so usually when im bulking i dont count my macros. Just simply wanted to here some peoples opinions on counting while bulking. Do you count? If so do you count your macros all the way through your bulk? If you dont count while bulking do you just estimate or do you just eat like a mad man lol?
I never count macros or calories during any phase of my training.
I eat the same thing everyday, and then make small changes as needed toward my goals. If I want to lose weight, I eat less. If I want to gain weight, I eat more. The point is to make gradual changes rather than go crazy in one direction or the other.
Just my opinion, I think if you want to do it right and minimize fat gain, yes you should be counting and keeping track. It really doesn’t take a huge caloric surplus to gain LBM, I think most people go wrong on a “bulk” and just eat too much too quickly. Soon your body will adapt, your insulin sensitivity will slow down, etc. Sure you’ll gain some size and strength but more of it will be fat than you think. So, let’s say you increase cals or carbs or whatever you choose by “x” amount per day or week (start small.) Do that for a couple of weeks, see how you look, take pics to keep track, and keep track of the scale. If you’re cruising along well, you can add another couple hundred calories or 50g carbs or whatever and see what happens. This will allow you to not only minimize fat gain, but also know more about what your maintenance calories are and how you respond to these changes. You could of course not count anything, eat what you want and see how it goes, but I don’t think that will be the most efficient way to do it, and it won’t give you tools for the future.
Your body is always trying to adapt. So if you “eat like a mad man” pretty soon you’ll have to eat like a lunatic, and before you know it your definition will be gone. If you slowly increase, every time you make a change it’ll have more of an impact and you’ll know what’s working and what’s not. Again these are just my thoughts, but I think most guys choose to eat whatever and use bulking as an excuse to eat a bunch of junk. Not saying you shouldn’t enjoy the process, but I’ve found keeping track of things has allowed me to efficiently put on good LBM without excess fat.
This article is a great read for this topic: https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/bulking-diet-delusion
AND this one: The Truth About Bulking
I highly recommend reading both of them!