all fitting tighter, so i feel like i'm doing quite well on the bulk. i'll get some more pics up in a few days and try to get some more leg shots this time too

ohh your squat is up 70lbs...i thought you meant you...was about to say ha...nice job bro! 315 right around the corner!! sucks about the gluten thing ..i may have that a lil too never checked tho. i love oats too much to cut them out

[Bnizzle163]

Just came across your log, bro. Great work in 4 weeks. Definitely adding some mass all around. Have you made any tweaks in your diet since the start of your bulk? i.e. add any cals? and if so, in the form of carbs, fats, etc??

I have the same prob right now with my lower back... I was deading until about 8 weeks out and cycled them off, tried to bring them back and my lower back is acting up on me... So, my best advice would be to play it safe and lay off them until you're 100%.

[Litewatenatty]

Just came across your log, bro. Great work in 4 weeks. Definitely adding some mass all around. Have you made any tweaks in your diet since the start of your bulk? i.e. add any cals? and if so, in the form of carbs, fats, etc??

I have the same prob right now with my lower back... I was deading until about 8 weeks out and cycled them off, tried to bring them back and my lower back is acting up on me... So, my best advice would be to play it safe and lay off them until you're 100%.

Thanks for the props man, the bulk was def long overdue. I've been adding in more carbs on some days, especially back day and leg day just because they really help with my energy. i really feel like i used to over-emphasize protein and not worry about carbs nearly enough. i've been building muscle and getting much stronger without the ridiculous amount of protein that i used to eat back in the day. the back is so much better now, but still weak enough that i dont want to risk doing deadlifts. i can do cable deadlifts on the seated row machine, its easier that way to concentrate on keeping my back arched without my hips moving back and forth and that has allowed me to start strengthening my lower back. we'll see what happens over the next few months but i feel like it wont hurt my back development or my leg development either

[DanTheManB]

Thanks for the props man, the bulk was def long overdue. I've been adding in more carbs on some days, especially back day and leg day just because they really help with my energy. i really feel like i used to over-emphasize protein and not worry about carbs nearly enough. i've been building muscle and getting much stronger without the ridiculous amount of protein that i used to eat back in the day. the back is so much better now, but still weak enough that i dont want to risk doing deadlifts. i can do cable deadlifts on the seated row machine, its easier that way to concentrate on keeping my back arched without my hips moving back and forth and that has allowed me to start strengthening my lower back. we'll see what happens over the next few months but i feel like it wont hurt my back development or my leg development either

u dont NEED deadlifts to get a thick or wide back...my friend has one of the best backs i've ever seen for a natural bber and he never DLs

[Quelly]

what would probably help you guys who have trouble with the dead and lower back issues is to really start working glute development so your back doesnt bear the whole brunt of the load and get overstrained

[Litewatenatty]

what would probably help you guys who have trouble with the dead and lower back issues is to really start working glute development so your back doesnt bear the whole brunt of the load and get overstrained

yep i agree totally. i've been working much more on glute and hamstring exercises lately to try to take strain away from my back. itll take time but i'll get there

[Bnizzle163]

I agree. I plan to give GHR's a shot here soon