Zhall616's Perpetual Bulking Log

[zhall616]

So I have officially decided to start a bulk! I am finally over the mentality that carbs are bad, need shake immediately PWO, broscience, etc. IIFYM changed my life! I am a former fattie and used to weigh 174 with no lbm. Now i weigh 136 with very little muscle. I have feared carbs and eating "dirty" foods for about 3 months until finding the IIFYM crew and Alan Aragon here on the site. Some other stats for me are 5'10" and I am 17 years old. Not entirely sure what my bodyfat % is. I will be posting pics soon but as of now, you will have to look at my profile. If someone wants to estimate my bodyfat, that would be great. I have been toying with bulking for about 2 weeks now and am currently eating ~2300 calories. I have actually been gaining on that so I will continue for another week then reevaluate if needed. Macros are ~250/60/175 c/f/p. I will also be starting an IF protocol and my feeding window will be from 2-10. I will be posting pics of the eats when I have time. My training split is an upper/lower with main focus on heavy compounds. So on an upper day, I focus on BB Bench, Overhead Press, and Rows with a couple accessory movements. On a lower, I focus on squats and dead lifts and do a couple accessory movements. I am super weak, so right now it is like this:
Squats- 3x5 155 lbs.
Deads- 1x5 175 lbs.
Bench- 3x5 115 lbs.
Overhead Press- 3x5 85 lbs.

If anyone has suggestions or encouragement, feel free to comment. I am excited to finally be mentally ready for a bulk and make some real gains!! Tomorrow is an upper day so I will be posting my workout and food sometime tomorrow. My goal is to bulk to at least 160 and then go from there. I understand the importance of having a solid base, so that's where I'd like to be by the end of this.

[RyanB1979]

Nice man KILLLLL it!! Thats what I like to see, an open mind to change.

[Cumulonimbus]

Nice man, I'll be lurking

[zhall616]

Nice man, I'll be lurking

Thanks!

[zhall616]

Alright here is my first update. Today was probably the first time I have ever trained fasted. It wasn't near as bad as I Thought. My energy levels were fine and my lifts still went up. I took 10g BCAA's (as recommended by Martin) right before my workout and I also had a cup of coffee. Today was an upper day so here is how it went:

Bench Press- 3x5 120lbs.

Overhead Press- 3x5 90lbs.

Close Grip Pulldown- 3 sets of 6,5,4 I went heavy on these and after my last set, I went to a drop set of Wide-Grip Pulldowns.

BB Shrugs- 3x10 155lbs.

Tricep Dips- 3 sets of 10,8,6

BB Curls- 6 at 55lbs.
5 at 60lbs.
4 at 65lbs. I followed my last set with a drop set of 40, 30, 20 and repped out.

Chest Cable Cross- 3 sets of 10,8,6 upping the weight each time.

That is pretty much how it went today. I am fasting til 2 so I will post macros and meals later. Again, if anyone has suggestions, feel free to comment! Thanks guys!

[zhall616]

Okay so the macros for the day ended at:

287g Carbs
53g fat
173 protein
2292 calories

I enjoyed IF for today but the huge meals make me feel huge for a good hour after ha

Food included two turkey sammiches with ff cheese and cauliflower, 3 whole grain waffles with a little whip cream, some Edy's ice cream, some yogurt sludge with chocolate cheerios and strawberries, a protein fluff attempt (epic fail), an omelette, some broccoli, popcorn, and more ice cream. For the fluff, I tried 45g casein, 100ml egg white, 1/4 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup strawberries, and 2 oz. milk. I couldn's get it to fluff so i ended up sticking it in the microwave and adding some pb. Still delicious.

Let me know if you guys have any suggestions!

It won't let me post pics yet cuz I dont have enough posts.

[zhall616]

can anyone tell me where they buy their pb2? I can't find it anywhere!! Today is lower day. I'll be posting workout and diet later

[CharlieBango]

Keep up the good work man!

I'm also looking for PB2, I think their website has a store locator. It's just that no stores in my area carry it, will probably have to order from amazon.

[johnmlodynia]

You may want to try Lyle's Generic Bulking Upper/Lower, it has worked well for me. I don't think you need exercises like cable crossovers in your program at all. You should be able to gain quickly at your weight.

[zhall616]

Keep up the good work man!

I'm also looking for PB2, I think their website has a store locator. It's just that no stores in my area carry it, will probably have to order from amazon.

alright thanks man! I guess I'll just order it.

[zhall616]

You may want to try Lyle's Generic Bulking Upper/Lower, it has worked well for me. I don't think you need exercises like cable crossovers in your program at all. You should be able to gain quickly at your weight.

alright I will definitely look into that. I don't typically include the crossovers but I really want to get my bench up so I threw in another chest exercise. But I'll check out lyles routine. thanks!

[ian0789]

Check your pms in a min or so. Thank me later!

Normal is out of stock as of now but they have the choc. They normally stoke both, dont buy it from there main site or you will end up paying out the butt.

[zhall616]

Check your pms in a min or so. Thank me later!

Normal is out of stock as of now but they have the choc. They normally stoke both, dont buy it from there main site or you will end up paying out the butt.

dude thanks!

[ian0789]

Np, let me know if you found it. They mess that link up in even a PM I guess :/ anyways the site is really good for stocking up on Waldens Farms stuff and PB2

[zhall616]

Alright so today's workout went really well. It was a lower day. I went with the advice above and tried Lyle's Generic Bulking routine and I found that it was really similar to my own. My legs are shot!! I followed Martin's protocol again and took 10g BCAA's (Xtend) pre-workout and I also had some coffee for energy. I am enjoying the IF idea because I am more of a volume eater. Anyways, here is the workout:

Squats- 3x6 155lbs. I usually only do 3x5 but I added a rep to each set and kept the same weight as my previous workout.

SLDL- 3x6 135lbs. These are killer!

Leg Press- 3x10 225lbs. I made sure to focus on depth here and exploded up. I made sure to go slow on the way down.

Seated Calf Raise- 3x12

Standing Calf Raise- 3x6 150lbs.

Lying Leg Curls- 2x10

I basically crawled out of the gym! I know I can't do much weight (I am super weak)- hence the bulk. I will be posting macros and foods later, but I still can't post pics! Any suggestions/comments are welcome!

[zhall616]

Can somebody tell me the benefit of a switch grip when doing dead lifts? As in having one hand over and one under?
Thanks

[johnmlodynia]

Can somebody tell me the benefit of a switch grip when doing dead lifts? As in having one hand over and one under?
Thanks

You can go heavier. It will also prevent the bar from turning sideways when you put it down between reps if you have hex plates like at my gym. I do my warmups with an overhand grip and my heavy sets a mixed grip.

[zhall616]

You can go heavier. It will also prevent the bar from turning sideways when you put it down between reps if you have hex plates like at my gym. I do my warmups with an overhand grip and my heavy sets a mixed grip.

Alright thanks man! I will have to try it as I progress. My dead right now is only 165lbs. @ 3x5 =/

[zhall616]

Alright guys, here are the macros for the day:

278g carbs
67g fat
182g protein
2389 calories

Food included some pumpkin oats, tilapia, broccoli and cauliflower, turkey sammich with cheddar, a couple pb&j's with PB&Co cinnamon raisin and white chocolate, yogurt, edy's ice cream, and a successful protein fluff!!

Protein Fluff:

45g Chocolate Cake Batter Casein
100ml skim milk
2 egg whites
Added in 1/2 cup of chocolate cheerios and some almond butter, topped with ff whip cream! http://assets.bodybuilding.com/forum...ons/icon10.gif

[zhall616]

Happy Easter! Today is an off day, but I ended up going to the gym because my dad wanted me to go with. I did some light ab work then just relaxed in the sauna til he finished. I will be posting the eats later, we are having a family cookout for lunch today, so that'll be nice.

[CharlieBango]

Happy Easter man. Back at it tomorrow!

[zhall616]

Happy Easter man. Back at it tomorrow!

thanks dude! gonna be tearing up an upper workout tomorrow!

[zhall616]

So i am ending the day with around 2300 calories. I enjoyed some great food, while staying in moderation! I also meant for this to be a rest day but my little bro is a cheerleader (yes, i know...) and his coach asked him to come work out with him... so i got dragged and it was a nice change of pace. only bodyweight exercises and in short bursts of intervals. im not gonna lie, it was intense! I'll be ready to hit it hard tomorrow with an upper day! also may be upping calories to 2500 depending on weight tomorrow reply with any suggestions!

[zhall616]

So I had an absolute sh!tty day at the gym today! Trained fasted with the typical coffee and BCAA's pre workout. I got to the gym and weighed in at 134 Then I started my workout and none of my lifts progressed. I actually did LESS weight on bench and had trouble with the shoulder press. When I initially started bulking I came off a low carb diet so my weight shot up to ~136 and then leveled out after a week. Now I'm down to 134, so I am going to up calories to 2500 this week and see how that goes. Could my strength problem today be because I haven't been eating enough? Any suggestions/advice would be awesome! thanks guys

[Joseph1990]

List your macronutrient break down, activity level, and how much sleep you have got for the past 2 days.

[zhall616]

List your macronutrient break down, activity level, and how much sleep you have got for the past 2 days.

the past 3 days has been:

287/173/53 c/p/f 2292 cals
278/182/67 2389 cals
277/200/51 2305 cals

Lift 4 days a week on an upper/lower split. A couple 40 minute walks a week, I try to stay active... is that what you needed?

sleep is around 8-10 hours a night

[ko300zx]

Diet looks good, training looks good, overall understanding of how to make progress is there. You should do very well if you keep at it. Wish I had the same understanding at 17.

Don't get frustrated over 1 bad day. We all have them. Don't get hung up on day to day numbers on the scale either. If at the end of the week, weight is still down, adjust and keep moving forward. I can get the scale to vary by a couple lbs simply depending on specific timing of a pre-workout meal and some water.

[Joseph1990]

the past 3 days has been:

287/173/53 c/p/f 2292 cals
278/182/67 2389 cals
277/200/51 2305 cals

Lift 4 days a week on an upper/lower split. A couple 40 minute walks a week, I try to stay active... is that what you needed?

sleep is around 8-10 hours a night

Nutrition looks ok. We all have those days in the gym we are not as strong as we could be, it happens.

Days you are more active you do need to eat more to maintain a surplus. You might want to increase your calorie intake as it looks like 2,300 is only maintaining your weight.

Try swapping out some of that protein for carbs and adding another 50g on top of that. See how that helps with your strength and weight.

[zhall616]

alright thanks guys! I will try upping carbs and dropping protein a little and see how that goes. I will try eating 2500 on training days and 2300 on off days.

[Joseph1990]

alright thanks guys! I will try upping carbs and dropping protein a little and see how that goes. I will try eating 2500 on training days and 2300 on off days.

Keep calories just as high on off days. If you are going to alter calories on a bulk due to activity level increase them on days you are more active then usual but don't decrease them on off days.

Growth dosen't happen during training days, it happens outside the gym.