Bulking and Body Fat
I'm bulking right now. I have been and I will be for awhile.
I wasn't really gaining any weight at first - then I bumped up the protein and total calories and all of a sudden - wow. I've gained about 12 lbs in the last 3 weeks.
But I'm getting fat. I'm used to floating around 8% fat and when it goes above 10 I feel like a fat ass. Not really - but I don't really like that look. I know I'm being crazy but I want to know how far I let it go.
I went to yoga last night and took my shirt off in front of 50 beautiful women and I felt like a slob. But it was 100 degrees and I had to go shirtless.
I don't want to hinder my gains so I don't really give a fuck. Ill do whatever I need to, so that I can reach my goals. If it takes gaining lots of fat I can wrap my head around it.
But why let it get out of control if it's not necessary.
I was thinking of trying to keep it within about 12-14%. But if I gain better letting it go further I'm fine.
What are the suggestion around here?
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waltrI've gone from 201 to 220 during the EBC with very minimal fat gain. At the beginning I was eating 400 grams of protein and 200 grams of carbs and then I got a suggestion from dfwtp to drop the protein and raise the carbs and it's been working better than I ever expected it to.
https://www.eroids.com/users/dfwtp
That's the guy that helped me, I can't tell you he'll definitely work with you on your diet, but he might be able to help you out.
ClassyChassisEating excess carbs will not give you muscle. You need enough carbs to maintain muscle and liver glycogen. And the insulin from the carbs will help drive protein storage. But if you eat too many carbs you will get fat. Which is not useful to you. Although the intra-cellular leverage will make you a bit stronger, so there is that.
Also, fructose is not metabolized like other carbs. It goes through the Portal Vein directly to the liver. If you need liver glycogen that's what it will be used for. If your liver glycogen levels are full, it will be converted to triglyceride (fat). So I would keep fruit to a minimum. Maybe a piece first thing in the AM when liver glycogen stores are likely to be low.
I would keep carbs mainly around workouts. About 50g before to blunt cortisol and 100g after to replenish muscle glycogen. Maybe another 200g to 300g throughout the day.
I would also always avoid refined flour, refined sugar, and dairy products to a degree, in addition to the fruit already mentioned. And never drink calories unless they are protein.
BigBmajI have a very physical job. Essentially 10 hrs of cardio 6 days a week.
So I feel like erring on the side of excess carbs is good. Too little and I feel like I'm burning protein, or verging on catabolism.
Maybe 400 grams of protein with 4700 calories is enough. I've been going for like 6500 lately. I just wasn't putting on any size.
I know it's a balancing act and I probably went too far in one direction. But isn't there any point erring on the side of too much??
ClassyChassisWell, if you are getting fat, then you are eating too many carbs. There really is no other way to get fat. You could eat 10,000 calories a day from just protein and fat, and not get fat at all. It's not about calories, it's about the hormonal milieu. 400g protein is 1600 calories if you want to look at it in those terms. I would suggest maybe 90g/day of fats in the form of essential fatty acids, another 800 calories. So that's 2400 calories. If you follow my recommendation of 400-550g carbs / day, that's 1600-2200 calories. So that would be about 4600 calories tops. You want to "gain" fat, then eat all the carbs you want. But as long as you aren't looking flat and depleted you are eating plenty.
Also, if you are always eating carbs, then you won't burn fat. Two totally separate metabolic pathways.The presence of insulin inhibits the l-carnitine chain, which is necessary for the mobilization of free fatty acids for fuel. That's why I follow a form of intermittent fasting, which means I don't eat carbs right away when I get up. Just some protein and a bit of fat. Keeps my insulin down and more in a fat burning mode, plus my blood sugar isn't going up and down, making me tired and hungry. I actually don't eat carbs until pre-workout and only eat them during a 8-9 hour period each day. This helps my insulin sensitivity as well as keeping me in "Hunter/Warrior" mode. People were just never made to eat all the carbs constantly like they do now. If you understand how Human biochemistry works, this is easy to see.
BigBmajI actually do understand how it works. But its not so easy for me to see. I don't feel like its so cut and dry. If it were everyone would look good.
Getting lean isn't difficult for me at all, its actually super easy. Adding mass is the hard part. I just wasn't interested in looking terrible if not necessary. The guys I know who are huge get pretty fucking sloppy during a bulk and they swear by it. Other people say to stay around 10% and bulk slower. I'm just not sure what works best for me. I figured I had to add some body fat I am bulking and I'd rather err on the side of excess - isn't that what a bulk really is? Excess?
I tried IF and it made me super lean very quickly - but I'm not looking for that. I'm looking to gain some lots of mass.
That's pretty tough... If I'm bulking, as I did for my first cycle, I gain a ton of fat and every two weeks or so I have to completely drop carbs for a few days to cut back down on the fat. Otherwise, I feel just like you are feeling! I'm currently cutting and maintaining my weight (195 lbs) and losing the left over fat that I gained from my bulk.
From my perspective, it takes TWO cycles, not one, for a real progress to occur. Can't achieve everything in one 12 week cycle, and I've learned that mistake.
I would cut back on macros for a few days once every few weeks, and hit cardio hard for those few days. You may lose just a tiny bit of muscle but it will keep your body fat in check, in my opinion.
Edit: I would also like to add that it depends a lot on our body types, A LOT... I've seen people eat the shit out of fast food on cycle, gain 13 lbs of lean muscle and maybe a lb or two of fat... If I did that, I'd look like a real slob and would hit my goal weight of 215 lbs, but with a gut larger than the average fat person.
BigBmajI'm going to lean out as soon as I'm where I want to be size wise. Although I think I'll always want to be bigger.
Going to push straight into a lean cycle following this bulk. Then back to TRT.
I know ruining long cycles isn't always advised but Im determined and Im being pretty conservative with my doses.
I understand. If you're on TRT, then that works out perfectly. I would do the same exact thing.
Just be sure that you DO stop when you reach the size you want to be, haha. I got addicted to the size and pushed my cycle much further... PCT was hell, but I kept most gains, as well as the fat....