+ 1 Food/Macros
Im getting ready for my first growth cycle(bulk/lean bulk whatever you want to call it) I’ve been cutting for about a year and half. All my previous years of training was simply me just lifting and eating whatever tf I wanted, obviously that’s now how I want to do it now that I’m wiser. Looking for input on what my intake should look like? Here’s what’s going on
I’m 6’3, 235lbs, 28, in body scan has me at 6% body fat (I’d guess 12% actual number) PPL 6 day split, 10k steps daily, Zone 3 cardio 20-30mins 5 days a week.
My BMR is around 2400. Within talking to trainers and bodybuilders at my gym I’m guessing I’ll have to be around 4000 calories, 600 carbs, 250g protein, small amount of fats. This is where I’m looking for advice on, I want to do this right and not add on too much fat back on.
Will be a long cycle, I want to go as long as I can bloods permitted through the whole winter. 5-600 Test, 2-300 EQ, 8iu gh (likely split PM/PWO)
Open to all opinions and advice, thanks brothers.
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Why so many carbs? Maybe I'm too new to this but I go for the 40/40/20 split on macros and it's worked great for me. I'm not criticizing at all I'm legitimately curious about the effects there. Maybe I need more carbs!
From my understanding, Carbs are easy to eat and digest. You only need so much protein on a growth phase because carbs are protein sparing. I believe it’s something like 1-1.5g per lean lb of mass for protein
Have you used a TDEE calculator before? I just plugged your stats into tdeecalculator.net and even at the activity level put at sedentary it says your maintenance calories are about 2,875. They aren't perfect, but you can get a general idea of what your maintenance caories should be at. Then do what @FourYrs said below. Gradual increases.
2400 sounds very low for your stats and activity level. It might be that extended dieting has lowered your maintenance, but my true maintenance at 10-12% body fat, 6ft, on a similar split and with similar steps/LISS, is around 2800-3000. I would reassess that figure by experimenting a bit with gradual calorie increases of around 200kcal every 2-3 weeks. Let things stabilize at that level, see how your bodyweight and performance adjust, and if you find yourself gaining .5-1lb per week, hold it there until your maintenance resets and then evaluate whether you need to increase calories by another 200 per day again.