**FREE GAT - are YOU getting FAT? (BULKERS WELCOME!!!)**

[hdeindorfer]

But most importantly FOOD

YES. This >>

(plus extra points for that relatively clean mirror)

[hdeindorfer]

What did your most effective bulk look like?

Never have run a real bulk. Not sure if I ever will haha

Should you EVER bulk?

If your goal is to get bigger, then you definitely should bulk haha

Seems contradictory? Are you pretty satisfied with your size? Any particular reason why you don't think you'd ever bulk?

[adrianju77]

Original post ( i dont know how to just click a button and add the post to my comment :/
AT WEEKLY GIVEAWAY :

This week, I want to stir up a little healthy (or not so healthy) debate. Now that we�ve all looked sexy and shredded for our Halloween costumes, it�s that time again. The holidays are upon us. Halloween candy, holiday comfort foods, baking, more time inside, and for most competitors, contest season has reached an end.
All of this means one thing: BULKING SEASON.



I want to know YOUR opinion on bulking.

- Dirty bulk?
- Clean bulk?
- How much is too much?
- Fat/lean muscle gain ratios?
- What did your most effective bulk look like?
- Should you EVER bulk?
- What kind of caloric surplus do you follow?
- Supplements during a bulk?

All of these count as entries, and before/after bulk pictures are worth extra points!!

ANNNNNDDDD GO�

Dirty bulk: When I was playing college football at Jacksonville University 2013-2014 I got there my freshman year weighing in at 280 pounds (right tackle) and I was a tiny one compared to the seniors. I was put on a high calorie diet that wasnt strict in the slightest. within that year i put on 70 (350.6 lbs) pounds which a good amount came from muscle my squat went from high 300's to 565 but I was fat and unhappy at the same time soooo no dirty bulking for me ever again

Clean bulk: I cut down to 245 after leaving the school to follow my new found affection for fitness and studying to become a NASM personal trainer and now that I'm sick of cutting I switched to an extremely clean bulking program with high protein, and moderate carb intake (seeing as I have plenty body fat to burn) and healthy fats but no processed sugars or saturated/trans fats. I'm currently loving it Ive put on 2 pounds in 2 days so far and am trying to put on around 20 in three months!

lean muscle/fat ratio: Ive been fat since puberty hit soooo I dont want to put on another pound of fat for the rest of my life so in my personal journey I want my fat to be as low as possible and my lean muscle increase to be the extremely obvious victor in bulking process

Most effective bulking: I've only bulked once and I became morbidly obese soooo not fun but give me a few months and this will be my most effective bulk

should you bulk?: If you want to get big then yeah you should bulk? its a great way to change things up in your fitness life I believe it helps to keep things interesting

caloric surplus: I'm currently 6'3 245 pound and I take in 3240 calories per day but thats also increasing weekly!

supplements Im using include-
Whey protein (several serving daily)
creatine daily 5g daily besides loading period
fish oils 3 times per day
glutamine for my soreness
2:1:1 Bcaas for enhanced protein synthasis
Multivitamins

[paladin1991]

In for support. No bulk for this cat. Go, Team GAT, Go!

[stad0203]

Apparently on the bulk train?? LOL

dark chocolate > white chocolate >> milk chocolate.

Every Reese's cup is 4g Tein, count that as cleaning eating*, and you got the << backwards

[InfiniteRecomp]

Every Reese's cup is 4g Tein, count that as cleaning eating*, and you got the << backwards

Nah, she had it partly right, except white chocolate ≠ chocolate.

ergo: dark chocolate >>> milk chocolate (white doesn't even count)

[ChosenBrah]

so much for clean bulking :'(

[Deluz]

its bulking season

[InfiniteRecomp]

so much for clean bulking :'(

[img]http://i.imgur.com/ZWsS28U.jpg?1[img]

You had me at scones, bro.

FYI: Thanksgiving Blend is OUT! Now serving at the local 'Bucks

[Misctake7]

Posting for support!

I've gone through multiple bulks and have tried many different strategies. A "dirty" bulk which includes a very high surplus and a mix of both "clean" and "dirty" foods was not kind to me and while I added a nice amount of strength, lots of fat was added as well. Will never "dirty" bulk again.

Tried an attempted "lean" bulk with a slighter calorie surplus with the IIFYM's approach and the gains came slow and were not all muscle. Fitting a pint of ice cream into my calories 2-3 times a week or other "cheat" type foods like that did not treat my body very well. Didn't gain much muscle and the gain of muscle to fat was pretty much equal.

I'm currently doing my first "clean" bulk which is a moderate surplus with slight increases every 1-2 weeks. Only 1 cheat/free meal a week. Also incorporating steady state cardio 4-5 times a week(heard it helps with absorption of food, so I'm experimenting to see if that may be true) while lifting 6 days a week and I'm adding weight or reps weekly to my lifts. This has so far been the best bulk I've done to date and most gains have been muscle. Holding a lot of water though, but that's fine. This is my first bulk that I'm not really tracking calories. I track just my protein intake to ensure I'm getting enough protein. If I estimated how many calories I was eating, it would be right around the 3k mark. I've found that eating mainly "clean" and unprocessed foods is really helping make the biggest difference during this bulk along with the cardio which I'd take out all together in the past.

Supplements don't change much between a cut/maintaining to a bulk. Fat burners taken out and caffeine intake is lowered since I'm getting more food and carbs for energy. Most people will say otherwise, but I find BCAAs very important during a cut since your body is in a calorie deficit. So BCAAs during training regardless of being fasted or not is important to me. I do keep BCAAs in my stack even when bulking just because it's something good tasting during my long workouts.
My everyday stack includes a multi, fish oil, creatine, protein powder, preworkout, greens supplement, GDA supplement.

[EthanHun]

WINTER is coming- the days grow shorters- This winter will be long and dark things come with it!!!! When winter does come GOD HELP US ALL if we are not ready!

I'v only ever done a dirty bulk- I always get massive strength gains and pack on muscle mass- I'm a rather hard gainer so I can put on a lot of size pretty quickly- I do have an issue with cutting tho so this winter I will be attempting a clean bulk- I'll be bulking till around march.

How much is too much you ask. Well i'm currently 230 lbs of sickening muscle and fat- If i happen to reach 240 that will be my stopping point. My goal weight is 200 lbs at 10% BF so I figure 240 is the perfect bulk to stop at. Then a slow 30 week cut down to my goal weight.

I'd say maximum of 15-20% BF is ideal for bulking. However i'm probably already on the higher end of that #. Ideally my clean bulk will allow for minimal fat gains.

My most effective bulk was from 200-225 a winter ago. I gained noticeable more muscle and nearly 175 lbs on my big 3 lifts.

Should You ever bulk- what type of question is this? Of fuking course if you want to put on size and strength quickly. if you want to be a little kid then no.

I typically aim for around 3000 calories. I don't count them but typically eat the same foods each day. Lots of rice chicken beans and vegetables with 1-2 pizzas/month cheat

Supplements- Gat NITRAFLEX- my favorite preworkout- allows me to lift heavier and longer, Protein powder- make sure I hit that 230 grams/day- BCAA"s I love them so muchhhhhhh. I also take a multiviatim and fish oil daily. I'd also suggestion something for your joints and bones (calcium/iron) , OF course CREATINE. Finally I like to take GMS for them hoooooge pumps!



Winter is upon us- Ps. I'll be growing my beard out to stay warm! Prepare for pictures of my huge muscles and huge beard in March!

[ScottRoland]

Dirty bulk?
Waste of time and money. Why pollute your body with trash?

- Clean bulk?
Abolutely.... bring on the calories !

- How much is too much?
Obviously depends on the person...the size....the goals.

- Fat/lean muscle gain ratios?
Again.... depends on the person. I always start my clients with a 50-30-20 and see how they respond to that.

- What did your most effective bulk look like?
Looks like me now. I just competed at 10lbs more than any other competition...I plan to keep this size for the next show.

- Should you EVER bulk?
If your goal is to gain size...yes.

- What kind of caloric surplus do you follow?
Personally....I do a +250 for 7 days...then add 200 after that.

- Supplements during a bulk?
Supplements always...(except the last 5 days before a show)

[mm394006]

- Dirty bulk?
Never saw the point. The whole point of bulking is to give your body what it needs to produce maximum growth. Feeding it a bunch of garbage will not help your muscle gains, and will only feed your fat gains. I try to focus on getting as much quality into my body as possible.

- Clean bulk?
See above. To me bulking is just about eating more of the quality foods you eat while maintaining or cutting to ensure that your body is never void of what it needs for maximum growth. For a bulk I will still eat chicken and vegetables for most meals. I will just eat more. I will tend to eat a little more fatty red meat, bump up to 2% milk, and relax on how strict I am with my carb intake as well, but overall I eat what most people would recognize as "clean" food.

- How much is too much?
Realistically, after lifting naturally for so many years you can really only expect to gain so much muscle over a given 6 month or so period regardless of how much weight you put on. After a certain point you are essentially just piling on fat. For me, I try to put on about 20lbs in hope of trimming down after for a 5-7lb net gain over the course of a year.

- Fat/lean muscle gain ratios?
I would guess I gain around a 1:1 ratio, but as I wrote above I will lose some of the muscle I gained along with the fat when I trim off the fat in the spring.

- What did your most effective bulk look like?
My most effective bulk came in conjuncture with completely changing up my workout routine to go from focusing on moving weight to focusing on working my muscles. The change put my body in a position where I was basically making noob gains 10 years into lifting. I was able to eat 7000 calories a day and put on solid size. I was drinking a gallon of whole milk a day every day for 3 months straight at one point. I went from 237-270lbs. I've tried a similar approach since and not had the success (mostly fat gains) so have since tapered back the gross calorie increase. See photos below

- Should you EVER bulk?
I'm sure this varies for everyone. If you are already overweight then it would probably be best to lose the excess fat before you ever try to go on a bulk. For anyone who can afford to put on some weight bulking is an excellent way to make gains. For someone like me it is the only way.

- What kind of caloric surplus do you follow?
I currently bulk at around 4000-4500 calories. For reference, I cut at around 2700-3000. As my metabolism has changed I have been able to get away with eating fewer calories to put on the same amount of weight as even just a few years ago.

- Supplements during a bulk?
Protein, weight gainer, creatine, BCAA's, DAA, and my favorite preworkout Nitraflex. (sucking up? yes. being honest? yes.)



All of these count as entries, and before/after bulk pictures are worth extra points!!
As mentioned, from my bulk two years ago. 7000ish calories a day, gallon of whole milk a day, 237lbs before 270lbs after. Something like a 7 month timeframe.

Yes, I am shirtless and wearing a bandana. Yes, I am a douche


Before



After

[hdeindorfer]

Original post ( i dont know how to just click a button and add the post to my comment :/
AT WEEKLY GIVEAWAY :

This week, I want to stir up a little healthy (or not so healthy) debate. Now that we’ve all looked sexy and shredded for our Halloween costumes, it’s that time again. The holidays are upon us. Halloween candy, holiday comfort foods, baking, more time inside, and for most competitors, contest season has reached an end.
All of this means one thing: BULKING SEASON.



I want to know YOUR opinion on bulking.

- Dirty bulk?
- Clean bulk?
- How much is too much?
- Fat/lean muscle gain ratios?
- What did your most effective bulk look like?
- Should you EVER bulk?
- What kind of caloric surplus do you follow?
- Supplements during a bulk?

All of these count as entries, and before/after bulk pictures are worth extra points!!

ANNNNNDDDD GO…

Dirty bulk: When I was playing college football at Jacksonville University 2013-2014 I got there my freshman year weighing in at 280 pounds (right tackle) and I was a tiny one compared to the seniors. I was put on a high calorie diet that wasnt strict in the slightest. within that year i put on 70 (350.6 lbs) pounds which a good amount came from muscle my squat went from high 300's to 565 but I was fat and unhappy at the same time soooo no dirty bulking for me ever again

Clean bulk: I cut down to 245 after leaving the school to follow my new found affection for fitness and studying to become a NASM personal trainer and now that I'm sick of cutting I switched to an extremely clean bulking program with high protein, and moderate carb intake (seeing as I have plenty body fat to burn) and healthy fats but no processed sugars or saturated/trans fats. I'm currently loving it Ive put on 2 pounds in 2 days so far and am trying to put on around 20 in three months!

lean muscle/fat ratio: Ive been fat since puberty hit soooo I dont want to put on another pound of fat for the rest of my life so in my personal journey I want my fat to be as low as possible and my lean muscle increase to be the extremely obvious victor in bulking process

Most effective bulking: I've only bulked once and I became morbidly obese soooo not fun but give me a few months and this will be my most effective bulk

should you bulk?: If you want to get big then yeah you should bulk? its a great way to change things up in your fitness life I believe it helps to keep things interesting

caloric surplus: I'm currently 6'3 245 pound and I take in 3240 calories per day but thats also increasing weekly!

supplements Im using include-
Whey protein (several serving daily)
creatine daily 5g daily besides loading period
fish oils 3 times per day
glutamine for my soreness
2:1:1 Bcaas for enhanced protein synthasis
Multivitamins

Congrats on losing the weight and pursuing a path that is so much healthier for your body!! Continue kicking a$$ and good luck with your current goals!

[hdeindorfer]

Yes, I am shirtless and wearing a bandana. Yes, I am a douche[/b]


Before



After

A douche that put on A TON of size. Nice! And really solid and reasonable approach to bulking. Your body runs off of what you put into it, and put crap in get crap out. (I guess you get crap out either way....)

[hdeindorfer]

Winter is upon us- Ps. I'll be growing my beard out to stay warm! Prepare for pictures of my huge muscles and huge beard in March![

beard gains >>>

grow that hair out too and you've got a lady-killer combo with the gains. muscles, man buns, and a beard and you will pretty much have your choices of the hbbs. just sayin.

[thackes1]

Seems contradictory? Are you pretty satisfied with your size? Any particular reason why you don't think you'd ever bulk?

Yes, pretty happy with my current size. My priority is shaping and sculpting what I have and dropping body fat to as low a level that I can maintain without feeling depleted.

[ExtremeOne74]

If you are serious about making progress then eliminate the terms bulking and cutting from your vocabulary. Bulking is nothing more than an excuse to eat what you want to get fat. Then warm weather comes and people go to the other extreme in a panic. The result? You look the same year in and year out. If you are serious you stay strict year round and work off basically the same nutrition plan. You slowly add Good cals over time to grow lean muscle or decrease cals slightly to trim some fat. Not exciting. Not fun. But that's the kind of discipline required to develop an envy worthy physique. But what do I know? Just keep bulking and cutting and let me know how that works out for you. Lol.

[ExtremeOne74]

That all being said when I was looking to put on quality size I was eating 6000 clean cals per day. Imo you should never lose sight of your abs and there should be clear muscle separation. Otherwise you're fat.

[EthanHun]

beard gains >>>

grow that hair out too and you've got a lady-killer combo with the gains. muscles, man buns, and a beard and you will pretty much have your choices of the hbbs. just sayin.

Awwww ya- Viking crew by March!! Hopefully my grey hairs aren't as noticeable when I have longer hair! grrrr

[InfiniteRecomp]

A douche that put on A TON of size. Nice! And really solid and reasonable approach to bulking. Your body runs off of what you put into it, and put crap in get crap out. (I guess you get crap out either way....)

[Goldeneagle76]

In for them gains! Anyone else find there is no "too many" Reese pumpkins, all gainz!

my kids hid their bags b/c there PB cups kept disappearing. I tried to blame it on mom...they knew better.

[stad0203]

Yes, pretty happy with my current size. My priority is shaping and sculpting what I have and dropping body fat to as low a level that I can maintain without feeling depleted.

I'm in that same boat man, don't ever feel like I need to be bigger than I am now. Keep up the good work!

[Deluz]

If you are serious about making progress then eliminate the terms bulking and cutting from your vocabulary. Bulking is nothing more than an excuse to eat what you want to get fat. .

so all of your posts in the previous thread of you eating buffets of sushi is not an excuse to get fat?

[Corey1Young]

Forgot to add sweet potatoes are a GREAT addition to a clean bulking diet. Microwave, add some coconut oil and honey = GOOD EATIN

Lmao....that's my kind of recipe. Zero effort and zero clean up. Winner winner chicken dinner

[ChosenBrah]

Lmao....that's my kind of recipe. Zero effort and zero clean up. Winner winner chicken dinner

Haha hey man reaching for the sweet potato instead of chocolate is effort and sometimes the oil/honey get messy!

[gregmh]

Lmao....that's my kind of recipe. Zero effort and zero clean up. Winner winner chicken dinner

Please we know you have to layout some pretty impressive meals to keep all those kids happy

[scottyb05]

If you are serious about making progress then eliminate the terms bulking and cutting from your vocabulary. Bulking is nothing more than an excuse to eat what you want to get fat. Then warm weather comes and people go to the other extreme in a panic. The result? You look the same year in and year out. If you are serious you stay strict year round and work off basically the same nutrition plan. You slowly add Good cals over time to grow lean muscle or decrease cals slightly to trim some fat. Not exciting. Not fun. But that's the kind of discipline required to develop an envy worthy physique. But what do I know? Just keep bulking and cutting and let me know how that works out for you. Lol.

Amen

[scottyb05]

so all of your posts in the previous thread of you eating buffets of sushi is not an excuse to get fat?

There's a difference between once in a while and getting fat to get skinny again.

[Goldeneagle76]

My issue is that I love the strength gains with getting bigger. I was at about 186 ~12-13% about 7-8 mths ago but am now 202 ~16% but am hitting PR's in the gym that I couldn't do in my 20's. I would like to see all of my abs again though!