Strange bulking progress

[mrmusclezman]

So for the past 2 months my clean bulk has been like this:

Stay at around 164 lb for a month
Gain a pound and become 165 lb in 3 days
Stay at around 165 lb for a month
Gain a pound and a half and become 166.5 lb in 3 days

I track all my calories and my nutrition has been consistent for the past 2 months.

Why is it that my weight is constant for a long time then all of a sudden shoots up when I'm in a consistent calorie surplus.

[gbullock32]

Water fluctuation; and with such slow 'gain' you are likely barely in a surplus, if you are at all.

[magician27]

you are clearly not on surplus.

[seanboone104]

If you do the math it is a small surplus, 2.5 months = roughly 75 days with 2.5 lbs added. That is 10.7 weeks. Roughly 8750 calories added over 10.7 weeks or 817 calorie surplus per week or 116 calorie surplus per day. LOL

[mrmusclezman]

According to Lyle McDonald and Alan Aragon, the maximum rate of muscle growth is roughly 1 lb/ month...all else will be fat. So I don't get what's the fuss over such a surplus.

[nakedmancow]

According to Lyle McDonald and Alan Aragon, the maximum rate of muscle growth is roughly 1 lb/ month...all else will be fat. So I don't get what's the fuss over such a surplus.

Well you're never going to put on pure muscle. Some people do go by this approach though of 0.5 lb a week or 2 lb is usually goal.

[Mrpb]

According to Lyle McDonald and Alan Aragon, the maximum rate of muscle growth is roughly 1 lb/ month...all else will be fat. So I don't get what's the fuss over such a surplus.

Beginners can gain 2 pounds per month, intermediates more like 1 yeah.

Your problem with tracking your weight would be solved by tracking your average weight with a moving 7 day average, also known as rolling average. If you don't know what that is Google knows.

[mrmusclezman]

Beginners can gain 2 pounds per month, intermediates more like 1 yeah.

Your problem with tracking your weight would be solved by tracking your average weight with a moving 7 day average, also known as rolling average. If you don't know what that is Google knows.

I track my weight on a 30 day rolling avg. For example I take my avg weight in the morning for one month and compare it to the avg weight the next month. But I've found that just about all my weight gain comes in the last 3 days of each monthly cycle which I don't understand.

[Mrpb]

The average should be taken over about 7 days. It doesn't make sense to take it over 30 days.

[mrmusclezman]

The average should be taken over about 7 days. It doesn't make sense to take it over 30 days.

I find my weight fluctuates too much for a 7 day avg to be accurate

[Mrpb]

I find my weight fluctuates too much for a 7 day avg to be accurate

That's exactly the purpose of a 7 day average, to take the fluctuation out.